“It’s been over three hours,” Aiden said. “We should’ve heard from Charon by now.”
The way Fallon wouldn’t look at him told Aiden he hadn’t heard from Charon either.
A moment later, Fallon hung up his phone. He compressed his lips in a tight line as he stared off into the night. “We’re forty minutes outside of Glasgow. Keep heading west toward Oban.”
“The old cottage of mine,” Galen said with a grin. “It’s all but run down and hidden on a farmer’s land. I’ll get them there.”
Fallon nodded and teleported away.
“We need a car,” Quinn said.
Aiden turned his head to get Britt, only to find her gone. “Britt!”
“Here,” she called from down the street.
He spotted a car door open and then saw Britt’s shapely leg sticking out. A second later, and the car roared to life. Britt sat up, a smile on her face as she motioned for them through the windshield.
“I’m liking her more and more,” Galen said as he jogged to the car.
Quinn slapped Aiden on the back. “She’s certainly handling things well.”
“Aye,” Aiden mumbled, his grin growing by the moment at how she had calmly broken into a car and hot-wired it.
Britt moved to the passenger seat as Galen climbed behind the wheel. Aiden and Quinn jumped into the back, the doors slamming closed as Galen drove away.
“I’m looking forward to hearing how you know how to hot-wire a car,” Aiden said to Britt.
She looked over her shoulder and winked at him. “I wasn’t always a doctor, you know. I was quite the bad girl in my little town in California.”
Aiden looked through the back window when they merged in traffic, but there was still no sign of Wallace.
“How long will it take him to know where we’ve gone?” Aiden asked.
Galen gunned the car and changed lanes, then turned the corner. “He knows Fallon can no’ teleport us away, so we’re limited to where we can go.”
“He’ll suspect we took a car,” Britt said. “At least I would. It’s the only viable option for a group who needs to get far away.”
“Maybe too viable,” Quinn murmured. “Maybe we stay in Glasgow.”
Aiden was shaking his head before his father finished. “We can no’ chance it. Wallace’s magic is too great. He’d find us. And quickly.”
“I agree,” Galen said. “We keep moving. We willna have long once we’re at the cabin, but perhaps it’ll be enough time for Britt to get some work done.”
“And for my brother to find a way to teleport us,” Quinn added.
Even with miles lengthening between them and Wallace, the knot of dread in Aiden’s gut didn’t lessen.
Phelan walked out of the dance club, the loud music cut off with the closing of the door. Yet, the steady beat of the bass could still be heard outside.
He walked to his Ducati motorbike parked next to the curb and sighed. Why hadn’t he heard from Charon? Or anyone? He’d tried taking his mind off things, but not even the two beautiful women vying for his attention had helped.
Instead of going home with one of them to ease his body, he’d walked away from both. Not something he did.
Phelan raked a hand through his hair and glanced at the sky. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds. More rain was on the way.
He pulled out his mobile to check for messages and saw he had a missed call from Fallon. There was no message, so Phelan quickly dialed his number.
“Fallon,” he said when the line connected.
“Where the fuck have you been?” Fallon demanded.
Phelan’s brows rose. Fallon rarely lost his cool. He was a natural born leader, meant to be laird of the MacLeods. When Deirdre destroyed the clan, that legacy ended. But Fallon had found his way by leading the Warriors.
There was a rush of air sounding through the phone as Fallon sighed. “We need you, Phelan.”
“Is it Charon?” he asked, his worry intensifying.
“Partly. We’ve no’ heard from him, and Laura is gone.”
Phelan rubbed the back of his neck. “Is that why you called?”
“Nay. I’ll fill you in on that later. Right now, we’ve a more immediate need of you. How far are you from Oban?”
He swung a leg over the seat of his motorbike and reached for his helmet. “Doona worry about that. Just tell me where you need me and when. I’ll be there.”
“There’s a farmer northeast of Oban. On his land toward the back is a run-down cottage that Galen used centuries ago. He, Quinn, Aiden, and Britt are on their way there now.”
“Why didna you just jump them there?”