Bound by Blood (Cauld Ane Series)

by Tracey Jane Jackson

  “That someone was Shannon.”

  “Aye. Outside of you and me, Payton was the only one who knew you and I were having dinner together, and only because I’d asked her to do a few things in order to prepare for the evening.”

  “Why ask Payton? Isn’t Anna your assistant?”

  “Aye. But she’s also Shannon’s aunt.”

  “Oh,” Sam said and leaned back in the chair.

  “I trust Payton implicitly. She’s one of the few. Shannon knows this, so somehow she made a plan with Jon, probably offering something she shouldn’t have, in order to get information about our plans. I figured that out when you told me about your conversation with Shannon. Jon is young and easily fooled by a bonny lass, and today he learned a valuable lesson.”

  “So Payton feels responsible because she told Jon what was happening.”

  Kade shook his head. “That’s the thing. She didn’t. She was quite vague, however, Shannon put two and two together and made an educated guess. She was trying to upset you yesterday.” He reached over the table and took Sam’s hand. “I may have taken a woman to breakfast, but I’ve never cooked dinner for one. You’re the first. I don’t have an M.O. as Shannon tried to make you believe, because I’ve never felt this way about anyone.”

  A shiver stole up Sam’s spine. “Oh.”

  “I’ll make sure Payton is all right. She’s invaluable to me and not just as an employee. I’ll fix it with her.”

  Sam nodded. “Thank you. I really like her.”

  He smiled. “I do too.”

  “What about Jon? Should he really lose his job over something like this? It seems extreme.”

  “It’s not extreme.” Kade stood and pulled her from the chair. “Honestly, love, he’ll have another job in a day. Don’t worry about him.”

  “I’ll worry less if you let me know when he finds something.”

  He smiled and stroked her cheek. “Fair enough. I’ll let you know.”

  “Thank you.”

  He leaned down and kissed her and Sam couldn’t stop the quiet sigh as he intensified the kiss. Then he broke away and chuckled. “That would have been a good way to start my day. Much better than a fight with Brodie. He can be difficult.”

  Sam nodded toward the large hole in the wall. “And strong, apparently.”

  “Aye.” Kade’s phone buzzed and he sighed. “I have a meeting, love.”

  “Oh, sorry! I’ll get out of your hair.”

  He laid his hand on her back and guided her to a side door. “Might be better if you go this way. Wait a couple of minutes and then just turn right and it will lead you to the lift.”

  She chose not to pry. “Okay. I’ll see you at lunch?”

  He smiled and kissed her again. “Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

  Sam rolled her eyes. “Good to know.”

  She left the office and headed toward Payton’s office instead of the lab.

  * * *

  Kade answered his door and stepped back to allow Hamish entry.

  He stepped inside and bowed. “My lord.”

  “Hamish.” Kade closed his door and indicated one of the chairs near the window. “We need to discuss your sister,” he said as they each took a seat.

  “Oh?”

  “Aye. She’ll be here shortly, however, I’m informing you as you are the head of the family. She’ll be brought before the Council—”

  “What? Why?” Hamish snapped.

  Kade sighed and filled Hamish in on the events of the previous two days. From the conversation about the shareholders’ dinner all the way to Shannon’s interaction with Jon.

  Hamish stood and paced the office. “Bloody hell!”

  Kade’s phone rang and he answered Anna’s call, giving her permission to send Shannon in. Shannon arrived, her countenance much less smug than it had been in the last few weeks.

  “My lord,” she said, her head bowed.

  Kade stepped back, willing his emotions to calm. The sudden desire to wring her skinny neck rose rather quickly to his mind.

  CHAPTER TEN

  A LITTLE OVER two weeks later, Samantha woke so tired she nearly skipped her run—again. She hadn’t slept well—again. Her dreams had been filled with Kade—again. She laid her fingers on her lips. His kiss the night before had surpassed the rest and he’d captivated her heart. She was officially in love with him, to the point of no return.

