Page 101 of Love Bomb

The guards were taken to the Presbyterian church, where the women of Knit or Die secured the men to the pews with an assortment of woolen scarves. All knitted by the group.

Darach had given up on the plan, his team of helpers, and their code names. He was now setting up a perimeter around the folly using the orange marker cones that the brothers had brought with them. Rona suspected that Darach would need some counseling to process the night after they were done.

“I can’t believe we’re actually doing this,” Rona said to Margaret, who was making tea and coffee in the church kitchen. “The folly is really coming down.”

On the counter, in the hatch between the kitchen and church hall, was an array of party food, everything from finger sandwiches to brownie bites. It wasn’t so much a nighttime snack as a midnight feast.

“I can’t believe we took down a Benson Security team.” Margaret beamed widely.

“I think they might have been trainees.” Rona helped herself to some shortbread.

“Ha!” Margaret scoffed. “They’re still Benson Security, the elite of the elite—and they’re no match for Knit or Die!”

She had a point. “Maybe Lake should expand their training to include dealing with naked pensioners?”

The gleam of a bright idea lit up Margaret’s eye. “I’m going to suggest they train with us. Lake will jump at the idea to improve his business.”

Shona rushed into the room. “We’ve got an emergency.”

“What?” Margaret was instantly alert. “Has one of the guards escaped? No wait! Has Grunt come back?”

“No.” Shona was out of breath. “Jean forgot the cookies were drugged and ate them.”

“It’s always Jean,” Margaret complained, coming out from behind the counter. “There’s nothing she can do but see it through now. I’ll talk to her.”

“And I’m going out to check on progress with the folly,” Rona said before turning to Shona. “Got to say, you are looking good for your age.”

Shona blushed. “Pilates. That and embracing gravity. We’re meant to hang a little and spread a bit as we age. We’re no’ film stars, we’re highlanders.”

“True.”

Rona filled a plate with shortbread and tablet, thinking the MacGregors might need some sugar, and then she headed out through the church. Icy air bit her skin as soon as she was through the door. At least it wasn’t snowing, and the night sky was crystal clear. She looked up at the stars and thought—this is the last night anyone will get to see them through the folly. Then she waited to see how she felt about that. She shrugged. Apparently, she was totally fine with it.

Kade was on the far side of the clearing, near MacDonald farm. He waved at her as he placed small orange cones in the snow. Darach was closer, marking a line between the church and the folly.

Rona stopped beside him and offered him food. “I’m sorry the plan went belly up,” she said.

He helped himself to some tablet. “I’m no’ really surprised. Just disappointed, you know?”

She patted him on the shoulder and carried on toward the graveyard side of the clearing where Conall had been assigned the task of marking the perimeter. She figured she’d do a big loop around the folly and feed Kade last. What she really wanted to do was poke her head into the building and see how Bain was getting on, but he’d been very clear about what would happen if she did—he’d pack up, and the folly wouldn’t go boom. Sometimes, that man was a serious killjoy.

There was no sight of Conall in the clearing, so she walked through the trees to the mausoleum to see if he was there. Sure enough, he was crouched down beside the big red metal box used to store the explosives.

“Shortbread or tablet,” Rona said by way of hello.

“I’m good right now.” He grinned up at her. “Bain’s just about finished. He told me to secure things and then get behind the perimeter. The show’s about to start.”

“Really?” Rona eagerly looked back at the folly, even though there was nothing to see.

That’s when she heard a thud and a grunt.

She spun back to Conall, and in his place was a woman with a knife in one hand and a big rock in the other. Conall was slumped at her feet, blood on the back of his head.

“What did you do?” Rona whispered.

The woman tossed the rock away and strode toward Rona.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” she said with a sad smile. “Tonight, I’m going to fix everything.”