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Despite the need to keep moving, the brigand held up his arm. “We’ll take shelter in those trees and give the horses an hour to rest. Any more time than that is far too dangerous.”

They stopped, dismounted, and huddled in a circle, sharing what little food they had among themselves. No one offered the brigand any. Several of the men spoke to each other in low tones, casting him open looks of displeasure. The brigand rubbed his hand across his brow. ’Twas obvious they trusted each other far more than they trusted him.

The brigand was starting to get a bad feeling in his gut. The Highlands were filled with desperate rogues willing to do just about anything to earn a bit of coin. Since he needed to act quickly, he took whomever he could find. Consequently, he didn’t know very well the men he had recruited for this job.

“I’ll shoulder some of the blame for our failures, but not all,” the brigand admitted.

“Aye, the best chance we had to snatch the wench was when she was outside the castle walls with the lass and only a single knight to protect her,” one of the men replied. “We could have easily caught her, if only Liam had kept his eyes open.”

“I dinnae fall asleep!” Liam shouted. “I’ve told ye again and again, my horse came up lame.”

“Then ye should have stolen another one,” the man cried.

Liam shot him a hostile glare. “And brought the entire McKenna guard to our camp? I dinnae think ye would be too pleased if that happened.”

“What difference does it make now?” the brigand asked. “The chance was lost and here we stand with nothing to show for our weeks of hiding and waiting.”

There was a heavy silence. The men shifted on their feet; none would look at him directly. Fists clenched against his forehead, the brigand threw back his head and shouted in frustration. The horses shied at the sudden noise; the men did not.

“Who’s going to pay us?” one of them asked.

“We dinnae do what was required,” the brigand insisted. “They’ll be no money.”

“There has to be some!” another yelled, his hands clenched into fists.

“I’ll share what I’ve got, but I warn ye, it isn’t much.” The brigand pulled out the leather purse, knowing he would have to give them something if he wanted to avoid a rebellion. He had failed as a leader and his security of being the one to make contact with their mysterious employer was gone. The possibility of having his throat slit loomed frighteningly large.

He had already taken the precaution of hiding two coins in his boot. They rubbed painfully against the ball of his foot, creating a blister, but it was a pain well worth enduring if he could walk away from this with some money and his life.

“Liam gets nothing,” one of the men decided, a sly look on his face.

Liam sputtered in outrage, his face clouding with anger. “I risked my neck, the same as any man. I deserve my share.”

He turned to the brigand for support. The brigand looked away. Two against ten were not odds he’d consider; not when he was one of the two. Nay, he’d let the rabble have the money and hoped they would be content with it.

“We’ve tarried long enough,” the brigand warned. “Best get on our horses and be on our way.”

“We’ll scatter,” one of the men decided. “’Tis safer fer all of us.”

The brigand held back as the others mounted, keeping a close eye on Liam, worried the lad would do something foolish. Though he knew he was defeated, Liam lifted his head high and watched the others ride away.

“I’ll confess I’m not sorry to see the last of them,” Liam said. “Now we can make plans to collect and keep the final payment fer ourselves.”

The brigand gave Liam a long, hard look, then walked to his horse. “Ye’re speaking nonsense, lad. Two men cannae possibly accomplish what twelve couldn’t do.”

“Ye’re wrong. Having too many men was our downfall. But two clever fellows can accomplish the deed.” Liam puffed out his chest. “Will ye join me?”

The question took the brigand aback. “If ye think it was hard before, it will be impossible now. We’ve tipped our hand. The McKennas will double, even triple the guard. Ye’ll never even get close to her.”

Liam shook his head. “McKenna Castle is a vast holding. People come and go through those open gates all day. I saw it with my own eyes. They cannae all be known by the guard. We can disguise ourselves as merchants. Or beggars. Once we’ve slipped inside, we’ll find the lady and steal her away.”

The brigand smiled. “Och, and she’ll come easily, willingly?”

“We’ll gag her. Tie her hands and feet.”

“And ye dinnae think anyone in the entire castle will notice us carrying her about like a sack of grain?”

Liam’s eyes darkened. “Then we’ll kill her. Ye said we could earn double if she died.”