CHAPTER 25
Delaware
Just like the Stuarts who had arrived the day before, Sean had to find out Samantha’s address before he could make his way there. No sooner had he arrived than he witnessed Cathal and Alasdair kidnapping a young woman who was a complete stranger to him. He had no idea what they could want from her. Totally confused, he followed them to a motel at the outskirts of the town, where he parked directly next to the van.
He was steaming mad as he stepped up to the three of them, just as they were dragging the girl out of the van.
“What is going on here? Are you crazy?”
They were not at all happy to see him.
Nathaira was particularly unhappy. “Are you spying on us? What in the world?”
She swore loudly at Sean and went for his neck, but Cathal’s thundering voice stopped them in their tracks.
“Quiet! We can discuss everything inside. We need to get the girl off the street before somebody sees us!” He pushed Ashley roughly, and she stumbled forward.
They led her up the metal staircase on the outside of the motel that accessed the rooms on the fourth floor. Ashley had stopped struggling and looked utterly terrified. They shoved her onto a bed and tied her to a bedpost. Her eyes were wide-open with fear and she was quite pale.
Sean felt the urge to wrap the girl in his arms and comfort her. He also wanted to attack the others, to make them pay for deceiving him and the rest of the clan. But he did neither, knowing that wouldn’t be a smart approach. Instead, he demanded answers. “You need to tell me right now what you are doing!”
Cathal, who desperately wanted to avoid a nasty fight, positioned himself between his nagging sister and the unwelcome new arrival. “Steady now. Everyone sit down. First of all, why are you here?”
Sean knew he needed to keep a clear head to represent Payton properly. So, he did as he was told and sat down. Alasdair and Nathaira reluctantly took a seat, too.
“Payton sent me to keep an eye on Samantha,” Sean lied. “He wants to stop her from doing anything stupid, or doing us any harm without meaning to.”
Cathal seemed to buy that answer, but Nathaira looked skeptical.
“But now, you have some explaining to do,” Sean said. “Have you become criminals who kidnap little girls?”
“Rubbish! We have to find out why the curse is changing, so we need Samantha,” Alasdair explained.
“Have you actually taken a close look at the girl? That isn’t Samantha,” Sean said.
“We know that, you idiot,” Nathaira said. “But she is related to Samantha and therefore is also one of the Camerons.”
Sean turned his attention to the beautiful prisoner. “Is that true? Who are you?”
“I… I… Please… let me go, please… I don’t know why I’m here!” Ashley cried.
Nathaira’s anger boiled over. She slapped Ashley, who was now sobbing, in the face and yelled, “Answer his question or things will only get worse!”
“Stop it,” Sean said. “Can’t you see she’s scared?”
“And since when have you been a saint?”
Sean turned to Ashley. “Who are you?” His tone was kind. He wanted her to see that he wasn’t like the others.
“I’m… I’m… Ashley Bennett. What do you want from me?”
She looked at Sean.
“Nothing will happen to you, I promise,” he said, trying to comfort her.
“You’d better not make a promise you can’t keep,” Nathaira snapped.
“What are you going to do to her?” Sean asked. “Were you planning to kill her, just because she might be descended from the Camerons?”
“We will see,” Nathaira said. “First, we need to talk to Samantha. That is the top priority.”
“Yes, but it’s too late for that today. First thing in the morning, we will deal with her,” said Alasdair.
As all the others nodded approvingly, Sean kept his thoughts to himself. He certainly wouldn’t give up now. Again, his eyes wandered to the frightened prisoner. It was odd, he thought, given the situation. But when he looked at her, he felt a slight stirring of desire.
“Well then,” Cathal said, “Nathaira and I will go to our room, while the two of you look after our guest.” The two siblings left for the room next door.
Sean didn’t want to share a room with Alasdair, but he wasn’t about to leave the poor innocent girl alone with him. Alasdair didn’t seem to mind. He poured himself a glass of water and plunked down in front of the TV.
