Prologue
Kirk
Staring down a MacWraith is like gazing into the heart of a black hole.It's a stupid idea, but then, I've never been known for my sensible decisions.Dougal MacWraith's face is lined with barely perceptible scars, each one telling a story of battles won and lost.His gaze is fierce and unyielding, locked onto his target with a predator's intensity.Aye, he's not the sort you want to meet in a dark alley.Thebod ceannuses his stature, tall and imposing, as a means of frightening his marks.He's calculating too, daring anyone to challenge him.
But ahmno afraid of him.It's Kenny I worry about, and the laddie's the only reason I haven't thrown Dougal off a cliff.
What would my Mam think if she saw me in this den of iniquity, The Blue Wraith Club, a gambling establishment owned by the bastard himself.
"I'll do your stunt," I tell Dougal, keeping my voice level."But I set the terms."
MacWraith's thin lips curl into something that might be a smile on another man.On him, it's a warning."Bold words from a man whose career is hanging by a thread, Balfour.But I'm feeling generous today.What sort of terms?"
I'm acutely aware of the weight of my mobile in my pocket, recording every word.Tam would call me a reckless bastard for confronting the Highlands' most notorious criminal alone.But I cannae let a friend hang for making a stupid mistake---accepting a loan from Dougal MacWraith for an online bet gone bad.
"Double the fee."I keep my voice as steady as a Highland pine."And the footage is mine, exclusively.No duplicates, no tricks.Ye get one viewing before it airs, and that's it."
Dougal's laugh holds no humor in it."You think you're worth twice what I offered?The great Kirk Balfour, reduced to negotiating with me in a back alley.How far the mighty have fallen."
"Aye, but I'm still the best stuntman in Scotland, probably the world too---and you know it."I lean forward, close enough to catch the scent of expensive whisky on his breath.Not the peaty richness of Thane Black Label, but something sharper."No one else will jump off Beann Dealgach with nothing but a wingsuit and live to tell the tale."
Dougal considers me for a long moment, his dark eyes boring into mine like he's trying to drill through to the back of my skull.I dinnae flinch.Cannae afford to.
"Twice the money for twice the risk," he finally agrees, tapping one long finger against the scarred wooden table between us."But I want exclusive rights to the footage for forty-eight hours before you can use it."
"Twenty-four," I counter."Any longer and the stunt loses its media value."
He snorts."Thirty-six, and I'll throw in something extra.Information about who really sabotaged your equipment at the Glasgow show."
My pulse quickens, but I keep my expression neutral.That accident cost me my contract with Highland Extreme Sports and nearly my life too.The official investigation ruled it user error, but I've always suspected otherwise.
"Thirty-six hours," I agree, clenching my fists under the table."And everything you know about the sabotage."
Dougal slides a folded piece of paper across the table."Details of the stunt.My associate will meet you at the base of Brothers Point at dawn tomorrow."He rises, his movements reminiscent of a panther."Don't disappoint me, Balfour.I'd hate to have to explain to your brothers why they found your body smashed against the rocks."
I'm fair certain he would dance a jig if that happened.
Still, Dougal's threat hangs in the air between us like Highland mist.I pocket the paper without looking at it."I've survived worse."
"Your boastfulness gets you into trouble often, aye?"His lips curl into something vaguely resembling humor."We'll see what happens, Balfour."
As Dougal walks away, I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding, taking a moment to pull my mobile from my pocket and stop the recording.Tam will throw a fit when he hears about this, but what choice do I have?Kenny is a good laddie who made a mistake.And MacWraith used Kenny's naivete to his own advantage.
Once I've left the underground casino, I begin to feel more human, as if I hadn't just made a deal with the worst gangster in the Highlands.I have no idea where Dougal's home is, though I've heard plenty of rumors.Supposedly, he resides at a place deep in the woods called Cairntorran Manor that isn't shown on any map---the physical sort or the digital kind.
I jump into my car.
"Fuck me sideways," I mutter, unfolding Dougal's paper.The details of what I've agreed to make clench my jaw.The drop is steeper than I'd anticipated, with a landing zone barely wider than my gran's kitchen table.One wrong move and I'll be fertilizer for the heather.
My phone buzzes.Tam, right on cue.
"Where the hell are ye?"His voice is tight with worry.Clearly my brother has a sixth sense that I'm about to do something stupid.
"Just finishing up some business, Tam."
"What sort of business ends at half past ten on a Tuesday night?"my brother demands.I can practically see him pacing around his bakery."Tell me ye didnae go see MacWraith."
"Fine, I willnae tell ye."
