Chapter 21
“And that one there,” Elijah said, pointing to a particularly bright star low on the horizon. “That’s Venus. Nae actually a star at all, but a planet. The Romans named it after their goddess of love and beauty because it’s the brightest object in the night sky besides the moon.”
Connor had fallen asleep against his chest, breathing softly and evenly. Masie was still awake, though her questions had grown less frequent. And Piper—
Elijah glanced at her and found her watching him with an expression that made something in his chest tighten. Soft. Warm. Almost tender.
“This was a good idea,” he said quietly, so as not to wake Connor. “Thank ye for planning it.”
A twig snapped behind them.
Elijah's head whipped around, instincts screaming danger, but he was too late. A man lunged from the treeline, and grabbed Piper from behind, one arm locking around her waist as he yanked her backward. She screamed as cold steel pressed against her throat.
"Nobody move!" the man snarled.
Elijah was on his feet in an instant, sword half-drawn, positioning himself between the attacker and his children. Connor scrambled behind him with a frightened cry, and Masie grabbed her brother, pulling him close.
Four more men emerged from the shadows of the forest—rough-looking, armed, moving with the confidence of people who'd done this before. They'd been surrounded without even knowing it, too distracted by the stars and the rare moment of peace.
Elijah's heart leapt into his throat. He'd been a fool. Let his guard down. And now Piper was paying the price.
Declan and the other guard drew their weapons, but they were outnumbered, and the knife at Piper's throat kept them all frozen.
“Nobody move!” the man holding Piper shouted. His voice was rough, uneducated. A mercenary or brigand. “Nobody even think about movin’, or I’ll open her throat right here!”
Elijah’s blood turned to ice. Not again. This couldn’t be happening again.
Declan and Harris were already moving, positioning themselves between the attackers and the children. Elijah joined them, creating a wall of protection even as his eyes stayed locked on Piper.
She was struggling, her hands clawing at the arm around her waist, but the man holding her just tightened his grip.
“Let her go,” Elijah said, his voice deadly calm despite the panic screaming through his veins. “Let her go now, and I’ll let ye walk away.”
“I daenae think so,” the man said, already backing toward the trees.
“This lass is our insurance. Our ticket to a very nice payday. So, here’s what’s goin’ to happen.
Ye’re goin’ to stay right where ye are, and we’re goin’ to leave with her.
And if ye try to follow us, if ye try anythin’ at all, I’ll slit her throat. Understand?”
“Ye’ll never make it off me lands,” Elijah growled.
“We’ll take our chances.” The man was still backing up, dragging Piper with him. The other four men formed a protective circle around them. “Now, like I said, daenae follow, or the lass dies.”
“Elijah—” Piper’s voice was strangled, terrified.
“I’ve got ye, lass,” Elijah said, forcing his voice to stay calm even though everything in him was screaming. “I promise. I’ve got ye.”
Nae like Catherine. I willnae fail. Nae this time. Nae when I…
The thought completed itself with brutal clarity.
Nae when I love her.
The realization should have shocked him. Should have made him stumble, lose focus. But instead, it crystallized everything. Made his purpose absolutely clear.
He loved Piper Armstrong.
Loved her courage, her kindness, and her fierce determination to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves. Loved the way she challenged him and made him want to be better. Loved her soft curves, sharp tongue, and the way she looked at his children as if they hung the moon.
And he would die before he let anything happen to her.
“Da?” Connor’s voice was small, terrified. “What’s happenin’? Why are those men takin’ Miss Armstrong?”
“Hush, lad,” Elijah said, not taking his eyes off Piper. “Harris, get the children back to the castle. Now.”
“But me laird—” Harris started.
“That’s an order!” Elijah’s voice cracked like a whip. “Get them to safety. Go!”
“Nay!” Masie’s voice rose. “We’re nae leavin’ ye!”
“Ye are,” Elijah said firmly. “Harris, take them. By force if necessary.”
The man laughed—the one holding Piper. “Look at that. The mighty Laird, sendin’ away his protection. How touchin’.”
“I daenae need protection to deal with the likes of ye,” Elijah said coldly.
