"You don't hear that?"Izzy asked, refusing to forget about the cry. She stepped back into the alleyway. The soft cry echoed easier off the walls of the alleyway.
"Aye,and ye need nae pay any heed to it."
"But it's just a baby,"she said as she continued her hunt for the child.
"Trust me on this,we need to turn around and leave it be."
"What if it needs help?What if it's lost?"
"I promise,the babe is nae lost, nor does it need ye. It's a ploy to get mugged. And if we daenae turn around now —"
"Oh,it's a bit too late for ye, now." A husky voice rumbled through the alley. The soft pleading of the child shifted to aneerie laugh. Fear gripped Izzy as she whipped about on her heel, ready to flee.
"Get behind me,"Aaron demanded as he drew his dirk, ready to defend as three huge men blocked their path. Izzy's chest tightened. Her body tingled as little bumps raced along her neck and shoulders.
"Ye're outnumbered,lad. Just hand the lass over, and we can give her back in a few hours," the brute said causing his cohorts to chuckle darkly. The smirk on the man's face stretched into a devilish grin as a flash of malice flickered in his eyes.
"Well, I'm nay gamblin'man, but I think I like me odds. Ye want the lass, ye'll have to go through me."
"Daenae be a fool.Ye can walk away right. But one way or another, we're goin' to take the lass," the brute said as he started to speak in a harsh rough language Izzy couldn't understand. Aaron snapped back with the same rough tongue as he planted his feet, readying himself for the fight.
Aaron rolledhis shoulders and steadied his breathing. He glared at the men before him as he tested his grip around the handle of his dirk. In the back of his mind, Aaron was hyper aware of Izzy behind him.
Her panic rolledoff her like a storm crashing against the northern shores of Scotland. He dared not take his eyes off his foes as the first nudged his head. The man to the brute's left hoisted his sword up, and with a loud roar, he charged. Aaron stood his ground, and with three swift blows, the attacker dropped.
Izzy's scream rattled him,but Aaron had no choice but to keep going. It was their lives at stake, and he refused to be distracted from the task at hand.
"Let me go,"Izzy cried out. Aaron whipped around. His arm flew, slicing his dirk through the air. The blade missed the attacker's face by inches as Aaron watched Izzy thrown over another's shoulder.
"Ye're a dead man,"Aaron growled. Rage ripped through him, giving him the stamina to plow through the two attackers with ease. As their bodies dropped to the dirt, Aaron spun about, his sights on his target.
Izzy toppledfrom the brute's shoulder, landing hard in the dirt. Without missing a beat, she pummeled the brute, and her fists bounced off the attacker's shoulder as she did her English best beating the man with her fists. Without hesitation, Aaron darted for her. With each step he took, a plan formed in his mind for his attack. He'd have to be careful with Izzy in the middle, but she wouldn't be harmed, not if he executed his plan perfectly.
The brute took a hard left,slamming his shoulder into the corner. Aaron took the opportunity and snatched the biggestrock his fingers could pick up. Pulling back his arm, he let the rock fly.
The man fellas Izzy screamed.
Aaron rushedto the slain foe, dropping to one knee to check on Izzy. Despite being flustered and a bit alarmed, she hadn't been injured. She looked up at Aaron, trying to brush back her mountain of hair that had come undone from the ordeal. She looked like a wild child or even a gypsy and would have passed for one had it not been for her accent.
"Are ye all right?"he asked as he offered her his hand. The man under her moaned as she climbed off him. She looked adorable with the streaks of dirt along her cheek and nose. Her wild hair swirled with the wind as she tried to dust herself off.
"I think so. Did you…"she asked as her voice trailed off, cupping her hands to her mouth as she debated on looking at the injured man at her feet.
"He's nae dead,if that's what ye're thinkin'," Aaron answered as he brushed his thumb over her cheek. She looked as if she'd been lost at sea. There was a vacantness in her gaze that broke Aaron's heart to see. Shock jabbed at him as he watched Izzy try to keep herself under control. She mumbled under her breath as her hands trembled uncontrollably. Her head bobbed as she pulled the tie from her hair to let it down.
"We should get backto the castle and have ye cleaned up," he suggested as he scooped his arm around her waist just as she began to sway.
"I just don't…"she mumbled as she eased into Aaron's body. "I don't understand."
"What's that now?"Aaron asked as he helped her through the alleyway and back to the main street.
"A worldwhere a child is wrangled into a con. No child should ever have to be subjected to such things."
"Aye,but that is the times we are livin' in," Aaron said. He tried to keep the sarcasm and cynicism from his tone. "There are people here that are in need of things. Some resort to workin' harder, but others follow a less savory path."
"And you?Where would you fall on that line of yours?" she asked. Aaron tried to assess her question. Was she trying to goat him into an argument? There wasn't any malice in her tone that would make him think so. Yet, he had to keep his guard up around her. He'd seen far too many men succumb to the wiles of a pretty face.
"I'd liketo think I'm somewhere in the middle. But am I goin' to lose sleep over people starvin'? Nay. I cannae. There's only so much a laird can do for his people. After that, it's on them. Now can ye walk? If they come back around and see ye lookin' weak, they'll attack, and I fear they'll win this time."
