She peered around the small, dank cell. On the far wall, the three-legged stool. Next to it, the chamber pot. The torch still blazed in the bracket by the door. How long did they expect them to rot in his hellhole?
Forever, likely. Bruce didn’t care what happened to her. He only wanted the keystone.
There was a faint humming coming from Evie’s pocket. Her stone.
Footsteps were forthcoming. She clutched the stone in her fist and nudged her sister.
“Wake up, Eve. Someone’s coming.”
Evie startled awake instantly. Together, they got to their feet.
“They’re coming for the stones,” she whispered. “Aren’t they?”
Chloe nodded. It was the only possible reason. She bit her lower lip, refusing to voice the terrible thoughts floating through her mind. She didn’t want to worry her sister even more than she already was.
The door scraped open, and Bruce stepped inside. He stood in the doorway, the light at his back, making him nothing more than a tall, menacing, faceless figure outlined there. Chloe remained where she was, clutching the stone in her hand and trying to ignore the faint hum of Evie’s stone. She pushed her sister behind her. Evie didn’t even protest as she allowed Chloe to be the buffer between the two of them.
“Have you come to your senses yet?” Bruce asked. His gaze flickered from her face down to her clenched fist. “Will you willingly give up the keystone?”
“Why do you want it so badly?” she countered, lifting her chin a little higher. “What can you possibly do with a chunk of worthless rock?”
Behind her, she sensed Evie stiffen. If her sister knew her—and she did—she’d realize she was stalling for time and trying to needle information out of him at the same time.
A slow, annoyed smile played upon his lips. “Do ye think it’s worthless?”
“Isn’t it?” She tried to sound as defiant as possible.
“It brought ye here, didn’t it? It brought us both here.”
A fact she didn’t want to remember. He’d physically attacked her, clawed at her hand trying to get the stone from her. It was only when she had landed here, in the past, that she was safe from him. Thanks to Malcolm. He was her warrior who liked to seem more dangerous than he truly was.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Chloe snapped, shoving aside the thoughts.
“Why I want it is no concern of yers.”
“Theywillcome for us,” she said, then, thinking of Malcolm and Callum.
“Oh, I certainly hope they do.” His smile was terrible. He held out his hand. “Give it to me and no harm will come to ye or yer sister.”
Chloe remained still. “No.”
“Ye give me no choice then.”
He snapped his fingers. Two men entered the dungeon and headed right for Evie. They took her by the arms as she protested the entire time.
“Leave her alone, Bruce! Let her go.”
“She has one of the stones. Search her,” Bruce said to his two henchmen, ignoring her.
“With pleasure,” one said, an oily smile on his face.
“Stop!” Evie snapped. “You can have it.”
“No, Eve!” Chloe gasped.
Her gaze flickered to hers and she saw something in Evie’s eyes she hadn’t seen before. Defeat. Evie wrenched her arm free from one of the men and stuck her hand in her pocket, intending to hand over her piece of the keystone.
“It’s easier this way,” Evie said quietly.
