Page 41 of Sadie's Highlander (Highland Protector 1)

“By the gods, ye two need t’get a room,” Dwyn said, then growled something unintelligible under his breath. He brushed past them and dumped a bulging briefcase atop the pile. “I canna believe I allowed Sarinda t’sweet-talk me into goin’ and babysittin’ the lot of ye.”

“Stay here then,” Alec said, reluctantly releasing Sadie to join Grant at the door and look for the rented ride himself.

“Nay.” Dwyn shook his head. “I dinna trust the legality of anythin’ that Delia woman arranges. I’ll be goin’ to review all she’s done.”

A roaring boom, deep and threatening, shook the keep, rattling the windows in the casings.

“What the hell was that?” Alec stormed down the front steps, searching the skyline for the source of the sound. Adrenaline shot through him, vaulting him to battle-readiness.

A shrill peal split the air, then another harsh blast shook the land. This one was louder than the first and followed by the crackling grind and moan of snapping trees and the sound of earth shifting down the mountainside.

“There.” Sadie pointed toward the northernmost ridge of the park. Debris billowed out from a jagged hole just below the crest of the mountain. A huge cloud of black smoke boiled out across the land like blood gushing from a wound. “Oh my God. That’s close to Castle Danu. I think it’s right behind it.” She clutched at Alec’s arm. “The vault. The tunnels. Could something have gone wrong with the ventilation system to cause an explosion?”

“I must go.” Fiery rage and ice-cold certainty surged through Alec’s veins. There’d never been an attack since they’d arrived in North Carolina. Not until today. This was no malfunction in the ventilation system. This was evil. Premeditated. He felt it more surely than the ground upon which he stood.

Alec turned and pierced the air with a shrill whistle. Grant, Ramsay, and Ross had already reached the stable and thrown the doors open wide. Two riderless horses, Max and Bess, thundered toward them, followed by the three brothers on their mounts. Miss Lydia, Sarinda, and Emrys rushed out of the keep with a fluid ease that belied their age.

Alec swung himself up on Max, then pointed down at Sadie. “Wait here. I’ll no’ have ye endangered whilst I fight this battle.” There was crisis enough to worry about without the loss of Sadie added to the mix.

“I’m not staying here.” Sadie hurried Bess over to the front porch, scampered up the steps, and climbed over the railing onto the horse’s back. “I’m not about to let you go alone.”

“Dammit, woman. Do as I say. I’ve no’ time to argue.” He urged Max toward the narrow employees-only road running along the outer side of the stone skirting wall surrounding the keep. He could save time cutting across country.

“Son!” Sarinda called out clear and strong.

“Aye?” Alec turned, silently willing his mother to hurry. There was no time t’be wasted.

“Keep the Heartstone,” Sarinda intoned, thumping her fist to her heart. “And keep yerself safe as well,” she added.

Alec acknowledged his mother’s orders with a single nod, then he turned to Sadie, wide-eyed, astride her mount, and waiting beside him. She was determined to follow and there was no time t’argue. “If ye must come, come, but stay behind me and do as I say. Aye?”

Sadie bounced her head up and down in quick agreement. “I promise I won’t get in the way. Now let’s go.”

“To the Heartstone,” Alec roared, spurring Max into the forest.

May the goddesses lead me to the evil bastards and make my aim sharp and true.

Chapter 22

“Oh my God.” Sadie pulled Bess up short, suddenly unable to breathe. Disbelief and shame filled her. So much destruction. So much damage. Delia had outdone herself this time. “Oh my God.” She bit her bottom lip and pressed a clenched fist against her mouth. “How…how could she?” she whispered against her cold, trembling hand.

Sadie blinked against a surge of nausea. A dark, sick feeling of overwhelming guilt threatened to topple her from the saddle.What the hell have I done? How the hell could I let this happen?

She turned and frantically searched the woods, a strange mix of panic and relief washing across her when she didn’t see Alec or his brothers anywhere. She’d fallen behind, lost sight of them in the dense thicket of trees, so she’d gone off in another direction. The direction that would take her to the filming crew—or at least where they were supposed to be. They hadn’t been there, so she’d cut through and found her way to the castle.

Sadie hugged herself, digging her nails into her arms.He’s gonna hate me forever. I’ve betrayed him and lost him for good.

One entire side of Castle Danu was gone, nothing left but a low, tumbled-down pile of blackened stones and smoldering rubble. Crumbling mounds of shifting earth and splintered trees still creaked and groaned, the heaps of debris occasionally sliding lower to join the avalanche of soil, rocks, and broken logs spilling over all that remained of the wall of the keep.

The landslide had filled what once had been the chieftain’s sitting room—the room with the ingeniously designed hearth containing the hidden doorways leading to the tunnels. The entrances to the passages to the sacred vault were now buried, and the tunnels themselves had probably caved in from the blast. Everything was gone. Destroyed. Hot tears slipped down Sadie’s cheeks.Why didn’t I stop her?

There was a dark, ragged hole in the side of the mountain just a few yards above the smoldering ruins. The gaping black maw belched out smoke and rock as though the land was sickened by the sight of its precious castle’s destruction. The wide swath of the landslide’s route had ripped through the once lush pine forest. It looked as though the blast had rudely scraped away all in its path, leaving the earth raw and torn.

But the worst sight, the most shocking sight that ripped out Sadie’s heart and tore it to shreds more than any other, was the film crew. Producers, directors, and cameramen were laughing and high-fiving one another. They all stood there surveying the scene while the grips adjusted the booms and lighting to better portray the actors standing in the middle of the chaos. Makeup artists and hairdressers nonchalantly chattered and smiled while they flitted around the actors, touching them up to make them look as though they’d just survived a life-threatening explosion.

So that had been Delia’s angle. Get them all out of the way so she could hold true to form and do whatever it took to film her fucking movie. Sadie slowly shook her head. Heartbroken. Filled with despair. She slid down to the ground and leaned heavily against Bess, praying this was all just a bad dream.How the hell could I let this happen?

Delia had ruined it all and Sadie had helped her. She’d kept the unsuspecting MacDaras occupied so Delia could trash and burn their land all in the name of cinematic greatness, no matter the cost.

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