Niall gripped him by the shoulders. “I thank you.”
“Think nothing of it,” Trick mumbled. “We’re brothers, aye?”
“Brothers.” The younger man kissed him on both cheeks and pressed the lock and key into his hand. He gave Kendra his candle and was off, the trap door banging closed behind him.
Kendra released a long breath. “That was good of you, Trick.”
“He didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
Hearing his voice hitch, she guessed it was the result of brotherly affection. “Why did you hesitate to agree?” she asked, stepping closer.
He trailed his fingers along her arm. “After last night, I’m suddenly wanting to get home and start anew with my lovely wife.”
She sensed that wasn’t the whole truth. But, very aware they were alone deep in the earth, his words caused her heart to race anyway. “After we help your family, there will still be time for that.”
“You can be sure of it.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then took the candlestick from her and set it atop the rack, where it bathed the stone chamber with a faint but welcome glow. He set the lock there as well, an unnervingthunkof metal on wood. “Shall we see what we can find?”
“I really don’t like it down here.”
“We won’t be staying long.” Another candle blazed to join the two already lit, and Trick set it into a holder and placed it across the chamber. “There now, it’s not so eerie after all, is it? Rather cozy, don’t you think?”
Was it her imagination, or had his voice taken on a seductive tone? “Well, I don’t expect it’s haunted if it was your mother’s secret place. But I cannot say I care for the decor, either.”
“Early Torture isn’t your style?” His easy grin made her feel a little better, but his gaze on the manacles had the opposite effect, even more so when the hot look he shot her made her knees go weak.
Memories flooded:The things I say are nothing compared to the things I’ll do… There are other ways we can pleasure each other… Look at me, lass…
She shook away the images playing in her head. Knowing the way his mind worked, whatever he was thinking was most likely wicked, and she had no business being intrigued by that. Her brothers had always warned her that her adventurous nature would lead her to nothing but trouble.
“Kendra?” Her gaze snapped to his. She thought he sounded entirely too pleased with himself as his eyes burned a path down her body. “We’d better start looking.”
Maybe she was only imagining it all, but the heat pooling in her center…that wasn’t her imagination. In a dungeon, for heaven’s sake. She shook herself again. “What are we looking for?”
“Hell if I know. A clue.”
He slowly traversed one side of the room while she paced the other. Gingerly touching the cold instruments of torture worked well to dispel inappropriate feelings. The blackened metal felt evil beneath her fingers, the air thick and heavy with age, not to mention horrific tales.
When he let out a little hoot of discovery, she jumped.
“Footprints,” he said.
She joined him, crouching down. “What do these tell us? They could be your mother’s, or Hamish’s, or even our own. No telling if they’re hours old or years.”
“But they’re concentrated around where a chest once sat, see? As though people were recently here, trying to lift something heavy. And here, this deep line in the dirt. They used a board or something as a lever.”
“One set of small prints and three larger ones. Yes, I see.” She looked up. “But whose?”
He shrugged. “Just information to bring back to Hamish. Maybe it will jog an idea. Let’s see what else we can find.”
Half an hour’s careful search revealed more footprints clustered around where other chests had sat, and little else. A scrap of dark fabric that Trick pocketed, a curved shard of cheap broken glass. It could have lain there for centuries, for all they knew.
He sighed. “Let’s go up. We may find more clues outdoors.”
It was a relief to ascend the stairs and see daylight once again.
“More of the same footprints.” Breathing deep of the fresh air, Kendra followed the marks. “And wheel tracks,” she called. “Here, leading out of the woods. How did we miss this before?”
“We weren’t looking.” He hurried over to see for himself. “I’ll be damned. Multiple tracks from the same vehicle. Many of them. I’m guessing the chests were carted away one at a time.”
