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She reluctantly lifted her head.
“I told you I won’t let anyone hurt you or Kathleen,” he said in a patient voice. “If you just do what I say, we will all be fine.”
“Get a bloody move on it,” yelled the bandit. “Or Iwillblow someone’s brains out.”
Jeannie flinched.
“Och, man,” Angus barked back. “She’s just a child. Yer scarin’ the wits out of her.”
“Not true.” Grant took Jeannie’s hand. “She’s a brave lass, is our girl.”
“Certainly braver than I am,” said Kathleen. “She’s always been that way.”
Grant gave a gentle tug, and Jeannie moved onto the step. After he lifted her down, he turned back to help Kathleen step out. She lined up with her sister and Angus by the side of the carriage. Grant stood in front of them in a protective stance, braced as if ready for a fight.
A fight for which he and Angus were greatly outnumbered, she gloomily observed. Danvers, their coachman, along with Robby the groom, were sitting on the verge, hands behind their heads and held at gunpoint by a man on a horse. Another man had dismounted and was holding the reins of two horses while keeping a pistol pointed at Kathleen, Jeannie, and Angus.
A third man stood several feet away, his weapon leveled on Grant. All wore scarves and hats tugged low. Identical greatcoats made them almost indistinguishable. The one holding the pistol on Grant was particularly tall and powerful looking, but they were all big men.
Kathleen cast a quick glance around. They were on a deserted stretch of road, surrounded only by windswept meadows, with a stand of woods in the distance. Not a farmhouse or cottage was in sight, and she suspected there wasn’t one on the opposite side of the road, either. Even though she knew they weren’t far from the hamlet attached to Lochnagar Manor, the area seemed lamentably perfect for a highway robbery.
The villain aiming at Grant—presumably the head bandit—leaned forward to stare at Kathleen. Although the brim of his hat shadowed his eyes, she could feel his gaze crawl over her. She forced herself to stare back, refusing to be rattled.
Grant stepped slightly to the side, coming between her and the man.
“I wouldn’t,” he said in a cold voice.
The thug snorted. “Ye couldna stop me if ye wanted to, ye big oaf. I’m the one with the gun.”
Grant crossed his arms over his chest. Kathleen could see the flex of his shoulders even through the fabric of his coat.
“And I’m the one whose brother is the local magistrate. That would be Sir Graeme Kendrick, brother of the Laird of Arnprior. Harm me or one of mine, and you’ll rain hell and Clan Kendrick down on your damned heads.”
That dire threat took the fellow slightly aback. The other two bandits exchanged a glance, obviously disconcerted.
“Och, that ain’t good,” said the one on the horse.
“I thought ye looked familiar,” opined the one watching the coachman and groom. “I heard about Kendrick havin’ a twin. Yer him, I reckon.”
“You reckon correctly. So you’d best be having a care if you want to keep your necks from getting stretched.”
“Shut yer bleedin’ mouth,” snarled the leader.
A thump came from the back of the carriage. Kathleen craned back to see yet another bandit heave a trunk onto the road. When it hit the dirt, the latch gave way, spilling out some of the contents.
“Those are my things!” Jeannie yelped, jerking forward.
Kathleen pulled her back. “It doesn’t matter. We can replace everything.”
“That’s using yer brains.” The leader studied her again. “I can think of something else I’d like to use, too. Ye’ve got a pretty arse, from what I can tell. I’m thinking—”
“Think about it again, and I’ll rip out yer damn tongue and shove it down yer feckin’ throat,” Grant snarled.
Kathleen blinked. Grant’s voice had deepened to a terrifying, guttural brogue. She couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders had bunched up, as if he were about to spring at their captor and carry out his gruesome threat. He radiated a dangerous, masculine ire that she found immensely reassuring.
The bandit leader obviously found it intimidating, since he took a quick step back.
“Ye’d best listen,” Angus said in a sanguine tone. “Kendricks always keep their word, especially when it comes to killin’.”
