The first car door flew open before we could take a step toward the farmhouse. “What the hell mess did you get yourself into this time, you bastard!”
Closing my eyes, I groaned silently. Charles had called Alastair. And wasn’t my former best friend enjoying this moment? The only thing that could make this moment worse would be… ah, there they are, the idiot MacTavish brothers, pouring out of their armored Range Rover as if it was a clown car.
“Who’s this?” Fee snapped, not lowering her shotgun.
“Put it down,” I said, pushing on thebarrel. “I know them.”
“Really now?” Fintan eyed the herd of men thundering up the drive.
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Chapter Twelve
In which it’s Fee’s turn to meet the family. Sort of.
Alec…
“You’ve been busy.”
Alastair and the rest of the idiot MacTavish men took in the smoking ruins of the farm. Bullet holes peppered the front of the farmhouse, and the hen house was on fire, the damned birds racing in all directions, squawking hysterically. Martin’s experimental patch of organic rhubarb/beet splicing was trampled into the mud.
And the bodies. Eight of them scattered across the yard, covered in blood.
“You’ve always had the gift of understatement, Alastair,” I said, rubbing my forehead.
“Are those… bloody hell, you’re wearing overalls?” he howled with laughter. “Is this a new look from Dior or Brioni? I must have missed it during London Fashion Week.”
“If my gun weren’t out of bullets, I’d shoot you right now.” I have never regretted being “rescued” more than in this moment.
A terse instruction from Cormac, Chieftain and eldest of the MacTavish brother, sent their men patrolling the farm, looking for anyone else from Lee Ville’s botched “rescue mission.”
Alastair’s delighted gaze swept from me to a fuming Fintan and Fee, who was eyeing him in the same way you would examine a carton of milk a month past its expiration date.
“Theseare your kidnappers?”
My eyes narrowed at some hastily smothered laughter from the men behind him.
“Oh, lovely,” Fee sneered, “more soulless corporate Godkings. Do you all get lonely if you can’t come together to compare your recent capitalist desecrations?”
Alastair put out a hand. “A pleasure to meet you. I’m Alec’s best friend-”
“-formerbest friend-” I interjected.
“Best friend and fellow soulless corporate overlord,” he steamrolled through my correction.
She folded her arms, eyes narrowed as he finally took the hint and stuffed his hands in his cargo pants. “So, itwasthe environmentalists,” he said, “to be honest, we never thought they had it in them to pull off something like this. We’d been looking elsewhere until your panic button went off.”
Fee looked at me, arching one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “The watch.”
“Yes, but I did want it back, itwasmy father’s, as you know.”
Alastair winced slightly. Fee’s sharp glance didn’t miss his reaction, I suspected she was storing that tidbit away to use on me later.
“So, who were these arseholes?” Lachlan, the youngest MacTavish, strolled up, his assault rifle over his shoulder.
I ignored him, addressing Alastair. “A pitiful rescue attempt they claimed was ordered by Lee Ville.”
“ByLeevil?”Lachlan asked, laughing, “What a hell of a name.”
