[Jennifer Cloud 01.0] The Shoes Come First

by Janet Leigh

  “Going somewhere, lassie?” Caiyan asked from above me. He was leaning casually on the railing of the bridge, staring down at me. Water dripped from the brim of his hat and cascaded down the shoulders of his black riding coat. The green plaid of his kilt matched the color of his eyes.

  “How long have you been up there?”

  “Only a minute. I rode back toward the village, and I saw Rogue stop at the inn.”

  “So is he coming?”

  “Aye, I think Rogue will come this way after he has rested a bit. It’s not an easy journey to cross the Minch by boat this time of year. He is most likely tired and hungry, but he knows he is out of time.”

  The rain had slowed to a light sprinkle and tickled as it hit my face. I scrunched my nose as I looked up at him. His silhouette was dark against the full moon over his left shoulder. A murky gray sky had hidden the sun all day, and the remaining light was waiting for the night to pull its cover over her.

  “We should get under the bridge. It may be an hour or more before he passes here.”

  I grumbled at the thought but crawled back into the alcove. My feet squished in the mud as I moved over to allow Caiyan room in the space.

  “Are ye cold?” He moved closer and drew me into his arms. It is impossible to carry anything with us when we go back in time. Money, food, and weapons are all things we have to acquire once we travel. We have the clothes on our backs and the keys around our necks. The only place items can be smuggled from present day is in our mouths. Before he met me, Caiyan would sneak condoms on his travels, in case he needed to sacrifice his body for the greater good. This random act of kindness would not have met with approval from our superiors. If the boss found out we’d brought an item from the present back in time, he would ground us. This meant our key would be locked up, and we could not lateral travel, which is the best perk about having this gift. I can go anywhere, anytime in the present, in the blink of an eye. I can also carry things in my pockets like money and cell phones. Last weekend I was in Paris buying macarons at Ladurée and dining at Le Soufflé.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, removing his hat and placing it on the ground next to him.

  “Nothing,” I said.

  “Ye huffed.”

  “No, I didn’t.”

  “Aye, ye did.”

  Maybe I did. “I’m tired and cold and wet. Why can’t we just go catch Rogue in a dry place?”

  “Aye, today is dreich. Fetching the bad guys is not always done under sunny skies.” I arched an eyebrow at him, and he snuggled in closer to me.

  “Did your contact tell you this is the best place to get him before he gets the key?” I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

  The last time we had to catch a brigand, Caiyan’s contact was his past lover. She looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine, with a body like Jennifer Lopez and hair like spun silk. I knew that even if there was a contact, he wasn’t going to divulge that information. Last time I found out by accident, actually by spying on him, but that’s beside the point.

  “No contact this time, lass.” His face was inches from mine, and his green eyes seemed to glow in the shadows of the troll bridge. “I’m afraid we have to sit and wait this one out,” he said, moving closer. He started to run his nose up the inside of my neck. Hot flashes nipped at my jaw and ran straight to my boy howdy. I turned my head and pressed my lips gently to his. A muffled, “Jeez,” rumbled from deep inside his throat, and he kissed me hard. I intertwined my fingers through the back of his thick, dark hair. He moved slightly and ran his hand up my thigh and under my skirt. I was working the buttons on his wool coat when the sound of horse hooves beat overhead.

  “Shite!” He scrambled from under the bridge. I made it out just in time to see Caiyan run up the hill and take a flying leap onto the back of Rogue’s unsuspecting horse. The horse reared up and threw both men to the ground. I recognized Rogue from our previous meeting, when I was eighteen and had time traveled by mistake. Our first encounter was from a distance, so I was surprised when he spoke with a strong Russian accent.

  “Not this time, McGregor. You are not getting me before I git that key.”

  “I am afraid so, my friend. Ye cannae have what doesn’t belong to ye.”

  “You are no friend of mine, Scottish bastard.” Rogue lunged at Caiyan, grabbing him around the middle. He was shorter than Caiyan but quite stocky, and his bulk knocked Caiyan off his feet and to the ground. Fists were flying, kilts were ripping, and curses were being yelled out in five languages. One loud crack and Caiyan was knocked out cold. Rogue pushed himself to his feet with a satisfied smile on his face. His knuckles were oozing blood, and he was rubbing his hand. I panicked and ran forward to help Caiyan. Rogue’s head snapped up, making me realize he hadn’t seen me behind the crest of the hill.

