Page 61 of My Notorious Highlander

"Aye, m'lady." He ran off.

"Was anyone else injured or killed?" she asked Torrin.

"A few cuts and bruises, but naught serious."

That was a relief, but still, Erskine's condition was perilous. He'd lost a lot of blood.

"What of the outlaws?" she asked as they headed inside.

"We killed four of them, but Haldane and McMurdo fled."

Jessie nodded, having mixed feelings about her youngest brother. In order to stop him from his objective, someone would have to kill him. But when that happened, she would be saddened, for he was still her brother.

"By my estimation, Haldane's gang is down to about six men," Torrin said. "They don't stand much of a chance now, unless he hires more men. I'm going to recommend that the MacKays patrol the area in parties of a dozen or so and mayhap they can pick off the rest of them. Haldane wants Dunnakeil, so he won't go far."

∞∞∞

An hour later, Erskine was resting in a bedchamber. Nannag and her helpers had stitched up his wound and stopped the bleeding. He'd awoken enough to drink a special herbal tea Nannag had prepared.

Jessie prayed he would recover quickly without getting a terrible fever. Leaving the chamber, she found Aiden lurking in the corridor with several others, his head hung dejectedly. Fury at the risk he'd taken and the danger he'd put everyone in burned through her. "I want to speak to you in the library," she told him.

He eyed her warily. "Very well."

"Mind if I join you?" Torrin asked behind her.

She glanced back at him, finding he wore a concerned frown. "Whatever you wish."

Once in the library with the door closed, Jessie asked, "Aiden, what on earth possessed you to slip out? Are you mad? Now Erskine is almost dead because of you. Dirk will be furious."

Aiden pressed his eyes closed. "I ken 'tis my fault but—" He swallowed, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing. "You've never been close to Haldane. You only came back three years ago. He's… my brother. We've been together our whole lives… until last winter."

"I know that," Jessie said, her throat tightening at the emotion in Aiden's voice.

"I was hoping to change his mind… to convince him…" Aiden shook his head. "He wouldn't listen."

"Of course not. He's beyond redemption." Jessie hated to say the words, but Aiden needed to realize the truth, so he wouldn't do something daft again.

Tears glistened in Aiden's eyes and he hung his head.

Torrin placed his hand upon Jessie's shoulder and squeezed gently. She didn't have to look at him to know what he wanted to tell her—to not be so hard on Aiden. Maybe Torrin was right. Aiden did appear exceedingly remorseful.

"I'm glad you were unharmed," she told her brother in a softer tone.

"I'm sorry." Aiden quickly left the room.

Jessie pulled away from Torrin and faced him. "What? Did you wish me to be easier on him? He put the whole clan in danger."

"You're right. I was furious with him, too. But the lad feels terrible. He just wanted his brother back. I can understand that."

Jessie nodded and pressed her eyes closed. "Well, he's right. I was never close to Haldane. We didn't grow up together. And the three years we lived here at Dunnakeil together, we didn't get along. But I've always watched out for Aiden."

"You're close to Dirk, too, are you not?"

"Aye. I'm four years younger than him, and we had the same mother." When she thought of Dirk, she couldn't help but think of her childhood, a time when things were fun and uncomplicated. "When we were small, we spent a lot of time together. Why do you think I like knives so much? I played with him, Keegan, and the lads who were always in mock sword fights. I just wish Dirk was here now to help with all this."

Torrin gave a slight lopsided smile. "You'd make an excellent chief."

She gave a soft snort. "Hardly."