Page 4 of His to Keep (Reluctant Vows #6)

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When I announce to Eilidh that I intend to marry her, I’m braced to deal with fear, anger, disbelief perhaps. If I’m honest, I only drop the news on her so abruptly because I’m hoping to provoke a reaction that will tell me something about the type of woman she is.

Although I’m onboard with marrying Eilidh, I know almost nothing about her.

The union is part of a deal my oldest brother, Antonio, made with members of a European organization he’s hoping to develop ties to.

I’m not involved enough in our family business to know all the details, but I agreed to take Eilidh as my bride.

As soon as I heard how she’d been held captive for four years after her family was murdered, I wanted to rescue her.

She’s an innocent who got caught up in mob politics and I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure she’s safe.

As I wait for her response, the last thing I expect her to do is faint. It shocks the hell out of me when her eyes roll back and she slumps sideways onto the seat, banging her head on the door.

“Fuck!”

“What the hell was that?” Danny demands as he drives us out onto the main road and steps on the gas. The imposing Scot was assigned to help me if I ran into trouble. He works for Niamh Donnelly, who oversees one of the largest criminal networks in the UK. “Is she okay?”

“I don’t know.”

It isn’t easy to maneuver in such a cramped space, but I roll Eilidh onto her back and quickly check her over.

The last thing I should be thinking about right now is how gorgeous my bride-to-be is, but I can’t help it.

She is stunning. I was shown pictures of Eilidh, but they didn’t prepare me for how beautiful she is in the flesh.

Though her face is pale, her bow lips are a deep red.

Her caramel-colored hair complements her dark brown eyes.

I was struck by the intensity of her stare when I first saw her in the ballroom.

I don’t have a clue what I’m doing, but I lay a hand on her forehead to make sure she doesn’t have a fever.

Her skin is cool, so I guess it was shock and not sickness that made her pass out.

I shake her gently, but she doesn’t respond. The steady rise and fall of her chest is reassuring, though.

“She’ll be fine,” I say with more confidence than I feel. Until a doctor examines her to determine if she has any health issues, I won’t be able to relax.

“This wasn’t the plan,” Danny grumbles. He’s regarded me with nothing but disapproval since we met. He sees me as too young, too inexperienced for the responsibility I’ve been handed. Getting Eilidh out of Jason Henry’s reach is paramount, and he doubts my ability to do it.

This isn’t the first time I’ve encountered skepticism about my abilities.

It’s the curse of having four older brothers who have already built solid reputations.

Antonio, the oldest, is admired for his ruthless leadership of our family.

Leo is known for unflinching brutality, while Alessandro has enviable business acumen.

My fourth brother, Matteo, could charm the panties off a nun, and he’s also capable of extracting information from the toughest of opponents.

Even Olivia, our younger sister, has a special place in the family, simply because she’s a woman.

Her recent marriage to the new head of the Reznov Bratva is proof of her worth. It’s an alliance that benefits us all.

What I bring to the table, I have no clue.

For years, I’ve been adrift. I existed somewhere on the fringes of the family, running the occasional errand for Antonio or protecting one of the women when nobody else was available.

Then I got shot and almost died. That’s when I decided to take some time for myself so I could figure out what I want from life.

I came to Scotland to explore the countryside and enjoy the simpler things for a while.

Being here has helped focus my mind. As much as I love it, I now realize how much I want to be a part of my family business, to prove myself worthy of the Volante name.

It felt like fate when Antonio called, asking me to meet with Niamh Donnelly.

When she told me what happened to Eilidh’s family, close allies of hers, my purpose became apparent.

I had to help free Eilidh and make her mine.

“I know that wasn’t the plan,” I reply. Tonight was supposed to be about gathering information.

I was meant to find a way into Jason Henry’s inner circle, to earn his trust. My task was to look for weaknesses in security and report back to Niamh so we could work out how to get Eilidh out of there safely.

Grabbing her and running was not what I was there to do.

“So why did it go to shit?”

“Our information was wrong. They weren’t there to show her off to potentially interested parties. They were going to hand her over to Barevsky tonight.”

“Fuck!” Danny hits the steering wheel so hard he blasts the horn. “Those motherfuckers!”

Barevsky’s interest in Eilidh is not news to us. Our intel suggested he was prepared to outbid any offers made for her, but we didn’t know a deal had been struck. Ryan, our inside man, isn’t high enough on the ladder to be trusted with that information.

It wasn’t until I got to the hotel and saw how many of Barevsky’s men were present that I realized something was off.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find someone drunk enough to reveal what was happening tonight.

From that moment on, I kept a close eye on Eilidh, waiting for my opportunity to act.

“Did you leave a mess?” Danny asks.

“Yeah, I knocked Jasmine Henry out and I had to stab Ryan.”

