Chapter 55
Chapter Fifty-Five
Kirk
That riatach Dougal MacWraith not only imprisoned Gretchen but also bound her wrists and ankles, as if she were merely his chattel.
The rage coursing through me is like nothing I've experienced before.
With every ounce of strength inside me, I lunge at Dougal, determined to rip him limb from limb with my bare hands for daring to touch my woman.
"Kirk!" Gretchen cries out. "I'm here! I'm okay!"
That's my brave lass. Dougal is a bastard, for certain. But I prefer the Gaelic phrase riatach. It sounds much nastier.
I rush over to her, kneeling beside the lass as she finishes cutting through her restraints with the letter opener. "Are ye injured, gràidh? Did he harm ye in any way? Ye seem all right, but---"
"Yes, I'm okay, sweetie. Please stop fussing over me. I only have a few bruises thanks to Keltie arriving just in time."
I blow out a blustering breath, grateful beyond measure that Keltie found Gretchen in time. Keltie still has Dougal firmly secured beneath her. The bod ceann's face is flattened into the expensive carpet while blood trickles from his nose and mouth, thanks to Keltie.
"Yer a dead man, Balfour," Dougal spits, his voice muffled against the carpet. "I have people everywhere who will---"
"Shut your gob," I snarl, helping Gretchen to her feet. Her ankles are finally free, and I support her weight as she stands. "You'll never threaten my family again, MacWraith."
My ears pick up at the sound of footsteps in the corridor---heavy, purposeful steps approaching rapidly.
Keltie hears it too, her body tensing as she keeps Dougal pinned while still never taking her eyes off our captive.
"That'll be the Loch Fairbairn Police. Fergus and Sorley will be happy to drag Dougal to the jail.
He bloody well deserves to be handcuffed again. And other less enjoyable things too."
"I want to watch the blighter rot in jail for the rest of eternity." I can barely contain my rage as I hold Gretchen close, her warmth against me the only thing that stops me from losing control and throttling MacWraith.
The wail of a vehicle siren tells me the constables have arrived.
The siren winds down, but I know Sorley and Fergus are already on the scene.
They burst into the room, weapons drawn, and instantly ken the situation.
Keltie has Dougal pinned down, Gretchen is in my arms, and the destruction around us tells the rest of the tale.
"Yer a true biùidh, Balfour," Sorley affirms, holstering his sidearm and pulling out handcuffs. "We'll take it from here."
For Sorley to call me a hero...that makes me a touch uncomfortable.
Keltie steps back, allowing the officers to secure Dougal. The bastard winces as they roughly haul him to his feet. Dougal's face is a blood-stained mess from Keltie's handiwork.
"This isnae over," MacWraith hisses. "I'll find you again, and next time, there will be no rescue."
I move closer, my hands curling into fists at my sides. "There willnae be a next time, ye piece of shite. Yer going away for a long, long time."
Sorley wrenches Dougal's arms behind his back, making him wince. "Kidnapping, assault, criminal threats combined with the previous charges including prostitution, illegal gambling, and the rest. That should keep ye locked up nice and tight, MacWraith, for the rest of your natural life."
"Add attempted murder to that list," I say, remembering the gunshot that narrowly missed my Gretchen. "And whatever other charges we can pile on from Operation Tartan Glory."
Dougal narrows his eyes to slits as his bloodied lips curl into a cold smile. "Ye think a jail cell can hold me? I own half the guards in Scotland."
"Not where you're going," Fergus says. "Ahm sure you'll enjoy the special high-security wing Her Majesty's pleasure. I hear the guards there take particular interest in men who kidnap innocent lasses. And your favorite judge cannae help ye this time."
Sorley chuckles. "Aye, he's facing corruption charges."
I keep my arm wrapped protectively around Gretchen as the officers drag Dougal toward the door. Having her safe in my arms will help calm the storm inside me.
"I'll be out before ye know it," Dougal shouts over his shoulder, virtually spitting the words. "And when I ahm free---"
"Mhac na galla," Keltie groans, while slapping a piece of duct tape over his mouth. The bod ceann's eyes bulge. "That's much better."
While Sorley and Fergus lead Dougal away, I return my full attention to Gretchen.
