Chapter 18 Don’t Let Him Die
Don't Let Him Die
The kerfuffle dragged Suzie to the keyhole.
Had Niall found her, or was something else happening?
Dang, they’d built these walls thick. Someone was shouting or cursing.
It was difficult to hear the actual words.
Stumped, she returned to the lone seat and sat.
That lasted for three seconds because the restless energy pulsing through her veins forced her to jump to her feet.
Edgy and conflicted, she paced the room, unable to fashion an escape plan.
Euan and Colin were immense and robust in their human forms. While she was fast, she doubted she’d dart past the two of them and make it outside without recapture. She knew nothing of the building’s layout—a considerable disadvantage when trying to flee.
Hearing a loud crash, she froze, then stared at the door, almost as if she could see through it. What was happening out there?
Suzie searched for a makeshift weapon. She could always hit her captors with one of the many moldy books.
She was a decent bowler when they played backyard cricket at home.
Suzie gathered and placed the discarded books on a rickety coffee table.
And none too soon. The key rattled in the lock, and someone flung the door open.
Suzie hurled the first book before she second-guessed herself.
Colin released a grunt. “Stop that.”
Suzie tossed the next book and gasped when it struck Niall in the face. A silent, unresponsive Niall. Pages fell from the binding, thumping onto the floor.
Colin bared his teeth as he dropped Niall, stepped back, and slammed the door. Seconds later, the key turned.
Suzie raced to Niall’s side. He hadn’t moved, hadn’t so much as twitched when he struck the floor.
She fumbled to check his pulse, her fingers trembling as she placed them on the side of his neck.
Relief hit her with a whoosh. He had a heartbeat, and now that her panic had receded, she could see the steady rise of his chest. But the blood.
It trickled down his cheek. A book shouldn’t have caused that type of damage.
With careful fingers, she turned his head.
On the right side, blood matted his hair, and she gingerly touched the area.
He didn’t flinch, but her fingers came away red.
Someone else had struck him on the head. His brothers?
Colin was usually talkative, even if it was annoying. He’d seemed angry when he dumped Niall in the room with her. Angry at Niall for coming to get her or for another reason?
The key turned, and the door opened.
It was Colin again. He flung a stack of cloth at her. “Look after him. We don’t want him to die.”
“Then you shouldn’t have hit him,” Suzie snapped. “Call a doctor. You shouldn’t mess around with head wounds.”
“No doctor. Euan and I don’t have any shifter contacts. You’ll have to do your best.”
“Wait. What’s going on?” Suzie asked.
“A major clusterfuck,” Colin snarled and slammed the door in her face.
“Well, that was helpful.” Suzie gathered the fabric strips he’d tossed in her direction.
She wondered what had Colin’s knickers in a twist. What had gone wrong with their planning?
Niall wouldn’t give them money because he wasn’t a stupid man.
He understood they’d keep coming back. They’d gamble away everything they had and keep going if he enabled them. Niall would never get rid of them.
Shouting came from behind the door, followed by a bear-like growl.
While there weren’t any near neighbors, someone might hear and call the police if they continued with that racket.
Suzie stood to retrieve the water bottle she’d discovered in the room.
She moistened the cloth and cleaned the cut on Niall’s head.
From what she’d heard, head wounds bled a lot, but surely the bleeding should’ve slowed, given Niall’s shifter status.
She turned another cloth strip into a pad and pressed it against the wound. That might help to slow or stop the bleeding. He’d created quite a puddle.
The shouts continued, combined with a crash or two. Loud footsteps came closer, and she tensed as the scrape of a key signaled someone was incoming.
Euan stood in the doorway. From her spot on the floor beside Niall, she observed another man standing in the shadows.
He was keeping to the background, but she suspected he might be the one pulling their strings.
She scooted a few inches away from Niall, trying to see the stranger’s face.
He retreated before she got a clear view.
The man wasn’t overly large, nor was he short.
He wore black trousers and a button-down shirt rather than the T-shirts Niall’s brothers sported.
Euan shut the door and locked it at a curt order from the man.
Frowning, Suzie returned to Niall’s side.
His breathing was even, and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, but she didn’t like the paleness of his face.
As a shifter, he should heal rapidly. All she could do was make him comfortable while hoping he’d regain consciousness soon.
Sighing, Suzie curled beside Niall, sharing her body heat with him. She tried to make a plan and discarded every idea that came to her as unworkable. She must’ve fallen asleep because she jolted awake when a big hand grasped her shoulder.