  Since their eye-opening dinner, the two had spent nearly every waking non-working moment together. Dinner at one of their apartments was a given every night, and Kade made sure he took snippets of time out of the day for a “quick snog.”

  Shannon had been fired and had apparently left the city. Sam chose not to grill Kade about what happened with her. She was just grateful she didn’t have to deal with her anymore. Kade had also assured her that Jon had found another job, which was probably why Alan was happier these days.

  A week ago, Cole had taken her to the American bar he’d told her about and they’d watched football and drunk beer, laughing at things only they would get. But none of it mattered, because even though she felt comfortable with Cole, she couldn’t fully focus. Her mind was filled with all things Kade and she’d ended the night early, thrilled when she found Kade home from his meeting with Pfizer, and available to spend the rest of the evening with her.

  After several Skype sessions with her parents, they’d given her their positive opinions of Kade. Of course, they reserved the right to change their opinions when they met him, which would be when, exactly? Samantha had laughed and promised it would happen as soon as humanly possible.

  Sam forced herself out of her cozy bed, knowing that if she didn’t run, she’d start to obsess over the illogical state of her heart and that never did anyone any good, especially Pepper, who ended up being the sounding board to Samantha’s stress.

  She arrived at the running path to find Cole already stretching. He gave her a smile and waited for her to reach him. “Good morning, stranger. How are you?”

  “I’m good. How about you?”

  “Great. Did you get my text last night?”

  “Oh, yeah! Sorry. I’ve been so distracted lately. Yes, let’s do something. I’ll figure out my schedule and we can plan a night. Maybe more football?”

  “Sounds good,” Cole said. “Would you like to run together?”

  She held up her iPod. “I really need to lose myself to music this morning. Rain check?”

  “No problem. I’ll see you later.” He waved and started his run.

  She took a few minutes to stretch and then slipped her ear buds in. In the mood for something high-energy, she found her favorite album by Rayne Green and set her iPod to shuffle. The singer had disappeared several years ago, never to be seen again, making her music even more popular.

  She saw Cole in front of her and there were a few other people coming back the other way. She figured there’d be more starting their runs, as the day was sunny and remarkably warm.

  As Sam hit her second mile, her pace became muscle memory and she allowed her body to take over so her mind could wander. The scenery was stunning, and she drew a breath deep into her lungs. The air was so clean, and she could tell it would snow soon. She must ask Kade what the trees were that lined the path. They were magnificent.

  Without warning, a hand snaked around her waist and yanked her off the path. She screamed, but the sound was stopped when something was shoved in her mouth.

  * * *

  Panic slammed Kade hard. His head whipped up and he grabbed his cell phone. Samantha didn’t pick up, so he dialed Alasdair. He paced his office as the fear made his heart race.

  “Not a good time, Kade,” Alasdair said.

  “What the hell happened? Who’s watching her?” he snapped.

  “Shite!”

  “Alasdair!” Kade rushed to the bank of windows in a misguided effort to see something…anything.

  “I’ll call you back,” Alasdair said, and then the phone went dead.
<
br />   Kade closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. His heart started to calm, but he still leaned against the glass in an effort to “see” Samantha. His phone buzzed. “Ali. What’s going on?”

  “Everything’s all right, Kade. She’s safe.”

  “But she was in danger?”

  “Aye.”

  Kade swore. “Alasdair, you better start bloody talking, or—”

  “Someone else stepped in. That American.”

  “Colton Drake?” Kade seethed.

  “Aye. He’s taking care of her, and we got the one who grabbed her—”

  “Grabbed her? What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Kade snapped. “I’m coming down.”

  * * *

  Samantha gladly took the comfort Cole was offering as he helped her stand and laid his windbreaker over her shoulders. “Better?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” she answered.

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and led her to one of the benches at the side of the path. “Here. You should probably sit down.”

