“Will do.” Kirk rolled the cuffs of his dark shirt to the elbow, exposing the sheathed daggers at his wrists. “Did you have any issue with said partner last night?”
“He had his own problems to deal with. They were hunting two rogue bears from the offshoot clan of Mathies when I found her. The rogues got away and neither Daniel or Isla intend to give up the chase.”
“There aren’t many shifters left within the Mathie’s diluted blood line,” Kirk said. “Those who can shift can only do so on the night of a full moon.”
“Iain!” Mum hurried toward him, her silk scarf a vivid streak of plum flapping behind her. “There’s no sign of Isla in your chamber and the shower was left running.”
He shoved back his chair and eyed his brothers. “Secure the keep. Lock everything down. She’s not leaving here without me.”
“I’m on it.” Finlay raced out the door.
Kirk gritted his teeth. “I’ll check with the guard in the control room. If she’s left, we’ll soon know it.”
Near the postern gate at the rear of Ivanson Castle, Isla compelled the guardsman on duty, her voice floating around him in its divine way. “You’ve never seen me and will have no knowledge I’ve walked this way. You’ll even turn any surveillance footage off and rewind and tape over any images of me.”
“Aye, miss.” Cloudy eyed, he stepped aside and allowed her to pass.
With Iain’s car key in hand, she snuck through the gate and raced across the gravel lot to his red convertible parked at the rear. Engine on, car in gear, she busted down the private winding road lined with thick pine trees either side. She hadn’t wanted to leave Iain like this, but if she’d stayed a moment longer, Daniel would turn up and right now they had no time to lose. Finding the Mathies was too important to let it slide a moment longer.
Her cell phone rang and she dug it from her pocket and answered it. “Hey, Daniel.”
“Hey back at ya. Where are you?”
“I’m coming. I’ll be at the inn in five minutes.” She pressed the button for the window and it lowered with a gentle hum. A cool breeze fluttered the short sleeves of Iain’s black shirt, the very one he’d worn last night. She hadn’t been able to leave without something of his that held his scent, and so before she’d slunk out of his room, she’d nabbed it and tied the two front flaps together over her own clothes.
Goodness. Her man smelled delectable, like woodsy pine and sunshine. She wanted to roll around in an open meadow with him, surrounded only by the beauty of the outdoors and kiss him again until he made her body hum like he had last night.
“Are you all right?” Daniel’s question broke her happy reverie.
“Aye, Iain was the perfect gentleman, but he’ll be on my six the second he realizes I’ve gone.” Or she certainly hoped he would be. She wasn’t yet ready to give up tangling with him until the next full moon rose.
“I’ve got the engine running. The chief scoured through satellite images taken of this area last night before it got too dark. He was able to confirm a match on the description I gave him of the Mathies’ mustard-colored Jeep. They passed through the village thirty miles to the west, the same village we passed through on our way here. He’s got evidence of them turning off the main road and crossing Milliner’s Bridge. There’s a large property on the right, one holding acres and acres of corn.
“Who owns the property?”
“A man by the name of Gerald Mathie-Bourner, ninety years of age, although he’s recently deceased and the property is sitting in trust until the reading of the will. There’s nothing on the property but an old and somewhat dilapidated shack. The chief’s waiting for further satellite images to come through on the shack this morning. He’s hoping the Jeep is still there.”
“Who’s Gerald Mathie-Bourner, and why hasn’t that name cropped up until now?”
“The old man was a recluse who barely left his property. How close are you now?”
“Two minutes, no more.” She squealed around the corner, flicking stones onto the grassy verge. “This time we’ll find them and haul them in by their balls.” She hung up, tossed her phone onto the leather seat next to her and drove like a wild woman.
Right on time, two minutes later, she skidded into the parking lot, dust pluming into the air. She wound the window up with an inch gap to spare at the top, grabbed her ringing phone that displayed an unknown number, locked the car and slid the key through the gap. It bounced on the tan leather seat and sprang onto the floor.
Sprinting, she raced to the SUV and slid into the front seat next to Daniel. “Go,” she said then answered her phone, a whole lot out of breath, “Hello, you’ve reached Isla.”
A low growl rumbled down the line. “Where the hell are you?”
“Clever bear. How’d you get my number?” Her mate was very resourceful.