Taken By Storm (9 page)

S
torm’s blue eyes blazed when she entered the small cell and caught sight of the lad. He lay on his side curled in a ball, his arms tight to his chest, his knees meeting his elbows. Bits of straw strewn on the floor provided bedding. It stuck to his worn, soiled clothes and to his brown hair.

The stench of neglect permeated the thick air, and Storm raised her sleeve to her nostrils. She hurried to the lad’s side, and he cringed and tried to move away.

“I’m here to free you,” she whispered and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He peeked from beneath his folded arms, then raised his face. “I prayed you’d come for me. Every night I prayed.”

Storm’s heart ached. She had heard those words time and again from prisoners she had freed, and
all she could think about was the prisoners who had prayed and whom she had failed to rescue.

“I need you to do as I say.”

“I will, whatever it is I will do it.” He uncurled himself, groaning with every move.

“Wait,” Storm urged. “Do nothing yet.”

He nodded and stilled, relief in his tear-filled eyes.

“What is your name?” she asked, taking his hand and gently stretching out his thin arm.

“Henry Doddle,” he said and reached his other hand out to her.

Storm tenderly rubbed the lad’s stiff and injured limbs before she asked him to stand. She took stock of his bruises and determined that while he had been beaten badly, he suffered no broken bones.

“We’ll be setting a fast pace, Henry—”

“I’ll keep up,” he said adamantly.

Storm patted his shoulder. “You are a brave lad.”

Burke suddenly appeared at her side. “Does he require help?”

“I can walk on my own,” Henry insisted.

“Good,” Burke said. “Then let’s get going.”

Storm went with the lad, leaving Burke to carry out the remainder of their plan. He was to devise a dummy of sorts to serve as a decoy. Philip had determined that the soldiers barely paid heed to the lad. If they thought him asleep, it would provide more time for their escape. They could place a good distance between them and Mewers before the lad’s absence was realized.

Storm wanted out of the area as fast as possible,
knowing that the Earl of Henwood would be furious when he discovered a prisoner had escaped. It would mean his reputation, since he boasted loudly about his impregnable prison cells. He would surely have his soldiers out hunting down the culprits.

“We don’t rest,” she ordered as they set a fast pace for home.

“The lad doesn’t look fit enough to make it,” Burke said from behind her.

“The men will carry him if necessary,” Storm said, “Now be silent and keep up.”

It was a relief when night finally came, for it was only then they stopped. No fire was allowed though the night air held a good chill. Storm saw to it that Henry was fed and a blanket wrapped snugly around him. The poor lad was asleep in no time.

Storm assigned the men to guard the perimeter. Tanin disappeared into the woods, his post being the most important. After all had been arranged, she settled down to take the first watch.

“Sleep, I’ll take guard,” Burke offered, leaning against the large boulder she perched on.

“The first watch is always mine.”

“Don’t trust anyone?” he teased.

She didn’t find him funny. “A good leader knows when her men need rest.”

“And a good leader knows when to rest herself.”

“True enough,” she agreed, “but I’m not tired.”

Burke braced his hands on the boulder and hefted himself up to sit next to her. “I don’t understand how you can exist on such little rest.”

Storm shrugged and attempted to ignore her
sudden need to cuddle next to him. She blamed her impulsive desire on the chilly night, convincing herself that she sought his closeness to warm her, chase away her chill and nothing more.

“It’s been my life. Little rest, much work.”

“No time for fun or laughter?” Burke asked.

“Afraid not. My day begins before sunup and lasts long past sunset.”

“Even when you were married?”

“Daniel and I had our moments. Even though our farm was small, there was still much work to be done. The landlord fees were high and climbed each year. We barely had food one winter, but we survived.” She was silent for a moment, and then whispered. “We were always there for each other—always.”

“You need a day of fun,” Burke said firmly.

“That sounds like an order,” Storm said, glad to have her thoughts diverted. Her heart forever ached when she thought of her husband.

“Does it have to be?”

No, it didn’t really need to be. It would be lovely to spend a fun day with the brash American. She could forget all her cares and pretend, if only for a few hours, that life was normal and she was happy.

