Gifted Thief (Highland Magic #1)(16)

In a world of ridiculous notions, that was about the silliest thing I could have come up with. I was a third of this guy’s size. But I was banking on the fact that it was so ridiculous, it might actually work. Unfortunately I was wrong.

The huge man wheezed again. He started to move down towards me, one step then another. I ignored the tremble in my knees and held my ground. It was all I had. If I ever got out of this, though, I was going to wring Taylor’s neck.

The reek of cloves got stronger. I peered at his face but it was still shadowed. I lifted up the corner of my mouth in a rueful smile. ‘You’re going to be sorry if you come any closer,’ I told him.

I’d barely finished my sentence when he reached out with one huge hand and grabbed the front of my T-shirt, hauling me off my feet. Quashing my terror, I began to mumble incoherent nonsense. I screwed my eyes shut. ‘Qaleghqa'mo' jIQuch! LwlIj jachjaj’ I ignored my legs dangling helplessly in the air and waved my arms around as if I were about to cast a spell. Then I opened one eye and peeked.

His face was still shrouded in darkness but I could make out the scar that Taylor had mentioned. It was clearly an old wound but it was an angry red colour, cutting a jagged line from one side of his face to the other. His nose was large and bulbous but his eyes were nothing more than shaded chasms of black. Uh oh.

He cleared his throat. ‘Since when do the Sidhe know Klingon?’ he grunted in a deep voice.

I winced. So much for that. Without further warning, he thrust his free hand in a tight fist at the side of my head. For a brief second I felt a burst of pain and tiny lights danced in front of my eyes. Then the world slid into darkness.

*

When I came to, I was completely disorientated. I thought I was back in my own bed and had dreamed up the entire thing, until I tried to sit up and felt the pain in my head where he’d struck me. I raised my hand and gingerly touched my temple. It throbbed and was tender but I didn’t appear to have suffered any lasting damage. Then it occurred to me that the brute of an enforcer might still be around and I leapt to my feet.

I was back in Taylor’s living room, lying on his sofa with my head propped up on a cushion – which made no sense whatsoever. Of the monster man there was no sign.

‘Hello?’ I called out cautiously. There was no response. I cast a wary glance upwards to the ceiling. Had he gone back upstairs? The crack seemed to have grown, threading its way out across the white surface. I stared at it and made a decision. Whether my attacker was there or not, I was done. It was time to get the hell out of Dodge.

I half ran and half stumbled out of the door, almost colliding with the warm, familiar figure of Brochan.

‘Hey!’ he said, catching my arm. ‘What gives? I came round to see if Taylor was alright and I saw his door.’ He pointed at the semi-destroyed frame. ‘I’m going to guess that wasn’t you.’

‘We need to get out of here,’ I told him. ‘Now.’

I filled him in on the details as we half walked, half ran back to my flat. Brochan listened, his face expressionless. When I was done, he stared at me with an intensity that I rarely saw. ‘You should leave, Integrity. This is Taylor’s problem. Not yours.’

‘Taylor’s problems are my problems. And vice-versa.’

He shook his head. ‘You can’t spend the rest of your life beholden to him.’

‘If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know what I would have done.’

‘You’ve paid him back tenfold.’

I straightened my spine. ‘And I’ll continue to pay him back.’

Brochan sucked air in through his teeth. ‘It sounds to me like you’re in over your head.’

‘And that’s the fun part,’ I said lightly, punching his arm. ‘Besides,’ I joked, ‘I live for danger.’

Brochan didn’t crack a smile. ‘I know what it’s like. We all know what it’s like. We’re just as Clan-less as you. It might be a bit different for you because you’re Sidhe…’

‘It’s not different,’ I interrupted. ‘I’m not different just because I have Sidhe blood running through my veins.’

‘Every Sidhe has a place. Every Sidhe has a Clan. That can’t be said for the rest of us.’

‘There are mermen in the Clans.’

He nodded. ‘Sure. Just like there are pixies and warlocks. And all the rest. But they only work for the Clans. They’re not tied to them like the Sidhe are. And there are plenty of us who aren’t in the Clans either. You’re the only Sidhe in the country in that situation. You’re bound to feel the need to belong somewhere. It doesn’t mean you need to kill yourself because of it.’

‘Believe me,’ I snorted, ‘I have a very strong survival instinct.’

He spoke quietly. ‘Not strong enough. Pack up your stuff, Integrity. Get out of here and go to the mountains like you planned. Taylor will manage without you. He got himself into this situation. You said he’s owed money before and got himself back into the black again. He’ll cope.’

I thought of the hulking Wild Man in Taylor’s house who’d laid me out with one single swat. ‘No,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘There’s something about all this that’s different.’ I tilted my head up to the sky and felt the faint drizzle on my skin. ‘I can delay Oban for a few more days if I have to. Besides, this guy – the one who’s bought the loan – he’s given us seventy-two hours.’ I checked my watch. ‘My train leaves in seventy-five so I’ll probably still make it.’