Midnight's Captive(73)

“Well done,” Quinn whispered as he moved to stand beside him.

He shrugged. “I didna do anything.”

“You’re a MacLeod, son,” Quinn said with a wink. “That’s all it took.”

Aiden pulled off his ruined shirt and walked to the sink to wipe the dried blood off when the mobile phones started to go off.

Galen was the first to answer his, and Quinn second. Aiden’s gaze locked with his father as dread filled him. By the furious look on Galen’s face, and the desolation on his father’s, Aiden braced himself.

“What is it?” he asked when Quinn ended the call.

Quinn sighed. “Jason wasna happy that we escaped him. He retaliated.”

“By giving the people of Edinburgh a fucking epidemic,” Galen ground out as he paced the room.

“Epidemic?” Britt repeated. “How is that possible? The authorities would check this out immediately. There’s no way he can get away with this.”

Galen snorted. “Oh, but he will. I’ve no doubt Jason has spent the last few months buying members of parliament as well as the authorities. If he’s anything like his cousin, he’s blackmailing the ones who didna join him. But it’s no’ just that. This is a medical crisis. No one will know it was done with magic.”

“How do you know it was done with magic?” she asked.

“It began in the area we fought.” Quinn raked a hand through his hair. “I didna expect him to take this battle to innocents.”

Galen leaned his hands on a table and blew out a breath. “We should have.”

Suddenly Aiden’s mobile rang. He pulled it out and saw the number was blocked. After a glance at his father, he put the call on speaker.

“Aye?”

“Well, Aiden, that was a nice escape,” said a male voice. “Needless to say, I’m no’ happy. And when I’m no’ happy, people get hurt.”

Aiden clenched his jaw as blind fury filled him. “Wallace. Too bad I didna see you tonight.”

Jason’s disembodied evil laugh came through the phone. “You doona stand a chance against me. None of you do. You keep trying to save the innocents and those who mean the most to you, but that’s what’s going to win me this war.”

“We’ve taken down two droughs before you. We’ll bring you down as well,” Quinn said.

“Ah, Quinn. I knew you wouldna be far from your lad. How much do you think it’s going to hurt when he’s dead after you kept him immortal for four centuries?”

Quinn and Aiden exchanged a look. “Never going to happen.”

“Doona be so sure,” Jason said with a knowing laugh. “Tell me, how is Laura doing? Is Charon trying to convince her who he is?”

Aiden shook his head at both Quinn and Galen. He didn’t want to give Jason any information. Whether Laura was working with Jason or not, the less Jason knew, the better.

“You tell us?” Aiden said. “We’re worried about her. What have you done with her? She’s an innocent.”

“As are the people suffering in Edinburgh!” Jason yelled. “Those ‘innocents,’ as you call them, are writhing in agony. You can stop it. All you need to do is give yourself and the sweet little blond that’s been by your side these last few weeks to me. Tonight.”

Aiden knew in his heart they could win against Jason, but could he live with himself if he sacrificed all those innocents? But he couldn’t turn Britt over to Jason either.

“You can have me,” Aiden said.

Quinn roared over his words and knocked the phone from his hands. “Never!”

“Dad,” Aiden whispered urgently as Jason’s laughter drifted through the phone. He hurriedly put the call on mute. “Listen to me. It’s the right thing to do. Britt is needed. I’m no’.”

“You’re my son!”

Aiden took a deep, steadying breath. “I can no’ live with myself if all those people die.”

“Wallace will never agree,” Galen said.

A muscle worked in Quinn’s jaw as he stared at Aiden. “Wallace will torture you, and though you’ve heard us talk about being tortured by magic, you’ve never experienced it.”

“I’m a Highlander, a MacLeod. I’ll get through it.”

“Holy hell,” Quinn said as he turned away.

Aiden looked to Britt. She was shaking her head, her beautiful eyes pleading with him. He took the phone off mute to hear Jason still chuckling.

“Where do I meet you?” Aiden asked.

Jason tsked. “Did you no’ hear my instructions? I said you and Britt. No’ one without the other. Both.”