  He sneered at me. “What is this?”

  I stopped and tried to channel the local accent. “I am a friend of Caiyan’s. We just met in the Highlands.”

  “I think not.” He walked toward me, cutting off my path to Caiyan.

  “I know who you are, little lady.” He pointed a stubby, bloody finger at me. “You are the transporter, and as you can see, I will not be going on a ride with you today. In fact, I am going to make sure you don’t take anyone anywhere, ever again!” He closed in on me, and I turned to run, but there was nowhere to go except the river. He caught me at the top of the embankment. Grabbing the collar on the back of my coat, he threw me to the ground. I quickly got to my feet, and we struggled. I was trying to remember the lessons my boss and ex-boyfriend, Jake, had given me on self-defense, but the only thing I could recall was to make it count. I reared back and sent my knee straight up into his groin. He released me, and I fell backward, landing with a hard thud onto my butt. His face paled with shock, and a Russian profanity (I am sure of it) escaped as a whisper from between his lips. He curled into a ball, rolled head over ass down the hill, and plopped into the raging water. I saw his head surface as he went bobbing down the river and out of sight.

  As I stood to climb up the knoll and check on Caiyan, my shoes slipped on the muddy surface, and I began sliding down toward the river. My arms flailed in the air, and as I started my descent, a firm hand grabbed around my wrist, pulling me to safety.

  “Now where do ye think ye are going, lassie?” Caiyan, thank God. He dragged me to the top of the hill, and we both collapsed, faces to the sky, panting from the physical effort. My adrenaline spike wore off, and the aftershock caused my entire body to shiver. He wrapped his arms around me until I settled.

  “Are you hurt?” I asked him, trying to check his face for cuts in the dimming light.

  “I think I might have broken a finger or two, but I’m used to the battle scars.”

  “We didn’t get Rogue,” I said, thankful that it was now too dark to see the disappointment in his eyes.

  “Nay, but he will remember ye fer the next few days while he’s icing his manhood.” He chuckled and stood up, holding out his uninjured hand to help me to my feet. “We should go. Call your vessel.”

  “Don’t you think we should try to track him? What if he comes back and takes the key?”

  “The way that river is moving, I would say he will be lucky if he gets out before he hits the Atlantic Ocean. Besides, we dinnae have much time left.”

  I agreed with that. We only had about three to five days of the full-moon cycle before we had to return, and we had already spent a day in England and two days on horseback trekking around looking for the smarmy bastard. I didn’t want to take any chances of getting stuck in the past because we missed our window of time. We stood in a clearing about thirty feet from the troll bridge, and I summoned my vessel. There was a crack of thunder, and presto, my outhouse appeared about ten feet in front of us. Weathered gray wood stood tall like a soldier waiting for the next assignment. The symbol of my key was carved above the door. A few seconds later, Caiyan’s bright-red phone booth materialized next to my vessel.


  “Don’t you want to ride with me again?” I asked.

  “Darlin’,” he said, mocking my Texas accent, “I have seen you drive.”

  “Fine, you go first,” I told him.

  “Are ye afraid to face the boss man alone?” Caiyan asked, raising a dark eyebrow and crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I just want to make sure you aren’t going to stay behind for another shot at Rogue.”

  “I wouldnae dream of having all that fun without ye.”

  “OK, let’s go at the same time.”

  A wisp of wind blew a stray lock of my hair across my face. Caiyan reached out and tucked it into my cap. His eyes stayed on mine, and I felt the long stare of contemplation piercing the back of my mind.

  Caiyan leaned forward and kissed me good-bye. I entered my vessel and watched him enter his. I gave him a finger wave and sat there for a minute, going through the events of the past three days and trying to decide what to tell Jake.

  About the Author

  Janet Leigh is a part-time chiropractor and acupuncturist. The Shoes Come First is her debut novel in the Jennifer Cloud series. She lives in Texas, where she splits her time between seeing patients and working on her next Jennifer Cloud adventure.

  Visit Janet Leigh’s website at

  www.Janetleighbooks.com

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