She shook her head. It was a foolish thought. She had no time for fun.

“You shook your head, therefore I’m going to have to make it an order.”

“An order?” She laughed.

He shook a finger at her. “I’m warning you. You had better take me seriously, or one day soon, I’m
going to capture you—no, I’m going to rescue you for a fun day.”

The idea appealed to her, spending a day without worry, without plans, without having to lead and make decisions.

“You can try,” she challenged, and secretly wished that he might just do as he warned.

“I won’t just try,” he assured her. “I will be successful in my rescue and you will have a fun day, even if you attempt not to.”

“You will force fun on me.”

He leaned into her. “I will torture you with it.”

She doubted he would need to torture. She enjoyed his company and would find spending time with him pleasing, perhaps much too pleasing. Since for the moment she thoroughly favored the warmth of his body seeping into hers.

“You’d have to capture me, and being the king’s men are unable to do that, it’s doubtful you could.” She hoped he didn’t hear the regret in her voice.

He laughed and leaned his face next to hers. “You failed to realize one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m an arrogant American who believes he can accomplish anything, therefore, I can do what the king’s men can’t.”

“You truly believe you can capture me?” she asked with a grin.

“Rescue,” he corrected. “I’d always rescue you. No matter where you are. I promise you that.”

His tenacious pledge caused a chill to race through her.

“You cannot promise me that,” she insisted, moving away from him to the edge of the boulder.

He followed. “I most certainly can.”

“You must not. I need your word on it.”

“I will do no such thing,” he snapped.

She had given these same such orders to each person in her group and it had never disturbed her as it did now. She felt an ache within her that she didn’t understand as she relayed her orders to him.

“It is understood that if I am captured, the group will not attempt to rescue me.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Burke said empathically.

“You don’t understand.”

“Enlighten me.”

She sighed to release her own frustration. Why did it disturb her so to say to him what she had said countless times before?

“If caught, I would be taken to Weighton, an impregnable prison. Anyone attempting to rescue me would surely be caught and killed. I will not have that on my account. There will be no rescue.”

“Your men agreed to this?”

He sounded annoyed and she attempted to explain, “You must understand—”

“Never would I understand your men leaving you to rot or be tortured in a prison, impregnable or not. I would give my life trying to save you.”

Storm jumped off the boulder and turned to face him, her hands firmly planted on her slim waist. “You will do no such thing.”

Burke joined her on the ground, standing near
nose to nose. “You’d be in prison, you’d have no say in the matter.”

“Which is why I have given orders now, so my men would know exactly what to do.”

“Abandon you.”

“No. They would save their own lives.”

“You never leave a comrade behind, not when you have fought side by side with each other. It just isn’t done,” Burke insisted.

“It is if your leader orders it so,” she claimed.

He put his nose to hers. “Your men can do as they wish, but if you’re caught while I’m here with the group, then I will rescue you. Count on it.”

She stepped away from him and groaned. “You are the most frustrating man.”

Burke walked over to her. “And you’re not the most frustrating woman?”

Storm was about to argue when she suddenly changed her mind, walked over to him, stood on her toes, threw her arms around his neck, and planted a kiss on his lips that shocked both of them.

She leaned against him, needing to feel his strength, needing his warmth, needing his closeness. He wrapped his arms around her waist and obliged her desire, yanking her up against him.

She pressed her chest hard against his while she commanded the kiss, drinking as deeply as she could of him. She couldn’t get enough of him, and even when she surfaced to take a breath, she nibbled at his lips before delving in for more. She relished the play of their tongues, teasing, sparring and tasting. It was
a kiss of hunger long denied, and she felt as if she would never get her fill.

A rustle of branches tore them apart and had both reaching for the weapons strapped to their sides. It took a moment to realize that no one was about, the sound probably caused by a nocturnal animal making its way through the woods.

“I’ve neglected my watch,” Storm said and scrambled on top of the boulder in an effort to put a distance between them, or else she feared she would kiss him again.

“I’ll join you,” he said, ready to hoist himself up.

“No,” she said curtly.

He remained where he was staring up at her. “Why?”

She thought to lie, but what good would it do? “I cannot have you near me right now.”