“We’ll see about that.” The man was at the edge of the clearing now, his companions backing up with him. “Remember, follow us, and the lass dies. Stay here like a good laird, and maybe—maybe—we’ll let ye see her again. After ye’ve paid what we’re askin’, of course.”
“How much?” Elijah demanded. He had to keep them talking. Keep them distracted while Harris took the children away.
“Oh, we’ll discuss terms once we’re somewhere safe. Somewhere ye cannae just attack us.” The man grinned, his teeth yellow in the moonlight. “Come on, lads. Let’s go.”
They disappeared into the trees, Piper’s muffled cries fading into the darkness.
Connor was crying now, clutching at Elijah’s shirt. “Da, please! We have to help her! We have to save her.”
“We will help her,” Elijah said, gently but firmly prying Connor’s hands away. “But first, ye need to be safe. Both of ye. Harris—”
“Aye, me laird.” Harris moved forward, trying to take Connor’s hand.
“Nay!” Connor pulled away. “I’m nae leavin’! Miss Armstrong needs us!”
“And Miss Armstrong would want ye safe,” Elijah said, kneeling down to meet Connor’s eyes. “She’d want ye both back at the castle, behind walls, where nothin’ can hurt ye. Can ye do that for her? Can ye be brave and go with Harris?”
“But—” Connor’s face crumpled.
“I’ll bring her back,” Elijah promised. “I swear it on me life, lad. I’ll bring her back.”
“Ye promise?” Connor’s voice was tiny.
“I promise.”
Masie stepped forward then, her face pale but composed. “Come on, Connor. Let’s go. Da needs to do what he does best.”
“What’s that?” Connor hiccupped.
“Protect people.” Masie’s eyes met Elijah’s, and there was something in them—trust, maybe. Or hope. “Right, Da?”
“Right,” Elijah said, his throat tight. “Now go. Please.”
Harris finally got both children moving, leading them back toward the castle. Connor kept looking back, his face streaked with tears, but he went.
The moment they were out of sight, Elijah turned to Declan.
“We track them. We get Piper back.” His voice was pure steel. “And we make sure they regret ever touchin’ what’s mine.”
“Aye.” Declan’s hand went to his sword. “What’s the plan?”
“We follow. Stay quiet. See where they’re takin’ her and who they’re workin’ with. Because this wasnae random.” Elijah was already moving toward the trees, scanning for signs. “This was planned. Someone kent we’d be here tonight.”
“Ye think—”
“I think her parents are involved. Has to be. Who else would ken to target her specifically?” Elijah found a broken branch, a scuff mark in the dirt. “There. They went this way.”
They moved through the forest like ghosts, using every skill they’d learned from years of hunting and warfare. The trail was clear, too clear, really. The kidnappers were moving fast, careless in their haste.
“They’re confident,” Declan murmured. “Think they’ve already won.”
“They’re wrong,” Elijah said flatly.
The trail led deeper into the woods, away from the castle and the village. Smart, they were putting distance between themselves and help. But they were also making noise, leaving signs that anyone with even the most basic tracking skills could follow.
After about fifteen minutes, Elijah heard voices ahead. He motioned for Declan to stop, to stay silent, and crept forward until he could see into a small clearing.
Piper was there, still held by the same man. But now two other people had joined them, and Elijah’s suspicions were confirmed.
Findlay and Paisley Armstrong.
Rage, white-hot and absolute, flooded through Elijah. But he forced himself to stay hidden, to observe. To understand the full scope of what he was dealing with before he acted.
“Ye did well,” Paisley was saying, circling Piper like a predator. “Very well indeed. The Laird will pay handsomely to get his precious governess back.”
“Ye think so?” the man holding Piper asked. “She seems like just a servant to me.”
“Oh, she’s much more than that,” Findlay said with an ugly grin. “Ye should have seen the way he looked at her. The way he defended her. That’s nae just a master protectin’ a servant. That’s a man protectin’ somethin’ he values.”
“Somethin’ he wants,” Paisley added. “Maybe even somethin’ he’s already had, if ye ken me meanin’.”
“Ye’re lyin’,” Piper gasped out. “Elijah would never… We never did any of that.”
