A Highland Home A Contemporary Highland Romance Book Two (21 page)

Imogen refused to acknowledge Rowan’s questions and all conversation between them ceased except for the directions Imogen occasionally doled out. Rowan had no clue as to where they were or where they were going, and though she had her phone, it was in her bag, which Imogen had grabbed and tossed into the back seat.

She tried again to get some answers. “Please. At least tell me why you’re doing this. I know you don’t want to hurt me. Please. Just let me go.”

“You’re right-I don’t want to hurt you, but you cannot exist. If you’d just left things alone, you wouldn’t be in this mess. But you just had to keep snooping around and looking into our affairs.” She poked her with the gun. “Now keep quiet and drive, before I lose all patience, and you make me forget your mother was a friend.”

“Or I make you forget that you’re my aunt? Just say it. Tell me, damn it.” Frustration threatened to choke her.  She needed answers. If anything happened to her… she had to know who her father was. “I’m Rory’s daughter-aren’t I? He didn’t know my mother was pregnant at the time. Did he ever find out? Does he know I exist?”

“Just keep driving, my dear. I’ll tell you everything once we get there.”

Chapter Eighteen

“The analgesic will help him with the pain, but ye’re to call me if it gets any worse or if he still feels uncomfortable.” Angus handed Mrs. Tierney the bottle of medication and then gave the young terrier a good scratch, even as the pup tried to gnaw on his hand. “You. Stop chasing things ye shouldn’t be chasing, and ye won’t get kicked. Or mauled. Or whatever trouble it is ye’re always managing to get into.” 

“He is a troublemaker, I’ll give him that.” The humor in her voice mingled with annoyance at yet another vet visit. “How’s that lass of yer’s doing. Heard she had problems with her shop. Pity that-and expensive too, I’ll bet. I can’t believe they put a rock through her window. In all my days, I’ve not seen anything of the sort. And to Iona’s lass, no less. Poor girl. Don’t know what the world’s coming to.”

“Well, hopefully that’ll be the last of her troubles.” Angus gave the old woman a bit of a smile, happy to hear that not everyone was unsympathetic. If anything, the incident seemed to have squashed some of the hostility. It was one thing for people to give Rowan looks and to gossip, but she’d been hurt in the process and it seemed to have knocked the sense back into their heads. These were good people-they’d just needed to be reminded of it.

It was one step in the right direction, yet on his way to see his parents, there was an undeniable knot in his gut that refused to slip free or be ignored. He knew his parents had likely heard the rumors-
all
of them. And since he’d avoided paying them a visit, he was sure he’d get an earful. Good thing he’d be able to keep them occupied by bombarding them with questions about the pictures.

Steeling himself for a lecture, he slipped in the front door, knowing his mother would likely be in the back of the house with a sharp tongue. He found his father sitting in his chair with a book in his lap. “Da.”

His father shook his head, his lips pursed. “If ye were thinking that staying away would save yer arse, ye’d be mistaken. She’s in the kitchen. And a good thing ye’re too old for her to tan yer hide. Off with ye, laddie.”

With his face already red, he left his father and wandered towards the kitchen. Best to cut her off before she had a chance to launch into a lecture.

“I need yer help, Ma.” He went to her side where she was stirring something in a pot, and kissed her cheek. “I’ve got some pictures I need ye to look at.”

She waved her spoon at him. “Angus Macleod. I thought I taught ye better than that. The things people have been saying. And don’t go trying to tell me they’re untrue. I know what ye’re like when ye get yerself all riled up. I can’t believe ye hauled the poor girl onto yer shoulder.  Ye best show some respect, or I’ll be forced to remind ye of yer manners.”

“Aye, Ma.” He tried to hide his grin, but couldn’t help himself, and was forced to jump back as his mother took a swipe at him with the wooden spoon.

“Quit being cheeky.” But already he had her smiling. “Now, what is it ye need help with? And what is this about Rowan being hurt by broken glass?”

“She’s all right, Ma. The cuts weren’t too deep. As for yer help… it’s about these pictures. I tried to keep Rowan from looking for her father, but I can no longer do it. It’s put a wedge between us, and truth is, I think she has a right to know.” He gave her the file. “Any help would be appreciated.”

