Courage of a Highlander

by Katy Baker

  Aiden met Devereux’s gaze squarely. “I dinna ken who ye are speaking of but no matter yer claims, that key doesnae belong to ye. Ye will give it to me. Now.”

  Aiden’s voice held the crack of command, as though he was used to giving orders and being obeyed. Devereux though, only smiled.

  “Do you even know what this is?” he asked Aiden. “It is the ticket to limitless power and you really think I’m going to hand it over to some McQueen thug just because you ask me to? You’ve obviously not done your homework.”

  “I know exactly what that is,” Aiden replied. “And the power it holds. It is a power not meant for ye. I willnae let ye claim it.”

  Kara shook her head. She had no idea what these two were talking about. All Kara knew was that she was caught up in something way over her head, that Aiden was facing down five men alone, and that she must do something about it. Two of Devereux’s lackeys had begun edging towards him, hands in their pockets where they no doubt held hidden weapons. Aiden hadn’t noticed with his attention fixed on Devereux.

  Kara took a deep breath and then crossed over to the door. Easing it open, she tiptoed down the stairs and into the room below. Nobody noticed her as she reached the bottom and ducked behind the cover of a large stack of crates, hiding her from the view of the men.

  Peeking around the side, she took in the scene. Aiden stood maybe twenty paces away with his back to her. Beyond him lay the chalk circle and Devereux. To Aiden’s left Devereux’s two lackeys were getting closer, moving slowly so as to avoid notice. Kara chewed her lip, fear coursing through her veins. What did she think she was doing? She ought to run from here as fast as she could and call the police. She was no God-damned hero. But she didn’t. Her instincts were screaming again, screaming that she had to help Aiden.

  “As I’m in a good mood,” Devereux said to Aiden. “I’ll have my men beat you only a little senseless.”

  A wry smile twisted Aiden’s lips. “Hand over the Key of Ages and nobody need get hurt.”

  “There are five of us, you damned fool!” Devereux replied. “Are you completely out of your mind?”

  Aiden shrugged.

  Then, without warning, Devereux’s two lackeys exploded into motion. They sprang at Aiden, pulling guns. Kara’s heart leapt into her throat and she opened her mouth to scream a warning but it wasn’t needed. Aiden, it seemed, had been aware of them all along, for the instant they moved, he moved too. He pivoted away from them so they grappled with the empty air where he’d just been standing, kicked one of them in the wrist, forcing him to drop the gun and then kicked the weapon out of reach. He landed an upper-cut into the man’s jaw that laid him out flat before spinning and grabbing the arm of the second man who was coming up behind him, twisting his wrist so savagely he also dropped his weapon, then landed a knee into his guts that doubled him over. A swift elbow to the temple, laid the second man out flat.

  It all happened in a heartbeat, in the time it took Kara to draw breath.

  Aiden glanced over his shoulder and for a second met Kara’s gaze. A look of annoyance flashed across his face at seeing her there, quickly replaced by worry.

  “I dinna wish any more trouble,” he said, turning back to Devereux and the rest of his men, who’d all pulled guns and trained them on Aiden. “Please give me the Key.”

  Kara looked around, searching for a means of escape. Behind her was another delivery door, all but obscured from view by a pile of half-broken crates. Doubled over so as to remain behind the crates, she crabbed over to it. It was held shut by a rusty iron bolt. Kara grabbed it and began gently easing out the pin. It scraped loudly enough to make her wince and she hoped the men behind her didn’t hear.

  “Who the hell are you?” Devereux demanded of Aiden. “Who the hell are you to walk in here and demand the Key?” His eyes narrowed and suspicion flared in them. “And why are you dressed like that and carrying a sword? Anyone knows not to bring a knife to a gun fight.”

  Aiden lifted his chin and faced the man squarely. “My name is Aiden Harris of Clan Harris of the Isle of Skye. Irene MacAskill sent me here to retrieve the Key of Ages. She is its rightful owner, not ye.”

  “Oh? And what gives this ‘Irene MacAskill’ the right to claim that?”

