Chapter 8
Here to Collect
Ken
“Da has to be rolling in his grave,” Ewan grumbles from beside me as we sit in one of the rooms at the property we own next door to Archie’s home, watching from the camera placed in his home just for this view.
I always knew this place would come in handy. It had become necessary to keep an eye on my older brother. Although it pains me that I haven’t kept a closer eye.
As the second oldest, my father had always tasked me with protecting my brothers and sister. Archie’s eejit arse included. The lad needs protecting from himself. It is with a heavy heart I sit here to watch this.
“Aye, no doubt he is. How did I allow this?”
“Och, this isn’t on ye. It was all our mistake. Ian tried to warn us all a long time ago.”
I release a heavy breath through my nose and purse my lips. Ian Black did indeed warn us of our brother’s disloyalty. Our father knew … I have been the one in denial and now it has cost us all greatly.
“He’s my older brother. I didn’t want to believe it. I knew he could be an eejit, but I didn’t ken he would harm his own kin.”
“Dinnae fash yersel, ye have been the best brother ye can. Archie has been a bampot since he was a wee lad.”
I grunt and shake my head. A crazy person is an understatement when speaking of the oldest of our siblings. As of late, I have wished that I had allowed him to fall into that well when we were young lads.
“He’s on his way,” I mutter as I get a message that our brother is not that far from home.
Ewan and I agreed we wanted to be here to make sure this is done and couldn’t be traced back to us or Helen. The repercussions of what we are allowing could come back to haunt us someday.
Our people could turn their backs on us, and we’d lose the centuries of power we hold here in Scotland. We’re good to our clan, but their loyalty to the McDougal name wouldn’t allow them to understand what we have done without the evidence we are lacking.
Duncan is on board, but he wanted no part of this. As the second oldest, I couldn’t leave this to rest on Ewan’s shoulders alone. Archie brought this on himself, but it needs to happen.
None of us is safe as long as he remains breathing. He’s power hungry and willing to go to great lengths to get to the power he seeks. At the moment, I’m probably next on his list.
With Da and O’Shea gone and the missing will, there’s no one in his way, but I still challenge him when he gets out of line. It’s only a matter of time. I know in my gut he’s behind our da’s death.
Finlay Black was able to confirm our brother’s involvement. This was all Archie’s doing. His own sister’s child—our baby sister. Angus was a good lad. He did everything asked of him.
“This is it,” Ewan says as he nods his head toward the screen.
I grunt and lock in on the feed. Archie appears, and Helen comes from the shadows. Our brother pulls his gun, but Helen is quick.
She disarms him in the blink of an eye. It happens so fast, I slide to the edge of my seat as if that will allow me to observe more closely.
Helen takes his gun, incapacitates our brother, then releases the clip and the one in the chamber, before tossing the useless weapon aside. Archie is on his knees, holding his throat as his chest heaves.
Our nephew’s wife is a short but curvy woman. Our brother is six-three in height and a big lad at that. Helen has dropped the big Scot to her mercy in a single breath.
However, Archie does manage to get back to his feet. I tilt my head to the side and Helen stands there looking up at him through her lashes. She’s swaying as if there is music playing, but there is none.
“This was a mistake,” I breathe.
“Och, ye are wrong. Just watch,” Ewan mutters.
Archie goes to throw a punch, but Helen reaches up in the slightest motion and guides his hand from the path of her face. It happens so fast. His arm floats right by her head and his momentum brings him into her reach.
She then reaches for his face and tosses him on his back. Archie hits the floor, and Helen puts her heavy black boot in his chest. Then another kick to his face.
I think she’s going to go for the kill from there. However, she backs off and allows him to get back to his feet. This time, Archie makes sure to stay out of her reach, keeping a greater distance between them.
“Fuck,” I growl when he lands a punch, and blood begins to pour from her nose.
I stand ready to head over there and end this myself. Archie has to die. Helen has been dormant for eighteen years; maybe this job isn’t for her.
“Och, brother. She’s toying with him. Take yer seat,” Ewan says with a hint of amusement in his voice.
I note the grin on Helen’s face and nod. Reclaiming my seat, I watch on. Helen runs her hand under her nose and shrugs her shoulders as if it’s no big deal. The move is small and unassuming to the casual onlooker.
However, I know better. This is one of Ian’s prizes. Archie begins to look more confident and closes some of the gap between them.
“Eejit,” I bite out.
He doesn’t see that she’s just baited him. He moves in with his new confidence and Helen strikes. Reaching behind her back, she pulls two blades.
This time, when he throws a punch, she does as she did before. She uses his weight and momentum to move him around. Using her closed palm around the hilt of her blade, she grabs the back of his neck and drives her elbow into his face, busting his face wide open with the impact.
With the same arm she used to elbow him, she brings one of her blades across his face, causing more blood to flow while Arch tries to stumble back away from her. However, Helen doesn’t allow his retreat this time.
She still has control of his head from behind. From the looks of it, she has him by the hair even though she’s holding her knife. Bringing up the same arm she struck and slashed him with, she grasps his face while still holding the knife.
She then steps behind his legs and forces his body back until he drops back toward the ground, slicing his throat on his way down. I close my eyes and take the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
My brother is gone. He has paid.
“That was for Da and Angus,” Ewan says, causing me to open my eyes.
“Aye. She showed him mercy.”
“Och, I dinnae ken that was for him. She showed mercy because we are watching.”
“Aye, I ken ye are right.”