“I’m sorry if I caused problems between ye. It was ne’er my intention.” She touched his arm, and then sat down at the table, managing a tentative smile. “Let’s see what we have then.”

Opening the file, she flipped through the pictures, her brows pulled close as she closely looked at the photos. “Where on earth did ye get these?”

“Conall worked his magic. Managed to find some of the photos online, and then his father dug a few more of them out of the attic.”

“Conall, aye?” She looked up from the photos, an eyebrow perked and humor sparking in her eyes.

“Aye. He’s agreed to help Rowan, so I can’t fault him.” He reached over and pushed aside some of the pictures to find the one he wanted. “Do ye know this man here?”

“Och, aye. That’s one of Iona’s cousins. Grew up in Manchester, but would come to visit during the summer.”

Disappointment left his heart heavy.  He was hoping to have some new leads, if not answers for Rowan.

Anne picked up one of the graduation photos. “Now this one here… that was her roommate, wasn’t it?”

“Aye. Imogen Murray. We went to speak to her, but I swear, Ma, she was lying to us about something. Just wish I knew what she was keeping from us. Conall mentioned they’re a private family, but I think it was more than that.” He looked at the photo again.

Maybe it was the awkward angle he was viewing it at, but something seemed to fall into place. “Ma… what do ye know about this fella here? His name is Rory Murray.”

The color drained from her face. “Did ye say his name was Rory?”

“Aye, Ma. What is it? Is that him?” Angus’s heart pounded against his ribs, his pulse echoing in his head.

She picked up the photo and looked up at Angus, her face blank with shock. “Early on, when Iona first went away to university, she’d mentioned meeting her roommate’s brother. It had escaped my memory, but I remember thinking that she seemed quite taken by him, even though she’d only met him the handful of times he’d gone there to see Imogen. And then, it seemed like she stopped talking about him altogether. I know it’s not much, which is why I hadn’t thought of him, but looking back on it… I don’t know. There was something in the way she spoke of him when they first met. I could be mistaken, but… it could be him, Angus.”

“And if he’s the one we’re looking for, then we know why Imogen was lying to us.”

“As powerful and wealthy as that family is… I can see why Iona was worried. People with an abundance of money and power tend to get protective of it. They may see Rowan as a threat-and if they’re the type to keep to themselves, they’ll not want an outsider coming in and demanding a piece of the pie.”

Angus got a sinking feeling in his gut. “But Rory didn’t know of Rowan, according to Conall’s father.”

She tapped the photo on the table, distracted. “Maybe not. But just because Rory wasn’t told of the pregnancy, doesn’t mean Iona didn’t tell her roommate.”

“If Imogen is still trying to keep it from her brother, then it would be a reason to lie to us.” The pieces were slowly falling into place, and it left him fighting to slow his pulse as the feeling of dread overwhelmed him. “Bloody hell. The threats… I don’t think they were from the locals.”

***

Angus cursed when he finally made it into an area with reception and realized that Rowan had called. He retrieved the voicemail while cursing.

“
Call me. I think I know who my dad is, Angus. I think it’s Rory Murray-Imogen’s brother. I’ve called her, but haven’t heard back. Give me a ring, okay?”

Damn it. Angus tried to call Rowan, worry filling him when he couldn’t get through to her. With luck, she’d still be at the gallery, but not being able to get a hold of her had every muscle in his body locked up and his head spinning. He tried the store, tried her cell, tried her home, and turned up empty.

He found the yellow Mini, but there was no sign of her at the gallery. He tried her phone yet again, in case it was nothing more than spotty service. He left her a message, telling her to call as soon as she was able. Thinking she might be in the pub, he had no better luck there, but left a message with Lara. Where the hell had she gone, if her car was still in town? He tried the shops, but she was nowhere to be found. Desperate, he headed to her house. Still not there, panic consumed him.

Conall. Maybe he’d picked her up and they’d swung by his place. He pulled down the drive and pounded on the door until Conall pulled it open, fire in his eyes. “Is Rowan here?”

