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"Ronin, yecan stare at any girl in the pub except her," Lachlan said solemnly. Ronin was baffled by what his friend was saying.
“What do ye mean?”
“That lass is Duncan’s daughter. The man yer father killed ten years ago.”
Ronin was lost for words.
CHAPTERTHREE
“Are ye serious?” Ronin asked, still not wanting to believe a word his friend said. How could this even be possible? Nothing made sense to him.
“I am quite serious. Get a grip on yer emotions and understand that ye better stay away from that lass. She will bring nothing but trouble for both ye and yer family,” he explained, his tone growing firmer by the second. Ronin knew his friend wasn’t joking or lying. The seriousness of his words was evident.
“Sometimes, I just can’t believe my luck,” Ronin said, still befuddled. He was well aware of who could cause the most trouble for his family. He remembered what his father had done ten years before and how bad things had been. Just then, a tall, giant-like man Edna had been with earlier, approaching them. He remembered his name was Bryce, but Ronin had no idea why he was approaching them..
"Bryce is coming at us, shite!" Ronin couldn't understand Lachlan's fear.
"Who is Bryce?" Edna told me he was her cousin."
"Indeed, he is.They're close, and he's close to both her and her mother," Lachlan explained.
“So what is there to worry about?”
“He looks angry, Ronin. He probably saw ye lookin’ at Edna, and he is coming here to ask ye to stay away from her,” Lachlan answered seriously, and Ronin nodded in agreement, hoping that was all it was.
The situation was obviously escalating. Bryce came face to face with Lachlan and Ronin in a matter of seconds, and the three of them locked gazes. Ronin refused to turn away or say anything, knowing that he had done nothing wrong and that he would not be dominated or scared by a random lad. He didn't care about Bryce or his relationship with Edna.
“Who the hell are ye?” Bryce questioned, his tone stern. He threw a cursory glance at Lachlan, and it was clear that the two men recognized and most definitely disliked one another immensely.
“I could ask you the same thing. You are the one who came here while we were minding our own business,” Ronin replied, mimicking his tone. He was not going to back down or be intimidated. He was the future laird of this clan, and he needed to establish his position in front of everyone.
“If ye were minding yer own business, I wouldnae have come tae ye. Ye were starin’ at Edna,” Bryce said, coming straight to the point.
“And? You have a problem with that?” Ronin mocked.
“Yes, I dae. I dinnae ken who ye are, but ye better stay away from her. I ken that Lachlan is from the MacKenzie family that killed her father when she was just a bairn. Ye must be related tae them too. That is why ye should consider this as yer first and final warning from mysel’, or else be ready tae face the consequences,” Bryce went on. Ronin couldn't believe he was attracted to the girl he was supposed to stay away from. He hadn't gone to the pub today with the intention of attracting trouble, but it appeared that trouble had come knocking anyway.
He knew his father's actions were wrong. He had stolen Edna'sfather —a young girl's father. He'd destroyed her family and childhood. Why had Ronin been captivated by her since the moment he laid eyes on her? What were the chances? He was baffled by it all.
“Who do you think you are to tell me who I should meet and who I should stay away from?” Ronin replied, anger taking root in his chest. No one had the right to tell him to keep his distance from anybody. Especially when it came to Edna. He knew he wasn’t capable of staying away from her. He had to be close to her — get to know her better. “You go mind your own business and let me take care of mine. I don’t need your interference.”
“Are ye challenging me?” Bryce asked angrily.
“What if I am?”
“I ken this Lachlan guy is shite and his whole family is shite. Ye yerself also seem like shite since ye are a part of this family too,” Bryce said throwing an angry look towards Lachlan.
“Bryce, don’t you dare say another word about my or Lachlan’s family,” Ronin warned, his voice growing dangerously thin.
“Or else?”
“I will make sure you suffer.”
“I will kill ye before that,” Bryce's words had a bite to them, and heknew that if given the chance, he would follow through on his threat. Ronin, on the other hand, was unworried. He was not afraid of anyone. “If ye really are the man ye think that ye are, show it tae me. I challenge ye tae a fight.”
Bryce's challenge to a fight was both rash and insane, but denying him would make Ronin appear weak, which was simply unacceptable. He was also furious at what that ladhad attempted to do. No one had ever threatened him or told him to stay away from anyone, particularly a woman. He was never a supporter of fighting, but this time he was not going down without one. He felt Lachlan’s hand touch his elbow from behind him, and he turned to face him. Anger was visible on his features, and Ronin knew Lachlan was opposed to being involved in a fight. He had asked Ronin to stay away from trouble and attention, and Ronin was bringing all of it on them.
“As ye wish,” Ronin replied softly, his gaze narrow.
