Page 9 of Edinburgh Escape (Brotherhood Protectors International #5)

Callum put his phone on speaker and turned the volume up.

Maggie leaned forward, her fists clenched in her lap, her breath arrested in her throat.

The ringer only ran once before a familiar voice answered, “Callum, Hank here, did you find Maggie?”

“Yes, sir,” Callum replied.

Maggie released the breath she’d held like a balloon deflating.

Hank Patterson’s words confirmed what Callum had told her.

Hank and Sadie had sent this man to protect her.

She wasn’t sure what made her angrier, the fact that they’d gone against her wishes or the fact Callum had befriended her, not because he felt drawn to her, but because it would make it easier for him to do his job.

She was the job.

“Is that Callum?” Sadie’s voice sounded in the background on Hank’s line.

“It is,” Hank said, his voice a little faded as if he’d turned away from his phone. “Say hello.”

“Hi, Callum,” Sadie’s voice sounded sweet and clear.

Maggie couldn’t be mad at the petite blond movie star who’d been her friend since childhood.

“How’s our Maggie?” Sadie asked. “Were you able to follow her from the airport all the way to the sleeper train? Wait. You should be on the sleeper train now. What is it, four o’clock in the morning there?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Callum said, his gaze connecting with Maggie’s. “Only we’re not on the sleeper train. I have Maggie here with me. We left the Caledonian in Crewe.”

“Maggie’s with you?” Sadie asked. “Maggie, sweetie, are you all right?”

Maggie’s lips twitched. “I am, thanks to your stealthy bodyguard you sent to keep tabs on me.”

“What happened?” Hank asked.

Callum gave Hank and Sadie a brief recap of the sleeper train stop in Crewe because of the downed tree on the electric lines, the passengers getting out to hear what the train’s attendant had to say and, finally, the attack on Maggie.

“Maggie, are you sure you’re all right?” Sadie asked, her voice clipped.

Maggie’s heart warmed at the concern in her friend’s tone. “I’m fine. Callum came to my rescue.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Sadie said. “I was worried about you going on your first-ever trip abroad. I was afraid you’d get lost or turned around. I didn’t think you’d be attacked. Though you never know what can happen with a lone female traveling in a foreign country or even here in the States.”

“I guess I should say thank you for going against my wishes,” Maggie said, her lips twisting into a wry grin.

So, he hadn’t befriended her because he liked her.

He’d been there when she’d needed help. She’d have to get over the disappointment of having her little bubble of attraction burst. She was alive because of the man sitting across the table from her.

“I’d say I’m sorry for going behind your back,” Sadie said, “but that would be a lie. I care about you. I can’t believe someone attacked you in the train station. I’m glad Callum is with you. You’re going to keep him, aren’t you?”

Maggie laughed. “He’s not a puppy I get to keep.”

Callum smiled, the gesture making Maggie’s heart flutter. He truly was a handsome man, even more so when he smiled. And his accent made her pulse quicken every time he spoke.

Get a grip, woman. He’s a hired protector. You’re a preschool teacher from Montana. At the end of her two-week trip to Scotland, she’d head back to Eagle Rock. Callum would remain in Scotland.

“You know what I mean,” Sadie said. “Are you going to let him provide your protection for the entirety of your stay in Scotland?”

“I’m not sure about the entire stay, but we agreed he should come with me to meet my half-brother,” Maggie said.

“Good,” Sadie said. “Hank has some information on the Drummonds you might want to hear.”

Maggie tensed. “What kind of information?”

“Swede did some digging and found that Ewan Drummond, the eldest son of Lord Douglas Drummond, was to be the sole heir to the Drummond estate. However, Lord Drummond changed his will near the end of his life, splitting the estate equally among his surviving children.”

Maggie’s heart beat faster. “I have another half-brother?”

“It appears so,” Hank said. “Bryce Drummond, age five, is Lord Drummond’s second son by his second wife, Fiona Drummond.”

“Five?” Maggie blinked. “How old is Ewan?”

“Ewan is thirty-one. At the age of twelve, he was shipped off to a military boarding school. He spent some time in the British military and became a part of the SAS. He deployed several times to Afghanistan. He left the military after being injured in battle. Ewan didn’t return to the family home until after his father passed. ”

“Thanks for letting me know more about my half-brothers,” Maggie said.

“Something else you should know,” Hank said. “Were you aware that your mother was Ewan Drummond’s nanny before she moved to Montana?”

Maggie’s heart skipped several beats. “She was?”

“She worked for him for a year and then moved to Montana,” Hank said.

