Page 12 of Edinburgh Escape (Brotherhood Protectors International #5)

Callum selected a piece of bread and cheese before answering.

“As you know, Hank Patterson is the founder of Brotherhood Protectors. Ace Hammerson, a former Navy SEAL, is the leader of the International branch based in Zurich, Switzerland. He approached me after I left the SAS, asking if I would join the Brotherhood Protectors International. Apparently, they’re expanding. ”

“They hire people trained and experienced in special forces operations,” Maggie said. “I’ve met quite a few of the members of the team based in Montana. They’re smart, skilled and honorable. I’d trust any one of them with my life.”

“And you can trust me to do my best to keep you safe.”

“I know Swede. He’s got amazing computer skills.

If Hammerson’s team is half as good, we’ll know everything there is to know about the Drummonds, down to their shoe size and what they had for dinner the night before.

” She grinned. “Well, maybe not what they had for dinner. It’s too bad we won’t have all the intel before we meet with Ewan this afternoon. ”

“Can you delay the meeting?” Callum asked.

“I could, but after what happened in Crewe, I’d rather face the snakes in their den than be surprised on the streets of Edinburgh.

” She shrugged. “If they are truly snakes. There is a chance the attack was a random, crazy dude who saw an opportunity to do bad things to a clueless woman standing alone on a platform.” She smiled weakly. “I should’ve been paying attention.”

“I should’ve been beside you, not hiding in the shadows.”

“You were there when I needed you,” she said.

“That’s what counts. Now, have you decided if you’ll be my travel companion, boyfriend or fiancé when we arrive at the Drummond estate?

” She shook her head. “Hard to believe my relatives live on an estate. I imagined I’d meet my half-brother at some quaint little thatched-roof cottage, not a Lord’s estate.

” She tipped her head, her brow puckering.

“Since Ewan’s father, mine too, has passed, does that make my half-brother a Lord? ”

Callum couldn’t help but smile at Maggie’s rambling train of thought.

“I believe Ewan, as the oldest son, will assume the title, barring any issues with the crown. As for what role I’ll play, I think it's best if I arrive as your fiancé. That way, they won’t question why I came along.

A boyfriend might not be as committed to traveling so far. ”

“But you’re obviously Scottish,” Maggie said. “They might ask how we met and why you didn’t fly with me from Montana?”

“You have a valid point,” Callum said. “We need to agree on a story.”

“First off, when and where did we meet?” Maggie asked. “Since this is my first time out of the States, you would have to have come to Montana. You could have come on vacation after you left the military and stayed in Eagle Rock, where I live. We met at the Blue Moose Tavern.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Blue Moose Tavern?”

Maggie nodded. “It’s where everyone goes to get a decent meal and a beer.”

“Why did I pick Eagle Rock, Montana?”

“It’s got some of the best fly fishing in the country.”

He shook his head. “I’ve never been fly fishing.”

“You came to Eagle Rock to learn how.” She frowned playfully. “Work with me here.”

“Okay. Let me get this straight.” He dipped his head toward her.

“After I left the military, I went to Eagle Rock, Montana, because an American I met during special operations in Afghanistan told me how peaceful it was to go fly fishing there. I stopped at the Blue Moose Tavern for a meal and a beer. I was instantly smitten by a fiery-haired beauty and never took a fly fishing lesson.”

Maggie smiled. “Now, you’re talking.”

He went on to say, “It wasn’t love at first sight for you. I had to woo you over the two weeks I was there with flowers and chocolates.”

She shook her head. “I don’t like flowers, they remind me of funerals, and they die. And I’m not a chocolates kind of girl. I’m more impressed by actions than gifts.”

“When a drunk got too friendly with you, I stepped in and told him to leave my girl alone. When he didn’t, I escorted him out of the building.”

“Good. I like that.”

“Did I break his arm?”

She tilted her head. “No. You didn’t have to. You were firm but kind.”

“Then I put him into a taxi so he wouldn’t drive home drunk.”

Maggie laughed. “The town of Eagle Rock is really small. We don’t have taxis there. But Sheriff Barron showed up in time to take him to the jail where he could sleep it off.”

“Why didn’t he take him home?”

“Sheriff Barron didn’t trust him to stay home. He was safer in the jail cell, sleeping it off. And the town was safer with him in the cell.”

A smile pulled at Callum’s lips. “You know this guy, don’t you?”

Maggie nodded. “Ed Knowlton. Ever since his wife died, he comes to the Blue Moose on Saturday night, drinks too much and wants a female hug, usually from someone who doesn’t want to give him one. Sheriff Barron always shows up to haul him to the jail, where he lets him sleep it off.”

“Sounds like a lonely man,” Callum noted.

“He and his wife, Lois, were high school sweethearts. It broke his heart when she died.” Maggie tapped a finger to her chin. “We have how we met. How did we end up engaged?”

“I walked you home that night and asked you out for coffee the next morning.”

“A safe place to meet and get to know each other,” Maggie said. “Afterward, we walked through town, talking all the way.”

“I took you on a picnic,” Callum added.

“We ate cold fried chicken by the lake and talked about American football versus Scottish football.”

“By the end of my vacation, I was madly in love and couldn’t imagine leaving you behind, so I proposed.”

“I, too, had fallen so deeply that I accepted your proposal. That’s when I got the DNA results.”

“I had to return to the UK to wrap things up before I could make a permanent move to Montana.”

“You’d move to Montana for me?” She smiled. “I’m honored.”

He gave her a wink. “Anything for my beautiful fiancée.”

“Before you could come back to Montana,” Maggie said, “I got the invitation to visit Ewan. You met me at the airport in London, which you really did, and here we are.”

