Chapter 29 #2
Sunny felt Madelyn’s shiver from where she sat.
She understood that, actually. She didn’t care who was following her, friend or foe; there was no way in hell she was staying anywhere near that creepy ruin of a castle.
She gunned Patrick’s car, sending gravel spewing behind her, and swerved back out onto the road, narrowly missing cutting off someone coming down the road south as well.
She checked her mirrors for a bit, then relaxed when she found they weren’t being followed.
Or she did until the gray car passed that southbound red Ford and took up its place behind her again.
“I think I should have listened to Cameron.” She quickly shot her sister a look. “Don’t tell him I said that.”
“I won’t,” Madelyn said, wide-eyed. “What’s wrong? Is it that gray car behind us?”
“I thought it might have been one of Cameron’s guys, but now I’m not so sure. Let’s call Patrick and see what he thinks. Maybe it’s someone he knows.”
Madelyn was already digging her phone out of her purse.
She called her husband, talked to him for a minute, then hung up.
“He’s doesn’t have anyone following us—and he can’t believe we’re not at home in front of the fire.
He’s turning around, but said he’d passed Cameron heading home about half an hour ago.
He thinks Cameron will get to us first and told me to call him and tell him where we were. Patrick will meet us at home.”
“Does he think I’m crazy?”
“No, Sunny,” she said nervously. “He doesn’t.”
Sunny took a deep breath. “I think I’d rather have Patrick come rescue us. Cameron’s not going to be happy with me.” She blinked. “He’s supposed to be in London. I wonder why he’s home?”
“Maybe he had a feeling,” Madelyn offered. “It’s that bad-guy antenna they all have. She frowned. “Why don’t you have one? You would think with all that woo-woo business you have going on you’d be better at keeping us out of trouble than you are.”
“You would think,” Sunny muttered. She took a deep, steadying breath, then looked briefly at her sister. “Well? Are you going to call Cameron?”
“Don’t you want to?”
“I’m driving.”
“You’re a coward.”
“Whatever.”
Madelyn laughed a little uneasily, then pulled the shocking pink phone out of the glove box. It started ringing before she could dial. She looked at the number, then swallowed uneasily. “Oh, look. It’s Cameron. Obviously for you.”
“I’m still driving.”
Madelyn muttered something no doubt quite uncomplimentary under her breath, then gingerly held the phone to her ear and answered.
She didn’t immediately drop the phone and Sunny didn’t hear any shouting, so she supposed she was safe enough for the moment. Her sister finished her conversation, then set the phone down on the dashboard.
“Did you hang up?” Sunny asked.
“He asked me not to,” Madelyn said. “He also said something about meeting you in the lists to settle your difference of opinion about what you should be doing when he’s not five feet from you.”
“I’ll just bet he did,” Sunny managed.
“He thinks he’ll be to us in about fifteen minutes and said to just keep driving. He’ll follow us home where you’ll have the choice between rapiers and broadswords. I suggest throwing your arms around his neck and kissing him before he has the chance to think too much about either.”
Sunny managed a smile. “He’s a prince.”
“He is,” Madelyn agreed. “I think he’s trying to instill a sense of confidence in us. I also think he’s going to yell at you later. Again, jump right into the kissing. Works every time.”
“Is this experience speaking?”
“Nah,” Madelyn said easily, “Pat never yells; it’s just an excuse. Then again, I never get into any scrapes with spooky old hags masquerading as herb shop owners. That’s your domain, Sis.”
Sunny wished it wasn’t. She continued to watch the guy behind her, but nothing changed and his car didn’t look any more friendly than it had earlier.
“How long has it been?” Sunny asked an eternity later, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.
“Fifteen minutes.”
Sunny squeaked as a black rocket flew past her going the other way.
She held on to the wheel tightly and tried not to look in her rearview mirror.
She wasn’t completely successful. She jumped a little when a low-slung black sports car passed the gray car and pulled in about eight inches behind her back bumper.
Cameron immediately slowed down, forcing the car behind him to slow as well.
Sunny would have waved, but she didn’t dare take her hands off the wheel. She took a deep breath.
“I feel like I’m in a bad movie. Things like this don’t happen to me.”
“Have you been thinking unkind thoughts?” Madelyn asked weakly. “Brewing up nasty potions? Is it karma, coming back to bite you in the behind?”
