Touch of Eternity(77)

“Sam, oh Sam, mo luaidh, tha gràdh agam ort. Please forgive me, tha mi duilich,” begged Payton.

He grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me close. He whispered in Gaelic in my ear, while tears ran down his face. Being so close to me must have given him great pain. And though I didn’t know the words he spoke, my heart understood.

Still, I couldn’t trust him. Again, I pushed him away from me, and Ryan hurried to my side. He directed Payton and Blair to the door with his gun.

“I will not hesitate to use this if you don’t leave immediately!”

Then everything happened very quickly.

Payton hit Ryan hard, and Ryan sank to the ground. Blair picked up Justin by the throat, and Justin struggled to breathe, his feet dangling in the air. Kim shrieked and I just stood there.

“Sam, listen to me,” Payton pleaded.

“No! What are you doing? Are you trying to kill all of us? Do you always just strike down people who you are supposedly worried about?”

It was over as quickly as it had begun. Trembling, I knelt next to Ryan on the floor and brushed his blond hair away from his forehead. Blood was trickling out of a cut above his right eye. Blair let go of Justin, placing him back on his feet. Kim ran to him, crying quietly on his shoulder while he sucked in deep breaths and rubbed his sore neck.

I wasn’t scared, but I was very, very annoyed. Payton seemed destined to wreck my life. My cousin had been kidnapped; Ryan was knocked out cold with a gun in his hand; Justin nearly got strangled; and still, my treacherous body yearned for Payton’s touch. My brain, on the other hand, told me to get as far from him as possible.

“Oh Sam, please forgive me,” he said. “I need you so much, please, you must believe me. Please forgive me! I love you.” He moved toward me slowly, took my hands in his, and looked deep into my eyes. “You are always in my thoughts, my dreams, and in my heart. I see you in front of me, how you laugh, how you cry, how you reach for my hand. I can’t bear to lose you forever, having finally found you. Please believe me, I will never stop loving you.”

I knew he must be in incredible pain, but he didn’t move away. I could hardly breathe. He was so strong and invincible, and his words were full of passion and desperation.

Then I realized I hadn’t given him a chance to explain his side of things. I was the one who’d left him behind in Scotland. I didn’t move.

Payton looked disappointed. He shook his head and turned away from me. Right away I found it easier to breathe.

I got a damp cloth from the kitchen and dabbed the blood off Ryan’s forehead. I was glad for something to do, to distract myself.

Whispering in Gaelic, Blair and Payton stood with their heads together, occasionally throwing a worried glance in my direction. I quickly forced the thought away that the two of them might be plotting how to kill me. I was starting to hope that they really were here to help.

When Ryan came to a few minutes later, we helped him to a chair. Then we all sat down reluctantly, but at least peacefully, and talked about the situation. Blair and Payton had heard from their brother Sean that Ashley had been abducted, and they had also learned where she was and that she was doing OK, all things considered.

“And from the way he sounded on the telephone, I wouldn’t be surprised if our Sean has noticed your cousin’s beauty. Perhaps he’s getting some feelings back, too,” said Blair.

That remark provoked an evil look from Ryan, who was obviously not happy with these invading Scotsmen, who seemed to do whatever they felt like with whomever they pleased.

Thanks to Sean, we now knew where to find Ashley. But we still didn’t have any idea how to proceed. Still, we knew that working together was our best chance.

“We can charge the building,” suggested Ryan, who still seemed to be itching to use that gun.

“No. Are you crazy?” Kim said. “The best thing would be for us to call the cops.”

“Silence!” Blair’s clear order interrupted the chaos. “Cathal and Nathaira are after Sam. I also presume that they will realize soon that Ashley is not a Cameron—if they haven’t already. That means that she is not a danger to them. If we now offer to bring Sam to them in exchange for Ashley, they should agree to that.”

“No!” Ryan objected loudly. “That’s absolutely out of the question. Who knows what they would do to Sam. Forget it!”

“It’s OK, Ryan,” I said. “I actually think Blair is right. They want me, not Ashley. The first thing we should do is get her to safety. Then we’ll take it one step at a time and figure out what to do next. And I wouldn’t go there alone—Payton and Blair would come with me.” The thought of meeting up with Alasdair again had my stomach in knots, but I knew it was the right thing to do.