“Why?” he asked again.

“You distract me.”

“As you do me,” he said.

She smiled softly. “Then it is better I sit here alone.”

He looked ready to object, then shook his head. “I suppose you are right.”

“For once we agree,” she said, laughing softly.

“I leave reluctantly,” he said, turning away.

“I let you go reluctantly,” she said to her surprise.

He turned around. “Be warned, I will have a day of fun—and more—with you.”

O
nce home Henry was made comfortable after Janelle pronounced rest and nourishment would heal his bruised and battered body. He had suffered no broken bones. It was as if his captors had enjoyed toying with him, like children tormenting a small, helpless animal.

Burke waited impatiently outside Angus’s hut. Being there was room for only one person in Janelle’s hut, and Peter’s injures required more attention, Henry was placed with Angus. Storm had ordered that no one speak with him without her being present. So here Burke stood waiting for her, anxious to speak with the lad, but respecting her edict.

He watched as she approached, Tanin walking beside her. It amazed him how refreshed she appeared after days of endless walking. Her step was spry, her movements not at all labored, and her
lovely face glowed. She seemed invigorated and yet she had gotten only a few hours’ sleep over the last six days.

Tanin parted company with her when he reached his tree house, his wife standing at the base waiting for him.

Storm continued toward Burke with a smile.

Damn if it didn’t go beyond attraction. She had haunted his mind constantly since the night she had initiated a kiss, not that she hadn’t tormented his thoughts before that, but now she was forever planted in his mind.

He wanted to spend time with her, just the two of them. He wanted to get to know Storm the woman, not Storm the outlaw. He knew what he proposed could prove dangerous. She would not leave Scotland and he would not leave his home. How then could there be a future for them? And why did he even consider a future with her?

His thoughts and emotions were playing havoc with him, and damned if he knew what to do about it. What had his father warned him of love? That nothing would make sense. Nothing had made sense since he’d met Storm. Did that tell him something?

He shook the nonsensical thoughts from his head. Storm seemed a willing partner when it came to passion. Why not enjoy her while he could and leave it at that?

Maybe because she haunted the hell out of him day and night and he worried about her safety all the time. Did he really think that would change once she was out of sight?

“Something troubles you?” Storm asked once she was beside him.

“Trying to clear my head.”

“By shaking it?” She grinned and took hold of his arm.

He felt as if he’d been struck by lightning by her simple touch, so strong was the passion that assaulted him. What was it about this woman that made him respond so carelessly, so eagerly, so wantonly?

“I’ve tried that myself. It doesn’t work,” she assured him.

“It’s worth a try,” he admitted, glad she kept her arm hooked with his. “Anything is better than endless chaos in your head.”

“Haven’t you heard?’ she said with a tease. “There is wisdom in madness.”

“Only a madman would claim that.”

Storm laughed, though it quieted fast enough. “Sometimes I wonder if madness isn’t a reprieve from sanity.”

“A double-edged sword that cuts the same.”

Storm sighed. “Exactly. What difference does either make in the end?”

They turned silent, each one lost in thought, Burke’s thoughts once again centered on Storm and her dangerous life. How did one stop being an outlaw? In the Dakota Territory, outlaws were outlaws. They were hunted until captured, and few if any escaped the law.

It was in essence a chosen life with a predictable ending.

Burke didn’t care for the thought and wondered how, in the time that remained to him here in Scotland, he could change the ending for Storm.

“Feel up to talking with us?” Storm asked Henry upon entering the hut.

“Of course,” Henry obliged, pulling himself up in bed with a groan or two.

Burke watched as Storm assisted the boy, helping him to sit up and arranging a pillow behind his back for comfort before sitting on the bed beside him. That she was an angel to these freed captives was obvious. They gazed on her with eyes of gratitude. He doubted there was anything they wouldn’t do for her if asked.

He dragged the only chair in the room over to the side of the bed where Storm perched and joined them.

“We heard that another prisoner shared the cell with you,” Storm said.

Henry nodded. “A big man.”

“Tall, wide?” Storm asked.

