Neil stiffened in his seat. “Balance.”
“Aye. Fair is fair, do ye nae think?” The guard shrugged. “I hear yer new wife is bonny. Truly bonny. Ye wed five years ago, did ye nae? ’Tis a pity ye had to leave soon after. Did ye even bed her before ye left?”
Neil’s wrists strained against the rope, anger flaring in his chest. “I would be very careful with me next words if I were ye.”
“Och, hit a nerve there, did I nae?” the guard snickered. “Good. It means ye still have something worth living for. She could pay the debt, could she nae? I ken it’s been a while, but do ye think another man might have claimed her before ye?”
A rough laugh escaped Neil’s lips. “Ye daenae understand what ye’re doing, do ye?”
The guard exhaled. “Nay. What I daenae understand is why ye’re even defending her in the first place. From what we ken, it was an arranged marriage, and ye never really cared about her.”
Neil swallowed, pulling against the rope again. He felt it give slightly and exhaled. That was the opening he needed. His face, however, remained as stony as ever.
“We could fetch her,” the guard continued, oblivious. “We could bring her here and make ye watch us get our due.”
“Speak about me wife one more time, and I will make sure that the first thing ye lose is yer tongue,” Neil warned, his voice menacingly low.
“Och, now.” The guard smirked. “There he is. What is her name again? Kristen, is it nae?”
The subtle arch of Neil’s eyebrow was confirmation enough.
“Aye, Bonny Kristen. I wonder if her body is just as bonny as her face.”
“I could have stayed here five more years, do ye ken that?” Neil said. “Ye could have had yer sport, and I would have counted and watched, and I would have broken ye when it suited me. But ye made a mistake.”
“Did we now?” the guard scoffed.
“Ye threatened what is mine.”
The guard snorted. “Is she? After all this time?”
“Aye,” Neil uttered. “She is mine.”
“Big words for a tied man.”
Neil barked a harsh laugh. He had studied his chair the first week he got captured. He knew it had a crack low on the left leg and had managed to keep that fact hidden from the guard every time he had come into the cabin.
Now?
Now it was time to use the crack to his advantage.
He rocked his weight into it once, twice, the way a man teases a post out of frozen ground. The leg gave, and the chair lurched.
Before the guard could guess what was happening, Neil slammed his shoulder into his hip and drove him into the table at the far end of the wall.
“Christ,” the guard spat. “Hold still.”
“Come make me,” Neil growled.
The guard gasped for air and tried to reach for his dagger. Neil kicked it away, and it skittered to the entrance of the cabin. He twisted his fingers, letting the rope bite deeper into his skin, and lifted the broken chair leg like a club.
The guard tried to stand back, but it was too late. Neil slammed the chair into his face. Wood struck bone, and a sickening crack pierced the air. Fortunately, it was not too loud, as he did not want to draw attention.
“Ye—” The guard stumbled backward, his mouth opening on a silent scream.
Neil used the opportunity to shove him again, pinning him between the table and the wall. “Remember when I said the first thing ye will lose is yer tongue?” he hissed, breathing hard.
“Ye cannae?—”