“When’s the wedding?” Callum asked.

“It’s all so new to us, we haven’t set a date yet,” Maggie said. “I have to find a venue, get a dress, order flowers and a cake. I put it off until after I met my half-brother.”

Callum clapped his hands. “We have a cover story.” He glanced at his watch. “When are we supposed to be at the Drummond estate?”

“At three o’clock this afternoon.”

“You have the address?”

Maggie pulled up the address Ewan had given her on her cell phone.

Callum entered it into his map application and requested directions from their current location. “It will take us twenty minutes to get to the estate by motor vehicle.”

Maggie nodded. “I’d planned to rent a car at the train station.” She smiled. “Do you mind driving it? I have to admit my sense of adventure was strained at the thought of driving on the opposite side of the road. I was especially nervous about getting out of Edinburgh.”

“I can do that.” He drank the last of his beer.

“Do I have enough time to grab a short nap?” Maggie yawned. “I’m running on fumes.”

Callum nodded toward the guest bedroom. “Certainly. Rest easy.”

Maggie frowned. “What about you?”

“I’ll sleep on the sofa out here, if I feel the need.”

Maggie ate the last bit of her bread and cheese and chased it with the sparkling water. “Thank you for preparing this. I was hungry.” She stood and stretched.

Callum rose at the same time. “I’ll clean up. Go. Rest. I’ll wake you well before we have to leave.”

“I just need a couple of hours lying down, and I’ll be good to go.” She yawned again as she left the kitchen and padded barefoot down the hallway to the guest bedroom.

Callum gathered the dishes, washed them in the sink then dried and placed them in the cabinets where he’d found them.

When he was done, he grabbed his shaving kit and headed for the bathroom where he showered, shaved and brushed his teeth.

He emerged refreshed and ducked his head into the guest bedroom.

Maggie lay on her side, her hand tucked between the pillow and her cheek. She’d removed the towel from her hair and draped it over a chair. Her hair, still damp, lay in dark copper curls around her face and shoulders, and her russet eyelashes made dark semi-circles below her eyes as she slept.

Callum couldn’t look away. More than that, he struggled to resist reaching out to brush his fingers along the soft curve of her lips.

He realized that, like the story they’d concocted, he was smitten with this school teacher.

Sadly, he wasn’t in a good place in his head to start a relationship with her or anyone else, for that matter.

She deserved a man who didn’t have horrific nightmares that plagued his sleep, who didn’t often wake swinging.

He’d be afraid he’d hurt her. Already haunted by the fact he hadn’t been able to help Smudge or Rook, he would never be able to forgive himself if he inflicted physical harm on a defenseless woman.

After one last glance, he backed out of the room and pulled the door closed.

Too keyed up to sleep, he paced through the flat, stopping at the windows overlooking the entrance and the street below. He stood to the side, careful not to expose himself to anyone who might be looking up.

Tourists moved along the sidewalks heading for the train station or the Royal Mile, eager to see more of the city or the Scottish countryside.

The city was a vibrant blend of modern amenities and a stunning mix of architectural styles, including Celtic, Gothic, Renaissance and Romanesque.

For a city established over nine hundred years ago, it had stood the test of time with grace and beauty.

Four men in dark clothing came into view, weaving swiftly between tourists as if they were on a mission.

Callum tensed as they neared the street-level entrance to the building housing Angus’s flat. When they arrived in front of the building, they paused, looked around and then entered.

Callum cursed and spun away from the window.

As he sprinted for the guest bedroom, he cast a glance at his backpack and her suitcase on the floor in the living room.

He didn’t have time to hide them, and it probably didn’t matter.

They already knew Maggie was there. Somehow, they’d followed them there.

When he burst through the door, he called out in an urgent whisper, “Maggie. Wake up.”

Maggie’s eyes shot open. She focused on him and sat up straight. “What’s wrong?”

“Four men entered the building below. I think they’re on their way up here.”

She leaped to her feet. “Is there a back door we can go through? I don’t recall seeing one.”

Callum shook his head. “No, but Angus has a safe room hidden behind a wall in his bedroom.” He spun and stepped back out into the hallway.

The sound of footsteps clumping up the stairs made Callum’s heart beat faster as he led the way into Angus’s room with Maggie close on his heels. “Close the door,” he ordered.

Maggie shut the door. “Lock it?”

“No. We don’t want them to know we’re here.”

Two of the walls in Angus’s room were a soft French gray. The third wall was a feature wall of rich, dark wood, with four bands of gray stone stretching from floor to ceiling, giving the room a distinctly masculine and modern look.

Callum ran his fingers along the stones. The button was there somewhere. Angus had shown it to him the first time he’d visited his old friend after he’d renovated the flat.

A loud thump reverberated through the closed door of the bedroom. They were trying to break down the door to the flat.

As Callum’s finger rolled over what appeared to be just another stone in the feature wall, the far side of it sank in.

He pushed harder. The latch released. Callum swung the entire band of gray stone mounted on a solid metal sheet, opening it like a door.

When the gap was wide enough for a person to squeeze through, he grabbed Maggie’s arm and shoved her into the narrow enclave, barely large enough for two people to stand side by side.

Another loud thump sounded from the other room, followed by the crack of splitting wood.

Callum slipped into the space beside Maggie and pulled the metal door shut, easing the metal latch into the clasp.

He felt, more than heard, the thump of heavy footsteps entering the room on the other side of the feature wall.

A soft hand reached for his. He raised it to his lips, pressed a kiss to the backs of knuckles and whispered, “You’ll be grand. I’ll make sure of that.”