Blair turned into the motel’s parking lot and stopped the car. When Ryan and the others had pulled up behind us, we all got out. Nobody except me seemed to have any difficulty moving; my legs would hardly obey. I had to force myself to put one foot in front of the other. Ryan tried to comfort me by patting my shoulder, but I was so on edge I jumped as if he’d attacked.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out.”
“It’s fine. My nerves are just shot,” I said.
“If you don’t want to do this, then you just call it off. We can easily call my dad, and he’ll deal with everything.”
“No, I know it seems crazy—but trust me, this is the only option.”
“All right, but shouldn’t we all go in together?”
I shook my head. “That would be way too dangerous. Let’s stick with the plan. As soon as Ashley is free, you get her away from here and wait for me at home.”
He bent down close to me and whispered, “Do you really trust these men?”
Well, I actually still didn’t have an answer to that one, but I knew Ryan would never let me go upstairs if he thought I was in doubt, so I answered firmly, “Yes, don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Ryan looked me deep in the eyes, and then he nodded and squeezed my hand.
“Ryan,” I called as I walked away, “today I almost like you!” I winked.
“Nice. But after seeing you with Payton, I know that’s not going to help my case. Your heart obviously belongs to him.” He turned to head back to his car.
As Blair, Payton, and I started up the motel’s outer staircase, I asked myself what Ryan had meant. Was it clear to everybody that I loved Payton? And if it was so clear, why did everything have to be so complicated?
“Sam, mo luaidh, you don’t have to do this.” It was Payton’s turn to try to comfort me.
His soft voice almost succeeded in collapsing the dam holding back my tears. But I wanted to learn my destiny. And if it was here, waiting for me in this shabby motel, well then, so be it.
“Payton, please. If everything that you say is true, then we have to protect Ashley and get her out of here. We’ll see about everything else later.”
“What can I do to make you trust me again, Sam? I love you and will defend you with my life.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to trust you. It’s too late for that.” I shook my head sadly. “Let’s just focus on what we have to do now.”
“Sam, please.”
In the meantime, we had reached the fourth floor, and Blair was knocking on one of the doors. I scrambled behind him quickly, seeking protection behind his broad back. Still, I shrieked when the giant Alasdair opened the door.
“Blair. What a surprise… First Sean and now all the others, eh?”
Blair wasn’t used to explaining himself to anybody, much less Alasdair, and he pushed his way past him into the room. When Alasdair saw me, his grin became wider, and he gave me a sneering mock bow.
“Ah, and our Miss Cameron is here, too!”
Every fiber in my body was screaming for me to get away from there as quickly as possible, but Payton’s hand on my shoulder gave me the necessary strength to go in. The room was dark and stuffy.
“Sam! Help me!” Ashley shouted when she saw me. “Please!”
My cousin was sitting upright, but with her hands tied to one of the bedposts. Sean was standing protectively in front of her. At least I knew she wasn’t in serious danger just then.
“Don’t worry, Ashley,” I said. “We’ll get out of here.”
Every inch of space in the room seemed to be taken up. The size of the immortal Scots really was impressive. Even Nathaira was several inches taller than me. She was the first to speak.
“Blair, who have you brought with you?”
“Hello, darling. Interesting to find you here. You don’t seem to think it’s necessary to discuss a trip to the United States with your fiancé? You went behind my back.”
At these words, Alasdair twitched slightly and lowered his eyes with a guilty look.
“Do you think I will ask you for permission before I leave the house?”
“No, I don’t expect that,” said Blair, “but it does seem as if you were all intending to leave me in the dark about what you are up to just now.”
His eyes darted from Nathaira to his best friend Cathal, who looked remarkably calm.
“Don’t get upset. Now we are all here and so is the Cameron girl. I don’t see why we shouldn’t just clear the situation once and for all.” Cathal stepped toward me, studying me from head to toe, as if I were a rare plant. “The similarity in appearance really is astonishing, don’t you think?”