Dual Release (15 page)

“What do ye mean, Ian?” In the dusky light of early evening, Jenny read the confusion in Dour’s expression.

“Akira be a ghost. She swore loyalty to protecting us and the angels granted her wish to stay, only she can’t leave MacKinnon lands,” another brother explained. He turned to Jenny and grinned, then extended his hand. “And who shall this lovely lady be?”

He took her hand and brushed a quick kiss to her knuckles, which was the wrong thing to do apparently. Dour was at her side instantly, taking a protective stance.

“Struan, this be Jenny. She has aided me in
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pursuit of Donnell,” he stated tersely and Jenny sensed he was jealous his brother had touched her. It made her giddy to think Dour had feelings for her. Or was it simply sibling rivalry?

Refusing to believe the latter, she smiled then replied, “It’s nice to meet you, Struan. And who are the others?” She looked at Dour for his answer.

“These are
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brathairs
, Gavin, Ian and Padon,” he announced. Each nodded as he introduced them. Dour looked around then back to Gavin. “Where be Aiden?”

Gavin’s expression darkened as did that of all the other brothers as he informed sadly, “He has not been found as yet.”

Jenny touched Dour’s arm. She hated to interrupt the family reunion but her best friend was being held captive and was probably dead for all she knew. “With reinforcements here, what are we going to do about your brother and my best friend? They’ve got guns. What do we have?”

The one named Ian lifted a crossbow and grinned. “It no be
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practice to miss what I aim at with this.”

Her eyebrow arched as each brother produced a weapon. Swords, knives and a crossbow. Would they be a match against guns? “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Maybe we can sneak in and out before anyone is the wiser.”

As she spoke the words, doubt planted a seed in her heart and another question fired from her lips. “How did y’all get here? I didn’t hear anything drive close to us.”

Ian responded as he repositioned his crossbow. “We arrived by flight, milady.”

This confused her even more. “I didn’t hear—”

Gavin interrupted her with a quick explanation. “We have a friend waiting in a helicopter about a mile from here. He dropped us as close as possible without being spotted. We hiked the rest of the way. He awaits our word to pick us up.” He touched his ear and it was the first time she noticed a tiny device positioned inside. Damn. She didn’t get the chance to ask or think.

“We sat hidden in the trees across the field until nightfall. Now we’re here and there’s much to be done,” Gavin spoke as he moved to the hood of the car, pulled a small computer tablet from a pouch hung low on his hip and motioned for everyone to gather around. Looking at the ancient man, she was impressed. He must have read her surprised look as he stared directly at her. “I was freed from the curse first.
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wife has great patience with me and has taught me much in the ways of today’s world. With luck, ye shall meet her upon our return.”

Jenny simply nodded and he continued. “We need a plan of attack. This is an image of the compound. Do you know which of these bunkers contains the hostages?”

“Wow. How did you get this? It’s definitely not a Google Earth thing.” She met his gaze. A sly smile tickled his lips for a second but disappeared, replaced by an emotionless, stoic expression. One she guessed was his battle face.

“Let’s just say we have friends with amazing powers.”

She started to ask but swallowed her questions. Jenny retrieved her notes from the front seat of the car and moved to stand beside him. After a moment, she pointed on the tablet’s screen to the last place she’d seen Cait. “I saw them being forced into that one. But I can’t be sure they are still there. I wasn’t able to stay awake the whole time. They could’ve been moved during one of my naps. I did manage to locate a place of possible entry and I noted the shift changes of the guards and how often they pace the compound.”

Gavin nodded. “Good work. This will come in handy. It be doubtful they moved them. It would present an opportunity for escape.”

Jenny wanted to believe he was right even though she figured he was saying what he thought she needed to hear to make her feel better. She showed them on the screen where she’d seen the gap in the fencing and its location in relation to the barn. “I think an animal may have dug underneath. I saw a van go in there earlier but never saw it leave. It’s quite possible it’s a location to house their supplies.”

