Caim

by T. S. Simons

  'Help me!' Sorcha barked, and I jerked in action, helping her drag Cam to the empty cart and laid him across the back seat. All the cotton pads from her medical bag rammed against his stomach. The other, larger cart, parked alongside, still had whisky barrels laden in the back.

  'Go,' I ordered, and she did. Illy needed me now. Cam was unconscious, and I could be with him soon. Sorcha would fight to the death to save her brother. I knew that as surely as I drew breath. Crouching down on the opposite side of Luca's still form, I placed a hand on Illy's shoulder. She looked up, shocked, not realising I stood there.

  'He can't be dead,' she choked. 'He can't leave me.'

  Even in my haze, I knew Sorcha would have been thorough. She would never leave Luca behind if she thought he could be saved. Even under the yellow light of the torch and the well-lit night sky, his skin was grey and lifeless, his dull eyes wide open and staring. Regardless, I lifted his shredded, blood-stained shirt and lay a hand over his chest. Cold. No movement. I checked his pulse. Nothing. Looking at the entrance wound by torchlight, even I could tell that wound was fatal. Delivered at close range, it had struck him in the heart. I could see the damaged aorta through the open wound. Likely he had bled out within minutes. An irreparable wound, even if he had been in a hospital. He would never have survived that. Illy curled up beside him, sobbing. I sat behind her and held her as she cried. There was nothing I could say. Nothing I could do. I just sat there, feeling helpless and numb. After an eternity, she sniffed and lifted her head.

  'Help me.'

  I nodded. Despite the dark, the full moon cast enough light for us to see. Luca was an enormous man, and Illy, a tiny woman. But somehow, we emptied the cart of the full barrels, dumping them on the dock. We dragged his body to the cart and onto the back seat, and an abstract thought popped into my head. This is what they mean by dead weight. Illy sat on the back seat, his head resting on her lap. I watched as she stroked his hair from his face, and we began the slow journey to the medical centre in the dark.

  'How did you know Angus did it?' I asked when my words had returned, and I was able to assemble them in some semblance of order. Illy took a while to speak, making me wonder if she hadn't heard me, but finally, the clipped words filtered through the blackness.

  'I got home and saw that the proximity sensor had been tripped.'

  'Really? I heard nothing.'

  'Nor did I. The light was flashing. It has been happening lately when strong wind buffers the sensors. Luca was going to check today, see if some parts needed replacing. So, I took my time checking the footage, thinking it was another false alarm.'

  I was too scared to ask what she saw.

  'They had arrived at the dock at the same time as the Selkie. I saw Angus, clear as day. Luca and Cam argued with him. Luca was tense. He wasn't happy. Then Angus pulled a gun from the back of his pants and just shot him. The camera is on the old light pole behind Angus, so I saw him pull the gun, and I watched Luca fall and the stain of blood growing in the front of his shirt. I could see Luca's face. He looked surprised, then he dropped and didn't move again. Cam was standing beside him. Cam turned slightly to protect Louis, and Angus shot him too without even a pause. Louis looked terrified and froze. Angus grabbed him and bundled him onto the yacht with Nate's help. He was kicking and thrashing. They dropped him on the deck and sailed away without looking back. All I could see was the two of them lying motionless, bleeding out on the dock. Alone.'

  'When?'

  'Late afternoon. About half an hour before I saw the footage.'

  Half an hour. My brain whirred. It had taken us another half an hour of travel to get there. An hour Cam had been lying there, bleeding. But Luca was dead. Killed in cold blood. By someone he and I once considered a friend.

  'We need to go after Louis. Tonight.' Illy's spoke in a low but firm voice.

  I glanced back at her, my mouth agape. In my shock at Cam's injury and Luca's murder, I had forgotten about Louis.

  'Did they sabotage the Eurydice?' If they did, we would never find them. Even now, they had a significant head start and a larger, faster vessel.

  'Not that I saw. They had only just pulled up as Luca and Cam arrived. They took off in a rush after they took Louis, so no. I think we still have a good chance of pursuit. If we don't take too long.'

  We arrived at the medical centre in Garynahine to find Sorcha, Hamish, and Hamish's wife Morwenna operating on Cam. Sorcha's face was dark, and I couldn't read her expression as she focused on her work, not even glancing up to acknowledge my presence.