“Both,” Henry said, sounding impressed. “I had thought for certain he would break the chains they kept on his wrists and ankles, so large and thick were his arms.”

“Do you know his name?” Burke asked, hopeful.

Henry thought a moment and then shook his head slowly. “He never shared his name with me.”

“Do you know of his crime?” Storm asked.

“I heard the guards mention a theft and I asked the man one night what he had stolen. He told me some
thing of great value that could never be replaced and that he would do it again if given the chance.”

“What else did you speak of?” Storm inquired.

Henry once again pondered the question. “We talked of family and discovered we both lacked one, his mother dying when he was young as did mine.”

Burke felt as if one of the pieces of the puzzle had just fallen into place.

“He didn’t know his father, nor did I. We both drifted among helpful strangers.”

“Can you think of anything else this man might have said?” Storm asked.

Henry once again gave the question thought and looked about to shake his head when suddenly he blurted out, “Love. He told me to find love, that it makes all the difference in the world.”

“Can you describe him to us?’ Storm asked.

Henry nodded staring at Burke. “He resembles him, same hair color, though longer, eyes, mouth the same, though bigger in size, a broader chest and shoulders and taller by a good four to five inches.”

“Good, that helps us,” Storm said. “If you should remember anything else about him, please tell me or Burke.”

Burke held his hand out to the lad. “Glad to meet you, Henry, and thanks for the help.”

Henry shook his hand. “Pleased I could help and I’m grateful for the rescue.”

Storm and Burke left the hut and wandered over
to the campfire. They sat side by side on the decaying tree trunk.

Burke stared at the flames, his thoughts on his brother and all the years spent alone while he grew up with a loving family. It didn’t seem fair, but life wasn’t fair. If it was, his father would have found Cullen as a child and they would have been raised as brothers. They were nothing but strangers right now, and Burke wanted desperately to change that.

He felt Storm’s hand slip over his and lock fingers. He grabbed on to her offer of comfort, not letting go.

“I can only imagine how difficult this must be for you.”

“He wandered all those years thinking no one loved him, no one cared, while my father frantically searched for him.” He shook his head. “I am here only a short time and I find his trail. Why? Why couldn’t my father have found him?”

“I think it is easier to trace a man than it is to find a child. There are so many homeless children that it would be near impossible to find the one you search for. Would your father have recognized him if he had found him? He had left when his son was a mere babe and returned when he could walk. It was a difficult mission in more ways than one.”

“He blamed himself his entire life for leaving his family behind.”

“Your father attempted to find a better life for his son, and that he searched for him proved how much he loved him.”

“I won’t leave Scotland until I find Cullen,” Burke said stubbornly.

“Are you threatening me?” Storm teased. “Must I find your brother just to be rid of you?”

He raised their joined hands. “We’re stuck with each other until then.” He paused, staring at her. “Is that so bad?”

His query flustered her and she fumbled for an answer.

She finally calmed. “No, it is not so bad.”

He squeezed her hand. “Thank you for helping me. I would never have gotten this far without your help.”

“You are paying for that help,” she reminded.

“Somehow I think you would have helped me whether I paid or not. You just wouldn’t leave a man imprisoned if you could help it, though logically you can’t free them all.”

“I can try,” she said with a smile and a tilt of her head.

“A heroic gesture, but foolish.”

To his surprise, she didn’t disagree.

“So I’ve been reminded time and time again.”

“Then why do it?”

He noticed she glanced down at their joined hands, and for a moment, he thought he saw tears glistening in her eyes, but then she raised her head proudly.

“Someone has to help the helpless.”

“Are you pushing for sainthood?” He sounded petulant, but couldn’t help it. He worried about her safety, and yet each day she willingly placed her life
in jeopardy. It irritated the hell out of him, though he did admire her courage.

She shrugged, her thin shoulders falling slowly down as if a heavy weight descended on her. “Don’t ask me to explain. It’s something I must do.”

“So you woke up one morning and decided to be an outlaw,” Burke said, needing her penchant for her work to make sense, needing to understand her more.

He realized he struck a nerve when she wiggled her fingers free of his, and her silence warned him that she was not about to share the truth.

Finally she stood. “I have things to see to.” And walked away.