  She nodded and sat down next to him. He kept his arm firmly around her and watched her intently. She glanced at the man who’d attacked her. He lay unconscious on the ground. Sam remembered bits and pieces of the attack, but felt as though she were in a strange dream. The man had thrown her to the ground and shoved a rag in her mouth. She tried to fight, but he was strong, and she was reeling from the blow she received when her head hit the ground.

  She remembered the man being hauled off her, almost like a rag doll, then blackness. When she came to, Cole was there and lifting her from the ground.

  She shivered, and Cole tightened his hold. “Sam?”

  She shook her head. “I’m going to be sick.”

  “Come with me.”

  He walked her to the edge of the trail and held her while she emptied her stomach. A good thing she’d followed her normal routine of waiting to eat. Cole handed her a bottle of water and Sam took a few sips.

  “You really should sit down,” he said, and guided her back to the bench.

  “I do feel a little dizzy. Probably a mild concussion.” There were several people milling around, including one she recognized. “Alasdair? What are you doing here?”

  “I was driving by when I saw the commotion.”

  The police and ambulance arrived, taking her focus from the evasive response by the driver. They began to ask questions, none of which Sam could answer. She didn’t know who her attacker was, and hadn’t seen him lurking anywhere. The EMTs were taking her pulse and making sure she wouldn’t pass out while Cole chimed in with his own information for the police, sounding official and using words that Sam could have sworn were swimming in front of her.

  Kind of like little birds in a cartoon.

  “Sam?”

  She blinked and then felt a gentle squeeze around her waist.

  “Sam, stay awake,” Cole demanded.

  “Samantha?” another voice entered the chorus.

  “Kade?” Samantha watched him as he approached. He bent down and lifted her off the bench.

  “Hey!” Cole snapped as he stood and laid a hand on her arm. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “It’s okay, Cole. This is Kade. He’s my…uh…boss.” Sam looped her arms around Kade’s neck and frowned.

  “I’m a hell of a lot more than your boss,” he whispered for her ears only.

  Sam nodded. “Yeah, yeah.”

  “How are you, sweetheart?” he asked.

  “I feel clumsy enough to trip over a cordless phone.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “So, you feel dizzy then?”

  She grimaced. “I think I might have a very mild concussion.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

  “I did say mild, right?”

  Kade grilled the EMTs before focusing back on Samantha. “I’m going to ask you a few questions, all right?”

  “Fire away,” she said.

  “What’s your name?”

  “Minnie Mouse.”

  “Samantha,” he warned.

  “Samantha Moore.”

  “And where are you?”

  “Currently in your arms,” she retorted. “Although, I’m not sure how that happened, or why you don’t just set me down.”

  “Your sense of humor is intact.” He smiled, although his smile didn’t quite cover the worry in his eyes. “Did you lose consciousness?”

  Sam looked at Cole who nodded.

  “She was out for a couple of minutes,” he provided.

  Kade frowned. “Are you feeling nauseous?”

  “Not anymore,” Sam said.

  Cole nodded to the edge of the path. “She threw up.”

  “How long ago?” Kade asked.

  Cole set irritated eyes on Kade. “Just before you arrived.”

  Kade frowned down at Samantha. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

  “We can take her, Dr. Gunnach,” the female EMT offered, her appreciative gaze raking over him.

  Sam leaned closer to Kade, her possessiveness rising. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t need a hospital. I need a shower and a nap.”

  “No sleeping,” he demanded.

  “Joking.” She yawned. “Sort of. Put me down, Kade. Seriously. I got a bump on the head, I didn’t break my legs.”

  He set her on the ground and she pulled her arms from around his neck and stepped away, dizziness engulfing her almost immediately. She fell into Cole, who stood close by. He caught her, but she reached for Kade’s arm and held onto him as though he were a life raft. “I misjudged a bit, I think.”

  Kade nodded and scooped her back up once Cole released her.

  “I have the car,” Alasdair said. “Fiona is waiting at your flat.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want us to take her?” the EMT asked.

