Page 100 of Highland Sword
Leaving them, he raced out of the house.
Of course, there had to be a hidden passageway, Morrigan thought. And a tunnel. The house was on the river. She should have thought of it before stepping into the space behind the bookcase.
But how could she have known that Burney was free?
He’d ordered her to carry the heavy satchel. With his dagger prodding her in the back, they descended a steep set of stone stairs and started along a dank tunnel that smelled like a crypt. He replaced his knife with a small pistol that he carried with the muzzle pointed directly at her back. The passageway was narrow and slippery, andthey passed under two small openings from which dim light and cold air filtered down. At a sharp turn, she looked ahead and saw the tunnel was brighter in the distance.
Morrigan could tell from the sound of his steps that he was close enough to shoot her, but far enough to be clear of any attempt she might make to try to kick at him or somehow defend herself.
She guessed from the weight of the satchel that he’d filled it with bags of coin along with whatever papers he thought would be most valuable to him. He was making his escape from Inverness, but he wasn’t going empty-handed.
Morrigan thought back over their route. The passage led under the house toward the river. Since the turn, the tunnel must have been running parallel with the Ness. A smuggler’s route, for sure.
“Where are we going?” she asked, slowing down a little.
“It’s of no concern to you. Keep moving.”
Screaming and hoping that someone would come to her rescue was no longer a possibility. Perhaps she should have done it when she’d first felt the edge of the knife.
“What are you going to do to me?”
“You’ll soon find out.”
The tunnel made a slight bend. In the distance, she could see a set of wooden stairs leading up through a trap door. She remembered seeing a dilapidated warehouse and dock not far downriver from the house. Someone had helped Burney escape. No doubt, he had henchmen waiting for him and a boat ready to take him beyond the reach of the law and the Mackintosh clan.
Whatever she had to do to put an end to this, Morrigan knew she needed to do it now.
“I cooperated with you. I helped you so you’d give me back my father’s letter.”
“Your father’s letter,” he scoffed. “That scrap of paper didn’t matter a whit to him. Trust me, I tried to use it with him. Drummond wouldn’t play my game. And don’t try to play me for a fool. I know it means nothing to you either. If it did, you would have squirmed more.”
“I thought we had a deal. I was doing my part.”
“Your part? Liar. You manipulated me. You poisoned the mind of Roisin Laborde. You played her against me.”
“I didn’t do anything that you haven’t done yourself.”
“Don’t give yourself so much credit. I know the two of you had a hand in this. You deserve each other. You and your lawyer. Too bad your marriage won’t last.”
The steps were just ahead. A freezing wind howled through the trap door.
“The joy I’ll get from informing him of your pathetic end.” His voice paused a moment before he continued. “Perhaps I’ll keep you alive for a while. There might be some benefit in letting him think he can get you back.”
She would never be a victim again. Never.
“Do not do anything foolish. Go up the steps slowly and stop at the top. I’ll have my pistol trained on your back every moment.”
Morrigan climbed as she was told, her mind racing. She’d run for it. Let him shoot. She’d jump in that river and drown in the freezing water if she must. Death was definitely preferable.
She climbed up and found herself in a small warehouse. The doors facing the water were open. She could see the dock. A boat bobbed in the icy river.
“Walk straight to the boat,” he ordered.
As she moved ahead of him, she realized someone lay on the dock. Morrigan shifted the bag so she was holding it with both hands in front of her.
She stepped out of the warehouse. Not one, but twopeople lay unmoving on the dock. She jumped to the side, planted her feet, and swung the weighted satchel with all her strength back toward the doorway.
She connected with Burney’s shoulder as he rushed out, but his attention was not on her. Someone else was waiting on the other side of the opening.
