Maxwell did though, he saw the silent message which passed between the two. She was holding out on him. She had plans he wasn’t privy to. Did she mean to double cross him? After everything they shared, she would betray him? What a fool he had been. He was a spy, the king of double crosses. He had been so smitten with her, he didn’t recognize what was right in front of his eyes. He was a means to an end with her and he hadn’t even realized it. Maxwell put his feelings aside at once because there was no place for emotions in war. Had he not spoke those same words to Mallory? He dished out the advice but didn’t heed it for himself. He closed off his sentiments at that moment and shuttered his expression from her.
Skye felt the chill which came over him towards her. He knew. Well that was too bad, she never made promises to save him. She was relieved he put distance between them. Now she could focus. There wasn't any room for feelings during this ordeal.
“What did you discover Gregor?”
“Shears has returned to Edinburgh.”
“Does he carry the shipment?”
“Aye.”
“Take the men to scout out the shipyard and oversee his movements. We prepare to meet Shears in three days’ time and put the plan into action. I want you to get a man on his ship to supply us with details of his crew and cargo. Do we have a clansman who is able to blend in with Shears's crew?”
“Ah have just th’ man.”
Skye gave him her nod of acknowledgement. Gregor turned and left the stables. She waited for Maxwell to voice his anger at her betrayal. She was disappointed, for all he did was to follow Gregor out of the stables. Skye let out the breath she held and slid to the stable floor. Resting her forehead on her bent knees, she let the tears fall.
The pressure from the last few months of her missing brother to the emotions Maxwell made her experience, took over her senses. She felt so lost and alone with the pressure of keeping it together. When he entered her life, it appeared she had help for the first time. She suffered his rejection deeply when she betrayed him. He left without even a glimpse in her direction. She made a fine mess this time. Her horse nudged her and snickered. Skye looked up and brushed her hand between the horse’s eyes.
“I made a mess of things.”
Lady seemed to understand her because she nodded under Skye’s touch. Skye rose and patted the horse.
“There was no other way,” she explained.
When the horse settled to sleep, Skye wandered away into the courtyard. It had grown dark since she first entered the stables. The night was silent around her. As she walked inside the castle, she looked behind her. When she searched into the distance, she detected nothing out of place, just an eerie silence. The back of her neck prickled, sensing she was being watched. There was nothing out of the ordinary. She shook her head at her fear and turned to go inside the door. It was only the tenseness of her plight coupled with her guilty conscience playing tricks on her mind.
But it wasn’t the tricks of her mind, she was being watched. For this was what he did best; watching other people. It was what made him most successful. Maxwell guarded the people he trusted most to ensure their safety and observed his enemies to find their habits. He wasn’t sure what category she fell into. He fooled himself into believing she was different and so he never studied her. Her actions this evening changed everything. Now over the next few days he would observe her. He let his desire for her, rule his heart and emotions. Since he removed her from his heart, he would let his eyes see what his heart did not.
Chapter Nine
A FEW DAYS LATER, they rose early for their ride to Edinburgh. Skye rode at the front of the pack as they took the back trails to stay out of sight. Zane rode towards the back, flanked by her guards. The same men he worked alongside during the last few weeks. Now they were back to acting as his guards; the prisoner he was. While she kept the chains off, he could still feel them as if they were shackled around his wrists.
They had spoken no words since the stable. Not that there was anything to discuss. From what he gathered, they were returning him to Shears for the weapons. The original plan put back into play. She never trusted him or tried to. While he laid himself bare to her, she had no intention to trust him. As he reflected on their time spent together, she never opened herself to him. She kept a part of herself closed off from his eyes. He was a fool to believe trust existed between them. Well he had on his part, but obviously she had not on hers. He only hoped his missive to Thornhill and Mallory arrived in time. They were his only hope to escape.