Now that the immediate danger has passed, I can finally see the exhaustion in her eyes and the slight tremble in her lips that she's been fighting to control.
My brave Gretchen, putting on a strong face even after being kidnapped by that psychotic bastard.
I pull her closer, gently resting my forehead on hers.
"It's over, mo chridhe," I whisper. "He cannae hurt ye anymore."
She wraps her arms around my waist, and her fingers dig into my back as if she's afraid I might disappear. "I was never really afraid because I knew you'd come for me."
"I will always find you, no matter where in the universe you are or how long it takes." I crush my mouth to hers, only for a moment. "You are mine forever, and it's time we bound bodies and our souls the proper way."
"That's what I want too," Gretchen whispers in my ear, "but not in front of the constables---or Dougal."
"Aye, not until we're home." I glance at Fergus. "May we go now?"
"Anytime ye like, Balfour."
We hurry out of the manor with Keltie following behind us to ensure there are no surprises waiting outside.
The Highland air is crisp and clean, like a blessing from above after the suffocating tension inside Cairntorran Manor.
I keep Gretchen tucked at my side with my arm firmly around her waist as we approach my Porsche.
"Thank you, Keltie," I say, turning to the woman who helped save everything that matters to me. "I couldnae have done this without you."
Keltie nods once, crisply, and her lips curl into a wee smile. "I was doing what needed to be done, that's all. MacWraith's had this coming for a long time."
"I'll never forget what you did today," Gretchen tells her.
"Take care of each other," Keltie replies, already moving toward her own vehicle. "And I'll expect a wedding invitation."
I wink. "You'll get one, that's for certain."
By the time Gretchen and I walk into our flat, we both need a lie-down. I escort Gretchen into the bedroom. She's putting on a brave face, but I can see the tension in her shoulders and the slight tremble in her hands as she sits on the edge of our bed.
"Would ye like a bath, mo ghaol?" I kneel before her and clasp the lass's hands in mine. "Or perhaps some tea? Of whisky?"
Gretchen shakes her head. "All I need is you, Kirk. Please hold me and stay beside me even after I fall asleep."
"I'll watch over ye, that's a dead certainty.
" I kick off my boots and slide onto the bed beside her, pulling Gretchen into my arms. She curls up against me as her head finds that perfect spot on my chest where she fits so perfectly.
I can feel her heartbeat gradually slowing to match mine as I stroke her hair.
"I was so afraid I'd lose ye," I whisper. "When that bastard called me and I heard your voice---Christ, Gretchen, I've never been so terrified."
She tilts her head up to gaze at me, tracing her fingers over my skin. "But you didn't panic. You came for me with a strategy in mind. That's one of the million things I adore about you, Mr. Balfour."
"It was barely a plan," I confess, kissing her forehead. "More like desperate improvisation. If Keltie hadn't been available..."
"But she was," Gretchen states firmly. "And now we're here, together. Besides, you've got so many tough Scots on your side that I knew you'd be just fine."
I wrap my arms around her, needing to feel every inch of her against me, safe and whole.
The memory of walking into that room and seeing her bound, with that monster's hands on her---it makes my blood boil all over again.
But after a long nap, refreshed in spirit, we decide on a long, hot shower that turns into an intensely sensual experience complete with multiple orgasms for Gretchen.
I come inside her so hard that I'm fair certain the neighbors must've heard it.
The next day, some of the lasses whisk my fiancée away on a very important mission.
Finding a wedding dress for Gretchen.
I pace back and forth in our flat, checking my mobile for the thousandth time.
Gretchen has been gone for three hours, whisked away by Keltie as well as Tam's lass Ailsa and a couple of other women from the village.
The wedding dress shopping expedition is of vital importance and probably involves classified information.
After four hours of me pacing the flat, wondering what she's trying on, what she'll choose, and most importantly, whether she's safe, I finally hear the clicking of our door lock being opened.
Dougal might be behind bars, but the memory of his threat still rings in my ears: "I'll be out before ye know it." Despite his threat, I know MacWraith will never be set free.
When Gretchen returns to our flat, I drag her onto the sofa and shag her again with our bodies entangled in the best way. After a wee piece---a snack, as Gretchen likes to say---I've become so relaxed and contented that nothing could ever ruin my mood.
And I cannae wait to marry the lass who changed my life.