Page 23 of Taken by the Ruthless Highlander (Taken by Highland Devils #6)

23

M ove, mule.

Irritation turned to ire as Ryder urged the horse to go faster. Time was slipping by too quickly. The castle felt like it was days away.

His chest tightened with anxiety as he thought of how bandits got the jump on three capable men. If it was just Ronnie, he would have overlooked it as a juvenile mistake. But since Felix and Tormod were both skilled fighters, it was clear that the whole thing was a setup to take one of them out.

Ryder clenched his jaw as the torches of the castle came up over the ridge like little beacons of hope, shining just for him. Though the horse was spent, Ryder forced it to gallop faster.

“Ryder, ye’ll break the horse—ye need to slow down.” Morgana’s voice carried over the wind and jabbed him directly in the chest. “I ken ye want to get to Felix just as much as I want to see Ronnie and Tormod, but if ye dinnae ease up on the horse, he’ll buckle.”

Pulling in a long, deep breath to steady his nerves, Ryder pulled the reins and looked toward the castle. His eyes widened with shock as he spotted Felix coming out of the door to greet them. There was no indication that the man had been attacked, save for the mark above his left eyebrow.

“Welcome back,” Felix greeted, the moment Ryder drew the steed to a halt at the foot of the steps.

“Nathan mentioned ye ran across a spot of trouble,” Ryder said as he jumped off the horse and turned to help Morgana down.

Her eyes were brimming with questions that he didn’t have the answers to. He turned to Felix, hoping against hope that there was some excuse for the attack.

“Aye,” Felix uttered, rubbing his knuckles. “But I have to hand it to Ronnie; he was quite the help tonight. The lad certainly held his own and saved more than just my hide.”

Ryder glanced over at Felix. “Mind tellin’ me how Nathan was let out without my express order?”

“I’ll investigate,” Felix assured, his back ramrod straight. “If there’s a traitor, I swear I’ll find him and lay yer vengeance at yer feet.”

“I’ll hold ye to that,” Ryder said. He watched as Morgana fidgeted with her fingers, far too anxious for news. “As for now, what news of my family, the Websters?”

“Ye’ll find them with Orella,” Felix answered. “They’re alive and well, with nothin’ but a few bruises and scratches. I swear, nothin’ that will make ye wonder who ye’re lookin’ at.”

“Thank ye, Felix,” Morgana said with a nod, “for watchin’ over my braithers when ye didnae have to.”

“It is my job, Lady McKenzie.” Felix bowed his head.

Ryder watched his friend struggle to hold back a smile. He could see Felix was making an effort to show compassion and respect for the lady of the clan. If only others would be so loyal and keep their oaths.

He gritted his teeth as he turned to glare at the guards in the doorway.

“I understand now why my faither ruled with such an iron fist,” he muttered to Felix. “If the clansfolk willnae stop underminin’ my orders, I’ll have to start chopping off heads.”

Felix stopped dead in his tracks and shook his head. “Thought ye said ye’d never be as cruel as yer faither.”

Ryder’s anger brewed and festered as he marched for his study. He didn’t care that the servants scurried out of his way as he passed. Nor did he pay any heed to the sharp whispers as he pushed through his study door.

The second the door clicked shut, he rounded on Felix.

“Speak quickly, and leave nothin’ out,” he demanded. “Start with Nathan bein’ released. I’m guessin’ Cohen had a hand in that?”

“That I dinnae ken,” Felix answered sincerely. He sucked in a sharp breath when Ryder’s eyes flashed. “We just arrived an hour ago. I barely saw him when we came in.”

Ryder shook his head and patted him on the shoulder. As much as he wanted to throw Cohen in the dungeons, he had to listen to reason. Even if that voice of reason spoke as softly as Morgana.

“I understand,” he answered, trying to hide the disappointment in his tone. “But listen to me, and listen well. I want ye to keep a close eye on Nathan and Cohen. They’re becomin’ rebellious. My faither kenned the right way to deal with those who disrespected him. I cannae have the clan divided as it is. I will have unity.”

“Ye do realize that it might nae happen?” Felix cautioned.

“Aye,” Ryder uttered somberly, before clearing his throat. “What information have ye gathered about the bandits? Did ye catch anythin’ out of place? Or noticed anythin’ that set them apart?”

