Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1)(85)

‘He’s much more dangerous than the Bull ever was,’ I agreed. ‘Aifric is intelligent enough to manipulate people into believing that he’s a decent guy.’ I took a deep breath and stood up. ‘But he’s not going to be sure whether I know his true nature or not. He’ll expect me to suspect him but he doesn’t know I have proof. I can use that. I need time to find out more about what happened all those years ago. If I’m going to expose him, I’ll need evidence of what happened to my parents and the rest of Clan Adair. Not to mention why it happened.’

‘What’s the plan?’ Lexie asked. ‘Because whatever it is, I want in.’

‘Me too,’ Speck piped up. ‘There’s no way I’m letting that blue-haired pixie get all the glory.’

‘I’m in too,’ Brochan agreed. ‘Aifric Moncrieffe isn’t going to get away with this.’

Taylor stood up as well. ‘So Integrity? What is the plan?’

I looked at him. ‘You’re normally the man with the plan.’

He smiled, although his smile was tinged with a sad pride. ‘I think the student has become the master. You held it together through all this. I’m the one who fell apart.’

I squeezed his arm.

‘All you need to do,’ Bob drawled from where he lounged on a cushion, ‘is wish for…’

‘No,’ we chorused. ‘No wishing.’

I looked at them all. ‘You have to do bad shit to get ahead. I’m not going to fight Aifric. But I am going to be smarter than him. We’ll sort out things with the money and lull him into a false sense of security. Then we’ll go back to normal and act as if nothing’s happened.’

Lexie’s brow furrowed. ‘How’s that going to help?’

My eyes gleamed. ‘Because it’ll force him to come to me. He won’t be able to help himself. Bit by bit, I’m going to make Aifric Moncrieffe my bitch. And then I’m going to destroy him.’

Bob lazily got to his feet. ‘And his son?’

I looked away. ‘Sometimes there’s collateral damage.’





Chapter Twenty Six




I strolled in through the gates of the Cruaich three days later. I didn’t have the welcoming committee I’d endured last time but I still received a lot of startled looks. I caught a few hushed whispers and was unsurprised at their content. The others were being hailed as heroes for first saving the Foinse and releasing it. I was being cast as the person who allowed William Kincaid to die and possibly murdered Lily Macquarrie in the process. I didn’t care what they said; I held my head high.

My intention had been to make a beeline for the hall. Whether all the Clan Chieftains were there or not made little difference. My words would get back to the people who needed to hear them no matter what Aifric tried to do. I was stopped in my tracks, however, by a familiar voice.

‘I thought you weren’t going to run away.’

I turned, drinking in Byron. He looked rumpled, the shadow of stubble across his jawline. For once his hair wasn’t so perfect but his emerald eyes remained bright. I forced down the irritating prickles of desire that danced through my veins. I wasn’t going to believe the worst of him yet. Jumping to conclusions wouldn’t aid my cause but whatever was behind that sexy fa?ade, I couldn’t let myself trust him. Not when I knew the truth about his father.

‘Circumstances altered my path. How’s Malcolm?’ I asked.

‘Grieving.’ He took a step towards me. ‘What happened? The Macquarries sent word that you appeared like a bat out of hell carrying Lily’s body.’

‘Lily’s corpse,’ I corrected quietly.

A shadow crossed his face. ‘For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.’

‘You don’t think it was me who poisoned her then?’

‘No.’ He met my gaze and held it. ‘I don’t.’

I shook out my hair. ‘It was the water,’ I told him. ‘There was something in it. It was obviously meant for me.’

Byron sucked in a breath. ‘But…’

‘It must have been William Kincaid,’ I continued blithely. ‘He hated me with every fibre of his being. He’ll be spinning in his grave that he missed his shot.’

Byron’s jaw tightened. ‘The magic is fine,’ he said. ‘As you assumed. Wherever the Foinse is, it’s no longer broken.’

I liked to the think of the source of all Scottish magic as a ‘she’, rather than an ‘it’. Kind of like Mother Nature. ‘I told you so,’ I said, raising an eyebrow.

He didn’t rise to the bait. ‘Why are you here now, Integrity?’ His voice was low and husky. There was an odd light in his eyes and I realised he was searching for a particular answer. I shrugged. Whatever.

‘Here,’ I said, thrusting out a brown envelope. ‘That’s what Taylor owes you. Including your unreasonable interest.’

He gazed at my outstretched hand. ‘You don’t have to do that. It was a mean trick in the first place.’

I cocked my head. ‘Beggars can’t be choosers, Byron. Your Clan needs the money and you have his loan paid in full. We’re all leaving town and I want to make sure there are no loose ends before I go.’