Unease shifted through him. “I dinnae like this.”
“Nor I,” Callum replied, keeping his voice low. “Jamie should be along soon.”
“And if he isna?” Malcolm asked.
“We will deal with that when the time comes,” he replied.
The servant returned with a large loaf of dark brown bread and two tankards of watered- down ale. He placed them on the table without a word and then headed off to tend to the other customers.
The two newcomers made Malcolm uneasy. He kept his eye on them as Callum tore off a hunk of the bread.
Impatience bubbled through his veins as he eyed the few who were inside the inn’s common room. Callum shoved the bread toward him.
“Eat something,” he suggested.
But his stomach was twisted into a knot as he thought of Evie and Chloe held captive in the MacDonald dungeon. A few more people trickled inside, taking seats around the room. A sense of unease passed through him.
“How long do we wait?” Malcolm asked.
“As long as we need to.”
Callum seemed far more calm than he. How, he didn’t know. Malcolm drummed his fingers on the wood table.
The two men who came in together rose, standing a moment at their table. The taller of the two cast a suspicious glance at Malcolm and Callum. Then the two walked toward them. Callum reached for the hilt of his sword, wrapping his fingers around it in anticipation of a fight. Malcolm sat straighter and did the same. They came to a halt in front of their table.
“Can I help ye?” Callum asked, his eyes wary.
“We ken who ye are,” the tall one said. “We ken who yer looking for. Ye will no find him here.”
Remaining calm and cool, Callum said, “I dinnae ken who ye mean.”
A smile crept along the man’s face. “Och, aye, ye do, MacLeod. Yer brother was captured and is being held in the keep.”
“Lies,” Malcolm spat.
The man’s gaze landed on him then. “’Tis no a lie. I tell ye true.” Then he looked back to Callum. “If ye wish to save him, there is a way it can be done.”
Callum relaxed his grip on the hilt of his claymore but kept it there in case he needed to use it. “Who are ye to help us, then? MacDonald’s own men wouldna give us this information.”
The tall man gave a questioning glance to his companion, who have a quick nod. Then the tall man motioned to the chairs opposite Malcolm and Callum.
“May we sit?” he asked.
Malcolm stared at his brother. They exchanged a silent communication until finally Callum nodded.
“Aye.”
Each man pulled out a chair and sat. The tall one rested folded hands on the table. He leaned toward them.
“My name is William. This is my brother, John.”
John gave a nod of greeting as William continued, dropping his voice low.
“We have no love for our laird. He taxes us, takes our crops and livestock when he wants, and doesna offer us protection in return. I offer ye this bit of information in return for yers.”
“My protection?” Callum asked.
“Aye,” William said.