“Bloody hell, Angus. No. She’s not here.” Conall wrestled with the pup who was franticly trying to escape into the open air just beyond the threshold.

“I think she’s in trouble. She figured out that her father’s probably Rory Murray, but I haven’t been able to track her down or get in touch with her.” Angus ran a rough hand down his face, the words pouring out in his panic. “The Mini’s still in town, but she’s not there, and I’m worried she’s gotten herself into trouble. Can ye help me find her?”

Conall stepped to the side, letting him in. “I bloody well hope so.”

Angus told him all he knew and suspected, trying to keep his voice calm and failing miserably. “I don’t know if I’m being paranoid, but given all we know, I can’t rule out that something’s happened.”

“She’s got a smartphone, aye? Give me her number.” Conall jotted it down and started tapping away on his laptop. “Mind ye, if she’s not in trouble, and I’ve just hacked into her accounts, I’ll be blaming you for all of this.”

“Just find her and I’ll deal with her wrath when the time comes.” By the gods, he didn’t know what he’d do if anything happened to her. “Hurry. Please.”

Each moment felt like a lifetime. Finally, Conall tapped at the screen. “The last signal was picked up south of here, not far from Glasgow.”

“Imogen… she’s just south of Glasgow. But Rowan can’t be on her way to see her without a vehicle.” Did Imogen come up to visit her? Or did she contact Rory directly? But would she go there on her own? None of it made sense. He got to his feet and grabbed his keys. “Can ye keep tracking her? And keep calling her too-I don’t know that I’ll have coverage until I get to the city.”

“Aye. Keep me updated, and I’ll do the same.”

***

Angus got to Imogen’s home in record time, only to find no one there.  He pounded the door with his fist, taking one deep breath after another, as he fought to keep his head clear, fought to keep from thinking the worse.

He called Conall and was told Rowan’s signal had vanished and Conall had been unable to contact her. At a loss of what to do next or where she might be if Imogen had her, he got desperate. “Do ye have Rory Murray’s address and phone number?”

Jotting down the information, he got back on the road. At least Rory’s address wasn’t far from Imogen’s, and Angus found himself pulling down the drive of a large home within the half hour. He pounded on the door, trying to push back his panic and still wondering all along if Rowan was sitting someplace safe, having a cup of coffee, while he raised hell to save her.

Rory answered the door, biting back his response and annoyance at the commotion when he saw Angus, recognition filtering over his features. “Ye were at Imogen’s, were ye not?”

“Aye. Is Rowan here?” He tried to look past the man’s shoulder, but couldn’t see anything?”

Rory’s brow furrowed in confusion. “The lass ye were with? No… I’m sorry, I don’t understand what this is about, though I’ll admit, the lass seemed terribly familiar.” He stepped to the side to let Angus through.  “Come in.”

Angus followed Rory into the living room and took a seat, but was unsure if he was doing the right thing. Rowan should be the one to tell her father of her existence-if he was even right about that piece of the puzzle.

“I think Rowan’s with yer sister. But that’s just the start of it…” Angus took a deep breath, to steady himself. “Do ye know Iona Campbell?”

The color drained for Rory’s face. “By the gods… I thought I was losing my mind. She’s Iona’s lass then?”

“Aye, she is. But there’s more… I think ye’re her father.”

Chapter Nineteen

Rowan walked into the seaside cottage, her heart racing in panic when she saw it was no longer just her and Imogen. There were two men, twice her size and looking like they’d do whatever was being asked if the price was right.

“I don’t want to hurt you, my dear, but I have my priorities-and that’s my family and the continued success of our company.” With the men armed, Imogen was able to tuck away her pretty little gun. “Please sit. I want to come to an arrangement that will work for both of us.”

Rowan spotted a phone on the wall, but knew she wouldn’t be let anywhere near it. Her own cellphone had been tossed out the window after one too many calls annoyed Imogen. No doubt it was Angus trying to track her down. With luck he was now searching for her, though how he’d find her here of all places, she hadn’t a clue. She’d tried to keep an eye on the street signs and landmarks, though she thought it unlikely that she’d get the opportunity to call for help.