“Not my decision,” the brute said. “But we will all take a walk to the cottage and let Armstrong decide.” He pushed Katie forward. “Move.” He looked at Evan and jerked his head in the direction of the cottage. “You go ahead of me. It might not be my decision on whether the lass dies or not, but I’ll slice her throat if ye give me any trouble.”
The three of them made their way through the thicket to the cottage. The man holding Katie used one hand to open the cottage door, then gestured for Evan to enter. Once he was past the doorway, he shoved Katie forward. She fell on her knees. Right in front of the table where Armstrong sat.
Any shock he felt at seeing them was quickly hidden as he looked down at Katie. “Well, well. It appears we have visitors. I assume ye kneel before me to beg forgiveness? And to tell me ye will honor the contract yer da signed and marry me?” His wicked, evil smile turned Evan’s stomach.
Before she could say anything, Evan moved toward her and helped her to her feet. “The lass will not be honoring any fake contract. She is married to me.”
“No matter.” Armstrong waved his hand in dismissal. “’Tis not the lass I want, anyway.”
Evan snorted. “We ken that. Yer an evil mon, and ye won’t get away with this.”
Armstrong motioned to the man who’d brought them to the cottage. With one quick fist to Evan’s middle, Evan doubled over. “I would be careful what I say, laird, since I can have my friend here take ye for a walk from which ye would never return.” Armstrong gulped the last of the whisky in his glass.
Evan had been taken by surprise by the blow to his stomach, but that wouldn’t happen again, and it wasn’t important. Now that they were all here together, he had to figure out how to end this so Katie and Gavin were not hurt. He could take down the giant who’d dragged Katie in, but the gun laying on the table next to Armstrong’s deck of cards made that idea unwise.
“So ye didn’t believe I headed back to Stirling with the lad?” Armstrong continued to play with his cards as he spoke. “Ye are more clever than I ga
ve ye credit for.” He looked up at Evan. “Now we must decide what to do with the two of ye.”
“Everyone in the castle kens Gavin is missing and who took him. If anything happens to us, the entire clan will be after ye.”
Armstrong waved his hand again as if bored with the conversation. “No need for drama, I assure you. Despite what you think of me, I don’t want two deaths on my conscience.” He smiled in Gavin’s direction. “I only want the lad.”
“Over my dead body,” Katie snapped.
“Tsk, tsk. Such fury. Did I not just say I prefer to have no one die?” He placed the cards on the table and straightened the deck until each card was perfectly aligned. Then he looked up at Katie. “Ye could have had anything ye wanted, ye ken. I would have showered ye with fancy clothes, jewels, and trips, but nay, ye had to run off to this godforsaken place.”
Katie moved over to where Gavin sat and placed her hand on his head. “Not at the price ye asked.”
“Ah, a minor thing.”
“Not so minor that ye traveled all the way here to demand my wife marry ye so ye could take her and her brother back with ye to Stirling.” Evan was growing frustrated with the chatter. He wanted both of these vile men out of Fife and he, Katie, and Gavin on their way to Argyll. From the confused looks Gavin had been casting in the adults’ direction, he had no idea what Armstrong wanted with him. For that, Evan was grateful. There was no need for the lad to discover the seedier parts of life at his young age.
“Tie them up,” Armstrong said as he resumed his card play.
The huge man who had been guarding the door moved toward Katie. Evan could not allow that. Their only chance of bringing this entire matter to an end was now, before they were tied up. Surprise was his only weapon.
He edged closer to Gavin as the brute wrestled with Katie—who was making enough noise to reach the castle—while Armstrong continued to play cards and sip his whisky. Katie kicked, bit, plunged her elbow into the mon’s middle, and just as she was about to knee him in his more tender parts, Armstrong looked up and within an instant had the gun pointed at Evan’s heart. “Whatever it is yer planning, ye can forget it.”
It was now or never.
With a bellow that his ancestors would have been proud of, Evan leaped across the small space, directly at Armstrong. Taken by surprise, the mon fired a shot that went wild, hitting the ceiling. Evan landed on him, both of them tumbling to the floor. He pulled the dirk from his boot and pressed it against Armstrong’s throat. “Call yer man off.”
Evan turned to see Gavin had jumped on the other man’s back and was hitting him with his fists as Katie continued to stomp on his foot and was trying her best to kick his delicate parts.
When Armstrong only stared at Evan wide-eyed, Evan pressed the dirk just enough to cause a bit of pain and a stream of blood. “Call him off.”
“Rory, stop. Drop the rope.” Armstrong spoke carefully, apparently not wanting the dirk to plunge farther into his neck.
With a growl, the man pushed Katie away.
“That’s good,” Evan said. He looked over at Katie. “Pick up the gun and hold it on the mon, and let Gavin tie his hands behind his back.”
Evan pushed the point of the dirk he held in just a wee bit more and grinned at Armstrong. “Tell yer friend to sit still while the lad ties his hands.”
“Let him tie ye,” Armstrong gasped.
Once Gavin finished, Evan turned his attention to getting the matter settled. “Now, lad, yer horse is tied up outside. Go ride to the castle and bring back some help.”