Unsure what to do, Sean stood opposite Ashley. He didn’t think it was necessary to keep her tied up, but he knew Alasdair would disagree. That hard warrior wasn’t known for being merciful. He sat down next to her carefully, so as not to intimidate her further. Shaking, she turned away from him.
“I’m Sean. You needn’t be scared of me.”
“But you are with this group here, aren’t you?”
“Well, it depends. Actually, I came here to help Samantha, but I presume you will not understand everything just now.”
“Sam? What does she have to do with this?”
“Ashley, are you related to Sam?” Sean asked hesitantly.
The fear he felt as he waited for her answer confused him. The whole girl confused him. Her large eyes, her golden hair, and her shapely body were awakening feelings in him, feelings that he hadn’t experienced in a very long time.
In his first life, as he frequently called the time before the curse, he had been a skirt-chaser, running after all the girls in the village, stealing more than a kiss from a lot of them. He didn’t think he had ever been in love; he was too jumpy for that. But then everything had changed, and he wasn’t allowed to be in love.
He had almost completely forgotten that tingling feeling in his belly he used to get around a pretty girl. But he sensed that his feelings for Ashley were more than lust. He felt the urge to protect her, to take her in his arms, and to never let her go. Whatever Cathal and his crew were going to do, he would stop them, he decided. He hoped Blair and Payton would show up soon.
Ashley wiped away a tear, took a deep breath, and started to talk. “I am Sam’s cousin, but I still don’t see what that has to do with anything?”
“It’s simple: you are both Camerons. That means your ancestors are from Scotland and—ach, forget it. Whatever it means,” he whispered, “I promise, I’ll protect you.”
Ashley furrowed her brow and smiled at him timidly.
“Thank you,” she whispered back. “Are they going to try to get Sam tomorrow?” It was clear that she was worried about her cousin.
He nodded. But he mouthed, “Not if I can help it.” And he gave her a wink.
Slowly Sean could understand why Payton was so desperate. He himself felt more alive next to this pretty young woman than he’d felt for nearly three hundred years.
Looking both relieved and exhausted, Ashley shut her eyes and fell asleep a short time later. Sean lay down next to her, and tried to go to sleep, too, but his newfound feelings kept him up. Carefully, so as not to wake her, he wrapped a strand of her hair around his finger and enjoyed the warm, electric feeling. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night.
“Alasdair Buchanan?” Kim wasn’t panicked anymore, but she sounded irritated instead.
“Yes, the Scottish man who tried to kill me.”
“Are you sure?” She shook her head as if to clear it. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. Ashley’s missing. I still think we should call the police.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I could hardly think straight: Alasdair had followed me… Did Payton know? Was he maybe nearby, too? My heart felt a tiny glimmer of hope.
“We can’t call the police. They’d never believe us,” I told Kim. “They’d think we were drunk teenagers. ‘Yes, officer, immortal Scots that want to kidnap and kill us because of an ancient feud.’ I can’t imagine them taking that call too seriously. Let’s wait to hear from Justin, and then we’ll see what to do.”
Just at that moment, Justin burst into the house, panting heavily. He needed a moment to catch his breath before he could tell us anything.
“Did you find them?” Kim asked.
“Sort of. I followed them onto Kings Highway. They were going faster than me, and I was trying to make sure they didn’t notice me, but I saw them turn south onto Dupont. But by the time I made the turn, I couldn’t see them anymore. I’m sorry I lost them.” He looked from side to side. “Where are the police?”
“Sam doesn’t want to call the cops!”
“What? Ashley has been kidnapped! Who knows what they’re going to do to her!”
“Just listen to me!” I tried to get them both to pay close attention to what I had to say. “I know the kidnappers. And I think I know what they want. The thing with Ashley must be a mistake. I think they meant to take me.”
“What do you mean? What do they want from you?” Justin looked confused.
“It’s a really long story. I can’t tell you everything now, but you have to trust me.”