When they arrived at the outskirts of town, their horses stopped at an abandoned warehouse. As they entered to Zane’s surprise it was a headquarters of some kind. There were offices lining the back wall and a flurry of activity in the center. Weapons were being distributed to men with instructions for their assignments. He searched for her, to see her swamped by her men shooting off questions rapidly only to have her answer just as rapidly back. Her attention was no longer focused on him, but something much more daunting. He turned in a circle to take in his surroundings. What was this place? It was more elaborate than any operation he set his eyes on before. To the number of weapons in store to the manpower scurrying to get ready for battle. More importantly what were they preparing for? Did this have anything to do with Shears? Maxwell also wondered why Skye was in the center of the chaos. What role did she play?
When he saw the familiar face of Gregor striding towards him, he meant to question the man, only to be grabbed and taken into a room. The guard turned and left the room without saying a word to him. Zane moved to the door to discover himself locked inside. He pounded on the door, shouting for his release. After a few minutes when his shouts came unanswered, he took in his surroundings. They delivered him into a room which resembled a parlor. There were chairs set around a tea table. The table was laid out with tea, cakes, and small sandwiches; awaiting a visitor. A couch with lace draped on top of the cushions sat along a back wall. Positioned in the corner, a desk rested with papers spread across the top.
He walked to the desk to look through the papers, hoping to help identify his location. The papers were only scribblings of drawings. As an artist himself he was drawn to the detail of the illustrations. They were real life, capturing your attention to the scenes. He searched the desk for more clues only to come up empty. Where was he? He decided they brought him in here to keep him out of her way. Zane decided to settle in for the long haul, waiting until she gave him her undivided attention. Because Skye would come for him; before she betrayed him for the final time.
Zane relaxed his body on the couch, poured himself a cup of tea and ate the small spread which could only have been meant for him. Never one to pass on food, he ate as he waited. With his stomach full, he stretched out on the sofa. As he laid there with his arms folded behind his head, he began to piece together what Skye’s role might be in this operation. When his thoughts became jumbled and his eyes unfocused he tried to rise off the couch only to feel a sense of dizziness. Damn her. The last time he felt this way he ended up tied up in the back of a cart with Charles Mallory and Raina LeClair. The goddess drugged him. So, this was how they were going to return him to Shears. He could summon no anger towards her, only a sense of disappointment that she couldn’t be honest with him in his demise. If he was going to be angry with anyone it would be at himself. He let down his guard for what, lust? It was his fault that he didn’t stay focused on his mission, not hers. He laid back against the cushions and closed his eyes. He knew there was no use fighting the drug, maybe he could sleep it off before they came for him. As he drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were towards her.
Slowly waking, he sat up shaking the sleep from his head. He sensed her before he saw her. She sat before him in a chair watching him as he rested. Usually he heard everything in his sleep, but he was unaware of her entering the room. She talked to him softly, but he was unable to make out what she spoke. Her lips looked to be saying she was sorry. Sorry for what? Then he remembered
she drugged him.
“What???” he muttered.
“My apologies Maxwell, but it is the only way.”
“Only way for what?”
“Your return to Shears. Believe me when I speak, if there is any other way I would make it happen. But there isn’t.”
Maxwell was too disoriented to understand fully what she told him. He only wished to shut his eyes and escape this madness. After he closed his lids, he finally understood what she said. She was returning him to Shears, he opened his eyes and tried to force his body to move towards her, but he was wrenched from behind before he reached her. His wrists shackled behind his back and thrown over Gregor’s shoulders. His body jostled against the guard as they dragged him out of the warehouse. They threw him into the back of a cart and he listened to her in the distance shouting out instructions. From what his mind understood, she meant to ride to Shears’s ship and exchange merchandise. The merchandise being him. He struggled to his feet, trying to make his way to the back, he meant to jump off and make his escape.
“Ah hell man,” Gregor muttered before the guard slammed his fist into Maxwell’s face.
The force of the hit and the drugs running through his body passed him out against the hay cushioning his ride in the cart. It was the last thing he remembered.