“Shush, lass. It’s me,” Niall said. “Are you all right? Did they hurt you?”
“I’m fine.” The tension seeped out of Suzie, and she pushed to a sitting position, every muscle protesting. “How is your head?”
“I have a low-grade headache,” Niall said.
“What’s the time?”
Niall checked his watch. “Almost three. I heard voices outside.”
“Your brothers?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Niall? Suzie?” a familiar masculine voice shouted.
“You can’t go in there, sir. Wait outside,” another man said, annoyance simmering in his tone.
“That sounds like Scott and Liam.” Suzie climbed to her feet and groaned. “Remind me not to sleep on the floor again.”
“It’s not so bad,” Niall said, rising with a grimace. “I woke with you pressed to my side. I can think of worse ways to wake.”
“Silver tongue.”
“Hello. Is anyone here?” a man called.
“We’re here,” Niall said in a calm voice. “We’re locked in.”
“There’s no key,” came the reply.
“Bastards took it with them,” Suzie said. “Just wait until I see your brothers again. I’ll knock their heads together.”
“We’ll have to catch them first,” Niall said, “but I’ll hold them for you when we do.”
Pleasure poured through Suzie, and she fluttered her lashes, knowing he’d see even in the low light. “Thank you. I can’t wait.”
“Stand back,” the man said. “We’ll break down the door.”
She and Niall retreated. A loud thump came, followed by a swift curse.
“Where is Evans?” the man demanded.
More voices came, then a crash. The wood split and the lock creaked before the door burst open. A large man in a police uniform filled the entrance, and Suzie got a whiff of wolf shifter before he stood back and allowed others to enter.
“Mr. Sinclair and Ms. Paisley?” a plain-clothes policeman asked.
“Yes,” Niall said.
“Are you injured?” the wolf shifter asked. He must’ve smelled the blood.
“They hit Niall over the head,” Suzie said. “It’s stopped bleeding now, but he should probably get it looked at.”
“All right. Evans, you have first-aid training. You look at Mr. Sinclair’s head while I interview Ms. Paisley. The other room has better light and chairs.”
The policeman asked his questions, and Suzie talked more than usual because she saw Evans speaking to Niall in a low voice. Since he was a shifter, it was best if Niall talked to him.
“Did you recognize anyone?” the policeman asked Suzie.
“Yes,” Niall said, limping over to join them. “Two of my brothers—Euan and Colin. There was someone else. The man’s voice struck a chord, but I can’t connect it to a face. I saw only legs while on the floor. The man kept to the background.”
“Yeah, that’s what I saw,” Suzie said. “He wore black trousers. Black shoes. He kept out of sight, which tells me he was worried one of us might recognize him.”
“We have your brothers in custody. Do you want to press charges?” the policeman asked.
“Yes,” Niall said without hesitation. “I got the impression they might be in the country illegally. I want Euan and Colin out of the UK. They should stay far away from me.”
“Let us do our job,” the policeman said, his eyes narrowing as he took in Niall’s flinty expression. “Don’t do anything silly.”
Suzie rose and sidled closer to Niall. She placed her hand on his forearm in silent comfort. “Can we go home soon? It’s been a harrowing day. I want to shower and retire.”
“We have your statements and contact details,” the policeman said. “Do you have someone to drop you home?”
“I’ll call—” Niall started.
A voice hailed from down the passage. Scott.
“That sounds like my friend. He’ll give us a ride home,” Suzie said.
Neither she nor Niall spoke until they were traveling to the castle with Liam driving.
“I hope we did the right thing—getting the police involved,” Scott said. “It was that or call Angus.”
“You made the proper choice,” Niall said. “My brothers deserve everything they have coming to them.” He fell silent.
Suzie felt the tension quivering through his muscles.
Her brother and sisters, although they were younger than her, would do anything to help her.
They’d never knife her in the back, just as she’d never betray them.
Did they argue? Sure. They were stubborn and liked to win, but they’d never hurt each other.
“Did you watch the building while waiting for the police to arrive?” Niall asked.
“Yes,” Liam said. “I watched the front while Scott did the rear. No one approached or went inside.”
“I didn’t see anyone apart from one guy walking along the forest path that goes along the rear of the building. By the time I’d finished talking to the kids, he’d disappeared, so I think he was an innocent passerby,” Scott said.