“So what do you suggest?” Kim asked, getting right to the point.
“Let’s go back to Dupont and look for the van,” I said. “There isn’t really anything else we can do. But if I’m right, we won’t need to find these guys. They will find us.”
“That’s not very comforting,” Kim said.
“Kim is right,” Justin said. “We should at least call Ryan.”
“Ryan? What does he have to do with this?”
“His dad is a cop—and he collects guns. Maybe he could snag something out of his dad’s cabinet and supply us with some actual firepower?”
“Great, now we’re stealing guns?” I said. “I really don’t think we need to drag him into this.”
But Justin was already dialing Ryan’s number.
“Look, Sam. If you’re not willing to call the police, I at least want to get some help. I don’t think I could take those two guys on my own. And unarmed.”
Reluctantly, I had to admit he was right. Only too vividly could I remember how serious the fight between Payton and Alasdair had been. And Alasdair had another distinct advantage over Justin: he was immortal.
“Just please tell him to keep his dad out of this. That would be the last thing we need.”
Fortunately, Ryan wasn’t the type to ask a lot of questions when his friends needed him. And when he heard that it was me who was in danger, he immediately took one of his dad’s guns. He must have known he’d be in a world of trouble if his dad ever found out. But I was impressed that he didn’t hesitate when we asked for help.
“OK, let’s get going,” Ryan said, as he rushed into the house. I wasn’t sure he grasped how deadly serious this was, but I knew I couldn’t face this situation alone.
We piled into my mom’s car and drove along Dupont, where Justin had last seen the van. I wasn’t sure how we could possibly find the van on this stretch of road. There were just too many places to look—office buildings, the park and ride, motels, stores, not to mention private parking garages, some underground. It would be awfully easy to hide out in a place like this. There was also the possibility that the Scots had already left town. Ashley could be anywhere by then.
We looked everywhere we could think of, checking out every parking lot along that stretch of highway. But it was getting harder to see things in the dark, so when we got to the edge of town, we turned the car around.
While we were searching, I tried to tell Justin and Ryan the whole story. But when I got to the harder concepts, like the curse, immortality, and the fighting clans, I could tell they thought I was nuts. But since Ashley really was missing—and Justin was absolutely sure of that—at least they weren’t going to institutionalize me on the spot.
When we got back to my house, Ryan locked the door, closed all the blinds, and explained that it would be safest for all of us to stay together. He suggested the living room. We could keep an eye on the door there and, if all else failed, we’d have another way out, through the back door. Whether his safety strategies were inspired by the movies or all those years of listening to his dad, I didn’t know, but it sounded good.
After he checked that all the windows were properly secured, and the door chain was latched, we all tried to relax. Kim was sitting on Justin’s lap in an armchair while Justin rubbed her back. Ryan and I sat on opposite ends of the sofa.
“Hey, Sam, do you want a back rub, too?” Ryan asked, grinning.
“Oh, can you not just give up!”
He raised his hands in apology. “I thought danger might turn you on.”
I was pretty sure he was joking. At least, I hoped he was joking. So I joked back. “All right, I’ll forgive you, but only because you’re the one with the gun!”
Ryan laughed, and I smiled at him thankfully.
We all grew quiet. I don’t think anyone got much sleep. We spent the night worrying, dozing off once in a while, and shifting around on our seats. Kim and Justin whispered to each other from time to time; Ryan kept checking the windows, and I sank into my memories.
I went over everything in my mind. That poor woman, Isobel, who died trying to save her child. The dark sky, the sudden lightning, I could see it all right in front me, just like in my dream. What had Vanora said to me? Face your destiny. Remember those you are a descendant of. Beware of the fall. The fall. What did she mean by that? Fortunately, in Milford there were far less hills to fall from than in the Scottish Highlands. But the fall could be a metaphor, I realized. And if so, what for?