  Aiden shrugged. “She is of the Fae.”

  He said it casually but the effect on Devereux was instantaneous. For the first time since Kara met him, he looked taken aback. “The Fae? But...” His surprise lasted only a moment. Understanding dawned in his eyes. “You’re one of them aren’t you? A time-traveler?” He made a sweeping gesture at his men. “Take him! Don’t let him get away!”

  They sprang at Aiden. They were skilled fighters and they worked with more coordination than the ones Aiden had already disabled. Whilst one aimed a roundhouse kick to Aiden’s mid-riff, forcing him to jump back, the other came up from behind and grabbed Aiden around the chest in a bear-hug. The man, taller and broader than Aiden with a neck like a bull, lifted him off the ground, squeezing tight enough to crush ribs. Aiden growled then threw his head back, smashing the back of his skull into the man’s nose. There was a loud crunch and the man’s grip slackened a little. Aiden took the opportunity to ram his elbow into the man’s gut. With an ‘oomph’, the man released Aiden who landed lightly on his feet, spun, and took the man out with a swinging haymaker to his cheek.

  The second man closed in on Aiden and they grappled back and forth, neither able to find purchase on the other. Then suddenly Aiden ducked low, drove his shoulder into the man’s stomach, and tackled him to the ground. The man’s head smacked into the floor and he went limp, unconscious. Without pausing, Aiden sprang to his feet and hurled himself at a shocked Devereux. Before the man could react, Aiden ripped the key from Devereux’s grasp and then sprinted towards Kara’s hiding place.

  “Now!” he bellowed.

  Kara pushed the door open just as Aiden reached her. He grabbed her hand and the two of them were suddenly pelting into the yard. Heart thudding, she ran by Aiden’s side, not daring to look back, expecting to hear gun shots ringing out behind them. They ran across the storage yard and towards a pair of gates on the far side that stood open.

  Then two police cars suddenly screamed up to the gates, lights flashing. Kara’s heart jumped into her mouth. Damn it! They must have tripped an alarm! They were going to get arrested! But before the cars had even skidded to a stop, Aiden yanked Kara behind a storage shed out of sight.

  “Here!” he said, pushing the key into her hands.

  “What are you doing?” she cried, her voice shrill with panic.

  “They havenae seen ye, neither the men inside nor those in the cars. Nobody knows ye are here. I canna let the key fall into their hands. Will ye keep it safe for me?”

  “I...what....?” Kara struggled for words. Everything was happening too fast.

  “I need yer help. Will ye do this for me, lass?”

  Kara met his gaze and felt something shift inside her. She curled her hands around the key and before she realized it, she was speaking. “Of course. I promise I’ll keep it safe. But what are you—?”

  Before she could finish the question, Aiden stepped out from behind the shed, holding his hands up. Two police officers got out of the car and approached.

  “The alarm was tripped. What’s going on here?”

  “I dinna want any trouble,” Aiden called.

  Devereux suddenly appeared at the doorway of the warehouse and came running towards them. “Officers! Arrest that man!” he shouted. “He’s broken into my property, stolen a precious artifact and assaulted my men!”

  Kara gritted her teeth. It took all her willpower to stay still and hidden. She felt like a coward but her promise to Aiden echoed in her ears. For whatever reason, this Key of Ages was important enough that he’d risk arrest. And, she suspected, it held the key to discovering the truth she’d been searching for.

  The police officer looked at Devereux. “You own this property?”

  When D
evereux nodded the officer turned his gaze on Aiden. “You care to explain yourself, son?”

  Aiden’s eyes strayed to Kara’s hiding place and then back to the police officer. He straightened his shoulders. “I’ll come quietly. There’s nay need for trouble.”

  Kara kept still and quiet as the officers approached Aiden, pinned his hands behind his back, cuffed him and marched him to the car. He never made a murmur nor so much as glanced in her direction. The doors slammed shut, the wheels skidded and one of the police cars sped away. Devereux watched them go for a moment, utter fury on his face, before he turned to the second officer who had a pad in his hand and began asking questions. They walked back to the warehouse and disappeared inside.