  'I have to warn you, it doesn't look good,' Morwenna cautioned me as she pushed me out of the room that served as an operating theatre. 'The bullet is still inside him, and he has lost a lot of blood. If it is in his spleen, he stands a chance. But… any of the other major organs… If he survives the surgery and the night… We will be in a better position tomorrow to tell you.'

  Tomorrow. But tomorrow was a long time away, and my child was being held captive on a yacht in the middle of the ocean.

  'Can I see him? I need to go after Louis, and I can't go without first seeing Cam.'

  Morwenna looked at me, then over at Illy, looking like a ghoul, drenched in Luca's blood, and relented. 'Let me check with Sorcha.'

  A few minutes later, Morwenna's head popped out of the small operating theatre.

  'Wear this.' She handed me scrubs, a scrub cap and gloves. I donned them quickly and followed her.

  Cam was laid out on the operating table, his stomach cut open from pelvis to chest. The skin pinned back with surgical clamps, exposing the extensive damage to his abdomen. Blood-soaked cotton pads filled the stainless-steel surgical trolley beside her. Sorcha looked up at me.

  'I will do my best. But Freyja, it isn't good. The damage looks fixable, but he has lost an awful lot of blood. Do you know how long he was there?'

  'About an hour before you reached him.'

  Sorcha nodded gravely, calculating. My patients were animal, but basic anatomy was not so different. I understood the risks.

  'I need to go after Louis. Can I say goodbye?'

  Sorcha nodded grimly; her gloved hands paused temporarily above his abdomen, tools in each hand. I walked to the head of the bed, crouched down, and spoke softly.

  'Angus took Louis. I am going after them, now. Tonight. Illy is coming with me. I wish I could stay, be here when you wake. But I know you would want me to go after him. I will bring him back, but you need to be here when I return. Promise me.'

  Closing my eyes, I kissed his forehead. The tiny, exposed piece of skin between the draped white sheets and the navy cloth holding back his thick, dark hair. I barely heard Sorcha whisper, 'I promise.'

  'Are you sure you want to come?' I asked Illy for the third time as we entered her home so she could change and take a quick shower, drenched as she was in Luca's blood. Although a quick glance proved that my own state was little better. 'The girls…'

  'Positive,' she growled. 'I want an audience with Mr Angus MacLeod. I won't rest until he pays for what he has done. Besides, I would never let you go alone.'

  Picturing Cam lying in the hospital bed, Sorcha's worried face lurking in the background, I knew exactly how she felt. Except I didn't. Luca was dead. Summer and Ally without a father, and she wouldn't be here to bury him. Please, please let Cam survive, I begged the universe. I couldn't lose him. Not again. But for now, I needed to focus on Louis. He would be terrified, being kidnapped by a stranger and taken outside the dome. This was the only world he had ever known. Oh God. A thought occurred to me. He knew this was what had happened to his mother, Laetitia. Evil men came and took her away. He had told me once, unprompted, as we had been out walking. "They took her out there," he had whispered, gesturing towards the dome with the wide-eyed innocence of a young child. "And they killed her." Holy shit. Now history had repeated itself. The difference this time was we knew who had taken him. The question was, why?

  'You are w
ondering why.' I looked up to see Illy studying me, her head tilted as she unlaced her boots. 'I would have thought that was fairly evident.'

  'First, can you please stop that? Second, why on earth would Angus want Louis? Surely if his motive was to get back at me, taking one of my children would be a better choice. Unless it was to get back at Cam. But what did Cam do?'

  Illy rolled her eyes, exasperated, as she stripped off and dropped the blood-stained clothes in the sink. 'Well, aside from Cam ending up with the girl of Angus' dreams, shagging around the clock and having beautiful children then living happily ever after, I suppose Cam did nothing at all,' Illy's voice dripped with sarcasm, but continued, 'I suspect this is more than revenge. Louis is related to Angus, isn't he? Didn't you tell me once that Angus was Laetitia's uncle? Louis is direct kin to Angus. He has no children of his own, does he?'

  I looked at her agape. I hadn't even considered the possibility. 'But he only ten!' I protested.