My restless thoughts wandered on to the Scotsmen. Alasdair was really threatening, and if he wasn’t alone, as Kim and Justin had said, then he definitely posed a danger. I considered calling my parents. No, I thought. If Alasdair were intending to finish what he’d started, it was good to know that my parents were nowhere nearby.
I wasn’t really worried about Ashley. After all, she wasn’t a descendant of the Camerons. She was my cousin on my dad’s side; she had nothing to do with the Cameron bloodline. Once they figured that out and got ahold of me instead, the angry Scots were bound to let her go.
I wished with all my might that I could talk to Payton, to ask him what to do and to make sure he was all right. But I had deleted his number awhile back, thinking I could erase him from my life.
I wondered if he knew the danger I was facing, and if he was trying to help. But in the back of my mind I also wondered if he had turned his loyalty back to the clan. After all, he was bound to the clan by oath. Would he dare, after all that had happened, to defy them out of his love for me? I didn’t think so. But maybe. He had told me that there was something very special between the two of us.
Ugh! My thoughts were running around in circles. I could pluck petals off a daisy and know as much as I did now… He loves me. He loves me not. He wants me dead. Or maybe not.
Ryan’s return from one of his security rounds interrupted my dark poetry.
“Hey, don’t you want to try to get some sleep?” he asked.
“I don’t think I can.”
“I know. But you should try.” He plopped back down on the couch. “Hey, I was wondering… where was Ashley on her way to, when they grabbed her?”
“Actually, she was coming to see you. Her dad is going to come and pick her up tomorrow or the next day. She wanted to say good-bye.”
“Oh no! It’s my fault, then.”
“Don’t say that. It’s definitely not your fault. But I think she really likes you, and if you weren’t always such an idiot, you would have realized that by now.”
“Sam, seriously, I have never once met a girl that really likes me for me. They like me because of the way I look or because of the parties they’ll get invited to if they’re with me.”
“Well, maybe that’s because those are the only sides of yourself that you let people see. You’re actually very similar to Ashley. She hides her soft center behind her sexy clothes and her hard exterior. But I think that since her mom died, all she really wants is someone who will be there for her.”
“That’s a bunch of sentimental BS,” he said. “But thank you.”
I yawned. “Maybe you’re right—I should get some sleep.” At first, I just wanted to stop talking to Ryan, and I pretended to have fallen asleep. But at some point my exhaustion must have gotten the better of me, because I woke with a start when the doorbell rang.
Everyone was immediately on alert, and the two boys stood protectively in front of Kim and me. I took a deep breath. What felt like a day passed, though I’m certain it was only a few seconds.
“Go on… Open it up,” I said to Ryan.
“And if it’s them?”
“They’ll get us sooner or later, anyway. Just do it!”
With a quiet click, Ryan released the safety on his dad’s gun, and he quietly crept toward the door. Then he tore the door open in exactly the same way it’s always done on TV and expertly aimed the gun at the two tall men.
I let out a sharp shriek, as the world around me started to spin and my knees caved beneath me. Was Payton at my door, or was it just a dream?
Never had I thought seeing him again would shake me so much, but there I was, with tears in my eyes and words that just wouldn’t come out of my throat. All I could do was look at him. I wanted to let my inhibitions go. To touch him and feel his strong arms around me, which would make everything all right. But I did nothing of the kind. I didn’t move and didn’t utter one word.
So it was up to Kim to clarify what she had guessed by my reaction. “I guess that one of you must be Payton?”
Blair eyed his brother, who also seemed to have turned to stone. He nodded and pointed to Payton. “Good guess,” he said. “That’s Payton. And I’m his brother Blair.”
Payton’s whole body was trembling, and his sweet lips were pressed tightly together in a narrow line. He curled his hands into fists, pushed past Ryan and his gun, sank down to his knees next to me, and pulled me into his arms. A muffled sound of pain made its way to my ear, but I wasn’t willing to give up our embrace. It was too wonderful to feel Payton’s hands on my back and to inhale his familiar scent. I pressed myself tightly to him.