Skye watched as Gregor slammed his fist into Zane. She wanted to rush to help him. She only drugged him, for his best interest. The less he was involved in this transaction the better. She bore his silence the last three days as her guilt weighed heavily on her mind. She never meant to betray him. With the help of her organization, she developed a plan to rescue Logan and secure the safety of Maxwell from Shears. To achieve his protection, Maxwell needed to be kept in the dark. For this to work, Zane needed to believe she betrayed him with Shears. The less he interfered the less her plan would get screwed up. When his friends arrived unexpectedly this afternoon, she had Zane taken into her private sanctuary, so he wouldn’t note their presence. If he saw them, her plans to rescue Logan tonight would be ruined. With their help, Shears’s demise would go as planned. It hadn’t been her idea to drug him. It was Mallory’s wife’s idea, she swore by it; much to Mallory’s expense. The young woman laughed as she explained to Skye what the effects were. Raina Mallory implied she had done the same to her husband and Maxwell with much success. Charles Mallory must have forgiven his wife by the affection they bestowed on one another.
“We have him from here MacKinnon.” Thornhill reached out to shake her hand.
“He will be angry when he awakens,” she muttered as she regarded him sleeping.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better chap,” laughed Mallory.
“He will hate me for this.”
“After we explain the reason why, he will understand,” Raina tried to comfort her.
As much as the woman’s kind words meant, they still didn’t take away the guilt. He would be furious when he realized she tricked him, not only by her but also by his friends. Maxwell won't get the opportunity to destroy Shears, she would, and with no help from him. He would experience the ultimate betrayal when he realized she didn’t share who she was with him. He trusted her with his information, although she didn’t do the same. It was as she informed him; in his best interest.
“Are you sure you can undertake Shears on your own?” Thornhill questioned.
Skye waved her arms around her. Her guards fell into place, ready to destroy Shears. Nothing would go wrong today. Everybody and everything was in place. Shears’s reign of terror would be over tonight.
“As you can see my men and I have everything in order. We should put an end to him tonight. Then we can all live in peace.”
Charles drew Raina into his arms and rested his chin upon the top of her head as he watched Skye’s men move into action. Skye could sense Thornhill’s eyes upon her. She worked closely with him over the years. Their inner actions had been secretive, top government business. His wife didn’t join him on this journey. She had given birth to their first child, a girl. Thornhill beamed like the proud papa he was. Skye was happy these men found love in this war of madness. She wanted to meet Thorn’s wife; the lady who held Zane’s heart. While Skye recognized Ivy Thornhill’s complete devotion laid with Thorn, it didn’t stop Skye from the feelings of jealousy.
“We should leave you then, we need to get Maxwell loaded on the ship before he comes to. We need to put as much distance between him and Shears, it would be for the best. He only wants to kill the man.”
Skye nodded her head in agreement. They said their goodbyes as they drove the cart to Thornhill’s ship. He docked his ship on the other edge of Edinburgh, away from Shears. Shears landed back into port a week ago and waited for her. There had been little activity aboard his ship. Skye’s contacts reported he held the cargo on board. After tonight she would have her brother back and her mission completed. Then she could return to living her life which didn’t involve the day-to-day danger of espionage. While being a spy was very adventurous, it also caused a sense of loss. A loss of herself and who she had become.
The coach pulled up to her. Gregor helped her inside and sat across from her. He watched her with a wariness which set Skye’s nerves on edge.
“This plan is crazy Skye, are ye positive yi’ll want tae proceed?”
“It is the only way to bring Logan home.”
“But if it goes wrong, ye wull be lost tae us.”
“We must make sure everything goes as planned.”
“Ye should have kept th’ Sassenach bloke. Maxwell ‘n’ his friends would hae bin of some use.”
“No, Shears can recognize them, and blow our plan to smithereens,” she argued.
“Thay might hae stayed in th’ background, now thay wull return tae their comfy lives ‘n’ leave us tae pick up th’ pieces of th’ aftermath.”
“This ends tonight Gregor, then we all can return to our comfy lives.”