  Illy shrugged. 'If that is the motive, and I suspect it is, it is actually good news. He is unlikely to harm him.'

  It made sense. Illy was a genius at reading people and motives. If she thought Angus would want Louis as he was blood-related, that was likely the case.

  'So Clava then?'

  Illy pondered that for a moment. 'I'm not sure. I know Ashton reasonably well. Even he would have qualms about kidnapping a child. There is a good chance that Angus is doing this of his own volition.'

  'Where would they go?'

  Illy sighed as she walked into her bathroom and turned on the shower. 'That is the million-dollar question. I have absolutely no idea.'

  'Please, let me help.' Bridget burst into the kitchen as I paced, trying to maintain my poise. News travelled fast here. I could hear Illy still in the shower. Even after Jorja's impromptu surgery, I had kept my distance from them both. I knew they hadn't orchestrated what happened there, but they had both been aware of the forced breeding program, and I couldn't forgive that lightly.

  'Well, unless you know where Angus took my son,' I responded coolly, 'or you can miraculously heal my husband and bring my friend back from the dead, I don't think there is much you can do.'

  'I can't do any of those things. But after all you have done to help us, we will do anything you ask.'

  I thawed slightly. She was only trying to help. 'Well, if you have any contacts and can find out where Angus has taken my son, I would very much appreciate it.'

  'Consider it done. I will head up to Aidan's and make some calls. You realise that if Clava and Auckland are behind this, then they likely won't tell me anything.'

  'But if they aren't responsible, they may tell you that. And Bridget?'

  'Yes?'

  'Can you take Illy's girls tonight? Send mine over to Di. Tell Di that Sorcha likely won't be home.'

  'Are you sure?' Bridget objected.

  'Yes.' Illy's voice fired over my shoulder as she moved from bathroom to bedroom to dress. 'If you would take my two, I would very much appreciate it. I will tell them about their father. But then I must go.'

  'When are you leaving?'

  'Now. Frey, go home and pack a bag. I'll pick you up shortly. We are going.'

  I stared at her, open-mouthed. 'You have just lost your husband. Don't you want to be with your children? At least for a few hours?'

  'I will be with my children when you are reunited with yours. Luca isn't here anymore. I will mourn later. Grief doesn't need a timeframe. Go home. Pack a bag. Let's go.'

  'How do you even know where to go?' The sounds of crying children still echoed in my ears as we approached the Eurydice. Fortunately, it didn't appear they had sabotaged the vessel. That would have slowed us significantly, there being nothing else here remotely fast enough to pursue them.

  'While you packed, before I spoke with the girls, I checked the satellite,' Illy spoke bluntly, her voice coarse. 'The Selkie is headed east, towards the north coast of mainland Scotland.'

  'Clava then. Possibly Edinburgh,' I murmured, my brain whirring. 'Angus lived there for many years and loved it. He considered it home. I've been to his house.'

  Illy considered that. 'Well, we still need to travel via Inverness. If he has gone to Clava, we will spot the Selkie. It isn't like they can hide a vessel of that size. I also have Tadhg checking his satellite feed, but it is hard in the dark. I agree. It is more likely he has taken Louis to Edinburgh. Could you find it again?'

  'Certainly. It was quite close to the house Cam and I stayed in.'

  As we cast off, I caught Illy staring at the bloodstain on the dock. 'I am so sorry…' I started before she cut me off.

  'You didn't do this, Freyja. Angus did.'

  'But it is my…'

  'No!' she snapped, more aggressive than usual. 'This is in no way your fault. You made choices for your family, yourself, and your children. People make choices every single day. Those decisions impact other people. But rarely do they feel the need to shoot people.'

  'I rejected him,' I sniffed. 'More than once.'

  Illy lowered her eyebrows and looked at me derisively. 'Women and men are rejected every day. They don't kidnap people's children as retribution.'

  'Maybe.' I wasn't convinced. Guilt wracked me. Luca dead, Cam critically wounded.

  Illy, perceptive as ever, whispered, 'And that is not your fault either.'