He let her go. There was no point in stopping her. Obviously, she didn’t wish to discuss the topic, which made Burke all the more curious to find out about it. In time, though, he would.

He stretched his legs out in front of him and rolled his shoulders, easing the ache in his back. He had walked his fair share back home, but never the distance he had covered while here in Scotland. He much preferred a horse to his legs, but the terrain surrounding the camp wasn’t conducive to riding horses.

He wondered if Cullen was a horseman, or had he only his legs to depend on?

He was anxious to find his brother and get to know him. He hoped Cullen would agree to return to America with him if just for a while. Burke thought if he could get him there, Cullen just might like it and decide to stay.

Actually, with Cullen being a wanted man, there was no way he’d be able to remain in Scotland. He would always be hunted unless, of course, he could buy his way out of his crime, and he would certainly have the money to do that.

Their father had been brilliant when it came to investing, and money really was not a problem for either of them. They could live an entire life and not spend the wealth their father had accumulated, which continued to grow each day.

He wanted to make certain Cullen shared in that wealth, and he hoped to find in Cullen the brother he had missed while growing up.

But what of his brother? Was he a thief or falsely accused? Was he a good man or a troubled man? Would he welcome a brother into his life or take his share of the wealth and want nothing to do with Burke?

There was so much to learn and Burke was eager. But once Cullen was found it would mean that Burke would need Storm no more. They would part ways, never to see each other again.

The thought disturbed him, and try as he might not to think about it, she refused to leave his head. She had remained stubbornly fixed in his thoughts, and like a fool he had nourished those thoughts and allowed them to flourish. Now she was there to stay until he faced the fact that he desired the pea-sized outlaw and ached for intimacy with her.

“Damn,” he muttered.

“Talking to yourself?”

Burke jumped up at the unexpected sound of Storm’s voice.

“It’s one person who never disagrees with me.”

“I don’t know,” she said with a smile. “You sounded agitated.”

“Were you looking for me?” he asked, feeling as agitated as she had suggested.

“Peter remembers something and I thought you’d want to hear what he has to say.”

“Let’s go,” Burke said, walking past her, though she was at his side in a flash.

They entered Janelle’s hut to find Peter sitting up in bed and looking somewhat better than he had. The swelling had gone down but the bruising hadn’t noticeably faded.

Burke and Storm squatted down on opposite sides of Peter.

“I don’t know if this is important,” Peter began.

“Anything you can tell us might prove helpful,” Storm encouraged.

Peter nodded eagerly. “I remember how the man grew angry when he learned they were removing him from Glencurry.”

“He wanted to stay there?” Burke asked.

“He claimed he belonged there,” Peter confirmed.

“How so?” Storm queried.

“I don’t know,” Peter said. “But whatever it was, he wanted to remain at Glencurry. Even with the torture they inflicted upon him he—”

Burke didn’t allow Peter to finish. “How badly was he tortured?”

“Not as badly as me, which I found strange since he seemed such a prize to them, but then maybe the jailers were instructed not to harm him.”

“Who would give such orders?” Burke asked.

“The Earl of Balford decrees the punishment for each crime,” Peter advised.

“You’ve done well, Peter,” Storm said. “We appreciate your help.”

“Anything. Anything I can do,” he insisted.

Storm smiled. “Rest and get well.”

Burke hurried out of the hut, and when they were a few feet away, he turned to Storm. “I think I should go speak with this Earl of Balford.”

“That would be a foolish thing to do.”

“Why?” he demanded. “Perhaps I could buy my brother’s freedom.”

“There is always that possibility.”

“See, you agree,” he said anxiously.

“But not now,” Storm insisted. “Not before we know for certain if this man is your brother—”

“All things point to it.”

“But we are not certain. Until we know without a doubt, you will sit tight and wait.”

“If I don’t want to?” he challenged.

“Then you will jeopardize not only your life, but your brother’s as well.”

“I hate it when you make sense,” he said, knowing she was right, though it didn’t help his concern for his brother.

She placed her hand on his arm. “I know how anxious you are, but if we move too fast we could
do more harm than good. We will find your brother, but you must be patient.”