Chapter Thirty-Two
Taskill
Taskill brought the boat ashore, surprised to see he had been correct. Sheona sat on a nearby boulder, a smile on her face. “Sheona? Are you hale?”
“I’m fine, Taskill. But why are you here? I’m glad to see you, but I’m confused. Were you headed to Ionaland or the nunnery?”
“I came for you, Sheona. I headed to the nunnery, but the sea current brought me here. A storm is brewing, and I just wished to get on land.”
“Is there a problem somewhere? Why did you come?”
He settled the boat, then strode over to where she sat, taking a seat next to her.
He’d forgotten how beautiful she was. Her hair was plaited, but the wind had pulled a good many of the silky strands out of their binding and they formed a halo around her face.
Her green eyes glittered with hope instead of the fear he’d seen there so often.
“I came to see you. I was worried about you. Do you like it here?”
“Aye, it’s beautiful, and I’ve made two friends whom I really like.”
“So, do you think you wish to be a nun? Will you take your vows?”
She shook her head. “Nay. I am not interested in becoming a nun, but it’s been good to be away from home, especially with all that happened, but now I’m ready to go back. My sire will be here in a few days.”
Taskill took a deep breath, then took Sheona’s hand in his, pleased that she didn’t pull away. “That’s why I’m here. Your sire and my mother are missing.”
She bolted to her feet and stared at him, confusion dancing across her features. “Missing? My sire is missing? What do you mean?”
He stood and placed his hands on her shoulders.
“He was last seen at our holding. He headed straight inside and demanded to speak to my mother. The two went into the solar because he was verra upset about you. Said he needed help with you. No one has seen them since. No horses are missing, so we’re all a bit confused.
We’re assuming they are together. Lennox and Sloan were heading out to the MacQuaries to check if they’d visited there, and I headed to Ionaland to make sure you were hale.
Have they been to visit you? Either one or both? ”
“Nay. I just came from the nunnery. We’ve had no visits. Taskill, we have to search for them.”
Taskill was taken aback. “Search for them? You and me?”
“Aye. We can take the boat back to Mull and search everywhere. My father is missing, and we must find him. Don’t you feel the same about your mother?”
“Aye and nay. I’d like to find them, but there’s a storm brewing, and I think it best to wait until it has passed. On the morrow would be a better time to search for them. It’s too dark, and the winds are coming up now, and you know how they make the seas wild.”
She pointed toward Mull. “But look. There are no waves yet. The sea was calm as could be a wee bit ago. I think we have time.”
Taskill rubbed his jaw, staring at the small waves, yet something inside him wished to please Sheona.
“I don’t care to be caught on the water when a thunderstorm breaks, drenching rain pounding down as the thunder rumbles all around us.
That could be deadly, Sheona. We’ll have to wait it out until the morrow, lass. ”
“Nay, I cannot wait. Please, Taskill.” She grabbed his arm, squeezing it. “Take me away from this isle now. We can beat the storm. It won’t be here for a couple of hours. I have to leave here now. You don’t understand.” The way her breathing increased, he knew this was about more than her sire.
His gaze locked on hers. Something else was afoot, though he couldn’t guess what it was.
But he had to give her the chance to come to the right conclusion.
Even Sheona knew what it was like to be on rough waters.
“Sheona, to leave now would be dangerous. You’re experienced enough as a boater to know that.
The journey back to MacClane’s could be treacherous at best.”
“But …” She teared up.
And that was like a fist to his gut. He hated when lasses cried. “What’s wrong, Sheona?”
She locked her arms across her chest. “Taskill, someone else is after me. Two men came last eve for me, but my friend frightened them away. She heard them discuss returning either this eve or tomorrow eve. I have to get away. I cannot put anyone here at risk. Please help me.”
A fury Taskill could not tamp down rose inside him and his words came out with a tougher edge than he intended. “Who? Who came for you?” He thought of Tora saying that bad men were after Sheona. These were the men she referred to. Tora had been right.
Sheona’s gaze jumped from her feet to something behind him to the dark sky above and back to her feet.
He took her hand in his and said, “Who, Sheona? I need to know.”
Her gaze lifted to his and she whispered a name, “Clyde. Clyde and someone else. He’s one of our …”
“I know who the hell that bastard is. He needs a lesson.” While he knew she could see him unclenching and clenching his fists repeatedly, he couldn’t stop himself.
He pictured that fist knocking two of the arse’s teeth out.
But then reason stopped him. “How do you know it was Clyde? Did you see him? Who is his partner?”
“I didn’t see him. My friend did, said there were two of them, but she couldn’t identify him as Clyde.”
“Then how do you know?”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “Have you met a wee lass named Lia?”
“Aye,” he whispered, a bad feeling coming over him like a death shroud. “She’s an angel. Can tell what’s going to happen. What exactly did she tell you, Sheona? Exactly?”
“She said Clyde was coming for me and that I should go with you when you arrived.”
That was good enough for him.
“Get in the boat. We’re leaving, rough waves or not.”
No one argued with Lia.