  Hours passed as we made the journey to Inverness. We kept each other company, not wanting to be alone. Illy and I had been close for years, but I couldn't overcome the crushing sense of guilt that her husband had been killed and mine only wounded. By someone I had once trusted. Cam wasn't out of the woods yet, not by a long shot. But Sorcha wouldn't rest until Cam pulled through. I knew that without question. I was certain Isla and Fraser, Di, Jacinda and Jamie would look after the children, Illy's and my own. Bridget would also assist, being their teacher and knowing them well. My only goal was to get Louis and bring him home. But Illy? She would never again be with her love, the father of her children. How could she not be resentful of me?

  We stopped once for refuelling, cursing we hadn't done it in Stornoway. Sorcha sent us a message late in the evening. Cam was alive, but still in an induced coma. She spoke cautiously, careful not to get my hopes up. Maybe Illy and I would be widowed together? Anger washed over me, making my skin prickle. No, I seethed. Angus would pay this time. I had watched the footage at Illy's home as she showered. I had needed to see it myself, to know for sure. There was no doubt it had been Angus.

  The bullet struck Luca squarely in the chest. He had dropped and bled out on the dock in minutes, not moving from where he lay. Cam had been lucky and had turned towards Louis, his arms outstretched to protect him. Getting an update report from Hamish as we passed through Garynahine on our way to the dock, the bullet had caught him in the spleen, missing his liver and other vital organs by centimetres. Angus had paid attention when Luca and Jakob had taught us both how to fire a weapon and where to aim it. Centre of mass. Now he had used that knowledge to slaughter his teacher. Cam could live without a spleen. It placed him at greater risk of infection. But for now, the enormous quantity of blood he had lost was of more concern. Cam's body had gone into hypovolemic shock before we found him, before we were able to transport him to the clinic. He faced a genuine risk of tissue and organ damage, something that couldn't be assessed until he regained consciousness. But I trusted Sorcha and Hamish. He was in excellent hands.

  Nightmares plagued the few sleeping hours we had allowed ourselves, too exhausted to continue travelling in the dark. Louis' sweet, childish face scared and confused. Tortured by being outside the dome and with a stranger who he believed had killed his father. I could hear his cries, sobbing for me.

  'Wait for me, Louis. I'm coming,' I called, but the sobbing continued.

  Waking with a jolt, I realised the sound was coming from the next room. It took me a moment to recognise the sound was someone crying. Climbing into bed beside her, I held Illy c
lose as she cried. I knew from my own grief at losing Katrin that she didn't need me to speak, just to be here. Share her pain. So tiny and fragile. She curled up against me, and I held her, comforted her. I loved Luca too. He had been my friend for years. I couldn't believe he was gone. Their children had lost a parent and in the most brutal of ways. I wished I could have comforted Cam when he lost Laetitia. He had been so alone then. He readily admitted that he wouldn't have made it back if it hadn't been for Louis. I will bring him back to you. I sent the silent promise to Cam as I held her sobbing form, and after a moment, Laetitia too. I had spoken to her before when Louis incurred a severe head wound. Even now, I held a sense of obligation to her. Louis may have been her child by blood, but he was mine by choice, as much my son as Kat, Xanthe and Thorsten. I had never felt anything for him other than maternal love. Help me find him. I sent the unspoken wish out to Laetitia. Please. Help me bring him home. I love your son like he is my own. Please guide me.

  Illy cried herself out and fell into a fitful sleep. Not wanting to disturb her, I held her close, kept her safe from her nightmares.

  'What do you miss most about Cam?' she whispered as I brought her breakfast. She looked like she had aged a decade overnight. Her skin blotchy and her eyes red-rimmed.

  I sighed and tried to think of an answer. 'That he is so dependable,' I finally responded. 'I trust him with my life. He is honest and loyal, and I know he loves me. There are no games. There is nothing deceitful about him. What about Luca?' I asked, wondering if this was a wise line of questioning.

  'I miss the sense of peace he brought to my life,' she said calmly. 'I always felt like I needed to prove something. I am tiny; I know that. I tried to be more than I was. But with Luca, he accepted me in a way no one ever has. He didn't see my size, just me.'

  'What do you mean by something to prove?'

  'Overachiever is a word that has been thrown at me quite a lot. But in my personal life too. I liked to be in control.'