“I’d have to give that some thought.”
Madelyn reached over and squeezed her hand on the steering wheel. “You do that. And don’t miss the turn. I’m ready to be home.”
Sunny was as well. She took the turnoff for the village, then watched as Cameron followed her.
The gray car continued on as if it had had no business with them at all.
Sunny almost picked the phone up to ask Cameron if he didn’t intend to keep following the guy, but she supposed Derrick or one of his other lads would do that.
Then again, maybe she’d let her imagination get the better of her and it was all just an unhappy coincidence.
It was possible the driver of that car had pulled over to check a map while she’d been getting gas.
It was possible he’d been in a hurry and that was why he’d followed her so closely.
It was possible she was becoming just as paranoid as Cameron was.
It took her only another twenty more minutes to reach Patrick’s courtyard.
She stopped in front of the garage and turned the car off.
She put her hands over her face and shook.
The next time, she would leave Madelyn at home.
If something nasty happened, at least it would happen to just her.
Then she would only have Cameron scowling at her, not Cameron and Patrick both.
Before she had a chance to think about that too long, her door was jerked open, her seat belt unbuckled, and she was pulled bodily out of the car and set on her feet. She didn’t even have a chance to squeak before Cameron had hauled her into his arms.
“I’m not going to say anything,” he said grimly.
“You don’t have to,” she managed, shivering as she threw her arms around his neck. “We did find a suspicious herb shop up north, though—”
He pulled back and looked at her with his mouth open, then he shut his mouth and pulled her back against him. “Sunny . . .” He had to take a deep breath or two. “Never mind.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “It was stupid to go and even stupider to take Maddy and the baby.”
“Aye, it was,” he said without hesitation.
She closed her eyes and forced herself to relax. It helped to have Cameron’s arms around her. He was warm, solid, and holding her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. She felt safe for the first time since she’d left him behind at the airport in London the day before.
“I’m just the innocent witch up the way,” she managed finally. “Now look at me. Car chases. Muggings. Not being a mistress to a man in a pricey black sports car.”
He laughed, then bent his head and sought her mouth with his. He finally lifted his head and smiled down at her. “We’ll have supper at Moraig’s tonight and you’ll feel more yourself. For now, let’s go inside and you can tell me what you saw.”
“I will, but first tell me why you’re home. I thought you would be in London for a bit.”
“I missed you,” he said simply.
She smiled. “You didn’t.”
“I did. I’ll tell you about it in great detail once I get past your brother-in-law. Look, here he comes screaming into his courtyard. I’m not sure who he’ll want to kill first: you or me.”
She looked at him sickly. “I wish I could laugh about that.”
He hugged her tightly. “We’ve all ventured where we shouldn’t have at one point or another, secure in our ability to survive anything.”
“You?” she asked skeptically. “Surely not.”
“I’ll tell you about that singular occurrence later. I imagine Patrick has quite a few more ill-advised adventures to recount than I do. We’ll ask him for a list. I’m sure ’twill make you feel better.”
She looked over her shoulder as Patrick jerked Madelyn off her feet and into his arms. Sunny shot him an apologetic look, but he shook his head, then closed his eyes and held his wife close.
Sunny sighed. She’d already heard a few of his more hair-raising escapades, so he probably didn’t have much room to criticize her.
Sunny stood with Cameron while Patrick took Maddy and Hope inside, then she walked with Cameron toward the door. Before Sunny could get them inside, though, Patrick appeared. He stood in the doorway with his arms folded over his chest.
“Patrick,” she began with a sigh.
He pulled her into a quick, tight, embrace, then pushed her into the house. “Your would-be lover and I have a thing or two to settle before I decide if he’s worthy of you. Change your clothes, Cameron, then let’s go.”
“Patrick,” she said in a low voice.
He looked at her for a moment in silence, then sighed deeply. “All right. He can come in and have something to eat. Snog with him all afternoon if you like, but then I will have at him. I promise not to leave him as bruised and bloodied as I did the last time.”
Sunny smiled at him, then reached out and took Cameron’s hand to pull him into the hall. He muttered something at Patrick as he passed, something that left her brother-in-law gasping.
“You’ll pay for that insult,” he promised.
“You’d like to hope so,” Cameron said with a snort.
Patrick laughed out loud, then turned and walked off, shaking his head.