“Does it matter?” Paisley pulled a knife from her belt, smaller than the one the mercenary held, but just as deadly. “All that matters is that the Laird thinks ye’re valuable enough to pay for. And he will pay. He’ll pay whatever we ask, because men like him—men with honor and duty—they always do.”
“How much are we askin’?” one of the other mercenaries asked.
“Ten thousand pounds,” Findlay said. “Per year. For the rest of his life.”
Beside Elijah, Declan let out a barely audible sound of disbelief. “They must be mad,” he breathed. “Ten thousand pounds a year? That’s… that’s insane. Nay one would agree to that.”
But Elijah was barely listening. He was calculating. Five armed men plus Piper’s parents. Piper in the center, vulnerable. At least two knives that he could see, probably more weapons he couldn’t.
He needed to separate Piper from her captors. Needed to create chaos, confusion. Needed—
“Ye’re insane,” Piper said, echoing Declan’s assessment. “He’ll never pay that. It’s ridiculous.”
“We’re desperate,” Findlay corrected. “There’s a difference. And desperate people do desperate things.”
“Like sell their daughter?” Piper’s voice shook with rage. “Like hire men to kidnap her? Like threaten to kill her if ye daenae get yer blood money?”
“Ye always were dramatic,” Paisley said dismissively. “Always actin’ like we were the villains in yer little story. But we’re just parents tryin’ to survive. Tryin’ to make ends meet.”
“By gamblin’ away every coin ye had!”
“By tryin’ to better our situation!” Findlay’s face flushed red. “But ye never understood that, did ye? Never understood the risks we took, the chances we gave up, all to try and provide for ye!”
“Provide for me?” Piper let out a laugh that sounded half-mad. “Ye never provided anythin’ except pain! Ye beat me! Starved me! Took every coin I earned and spent it on yer addictions! And now, now ye’ve stooped to this? To kidnappin’ and extortion?”
“We wouldnae have to if ye’d just helped us like a good daughter should!” Paisley stepped closer, her knife gleaming. “If ye’d just given us some of those wages ye’re earnin’ fron the Laird, if ye’d just showed a little loyalty to the people who raised ye.”
“Raised me?” Piper’s voice rose. “Ye dinnae raise me! Ye tortured me! And the only person who ever showed me kindness, who ever made me feel like I was worth somethin’, is dead! She died ten years ago, and I’ve been alone ever since!”
“Stop bein’ so dramatic,” Findlay snapped.
“I’m nae bein’ dramatic! I’m bein’ honest for the first time in me life!
” Piper was shaking now, but her voice grew stronger.
“Ye want to ken the truth? I hate ye. Both of ye. I’ve hated ye since I was old enough to understand what ye were doin’ to me.
And I’ll never, never, give ye another moment of me time or another coin of me money. I’d rather die!”
“That can be arranged,” Paisley said coldly, raising her knife.
“Then do it,” Piper challenged. “Go ahead. Kill me. Because I’m nae givin’ ye what ye want. Nae now. Nae ever. I’m done. Do ye hear me? I’m done!”
“Shut yer mouth!” Findlay moved forward, his hand raised.
But before he could reach Piper, before Paisley could bring her knife down—
A hand shot out of the darkness and grabbed Paisley’s wrist with brutal force.
Elijah had seen enough. Had heard enough. The moment Paisley raised that knife, the moment she threatened to actually harm Piper, his control shattered.
He burst from his hiding place, moving with the deadly speed of a trained warrior. His hand caught Paisley’s wrist, twisting it viciously until she dropped the knife with a shriek of pain.
“Get yer hands off of what’s mine,” Elijah growled, his voice deadly quiet.
The clearing exploded into chaos.
The mercenaries reached for their weapons. Declan burst from the trees, engaging the two nearest men. And Piper—brave, beautiful, furious Piper—threw her head back hard, connecting with her captor’s nose.
The man howled, and his grip loosened. Piper wrenched herself free and stumbled toward Elijah.
But Paisley recovered faster than expected. She dove for her fallen knife, her face twisted with desperate rage.
And brought it up in a vicious arc—
Aimed straight at Piper’s unprotected face.