Only slowly did my brain start working again. A full mountain of questions swam to the surface of my foggy mind. And plenty of doubts. How had he found me? Was he working with the others? Was I safe? Or in the worst danger of my life?
Slowly, I raised my eyes. When I saw the immense pain in his face, I was terrified.
I couldn’t stop second-guessing everything. Was his expression because he was close to me, or because he’d come to finish me off? The poison of mistrust had mixed itself into my blood and I was fully incapable of freeing myself. I just plain didn’t know who I could trust anymore.
I stood up and pushed Payton away, crossing my arms over my chest to keep the warmth of his body with me for a moment longer.
“So what are you doing here?” It took every ounce of energy to keep the emotion out of my voice.
Payton looked surprised. “What? I had to see to it that you were safe.”
His voice touched my soul, but I struggled to build a barrier to protect myself. My heart was already in shreds, and I couldn’t allow him to hurt me again.
Payton took a tentative step toward me, but I shied away.
Ryan had been watching the whole scene quietly. He cleared his throat and motioned to the door with his weapon. “I guess you should go now. I don’t think you’re welcome here.”
The Scots ignored his remark. They hadn’t crossed the Atlantic to be given orders by an American high school boy.
“Sam, oh Sam, mo luaidh, tha gràdh agam ort. Please forgive me, tha mi duilich,” begged Payton.
He grabbed me by my shoulders and pulled me close. He whispered in Gaelic in my ear, while tears ran down his face. Being so close to me must have given him great pain. And though I didn’t know the words he spoke, my heart understood.
Still, I couldn’t trust him. Again, I pushed him away from me, and Ryan hurried to my side. He directed Payton and Blair to the door with his gun.
“I will not hesitate to use this if you don’t leave immediately!”
Then everything happened very quickly.
Payton hit Ryan hard, and Ryan sank to the ground. Blair picked up Justin by the throat, and Justin struggled to breathe, his feet dangling in the air. Kim shrieked and I just stood there.
“Sam, listen to me,” Payton pleaded.
“No! What are you doing? Are you trying to kill all of us? Do you always just strike down people who you are supposedly worried about?”
It was over as quickly as it had begun. Trembling, I knelt next to Ryan on the floor and brushed his blond hair away from his forehead. Blood was trickling out of a cut above his right eye. Blair let go of Justin, placing him back on his feet. Kim ran to him, crying quietly on his shoulder while he sucked in deep breaths and rubbed his sore neck.
I wasn’t scared, but I was very, very annoyed. Payton seemed destined to wreck my life. My cousin had been kidnapped; Ryan was knocked out cold with a gun in his hand; Justin nearly got strangled; and still, my treacherous body yearned for Payton’s touch. My brain, on the other hand, told me to get as far from him as possible.
“Oh Sam, please forgive me,” he said. “I need you so much, please, you must believe me. Please forgive me! I love you.” He moved toward me slowly, took my hands in his, and looked deep into my eyes. “You are always in my thoughts, my dreams, and in my heart. I see you in front of me, how you laugh, how you cry, how you reach for my hand. I can’t bear to lose you forever, having finally found you. Please believe me, I will never stop loving you.”
I knew he must be in incredible pain, but he didn’t move away. I could hardly breathe. He was so strong and invincible, and his words were full of passion and desperation.
Then I realized I hadn’t given him a chance to explain his side of things. I was the one who’d left him behind in Scotland. I didn’t move.
Payton looked disappointed. He shook his head and turned away from me. Right away I found it easier to breathe.
I got a damp cloth from the kitchen and dabbed the blood off Ryan’s forehead. I was glad for something to do, to distract myself.
Whispering in Gaelic, Blair and Payton stood with their heads together, occasionally throwing a worried glance in my direction. I quickly forced the thought away that the two of them might be plotting how to kill me. I was starting to hope that they really were here to help.