I don’t feel good about doing either of those things. Although Jasmine Henry is a vicious bitch, I gained no pleasure from hurting her. She’s a lot smaller than I am and went down hard when I hit her.

As for Ryan, I had to inflict a convincing wound on him, so Henry doesn’t suspect him of being a traitor.

I could have told him to leave with me, but the Irishman is a valuable asset.

We need him to stay where he is for now.

He’s been feeding information to Niamh for two months and it’s thanks to him we knew they were bringing Eilidh here tonight.

The advance notice gave me time to get to the Highlands before they did and establish a secure base close to the hotel.

As far as Henry’s concerned, I drove up from Glasgow tonight for the honor of meeting him.

“You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“He’ll live, but he’ll hurt for a while. I had to make it look real.”

Danny nods. “Witnesses?”

“No.” Thankfully, the corridor was quiet, but I left Ryan and Jasmine where they fell. They must have been discovered by now. Though there’s no one on the road behind us, it won’t be long before someone’s on our tail.

“Okay, so what’s the plan?” Danny asks.

That’s an excellent question. I need to come up with an answer fast. The house we rented is close by, but there’s nowhere to conceal a car outside the single-story dwelling. The property is surrounded by trees and can’t be seen from the road, but if Henry sends a drone up, the car will be spotted.

“Drop me off at the church.”

Danny meets my eye in the rearview mirror. “What?”

“The church at the bottom of the road by the rental,” I tell him. “Drop me off there. I’ll take Eilidh to the house and you can drive into town to ditch the car.”

“The lass is out cold,” Danny says, as if I needed a reminder. “Are you planning to carry her all the way up that hill?”

There’s a steep incline from the road to the house that will prove challenging. “I guess I’ll have to.”

“Through the forest? In the dark?”

“I’ll manage.” Before I got shot, taking bullets in my leg and chest, I’d have answered with more conviction.

Now, I’m less certain about my physical capabilities.

Though my doctors declared me fit before I came to Scotland, it’s been more challenging than I expected.

I intended to climb over two hundred hills, but I’ve been here for several months now and have only managed eighteen.

Every exertion takes more out of me than it would have a year ago.

Even carrying Eilidh to the car was harder than it should have been.

“Okay, I’ll ditch the car and lie low in town until morning, just in case. I’ll get in touch with Niamh to plan a route out of here.”

“Sounds good.”

“You’ll be okay until I get back?”

“Yes. The house is secure and nobody’s going to be looking for us so close to the hotel. They’ll assume we’re heading for an airport.”

“Aye, that makes sense.”

I’m glad he thinks so because I have doubts.

Given more time, I might have come up with a better plan, but this will have to do.

Gathering Eilidh into my arms so she’s straddling my thighs with her head resting on my shoulder, I slide across the seat.

I’m ready to jump out of the car as quickly as possible when Danny stops.

It’s imperative we get out of sight fast.

“Church is up ahead,” he announces.

A couple of seconds later, Danny slams on the brakes. I’m thrown forward. Instinctively, I shoot out a hand to brace myself on the back of the seat while holding Eilidh securely against my chest.

As soon as the car stops moving, I fling open the door and get out. The moment I slam the door shut, Danny drives off, the car tires kicking up stones from the roadside.

I readjust my grip on Eilidh, lifting her higher so I can position her over my shoulder.

Still dead to the world, she doesn’t stir as the cooler night air wafts over her skin.

We’re barely ten feet into the woodland before I hear the roar of car engines behind us.

I glance over my shoulder as headlights flicker through the trees.

They’re gone in a flash as several cars speed by.

None stop. I breathe a sigh of relief, but I won’t be happy until I’ve got Eilidh safely indoors.

The forest floor is uneven, and I stumble over tree roots as I make my way up the hill.

Twigs snap beneath my feet and a slight breeze rustles the leaves overhead.

Bats squeak as they fly through the darkness.

If I was easily spooked, I’d be freaked out by the way the trees seem to close in on me. But I’m not afraid of my own shadow.

Although the woods don’t hold any dread for me, I am beginning to tire of walking around in the dark.

I expected to see the house by now. The early autumn air isn’t particularly cold, but I worry about Eilidh in her skimpy little dress.

I should have given her my jacket before getting out of the car.

It’s too late to worry about it now. The house finally comes into view. Quickening my pace, I stride toward it.

I enter the combination for the safe by the front door to retrieve the key.

Once inside, I carry Eilidh straight through to the bed.

I lay her down and remove her shoes, then drape a blanket across her.

The dress won’t be comfortable to sleep in, but I don’t want her to wake up and freak out about me taking her clothes off.

When I’m sure she’s sleeping peacefully, I quickly check all the doors and windows in the house to make sure everything’s locked up tight.

I grab my gun from the kitchen drawer where I left it earlier and head back to the bedroom.

Taking a seat on the armchair in the corner, I settle in to watch Eilidh sleep. It’s going to be a long night.