Page 55 of Highlander’s Lesser Evil

“My laird,” Thomas said easily as he pulled out his sword. “Patrick MacDougal.”

“We are not leaving with you.”

“Oh, but my lady, ye are. All three of ye so ye doonae sound the alarm. My thanks to the lovely Elizabeth here for making things so easy. No one will blink an eye when we tell them that ye orchestrated this daring trip back to the MacDougal keep. They will say it is such a romantic gesture, even if they know ‘tis foolish. By the time anyone realizes they have been betrayed, it will be too late.”

He took a step forward. “Now then, ye will come with me now, or ye will die where ye stand.”

Now was the time for her friends’ admirers to step out of the woodwork. Graeme. Oliver. Anyone.

But no...it seemed as though no one was coming to save them.

25

Huddled together in the small tent, the three women plotted their escape. Gemma was grateful to see that none of them were panicking. Elizabeth had been shocked to realize that Thomas was betraying them, and Gemma could still barely believe it herself, but there was no denying what was right before their eyes.

Still, from what she could glean from the conversations she’d overheard, things weren’t going to plan. Thomas was never supposed to be the villain in the story. Gemma was supposed to go willingly with them, and then they were both meant to be kidnapped by mercenaries. He was so certain that Theo would hand over the clan to him rather than to his father that he wouldn’t question Thomas’s part in the plan.

Thomas was blindly loyal to Patrick MacDougal—so loyal that he was betraying his childhood friend.

It gladdened her to see that most of Thomas’s support came from mercenaries. There were none wearing MacDougal colors except for Thomas, so at least most were still loyal to him. He must have smuggled them in small groups to hide in the wild forests beyond the loch. They’d taken most of the day to trek here, and Gemma feared that Theo would never find them.

Jillian got up again to peer through the crack of the tent while Gemma focused on listening to the conversation outside. They were planning a raid, and if she was hearing things right, they were planning on raiding the villages of Loch Moran, only it wasn’t on Thomas’s orders.

The mercenaries were going rogue.

Theo would be fighting on two fronts. One to save her and one to save a village.

The flap opened and Thomas stepped in, a grimace on his face. “By now, yer husband will know what has happened. I have no wish to kill ye, Lady Gemma, so I thank ye for remaining calm.”

“He will never step down as laird for me,” Gemma told him quietly. “Not when he was getting the support of the people.”

“He will come for ye,” he said confidently.

Yes, Theo would come for her. He swore to protect her, and he would give his life to do it, but he wouldn’t step down for her. No, he would rather die.

“Yer mercenaries are planning to lay siege to Loch Moran. Ye will lose the land in an effort to take power, and should you succeed, you would be the laird of a poor and broken clan. The king will strip you of the loch if he doesn’t strip you of your lordship for this folly.”

He scoffed. “Ye lie to distract me. They will do as I command, and the king, well, the Highlands have always been about power. He doesnae intervene if the clans can settle it themselves.”

“Theo told me that the two of ye played together. Ye trained as warriors together.”

“And he defied his laird!” Thomas hissed, eyes flashing in indignation. “He swore his loyalty and then went behind his own father’s back to undo his work.”

“His father’s work was killing people!”

“Loyalty is everything in the Highlands! If we doonae have loyalty, then we have nothing!”

“You would have the honor of doing the right thing.” Desperate to reach him before unnecessary lives were shed, she took a step toward him. “Thomas, it is not too late. I know you are an honorable man deep down. You do not have to do this!”

The sword struck before she could even blink, slashing across her shoulder. With a cry, Jillian and Elizabeth dragged her back and tried to put their bodies in front to protect her, but Thomas was already calmly sheathing his sword. “The next time ye speak to me in such a manner, I wilnae be so lenient. Stay back and keep yer mouth shut. Soon, it will be over. Ye will either be released or ye will be dead.”

Turning, he stormed out of the tent, and Elizabeth tore some of her dress to help staunch the blood flow from her shoulder. It was a shallow wound, but the pain was more bearable than the fear that filled her. Fear for her child.

“We need to find a way to escape,” Elizabeth said quietly. “Thomas might be willing to let us go, but the men outside arenae. I have already heard their plans for us, and ‘tis not something we will survive.” Her face was pale, but her hands were steady as she worked.

Gemma looked over at Jillian. The woman was already looking over the tent with a shrewd gaze. For the most part, they were alone, but all the entrances were guarded.

Elizabeth’s face was ashen. “They plan to raid Loch Moran tonight. There wilnae be so many men, so we will haftae make our move then.”