“Ask him if he knows who cut the brakes,” Collin suggested while helping her stand. He lowered his gaze down her backside, making sure he hadn’t missed any injuries.
“Whose ass do I need to kick?” Quinn asked, resting her balled fist on her hip. Not even a second later, she tossed her hands into the air and yelled, “Oh, nowyou’re not talking. What happened to the karaoke, asshole?”
Her red cheeks glistened in the afternoon sun as he picked leaves out of her hair, fighting his urge to run his fingers through her soft tendrils. “It looks like we’re walking.”
“It’s probably better that way. I’d hate for Angus to get hurt too. I don’t think the poor guy could survive a jump from a moving car.”
“Aye. He willnae be driving anywhere until I can ensure his brakes were no’ tampered with.” The thought of anything happening to Angus or Mavis had him clenching and unclenching his fists.
Collin gestured back toward the castle and began to lead her in the middle of the barely traveled rocky road. It would have been quicker to hike through the forest layered with unruly heather, but her first sneeze struck that route home from their list.
Collin pulled the ruby broach from his pocket and handed it to her. “I found this at the cliff’s edge when I saved you earlier.”
“The color of your rival.” She grinned.
“Aye, I guess it is.”
“I’m sure most women like jewels no matter the color. I have a ruby bracelet but I’d never be a McDougall.”
“Aye, you are no McDougall.”
“About the cliff…” She took the pendant and chewed her bottom lip as if she was trying to find the right words. Her usual boisterous demeanor shifted to something more contemplative, a look that he wasn’t used to seeing on her. “The thing is… I didn’t slip.”
Her words muddled his brain and took a minute to register. He eased her to stop walking. “If you dinnae slip, then what?”
“Someone pushed me. I felt the hand on my back, and then next thing I knew, the rock saved me from swimming with Nessie.”
His muscles tensed at the thought. It was unthinkable that someone would want her dead. She hadn’t been in town long enough to make enemies. “Did you see their face? Hear anything?”
“No.” She held out the broach. “Maybe whoever it was dropped that little gem. Any idea who owns it?”
They glanced down at the exquisite stone that he’d once thought beautiful but was now somehow lacking its luster. “I’ve seen it before, but I donae remember where.”
He moved closer to her, unfastened the pin, and attached it to her shirt.
“Aww…is that a token to remember the experience?” She glanced up at him with a raised brow.
“Nay, luv. Wear it as a badge of survival. Whoever it belongs to will think twice about trying again.”
“I like the way you think, big guy.” She patted his chest. “Kind of like a ’screw you’ to the killer.”
Her words made him smile, even though his heart clenched. He’d thought she was here to play out the curse, but what if the death the curse alluded to was hers? He bit back the anger and clenched his fists, vowing that the killer wouldn’t get another chance.
Chapter Ten
Collin and Anguschecked the Town Car’s brakes before Collin sent Angus into town to pick up Quinn’s things and an order Collin had placed at a small boutique for additional clothes. Silence hung between them as she tried to process what had happened. She’d almost died, and the killer seemed unconcerned about extra casualties. No one was safe.
He’d escorted her to the room to shower and change, like the personal security of a celebrity, before disappearing to make some calls. After her shower, she walked out into the room to find herluggage and bags of new clothes sitting on the bed.
Quinn’s vow to solve the mystery weighed heavy on her chest. If she didn’t, someone could get hurt. Her lips pinched together as she rubbed her neck, replaying everything in her mind that had happened to try and figure out what, if anything, she’d missed.
She was standing in her bra and underwear, absently digging through her suitcase when the door flew open, pulling her from her thoughts. Collin entered the room. His gaze met hers and dropped from her eyes to her shoulders to her breasts, slowly and seductively sliding down the remainder of her body. The air around her seemed to dance with sparks from an invisible electric charge, and she felt a ripple of excitement. “Do you like what you see?”
“I…uh. I’m sorry to interrupt. I should have knocked.” Collin crossed the threshold with a tray in his hands and shut the door behind him. She should have kicked him out, or clutched clothes to cover her nearly naked body, but all her inhibitions had diminished with her two near-death experiences. Who was she kidding? Inhibitions ranked right up there on her list with vegetables. She didn’t like either.
He watched her seductively, his aura pulsing with need, as he crossed the room to sit the tray on the dresser. He cleared his throat to speak. “Mavis heard about our mishap and wanted me to bring these up. Her way of apologizing for the accident.”
“She wasn’t responsible.” Quinn took a cookie off the plate and bit into it. “But I’ll never turn away her cookies.” She smiled and ate the cookie while pulling some clothes from her bag.
