Page 63 of Twilight Tides
Maybe I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life career-wise anymore.
But that didn’t mean I had to be lost.
I had a place here right now, and while our relationship wasn’t that of a husband and wife, Murray was my friend.
If I was brave enough, I could help him and Kelly get through one of the hardest periods of their lives.
Taran’s pinched expression when I’d suggested giving Murray and his daughter space flashed in my mind. She’d disagreed. And I think I knew why. I was the one person in their lives who understood them to an extent that most people couldn’t.
I understood Kelly.
She didn’t need space.
She needed to feel seen as much as her father had just made me feel seen.
23.Murray
My Discovery took the rough causeway that connected Leth Sholas to Stòr. The tide was out, giving me plenty of time to get over to chat with Ramsay and return before the sea covered the road and disconnected the two islands again.
The road around the island was single track and climbed upward through thick forestation. There were no signs to the McRaes’ home in the woods, so you’d only stumble upon it by chance if you didn’t know it was there. The house had a barn that served as Ramsay’s workshop, both situated in a clearing in the woods surrounded by birch and oak trees.
Ramsay’s wife’s vivid turquoise vehicle wasn’t there, but his Defender was. I heard Akiva barking as I pulled up outside the house.
Then Ramsay and the Alaskan malamute walked out of the barn, and Akiva’s barking stopped when I got out of the Discovery. She didn’t come to me to be petted, though. The beautiful dog had always been somewhat aloof, saving her affection for Ramsay, Tierney, and Quinn, who was smug that he was the only person, outside of her owners, Akiva liked.
Kelly thought Akiva was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen and had been asking for a dog ever since she first caughtsight of her. Perhaps I should ask London if she liked dogs. Maybe a dog would be a comfort to Kelly right now.
Ramsay gestured with his head toward the house. “Come in.”
We got settled inside. Ramsay was grim-faced, as if he knew something bad was coming. When I relayed my conversation with Joshua Hughes, Ramsay cursed, his expression flashing with wrath.
“Those fuckers think they can infiltrate our islands, they’ve got another thing coming,” he warned with quiet menace.
“My thoughts exactly. So, what do I do? I’ve got the recordings of my meeting with Hughes.”
Ramsay gestured for me to show him. I handed over my phone. He listened to the recording with growing anger. “And you have footage as well?”
“Fraser has it.”
Ramsay nodded. “When Quinn rescued the illegal immigrants who had been intimidated into drug trafficking, I wanted to make sure I was in the loop if something like that happened again. I contacted a group of detectives who have been working in Inverness to fight the war on drugs up there. They have been struggling with a London-based gang that has been supplying class A crack cocaine and heroin into Inverness and the surrounding villages. The level of violence and intimidation that comes with these gangs …” Ramsay’s gaze was searching. “Murray, you need to know the danger you’re in. If you work against them …”
Fear for my family gripped my heart. But I wouldn’t let fear win. “Me and my family are in danger either way.”
“Everyoneon this island is in danger either way. So, we’re agreed? We work against them.”
“Agreed. And this stays between us. London, Tierney, they don’t need to know about this. Not yet.”
“Aye, that we can agree on as well. Silver and our baby don’t need the stress right now. I can reach out to one of the detectives in Inverness. It might be passed along to someone closer to home, but it’s a start. We go from there.”
The uncertainty of it made my gut clench. “Hughes said they’d give me time to think about it, but he didn’t say how much time.”
“We’ll move fast.” Ramsay blew out a shaky exhale. “These last few years … I don’t know how much more Glenvulin can take.”
“Aye, but we’re made of stern stuff. If our ancestors could survive potato famine and the Highland Clearances, we can handle this.”
My friend nodded, eyes searching mine again. “Then I’m not going to feel guilty for putting more on your shoulders.”
A kernel of dread unfurled in my gut, but I nodded for him to go on.
