At his accusation that she’d put them in harm’s way, the blood drained from her face, leaving her freckles to stand out against now too-pale skin. He wanted to comfort her and tell her it wasn’t her fault, but knew they’d both be better served if her hurt was turned to anger.
“You’re staying put, Cat. Ye hear me? Once you find the necklace, you can take yerself off to wherever ye bloody want to go—but not before that.”
Anger sparked in her eyes, but there was also a keen intelligence there, and he knew, despite her anger, she was not fooled. “I’m sorry that I dragged you into this, Iain, but short of tying me up, I’m going.”
Her words had his control slipping as he pulled her to him and nuzzled her, his arm wrapped around her waist to keep her from escaping. “Don’t tempt me, love. It’d be a lovely sight to see you trussed up and squirming.”
“This isn’t funny, Iain.” She pried herself from his embrace, and with a shake of her head, turned to go.
Well, he’d be damned if he was going to let her walk out on him without giving it a second thought. Grabbing her hand, he turned her around and pulled her into his arms, ignoring the tears that welled up in her eyes and her struggles to get free of him. “You’re not leaving, Cat. Not until this is over.”
“I’m sorry. It was a mistake to involve you. You see that, right? I can’t bear to have you get hurt again.” She struggled to get free, but he held on tight, as the tears finally spilled over and rolled down her cheeks. “Let go of me, Iain. I can’t do this.”
“You can and you will. We’ll find the Hope, aye? Cause these men aren’t going to go away, love. We’ve no other choice.” He kissed her tears away until she stopped struggling and let out a weary shudder. He hated to see her so upset, but hoped he could turn her mood around. “So… are you going to stay or do I need to get the rope?”
She let out a laugh, which helped to ease his worries. “I think we might both like that far too much—but you’re still injured.”
Relief washed over him. He brushed a curl from her face, his touch lingering against the warmth of her skin. “Does that mean you’re staying?”
She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his bare chest, sending his heart racing. “I guess I’ll have to for now. Someone’s got to have your back.”
“Well, I’m glad it’s you, love.”
***
The police had come and gone, taking their report and promising to look into the matter. In the meantime, they had new company and problems to contend with.
A sharp pain set Iain’s nerves on fire as Angus poked and prodded. “Bloody hell. Could you be a bit more gentle?”
Angus finished his examination and tossed Iain his shirt, his mood serious. “You’ve got severe bruising and may also have a cracked rib, though that should heal on its own. What the hell happened to the two of ye? Her head, your back. This was no accident, Iain, and I’d appreciate some honesty.”
Iain glanced at Cat in question, knowing the decision was hers to make. She nodded.
“Might as well—enough people already know, and for once, I’d rather have it be someone who’s on our side.” Iain let out a sigh of relief, happy to no longer have to keep things from Angus. “We’ve been looking for the Highlander’s Hope. Cat thinks it was last in the hands of one of my ancestors who hid it somewhere on our estate.”
Angus let out a low whistle of surprise. “I can’t believe it. The Highlander’s Hope, aye? I thought that was nothing more than legend.”
Cat shook her head no, her eyes alight, clearly in her element. It made Iain smile to see her like that, happy that the day’s uncertainty was behind them. “My research shows that it did indeed exist, but got lost or hidden along the way.”
Angus grabbed a seat next to Iain and across from Cat. “That still doesn’t explain what happened to the two of ye.”
“Unfortunately, her ex and my eejit of a brother figured out what we’ve been up to, without taking into consideration that they could easily be overheard. Somehow, a bunch of thugs caught wind of what they were discussing, and decided to come looking for it.” Iain slowly worked his way into his shirt, trying his best to ignore the pain.
“And that means it’s gotten dangerous.” Angus sat forward and propped his elbows on his knees. “What are you going do? They’ll likely not stop until they get what they want.”
That was exactly what Iain was worried about. “It’s why we need to find it—and soon.”