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“Of course, me laird,” Harriet replied behind him.
Christian almost ran inside, motioning towards several guards to follow him as he mounted back his horse and rode back towards the inn he had just gotten back from. He knew Keira had gone there only, and it was the only place that would help him find all the answers to the whereabouts of Keira and Josh. He also did not understand if the Laird O’Donnelly was really in town or not, but the fact that a note had arrived with his seal on it did mean that it was written by him and him alone. Christian knew he needed to find out if he had somehow returned to his bedchamber, too, because he might also know about whatever had happened.
As soon as he reached the inn, Christian noticed how loud the place was, along with the main street being extremely busy. If anyone had tricked Keira into coming here, they would have never met her inside the inn. Christian jumped down from his horse.
“Check the side alleys,” he said to one of his soldiers, who nodded. They divided themselves and walked towards the almost darkened lanes beside the inn, Christian going towards the right. It was impossible to see much in the astonishing darkness as he blinked to adjust his gaze.
“God damn it,” he swore loudly as his foot touched something and he almost fell over it but immediately realized that it was not just something.
Christian bent down and saw it was none other than Josh. He was tied up and unconscious, lying there in the alley. Christian’s worry only grew as soon as he saw Josh, knowing that it was not a good sign at all. If Josh had been left here unconscious, it only meant there had been no one to protect Keira unless she, too, was lying somewhere in the alley.
“Untie Josh and make sure he wakes up and look around the alley to check if ye can find Keira,” he instructed the soldiers, beginning to look around himself.
“Me laird!” a soldier who had gone to the other side suddenly came to him running. “There is a dead body out there.”
Christian froze in place at the words, knowing that if it was Keira, he would not be able to stand it. He would never be able to stand anything happening to Keira, yet he knew he needed to see for himself.
“Who is it?”
“An elderly man,” the soldier informed him, and Christian’s breath restored. He could not believe he had already assumed the worst, but this only meant that Keira was nowhere around. Whoever had brought her out here had taken her with them.
Christian quickly made his way towards the back, his gaze falling on the man on the ground. He did not fail to notice that the man was handsomely dressed, which was enough indication that he happened to be rich.Could it have been a robbery?Christian thought just as his eyes caught sight of a sword, fallen right beside the man.
“Does anyone of ye recognize him?” he asked his soldiers, who denied knowing the man. Christian bent down to pick up the sword, his gaze immediately falling to the crest on the handle. It was a familiar crest that hinted of noble lineage.Where had he seen it before?
He suddenly remembered the letter he had just seen from Harriet, which had arrived for Keira from her father. The letter had been sealed with the O’Donnelly crest. The very crest which was embossed on the sword, which only meant one thing. The man in front of him was no one but the Laird O’Donnelly. Keira’s father. Christian noticed the wound on his abdomen along with the sword fallen beside him, showing how he had been murdered by someone he had been fighting.Who could the laird have been fighting?None of it made any sense to Christian, yet his worry kept growing because Keira was still nowhere to be found.
“He will go with us,” Christian motioned towards the laird’s body, his heart breaking at the prospect of telling Keira about her father’s death. He would need to write letters to Astrid and Aiden as well, but that could only be done once Keira was found.Where are ye, my fox?
“Who is he, me laird?” a soldier asked him.
“Laird O’Donnelly.”
“Lady Keira’s father?” the soldier asked again, clearly stunned at my reply.
“Yes.”
They searched the entire area for the next few hours, but Keira was nowhere to be found. Christian did not understand where she could have gone unless she had been taken by someone. He knew she would never disappear on her own account, as clearly, there was an entire planning behind it. If he could kill someone right now, he would. He had never been angrier. He needed to find Keira as soon as possible.
He knew searching the area would be pointless anymore, and he needed to return home. A few of his soldiers had already taken Josh and Laird O’Donnelly’s body back to the castle, and Christian knew he would need to arrange for funeral rites. He never wanted to do without, Keira but she was nowhere to be found, and this was worrying enough as it is.
“Me laird!” Harriet was waiting for him the moment he arrived back at the castle.
“Did somethin’ arrive for me?” he asked her, but she shook her head.
“Nothing. The soldiers arrived with Josh, and what they told me was Laird O’Donnelly’s body,” she said, her face pale. “Lady Keira’s faither.”
“Yes, I do nae ken who killed him, but he has been murdered, and we found Josh unconscious,” Christian sighed, trying his best to mask his worry.
“And Lady Keira? She was nowhere?”
“Nay,” Christian replied, pain gripping his chest. The mere fact that Keira could be in danger right now or perhaps extremely hurt was enough to cause him worry, but he was entirely helpless until he knew where she was. He needed to know as soon as possible since he could not stay a single day without her.
“Where could she be?” Harriet asked, appearing just as worried.
“I will find her, Harriet,” he replied. “Is Josh awake?”
“He is drifting in and out of consciousness,” she replied, “the physician said the wound on his head is extremely deep, and he is glad to be alive.”