  “No, I’m fine,” Samantha stressed. “I don’t need to go to the hospital.”

  Kade sighed. “If you won’t go to the hospital, then I’m taking you to my place so I can keep an eye on you.”

  “Fine,” Samantha grumbled.

  “And where is that, exactly?” Cole asked in suspicion.

  Kade ignored him and gave some instructions to Alasdair.

  “Hey, buddy, I asked you a question,” Cole pressed. “Where exactly are you taking her?”

  Sam felt Kade’s body stiffen and strange words swirled in her mind.

  Ég mun drepa þig.

  She didn’t know what they meant, but with the anger pouring from Kade, she figured they probably weren’t good. She reached out and squeezed Cole’s shoulder. “Cole, it’s okay. Really. Call me later and we’ll figure out another time to run together. Okay?”

  Kade didn’t wait for Cole to answer her. He turned and followed Alasdair to the car waiting at the entrance of the path.

  “You know, I feel fine now,” she said.

  Kade set her feet on the ground and helped her slide into the backseat. He slid in next to her and pulled the door closed.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked as Alasdair drove away from the chaos.

  Kade watched her closely. “Alasdair called me.”

  Sam rubbed her forehead. “Do you communicate telepathically?”

  “Excuse me?”

  She dropped her head on the back of the seat. “Y’all just got there so quickly.” Her head was spinning and her nausea was returning rapidly.

  “Don’t try to think. We’ll talk it out when you’re feeling better.” He reached over and squeezed her hand. “Tell me about the man.”

  “I told the police I’d never seen him before.”

  He shook his head. “Not the one who attacked you. The other one.”

  “Cole? He’s the guy I told you about. The one on the plane.”

  Kade ran his thumb over her hand. “Right.”

  “Why?”

  “How well do you know him?”

  “Well enough. I’ve known him longer than I’ve known you.”

&
nbsp; “That didn’t answer my question,” he accused.

  She frowned. “Why does this feel like an interrogation?”

  “I’m sorry, Samantha, I just want to make sure you’re not in danger. There are a lot of people who’d like to get their hands on information our company has access to, and I want to make sure you’re protected.”

  She let out a quiet hiss. “If you’re suggesting I’d reveal company secrets to anyone, let alone someone I just met, then I don’t know why you bothered to hire me.”

  “That’s not what I’m saying.” Kade grimaced. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain more when you’re feeling better.”

  Alasdair pulled the car to the back of their building and set the brake.

  Sam felt less dizzy than before, but as soon as Kade released her hand and slid from the car, her dizziness returned.

  He helped her out and then reached inside for her jacket. She had to lean against the car in order not to fall over, but as soon as he wrapped an arm around her waist, her vertigo calmed. Kade walked her to the elevator and they rode to the thirty-second floor. They made their way to his apartment and he pushed open the door.

  Fiona rushed to them, her face whiter than usual. “What happened? Are you all right? Come sit down.”

  “Fi. Slow down, love,” Kade said.

  “Sorry. Bring her to the sofa. I’m making tea.”

  “I’m fine, really,” Sam insisted. “Bump on the head. So not a big deal.”

  Fiona waved toward the coffee table. A black leather satchel sat in the middle of it. “I got your bag.”

  Kade smiled. “Thank you.”

  He settled Sam on the couch and then sat facing her on the coffee table. Opening his medical bag, he pulled out a pen light. “I’m going to check you now, all right?”

  Sam nodded.

  He leaned in and examined her eyes, then wrapped his large hands around her head, gently pulling her scrunchy out and pressing on her scalp to check for tenderness. She whimpered when his fingers grazed a particularly sore spot. He separated her hair and looked closer before sitting back on the table. “You have quite the goose egg, but no bleeding. We’ll get some ice on it and I think you’ll live.”

  “I think I said something similar, didn’t I?” Samantha yawned. “Sorry, I just want to sleep.”