“Do not beg?” she stabbed him with a sharp gaze. “Fine. I will do the only thing you seem to understand. I will make you an offer.”
Iain felt like he was in a nightmare. Her anger, nay fury, bubbled within and poured out of her and he had no idea what he’d done. He’d not given up hope of getting the properties but had put a stop to making offers or discussing the matter at all. A cooling off period. In the meantime, he’d conducted his business as was his practice—studying investments, meeting with bankers and company heads, manufacturers and suppliers.
“You must stop hurting the innocent children caught in this fight between us, Iain.” He stiffened at her words, shocked by them and without any clue why she would say it.
“Children? Hurting children?”
His world closed around him as his gaze narrowed to the long tunnel of light and his stomach roiled. Knowing, surviving the desolation and violence of the streets, Iain had sworn to never take part in it or allow it when he controlled an area or a building or business. His back stung from the lash, his jaws ached from the punches and his body burned with the indignity of what he’d suffered all those years ago. Memories he did not wish to surface.
But the thoughts and memories that now assailed him reminded him of the horrors for innocents on the streets. He forced out a denial.
“I do not hurt children.” She paled at his voice.
“Paying someone to do it makes you no better than the one raising his fists.”
The words came out as an angry curse—she was spitting mad. She crossed her arms across her chest and straightened before him. Iain rose up to his full height and stepped closer to her, leaning in close to make his point.
“I do not hurt children!” he barked at her.
She stumbled a step back and Iain heard the approach of someone behind him. Turning to face the threat, he saw Chalmers running towards them. Following on his heels was Cairns and both men wore the same expression; both broke into a run. Iain saw the fear, the fear of him, in her eyes and hated himself for it.
“Forgive me, Clare,” he said, backing up and letting his hands fall to his side. “There is no cause for concern, gentlemen,” he called out over his shoulder to the other two.
He watched as Clare nodded at her man. The two waved off others who gathered at the sound of their shouts. When they were alone once more, he let out a long breath.
“Explain your accusation.”
She stared at him for several moments as though deciding if he was daft or not before speaking.
“Come now, I know that Cairns is very capable of reporting back to you the success of your efforts. Attendance is down at the school, children are leaving the orphanage and now I have discovered that they are being accosted by your man.”
Cairns had told him about fewer children but had not assigned a reason for it. Oh, the community of Leith knew there was a battle in their midst, and some would seek to avoid being caught in the middle of such a thing. Safer not to be in the line of fire. But, he had not ordered such actions.
“I have nothing to do with this, Clare. I would not l—”
The icy glare froze the declaration on his tongue. She did not believe him.
“The ruffian behind it reports to your office, Iain. Some menace called Dougal Dubh. Come now, I may be a woman and too stupid or weak to stand against you, but I cannot bear the pain these children are suffering.”
Neither could he.
“I was one of them, Clare. Bloody hell, I grew up on the streets. I fought my way out and would never use my strength against bairns.” He was out of breath from the words and the pain of his past.
Only a brief flare of confusion in her green eyes gave him any hope she would hear him. At the same time he realized that he had exposed a deep secret of his past to her with his attempt to deny. No one knew that truth. From her expression and the anger in her body’s stance, her belief that he was the cause of it had not changed and he suspected she’d not even truly heard his words.
He needed to speak to Cairns and find out what she was talking about. To get to the truth of the matter. Without some sort of proof, she would never believe him. Proof which would not exist in a world where records and evidence of that kind landed a man in chains on a ship being transported or at the end of the executioner’s rope.
“Fine, my lady. Since you will not believe my words, what is it you want?”
“Stop this and you can have what you’ve wanted.”
It took a very long second for Iain to remember wanting anything but her. He did though and a short burst of euphoria at finally getting what he’d pursued flashed through him.
“You will sell the properties to me?”
“They are yours as soon as you handle this. Stop this man, stop his attacks.”
His words would not do any good in the face of her ire, so he nodded to her and then waved Chalmers to them.