“Okay,” Gavin said as he studied the screen along with her detailed account of their actions throughout the day. “This just might work.” He laid out their plan, leaving no possibility unturned. He checked what looked like to her to be an extremely old pocket watch he pulled from his pouch. “We’ve got exactly fifty-two minutes before the guards make another pass around this side.” He tucked the tablet in his pouch, along with Jenny’s notes.

Ian removed one of two straps that lay across his chest from shoulder to hip and handed it to Dour. “Ye might be in need of this,
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brathair
.”

Dour’s face lit up as he took hold of it and slid it easily from its sheath. “
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sword. How? Where?”

Ian laughed as he slapped Dour on the back. “Ye can thank Akira for that one. She hid our weapons and prize possessions in Gavin’s tower and haunted it to protect it. No soul ever made it past her watchful eye.”

She wasn’t sure how it was possible, but Dour’s smile broadened more. “That sounds like her.” He did a practice maneuver with the claymore before returning it to its sheath and situating it comfortably on his back. After he reached over his shoulder and relieved the sword of the sheath easily, he was satisfied with its location. He sighed. “
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soul be whole again.”

Looking around, she noticed each brother had a sword that seemed antique in quality except for Ian. “What happened to your sword? Did your sister not like you and let someone take yours? Is that why you carry a crossbow?”

He grinned, lifting his weapon. “I prefer the bow and arrow to the steel. Milady Izzy gifted
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with this latest adaptation of the crossbow, and I have to say,” he winked at her, “I like it. It be quite powerful and the shorter arrows are accurate.” He wore a quiver of arrows strapped to his hip.

“If everyone is ready, let’s get into position.” Gavin looked from one brother to the other as each gave him the okay nod. “May the gods be with us.”

When Jenny moved to go with them, Gavin halted her. “Ye be safer here. Remain near the car and be ready to go the moment we return.” He dug in his pouch and produced another ear bud. “We shall be needing eyes at our back. That be your job.”

“But—” A hand on Jenny’s shoulder stopped her from continuing.

She turned to face Dour. His eyes were dark and his face showed concern. His hand cupped her chin. “I would never forgive myself if’n ye were hurt during this battle. Please remain here. Ye have been brave enough for one day. Ye protected me whilst I slept. Be assured we shall free your friend Cait and
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brathair
Donnell and return unscathed.”

The confidence in his words warmed her, but it was the way he sealed it with a kiss loaded with promise that touched her heart and convinced her to listen.

Heat warmed her skin and a sort of electrical current sizzled around her. Cait sat upright on the cot, facing Donnell. The statue vibrated, dust thickened the air and she couldn’t help but smile. A glance at her wristwatch and she knew she was right. The gargoyle was awakening. The only thing she hated about this moment was the camera on the wall. Their captors watched this happen and possibly recorded it. That thought made her cringe. This was definitely something they didn’t want to end up on the internet. But at the moment there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

She blinked, clearing her vision. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Donnell alive and breathing once again. She stood, uncertain as to what she should say or do. Her insides twisted into a ball of nerves as the moment lasted for what seemed like an eternity until he reached for her. His embrace squeezed away any indecision and made her respond by hugging him in return. This was nice. She had to admit his strong arms wrapped around her gave her a moment of peace in an otherwise stressful day of unrest. Cait hadn’t been sure if her gargoyle theory was correct and spent hours trying to deduce a plan of escape and a way to take Donnell’s statue with her.

Now she didn’t have to worry. He was free to help them get out of there. A trickle of moisture ran down Cait’s cheek and she leaned back, touching her face. Red appeared on her fingertips. Looking up, she noted the cut under his eye had reopened.

“Donnell, you’re bleeding again.”

“’Tis nothing a kiss from milady wouldn’t fix.” He leaned as if to kiss her but she halted him by pressing her fingers to his lips and grabbing him by the elbow.

“You need to sit so I can reach that cut before you bleed to death.”

After making him sit on the cot, she carefully extracted the kit from her back pocket, keeping it hidden from the camera as she walked to the sink. She rinsed the cloth and used it to hide the kit. The items in it were the only tools they had to aid in their escape and she wasn’t about to lose it by letting them see it. With her back to the camera, she opened the zipper and eased out the foil packet of antibiotic gel.