  Kara watched them go with her heart hammering in her chest. She counted to a hundred then crept carefully from her hiding place and out through the gates. Only when she was clear of the warehouse and any prying eyes did she allow herself to break into a panicked run for home.

  Once there she stood leaning on the closed door whilst her heart fluttered in her chest like a caged bird. What the hell had just happened? She glanced down at the Key clutched in a white-knuckled grip and swallowed. Things had got out of hand very quickly. This should have been a straightforward story. Now she was embroiled in something way over her head.

  She set the Key down on the kitchen counter, slumped onto the sofa in the living room, and picked up her cell phone ready to call the police and tell them all about her part in tonight’s activities. She’d probably get arrested for trespassing at the very least but there was nothing to be done for that. If she spoke to the police, gave them the Key of Ages, and let them deal with Aiden Harris, then maybe, just maybe, she could forget all this had happened and go back to her normal life.

  Her fingers hovered over the keypad but she didn’t dial. Aiden’s face flashed in her mind and his words. I canna let the key fall into their hands. Will ye keep it safe for me? She’d made a promise, dammit. How could she break it now?

  And besides, her instincts were screaming at her again. Screaming that this was something she couldn’t drop. That this was something she had to follow through. She’d wanted a story hadn’t she? Now she was living right in the middle of one!

  With a cry of exasperation she jumped up, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

  She only hoped she wouldn’t regret it.

  Chapter 4

  Aiden sat cross-legged, hands resting on his knees with his back against the cold stone wall. They’d taken his sword and his hunting knife, of course. Weaponless, he waited.

  He pulled in long, steady breaths, the way he did before a battle, keeping his body calm and his mind focused. He’d often dreamed of traveling in time the way his mother had but he’d never dreamed that his first foray into the future would end up like this: sitting in a jail cell. Still, he was used to it. He’d been captured and ransomed several times whilst on campaign. He’d learned to be patient.

  His thoughts strayed to the events of the day. The arch had spat him out right where he needed to be: close to where Michael Devereux had been attempting to use the Key of Ages. That bit of the mission had gone smoothly. What hadn’t gone so smoothly had been bumping into Kara Buchanan and getting her mixed up in this mess.

  Her face appeared in his memory. She was beautiful enough to quicken his breath, and fierce enough to rival any warrior under his command. What part did she play in this? Why had Irene MacAskill sent her to that warehouse?

  He’d given her the Key of Ages because he’d had no other choice. It was that or have the law keepers take it. But, he realized suddenly, it wasn’t only that. There was something about Kara Buchanan that made him want to trust her. For an unaccountable reason he knew the key would be safe in her hands.

  Aiden examined his surroundings. The cell was large, built to hold up to ten people. Including Aiden there were six in it now. One fellow stood up at the bars, shouting obscenities and waving his hands around, trying unsuccessfully to get the attention of the law keepers outside. Two other prisoners were slumped unconscious in the corner, stinking of spirits. Another sat at the back, hunched over with his arms wrapped around himself, whimpering slightly.

  It seemed to Aiden that no matter what time you lived in, jail cells were always filled with the same: drunks, petty criminals or those who’d just been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

  The man shouting obscenities starting banging on the bars, howling for all his worth. It set Aiden’s hair on end.

  “Give over, man,” he growled. “They’ll willnae respond. All ye are doing is giving the rest of us a headache.”

  The man spun, glaring at Aiden. “What the hell has it got to do with you?”

  “Everything,” Aiden replied. “When ye are ruining my peace.”

  “Yeah? You want to make something of it?” The man’s eyes were red-rimmed and his features twisted with anger.

  Aiden sighed. “I dinna want any trouble. I merely wish for ye to be quiet.”

  “And are you gonna make me?”

  Aiden stood. Did this man think himself intimidating? He was just a petty thug who had doubtless never seen a true battle in his life. Aiden stepped forward, towering over the man and fixing him with a hard stare. “I would be grateful,” he said, his voice low and soft. “If ye’d cease yer wailing. That way maybe we can all get some sleep. What do ye reckon?”