“They were skilled and swift. Now that I look back on it, I should have seen the signs. There were seven men at the tavern we’d stopped at.”

Ryder furrowed his brow and folded his arms over his chest. “We?”

“Tormod and myself,” Felix clarified. “Ronnie was lookin’ for a place for us to rest, as there were nay rooms available. I swear we didnae say a word to provoke them, but the next thing I kenned, the group was filing out of the tavern, each givin’ us deathly glares. Didnae think anythin’ of it until we reached the outskirts of the village.”

Ryder balled his fists as every muscle in his body tensed. How he wished he could have been there to help. It irked him beyond anything to know that the attack happened so close to the castle.

“Go on,” he prompted.

Felix pulled a flask from his sporran and took a long swig. “Tormod was on the ground. I dinnae ken what he was hit with, but when he fell, he bounced right back up, ready to throw punches. The lad’s a fighter. But more men came out of the shadows, taking their time with us. I fell. If Ronnie hadnae come around when he did… well, I dinnae ken what would have happened to us. But I’m certain we were close.”

* * *

“Will ye be still and let me examine ye?” Morgana huffed as she glared at Ronnie.

Regret lanced through her. How could she let her younger brother put himself in harm’s way? It was irresponsible of her, and no matter how much she beat herself up over it, she would never let herself off the hook.

“Ye could have died. Do ye nae understand that?”

“I understand the concept, but as ye can see, I’m fine. We both are. Now, will ye please ease off,” Ronnie grumbled as he shrugged her off him.

“I ken ye’re nae a child, and I’m tryin’ really hard nae to treat ye like one. But I cannae help but worry for ye and when ye go and do things like that. What happened?” Morgana asked.

She then paused, wondering if maybe that was the wrong question to ask. After all, did she really want to know the answer?

Ryder’s words came back to haunt her.

“We had just arrived in Lochcairn and needed a place to stay,” Ronnie started as Tormod shifted in his seat, trying not to look guilty. “Felix and Tormod went to the tavern while I rode to the other side of town, lookin’ for an inn. I found one and was comin’ back when I overheard someone talkin’ about a girl. It piqued my interest, and for a moment, it sounded like they had Feya. Morgana, I couldnae just stand by and nae do anythin’. So, I followed them.”

“If it werenae for Ronnie, we all would have been dead,” Tormod chimed in. “I’m serious on that matter. Felix and I owe Ronnie a great deal.”

Morgana’s heart fluttered wildly as she glanced at her brothers. It was as if they had somehow pushed whatever grievances they had to the side and found a peace that she was stunned to see. They had been at each other’s throats for so long that to finally see them respect and honor each other was enough to bring her to tears.

“It was a smart choice to let ye go, then,” Morgana said, schooling her features in a bid to mask her emotions. “I just wish none of this happened in the first place.”

“Aye, well…” Tormod dropped his arms to his sides. “I cannae help but think that we were so close to findin’ Feya. It was as if she were right there and just slipped through our fingers.”

“We will find her,” Morgana assured him.

At that moment, Orella walked into the room, bearing cloth and a bowl of warm water. She set them down next to Ronnie and gently took his bruised arm.

“Aye,” she said with a half-hearted smile. “Unless, of course, yer sister is bein’ held by someone loyal to the late Laird McKenzie.”

“What was that?” Morgana asked.

Orella’s words rattled her to her core. Where had she even come up with such a wild, random idea?

Orella shrank as all eyes in the room fell on her. She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and dipped the cloth in the water.

“I’ve heard that ye’ve been lookin’ everywhere for yer sister. Has it nae crossed yer mind that maybe the reason ye havenae found her is because she’s bein’ held captive?” she asked.

The revelation per se wasn’t a shock to Morgana. It was more like Orella was giving voice to the fear she had been trying—and failing—to ignore.

“And if that was the case, the only ones darin’ enough to do it would be those loyal to the late Laird. I mean, if I was someone with a bone to pick, I might do that.”

Hope sprang up within Morgana like a stubborn weed. “Orella, ye’re brilliant! Maybe all this time we’ve been lookin’ in the wrong places. What if she is in a house or trapped against her will someplace close? We should clear the town. Search every building and house.”

“Is that really the best thing, though?” Ronnie asked.

His words shattered Morgana’s illusion like a stone to stained glass.

“It’s Feya,” Morgana insisted. “She’d do the same for ye, and ye ken it.”