“Wait.” Maggie’s brow furrowed. “You say the little boy is from Lord Drummond’s second marriage. What happened to his first wife?”

“She died in a horseback riding accident. She was thrown by her mount,” Hank said.

Maggie pressed a hand to her chest and asked, “When?”

“Around the time Ewan was in Afghanistan,” Hank said softly.

Maggie’s heart sank to the bottom of her stomach. “So, he was married when my mother got pregnant with me.” Her vision blurred. All the years she’d wondered who her father was, her mother had kept the secret to herself for a reason.

Her mother had had an affair with a married man.

“Maggie?” Sadie’s voice sounded through the speaker.

“I’m okay.” Maggie pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just processing.”

“Are you sure you still want to meet your half-brother?” Sadie asked.

Maggie stared down at the cell phone as if she could see her friend, not the device.

“Ewan had access to my information on the Ancestry site. He knows I’m three years younger than he is.

Which means he knows I’m the result of his father’s extramarital affair.

Why would he invite me to his home?” She looked up, her gaze connecting with Callum’s.

“Good question,” Hank said.

“That could explain the attack,” Callum offered. “If she’s of Drummond bloodline, could she inherit a portion of the late Lord Drummond’s estate?”

“Possibly,” Hank said. “I’ll have Swede look through Lord Drummond’s will for the exact wording. In the meantime, Maggie, you might reconsider your visit to the Drummond estate.”

“My plans haven’t changed.” Maggie lifted her chin. “I’m even more determined to meet these people. If they’re behind the attack, I want to know.”

“It could be dangerous,” Sadie said.

“I’ll be with her.” Callum reached across the table for Maggie’s hand.

She placed hers in his open palm, his warmth helping to dispel the sudden chill spreading through her body.

“Will you be enough?” Hank asked. “Do you need backup?”

“I’ll contact Hammer if we need help,” Callum assured Hank.

“Swede is still looking for more information,” Hank said. “We’ll keep you informed.”

Callum nodded. “I appreciate that.”

“And, Callum,” Hank paused. “Welcome to the Brotherhood Protectors.”

Callum frowned. “Sir, I hadn’t agreed to join when I took this assignment.”

“And now?” Hank prompted.

Callum met and held Maggie’s gaze. “I’m in.”

A flash of heat rushed through Maggie. Or was it the heat in Callum’s gaze transferring to her? Whatever it was, she’d felt it, and it confused her.

“Maggie, stay safe,” Sadie said.

“Stay with Callum,” Hank urged. “He’s prior SAS, highly trained and capable of defending you."

Her lips twisted. “I witnessed that first hand.” She really should have pulled her hand free of Callum’s, but her hand in his made her feel grounded, safe, protected. “I’ll keep him around.”

“We’ll be in touch,” Hank said. “Out here.”

Callum ended the call and stared across the table into Maggie’s eyes. “I guess we’re going to meet the Drummonds.”

Maggie snorted softly. “I feel incredibly stupid.”

Callum’s fingers tightened around hers.

“I was so excited to discover I had a half-brother that I didn’t bother to look at the timeline. I could be walking into a shitshow with me as the main, unwanted attraction.”

His mouth curved. “It will make for an interesting vacation story to regale your teacher friends with upon your return to Montana.”

“I’m sure.” Maggie stared at the window, though she couldn’t see the landscape in the darkness.

Instead, she studied her face reflecting back at her.

No wonder her mother had never spoken of her father.

She’d had an affair with a married man. No matter how hard she tried to imagine her mother engaging in anything so sordid, she couldn’t reconcile the act with the kindhearted woman who’d been her best friend since she could remember.

Ayleen McKendrick had never hurt a soul.

Now, as she looked at her reflection, she wasn’t as keen to know where she’d gotten the red hair and green eyes that had dark circles beneath them.

Maggie closed her eyes, wondering if she should abandon this quest, tuck her tail between her legs and go back to Montana.

Then again, her mother hadn’t raised a quitter.

She’d come this far. If someone didn’t want her to arrive at the Drummond estate, she wanted to know who that was and why.

Then she’d give them a piece of her mind, let them know she didn’t want any part of the cheater Lord Drummond’s estate or anything to do with relatives who had lured her to Scotland just to hurt her or scare her away for good.

“Why don’t you stretch out on the seat?” Callum’s deep voice penetrated her internal battle.

She opened her eyes and stared into Callum’s dark brown gaze. “Are you sure you want to go with me to meet my relatives?”

He nodded, still holding her hand. “I’m with you, lass, but you look like you’re ready to pass out.”

“Is that code for I’m a wreck?” Maggie yawned. “Maybe I will close my eyes for a few minutes.”