Skye turned her head to the window and watched the passing landscape; ending their conversation. She needed to clear her head before she confronted Shears. Her emotions were all over the place as she pictured Zane passed out in the cart to feeling his anger when he awakened. For he would be in a fine temperament when he comes out of his drug induced state on Thorn’s ship. She only hoped in time he might forgive her. She closed her eyes, going to the quiet place in her mind and let herself rest. As her mind cleared she became more focused on what she needed to accomplish.
The carriage stopped along the dock. She alighted from the carriage and observed as her men took their places. She took a deep breath and sniffed in the dank stench of the sea. The aroma almost bowled her over, for it carried an odor of death. The smell was raw to her senses. Death was waiting to happen tonight.
With her men flanking her side, Skye strode along the plank striding onto Shears’s ship. They were met by an empty topside. There was no one in sight; she sensed a trap. If Skye wasn’t too caught up in her pride, she would have noticed the signs before it was too late. Her arrogance put her crew in danger. While she prepared to take Shears down tonight, the old sea captain still had a few cards up his own sleeve. She was wrong, it didn’t end tonight but would continue. Because everything that could go wrong; did.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Maxwell fought the drug that kept him on the verge from coming out of his deep sleep. He struggled to rise from sleeping, his body moving in slow motion. His mind moving even slower. Damn her. He suffered the sway of the ship as his body was thrown back and forth across the bed. Bed? He opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings. Where the hell was he now? He laid in a bed tucked in the corner of a ship’s cabin. At that moment he realized he wasn’t aboard Shears’s ship. Shears wouldn’t be so accommodating, for the last time they shackled him in chains against the wall in the ship’s hold. Zane overheard the chuckle from the other side of the cabin and recognized where he landed. Damn them.
He sat up to see who he amused. Marcus Thornhill and Charles Mallory, two men who
at one time had been the best of his friends. They sat staring as he came out of his drug induced state, the two men who probably put him in this condition. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and tried to rise only to suffer, as a wave of dizziness came over him. Maxwell sighed as he rested back across the bed with his legs dangling over the edge. He threw a hand over his eyes, waiting for it to pass.
“Do you think he needs a nurse?” Mallory asked.
“He might, he appears a little weak in the knees to me,” Thorn quipped.
“Just get me a damn drink,” Maxwell muttered.
His two companions laughed. Maxwell heard one of them rise to pour drinks. A glass was thrust into his hands. He rose and drank it in one swallow, the whiskey burning a path to his gut. His stomach felt nauseous from the drug. He jumped from the bed and made it to the commode in time to lose what remained in his stomach. After he finished, he staggered back into the cabin and slumped in a chair.
“Where is she?” Maxwell demanded.
Neither man answered. Their laughter came to a dead silence. This was what they both had dread; especially since the attack hadn’t gone as planned. Instead of heading home, they were now on a rescue mission.
“Shears captured her aboard his ship.”
Maxwell sat up in his chair; glaring at the two men. He rose and paced inside the small cabin. Which only became smaller as his fears were put into words.
“What the hell happened?”
“Things went wrong,” Mallory answered.
“What kind of things?”
“Shears outmaneuvered us again,” Thorn replied.
“Quit with the cryptic talk, start at the beginning. Like why the hell was I drugged? Then explain why you two didn’t help her. Most of all enlighten me; who the hell is she?”
“She is Skye MacKinnon.”
“I know her name you fools. Who is she?”
Thorn sighed, “She works for the Crown.”
“You were taken to the Edinburgh headquarters when you arrived. We received your letter and waited for you to enter the city. When Thorn’s man Jake saw you ride into town with Skye and her men, he sent word to her. We confronted her with your release. Thorn worked with her before, so she believed his story. We made a deal, your return for her men to capture Shears. Her plan was foolproof, but Shears had an inside man in her crew. Her plan was leaked to Shears, and they waited for her arrival. They took her, injuring half her men and departed to parts unknown. Her man Gregor sent word and informed us of Shears’s plan. They were left for dead, everybody but her,” Mallory explained.
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