Page 68 of Guarding Salvation

“Bram, wait. Is Lana, okay?”

Bram looked at Rory, who was watching the snivelling Boyd, with a rifle aimed at his head. “She will be.”

“Good, and Mrs Murrel?”

“Is tough, and apparently awake but she’ll be in the hospital for a while recovering.”

“That makes me madder than anything. That he dragged Mrs M into this and hurt her. She was innocent.”

“You’re innocent, Aoife.”

“Maybe.”

Bram didn’t like the way she said that, but he didn’t want to get into it now with Boyd listening and Aoife cold and injured. He radioed Bás and asked for an ATV to be brought as close as they could get it and to send someone to pick up Boyd. They didn’t have time to hang around when the chances were that Doyle was on his way and the next battle was about to commence.

Chapter 28

“Bram, I can walk. You don’t need to carry me.” Aoife protested but the truth was she enjoyed being in his arms, a feeling of safety which she clung to, knowing how quickly it could be taken from her.

“Hush, I like carrying you.”

Aoife smiled but winced as he set her down in front of the roaring fire in the main living room used by the family when they were at the castle. Warmth instantly began to seep into her veins, the cold loosening its painful hold on her body.

Snow rushed in and came toward Aoife, dropping to her knees at her feet and wrapping her arms gently around her in a show of affection she hadn’t expected. She and Snow had grown close but neither one was a naturally tactile person unless they were close. Yet she leaned into her new friends embrace.

“You scared the heck out of me.”

“I’m sorry, Snow.”

Snow looked her over in a similar way that Bram had done.

“I’m going to get the first aid kit. Can you stay with her, Snow?”

Bram was already on his feet, knowing his teammate would stay. Aoife wanted to protest that she didn’t need a babysitter, but she knew this was for his peace of mind and for him she’d do almost anything.

“Did he hurt you?”

“A few kicks here and there, nothing that won’t heal.”

“I’ve never seen Bram so shaken. When he heard you were gone, I thought he was going to lose his mind with worry.”

“I hate that he went through that, but it’s over for now.”

“Hmm.”

Bram came back in the room with a first aid box, Bás and Lotus following behind with a man she hadn’t met.

“Glad to have you back, Aoife.”

“I’m sorry for causing this mess.”

Bás sat on the opposite couch as Bram began to tend to her damaged wrists, the sting of the antiseptic making her breath hiss.

“Nonsense, this is nobody’s fault but the man who did it, and now he’s being taken into custody to answer for his crimes.”

“He needs help, he’s sick.”

“Perhaps, but that’s for the courts to decide. We have more pressing issues. Doyle has left London on a flight that didn’t file a manifest, so we can’t track it, but I think it’s safe to assume he’s coming here.”