Cait positioned herself facing Donnell. He spread his legs, giving her room to stand between them. “Here be where I like ye,” he stated as he grabbed her by the hips and tugged her forward.

Shaking her head, she couldn’t help but grin. “You’re impossible. Is sex all you think about? We really need to be figuring out a way to escape,” she replied in a whispered tone, hoping they didn’t hear them.

One hand caressed her bottom, making it difficult to concentrate on tending his eye, while the other lifted his kilt, showing his rigid cock stood at attention. Looking at it made her pussy tingle, wanting another go with the sexy Scottish laird. It was all she could do not to touch it.

“With ye, milady, sex be all I can think about. The vision of your beauty filled
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mind whilst in captivity. All I kept thinking of were your bountiful breasts, fine arse, tasty lips and sensual eyes. It be no wonder I woke ready to fuck ye.”

His eyes darkened with passion and she nearly melted. Her fingers trembled as she tenderly stroked his cock but froze when she remembered the camera. She jerked her hand away. Her stomach churned. They’d had sex earlier and she didn’t doubt for a second they were watched—closely.

“As much as I’d like to,” Cait stated softly, “we’re being watched. I’d rather keep our adventures private if you don’t mind.”

He looked around the room as he spoke. “I no understand. I see no windows.”

She cupped his chin and stared directly in his eyes. She kept her voice low as she explained. “There is something called a camera above the door. It acts as a portal into here so people on the outside can see in without windows. Don’t look at it. I don’t want them to know we know about it. Now hold still so I can take care of your eye.”

Regretfully, Cait removed his hand from her arse and turned it palm up between them. “Here, hold this and be helpful instead of a distraction.” She laid the kit open in his hand so she could access it easily without being seen.

The stern look in his eyes let her know he didn’t like being watched as he followed her lead and kept his voice quiet. “I no understand this camera.”

Cait cleaned his cut and kept pressure on it until the bleeding stopped, then applied antibiotic to the wound. “There are a lot of things about this world you don’t know. When we get out of here, I’ll be happy to teach you.”

His eyebrow arched and a mischievous gleam appeared in his eyes. “I promise to be a proper student if’n ye reward me with,” he replied huskily, “your body.”

Heat ignited deep within her. It amazed her how easily the man turned her on with simply the words he’d spoken. “You want my body as your reward to learn?” she questioned.

“Aye.” He nodded. “Thinking of your body was the only thing that made
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prison tolerable.”

“You thought of me? You were awake inside the stone?” Her heart pounded as his words from earlier sank in as well. He’d envisioned her breasts, her arse and her eyes and it kept him sane. This was awful. He was trapped and all he could do was think. “Could you move? Could you breathe?”

He shook his head. “Nay. I could not move and I did not need to breathe for some odd reason. It has to be the magic of the curse. Only
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mind functioned.” He ran his free hand up the back of her thigh to caress her bottom. “Ye were
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savior,
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brèagha neamhnaid
. I did not know what happened or why or if I would be free again. I sought solace in your beauty and was grateful for the night I had with ye. If it was
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final memory, then it was a wonderful one to last me for eternity.”

A lump formed in her throat and her heart expanded. No one had ever said such to her. She’d be a memory to last forever.

His hand slid from her rear up her back, slowly slipped around to brush between her breasts, then caught her by the nape of the neck and tugged her forward. “I need to taste your lips. If’n ye grant me this, I shall behave until we escape. I promise.”

There was no denying him this one little pleasure, especially after what he’d just admitted. She wanted this kiss as well. Cait leaned in. Lip to lip they touched softly, tasting each other, gently nipping the tender flesh before unleashing the barely controlled passion, deepening the connection. If it were up to her, they’d stay lip-locked until they fucked each other into oblivion. But there were eyes upon them and here was not the place nor the time.

Regretfully she pulled from the kiss and struggled to take a full breath. This man was one of a kind with a sexual aura she was weak to resist, but she had no choice. They had to get out of here and soon. Carefully she returned the remainder of the antibiotic to the kit and zipped it. Instead of tucking it in her back pocket, since it faced the camera, she slipped it into her bra and shifted her breasts to conceal it.