  The man swallowed, his confidence wavering. “Yeah, well, perhaps I could do with a nap after all.”

  He found a spot over by the far wall and wrapped himself in his coat, falling blessedly silent. Aiden sighed, watching the man. He knew the type. The man was a bully who would look to throw his weight around if Aiden showed any signs of weakness. He sat, laid his head back against the wall, and closed his eyes.

  What was happening at home right now? Were his family gathering in the Great Hall for dinner? Was his mother playing for them whilst his sister sang? Was Uncle Jamie soundly beating his father at cards the way he always did? And what about his men? Had they all made it back to their families without mishap? Had the king reached Edinburgh safely after his campaign in the north?

  Impatience burned inside Aiden. He couldn’t tarry here. He was needed in his own time. Somehow he had to get out of this cell.

  He was startled out of his thoughts by the sound of the door sliding open. One of the law keepers stood there. The pot-bellied man crooked a finger at Aiden. “Time to go, pretty boy.”

  Aiden scrambled to his feet and followed the man from the cell and down a corridor. “I’m being released?”

  The man glanced at him. “You’ve been charged with trespassing and affray. You’ll need to produce your identity documents at this station tomorrow or you’ll be rearrested. After that you’ll be given a court date. Until then, don’t break the terms of your bail.”

  “My bail?” Aiden asked. “What’s that?”

  The law maker raised an eyebrow. “Don’t try to be funny. Seems you have a guardian angel, friend.”

  Aiden said not a word as he followed the law maker into a small room where his belongings were returned—minus his sword—and made to sign some paperwork. After this he was led into a small waiting room and came face to face with his benefactor.

  It was Kara Buchanan.

  ***

  Kara waited with ill grace. She chewed on her bottom lip and paced in the tiny waiting room.

  Come on, she thought. Hurry!

  The longer she waited, the worse her nerves became and she’d almost spun on her heel and marched out twice already. She still couldn’t believe she was doing this. The door opened with a click and Kara spun. Aiden Harris strode in behind a pot-bellied police officer. His eyes scanned the room, noting every detail before fixing on her.

  Kara found herself staring at him. He stood straight-backed and alert, his eyes raking over her with an intensity that made her stomach do a little flip. Who was this guy? He stood there like he owned the place rather than like someone
who’d just been released from jail.

  The police officer was speaking to her so she forced her attention away from Aiden Harris and focused on the man’s words. He had her sign some documents and then he walked out, leaving Kara alone with Aiden.

  Aiden Harris didn’t say anything. He just watched her steadily. Kara cleared her throat.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Okay?” he echoed. A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth. “Aye, lass, I’m okay. Thanks to ye.” To Kara’s surprise he gave her a formal bow, putting his arm across his chest and bending at the waist. “I am in yer debt.”

  “Actually, I’d say we’re about even. You saved me from getting savaged by that dog, remember?” She looked around the room, taking in the security cameras that would be recording everything they said. This was not the place to discuss things. “Let’s get out of here.”

  She turned to the door and took two steps before she realized Aiden wasn’t following. She glanced over her shoulder. “What are you waiting for?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “My apartment. Or would you rather stay here?”

  Aiden glanced around. He opened his mouth as if to speak then seemed to think better of it. “Nay. I wouldnae.”

  “Come on then,” Kara pushed through the door and led Aiden out into the parking lot where she’d parked her beaten-up sedan.

  Aiden halted in front of the vehicle, staring. “A car,” he breathed, almost under his breath. “My mother has told me of such things.”

  Kara raised an eyebrow. “What, they don’t have cars in Scotland?”

  He looked at her and the intensity of his gaze made her mirth drain away. “Nay, lass. We dinna have anything like this in my homeland.”

  You’re a time-traveler aren’t you? Devereux had said. She pushed that thought away. It would lead her down dangerous paths.

  “Right. Whatever. Well, don’t just stand there. Get in.”

  She slid into the driver’s seat and after a moment Aiden climbed in beside her. He was so tall that his head brushed the ceiling and his bare knees were pressed up against the dashboard.