When Ryan came to a few minutes later, we helped him to a chair. Then we all sat down reluctantly, but at least peacefully, and talked about the situation. Blair and Payton had heard from their brother Sean that Ashley had been abducted, and they had also learned where she was and that she was doing OK, all things considered.
“And from the way he sounded on the telephone, I wouldn’t be surprised if our Sean has noticed your cousin’s beauty. Perhaps he’s getting some feelings back, too,” said Blair.
That remark provoked an evil look from Ryan, who was obviously not happy with these invading Scotsmen, who seemed to do whatever they felt like with whomever they pleased.
Thanks to Sean, we now knew where to find Ashley. But we still didn’t have any idea how to proceed. Still, we knew that working together was our best chance.
“We can charge the building,” suggested Ryan, who still seemed to be itching to use that gun.
“No. Are you crazy?” Kim said. “The best thing would be for us to call the cops.”
“Silence!” Blair’s clear order interrupted the chaos. “Cathal and Nathaira are after Sam. I also presume that they will realize soon that Ashley is not a Cameron—if they haven’t already. That means that she is not a danger to them. If we now offer to bring Sam to them in exchange for Ashley, they should agree to that.”
“No!” Ryan objected loudly. “That’s absolutely out of the question. Who knows what they would do to Sam. Forget it!”
“It’s OK, Ryan,” I said. “I actually think Blair is right. They want me, not Ashley. The first thing we should do is get her to safety. Then we’ll take it one step at a time and figure out what to do next. And I wouldn’t go there alone—Payton and Blair would come with me.” The thought of meeting up with Alasdair again had my stomach in knots, but I knew it was the right thing to do.
“Sam, please, you can’t go!” begged Kim, whose fear for me was written all over her teary, blotchy red face.
“Kim, it’s our only option! If we don’t go to them, then they’ll come here. This way, we at least have the element of surprise on our side. I also think there’s a chance that everything can be cleared up if I can just talk to them.”
“You don’t have to do this, Sam,” said Payton. “You need to understand this is dangerous.” He gestured to his brother. “Blair and I can go alone and free Ashley with violence if we have to.”
“What for?” Blair said. “Cathal gave us his word that he wouldn’t harm Sam. We can just go and clear everything up.” The McLean chieftain was clearly less than enthusiastic about the idea of using violence against others in the clan.
“How much is Cathal’s word worth? If he’d been intending to stay true to his word, he would have stayed at home in Scotland!”
“Payton, you are wrong! You can trust Cathal!”
“Yes, Cathal maybe, but I don’t trust Nathaira, or Alasdair! And I am not going to give Sam over into their hands just like that.”
“What do you mean, into their hands? We’ll be there to protect her.”
“Then we should all go there with Sam,” Ryan said.
“No, you stay here. We can’t look after you, take care of Sam, and protect ourselves.”
“I’m the one with the weapon. A weapon from this century, I might add. And I don’t trust you two as far as I can spit. So forget it. Either you take us with you, or I’ll inform my dad. He happens to be the chief of police.”
Oh boy. What a mess! I wished I could slide under the kitchen table and dissolve into the floor. But I knew that I had to face my destiny, if not for myself, then for my ancestors. Just as Vanora had foretold it. And this terrible discussion was only wasting time. I wanted to get everything over with.
To make things worse, Uncle Eddie could turn up any moment to pick Ashley up, and he’d be pretty alarmed if she weren’t here to claim. Until then, we had to somehow ease the situation.
“Now listen, everybody.” I was yelling now. “We are all going to do exactly what I say. First of all, I am going. Secondly, you are all coming with me.”
I banged loudly on the table, so hard the ball of my hand was throbbing and I hoped I hadn’t broken any bones. As inconspicuously as possible, I rubbed my hand under the table and waited for opposition. Incredibly, there was none.
The pendant was burning hot on my skin. I wanted to laugh. Like I needed a warning sign of the impending danger!