Page 66 of Guarding Salvation

Aoife felt her tears dry as anger took over as she struggled to sit up. “Me? What I’ve done? You did this. You hogtied me, kidnapped me, and from the look on your ugly face, you told him where I am.”

“He’ll be here in six hours, or as soon as they can get the flight moving.”

“Congratulations, you just killed me. Hope it was worth it.”

“You’ll never understand.”

Aoife snorted. “What? How you want to avenge your rapist brother?”

“Don’t say that,” Boyd screamed, his face going red as he pulled her from the place she sat and shoved her to the ground. His boot hit her hard when it landed in her belly, the next in her ribs making her lose her breath. But she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of begging.

“You’re nothing but a murderer and your brother is a rapist scum bag. I hope Bram finds you and kills you just like he did the little weasel you called a brother.”

As blow after blow fell, unconsciousness pricked at her, and she welcomed the comfort of the darkness. There was no cold or pain here, just blissful peace. Bram would come, she knew he would. She had to believe he’d come because she had nothing else left to give.

Chapter 27

When he set foot on his home soil, Bram was met by Rory and three other experienced trackers he knew for a fact could track as well as he could. One was his old teacher, Ian, another the man who’d taken him through his Gold Duke of Edinburgh award.

“Thank you for coming. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”

“Rory explained that lunatic Boyd Walsh has kidnapped your girl. What do you need from us?”

Bás was dealing with the imminent threat from Doyle and setting up comms and a defensive position from the castle, as well as seeing if they could go offensive before they got there. That left him and Rory free to find Aoife with the help of his old friends. Snow had wanted to help him but he knew she’d be more use giving Bás the tour of the castle and grounds.

Bram laid a map out on the bonnet of the Range Rover and circled the three positions he knew were the most likely routes Boyd would’ve used. “Ian, you and Graham take this route that heads over the bluff to the river. Jock, can you and Winnie head towards the bridge that meets up with the village and make sure he hasn’t gone through there?” Bram glanced at the golden retriever who was sitting loyally at her master’s feet waiting for instructions. “I can give you a scarf that belongs to Aoife to see if Winnie picks up the scent.”

“Aye, that we can.”

Bram glanced at Rory who looked like he’d aged by ten years since that morning and Bram wondered if he looked the same way and felt he probably did. “You and I’ll head toward the caves on the east side.”

“That area has a sheer drop on the other side.”

“Yeah, I know and that’s why it’s perfect. He won’t have to watch his back so much, and the caves will give him shelter from the elements. Don’t forget he wants Aoife alive so he needs a place to hunker down.”

“Fair point.”

“We all have our radios. Only use them in an emergency or if you find something significant. Stay safe and please don’t put yourself in danger. If you find them radio in. Do not approach Boyd. He has a gun and is a desperate man by the sounds of it, but he’s also a very cunning one.”

The others nodded and headed out, slipping into the woods silently like the hunters they were. He and Rory headed toward the lawn and the direction he felt in his gut Boyd had taken Aoife. Since the second he’d arrived and had seen the scene in the bedroom and walked the tunnels, he’d felt his calm descend as if the detachment he needed to find her and do his job had pulled him from the man in love to a man hell-bent on bringing her home.

They walked in silence. Rory was concerned as he was with the added weight of guilt he didn’t need to be carrying. He hadn’t been able to look Bram in the eye since he’d arrived, and he understood the feeling. It had taken him months to be able to look at Lana without the feeling of shame almost crushing him.

They stopped a few times as he checked a broken branch or touched his fingers to a partial footprint. Every step he took he was more certain this was the way they’d come. Even though Boyd had done a decent job of hiding his tracks, Bram was better.

“I know that feeling of guilt, Rory, and in this instance it’s misplaced.”

“I should’ve checked on them, made sure I knew exactly who was in our home.”

“We all make mistakes, and you couldn’t have foreseen that a man hell-bent on revenge for something I did over a decade ago was a threat. This is on me not you.”

“It’s my family, I should’ve done better.”

“I know that feeling, Rory. God knows I’ve been feeling it nearly all my life.”

“Lana doesn’t blame you, you know.” Rory glanced across at him, his ruddy face craggy with worry.

“And neither do I. You need to forgive yourself for what happened to Lana. She never blamed you, and it hurts her to know you still carry this. Let me tell you from experience if you really want to love Aoife like she deserves and be the man she needs, then you need to forgive yourself for being human.”