“That scoundrel!” Raphael hissed through clenched teeth. His heart pounded with desperation as he watched Keira, mere yards away, in the clutches of her captor. But at least she was alive and seemed unharmed.
His instinct was to rush forward, to confront Gresham and free Keira. However, Dallas, ever the voice of reason, pulled him back with a firm grip. “Wait,” he cautioned, his voice hushed. “This might be a trap. There could be more of them hidin’ in the shadows, waitin’ for ye to make a move.”
Raphael’s grip on his sword tightened, and he ground his teeth in frustration, torn between his desire to rescue Keira and the rationality of Dallas’s warning. The stakes were high, and he knew a hasty approach would put them all in even greater danger.
His mind worked harder than ever. His resolve unwavering, he made a swift decision, unwilling to lose more time. He turned to Jasper and Dallas, who remained concealed behind the tree.
“Ye two stay here and keep a watchful eye,” he urged in a hushed tone. “If any more enemies appear, signal to me immediately. We need to ensure our safety before confortin’ Gresham. But we cannae wait any longer. His patience might be runnin’ thin.”
He turned to gaze at the scene before him. He was right. Gresham was pacing to and fro, nervous and apprehensive. He was slowly losing his patience, just like Raphael thought. He might change his mind and harm Keira, unless Raphael acted. Now.
“I’m goin’,” Raphael told them.
Jasper and Dallas nodded in agreement. Raphael was glad that he had not come here alone, for Dallas was right. Gresham was a scoundrel. He had probably devised a plan to kill him, probably had tricks up his sleeve.
But Raphael couldn’t keep away from Keira any longer. He began to stealthily move closer to the clearing, taking slow and deliberate steps as he inched closer to her and her captor.
He stepped out of the woods, revealing himself to both Gresham and Keira. With a resolute shout, he called out, “Let her go!”
His voice pierced the night, echoing through the trees and reaching the ears of the sinister figure looming over Keira like the sword of Damocles, threatening to fall down and mark the demise of the woman who had stolen his heart.
25
“Raphael!” Keira shouted, her heart leaping with hope.
He had come for her. He came to rescue her. He trulydidcare about her. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be here. At that chilling moment, she was certain of his love for her. They were reunited, and their love for each other would transcend this sinister fear that loomed over them.
“Ah, ye have finally arrived, Laird MacCurtney,” the man spoke condescendingly, with a raised chin. “One would think ye would have been here sooner, seein’ how easy I have made it for ye to find us.”
Raphael growled at him, ignoring his comment. “Unhand her, Gresham! This is between ye and me!”
“I will do no such thing.” Gresham laughed wickedly, and the echo of his malice frightened all the birds from a nearby tree, forcing them to fly away into the darkness. “This is yer betrothed, Laird MacCurtney. Yerpreciouswife-to-be. First, ye will watch as I kill her, so ye see what it feels like to lose everythin’ ye have, everythin’ that means somethin’ to ye. And then, I will kill ye!”
Keira’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Obviously, this man held horrible grudges against Raphael. He was so furious that the desire to murder two people had completely taken over him. Keira could not imagine Raphael having done anything to deserve such a cruel fate.
“Ye are mistaken, Gresham,” Raphael shouted back at him, keeping a safe distance, and constantly throwing cautious glances around.
Keira knew why he was doing this. This could have been a trap, as it was. But there could still be more men lurking in the shadows.
“Ye are the one who’s mistaken, Raphael.” Gresham had stopped addressing him as Laird MacCurtney, but his voice still had that horribly contemptuous note. “Mistaken if ye think that there is anything ye can say to make me release yer little lass. I gave ye the opportunity to let her go when I had that Violet lass tell her parents about ye. But instead of sending her away, ye decided to marry her. So, she cannae be free from the constraints I have her in. I have also been in constraints because of ye, but tonight, I will free meself by killin’ ye!”
“I ken ye blame me for everythin’, Gresham,” Keira heard Raphael speak. This time, his voice was calmer.
“I blame that captain of yers!” Gresham hissed. “But since ye killed him and took everyone on his ship with ye, ye are the next one on me list! When yer pirate ship attacked ours, I lost everythin’! Dinnae ye ken what that feels like!?”
Keira listened in shock. Pirate ship? Raphael’s pirate ship? Was that part of the past that he had been trying to keep a secret from her? She couldn’t believe it.
“That was the life we led, Gresham!” Raphael howled back, his voice piercing the night. “Ye ken that! We were enemies! It was a battle! The best pirates won! But I left that life behind when I came here, Gresham. I took lives to protect me people. I dinnae want to go back to that.”
Gresham grinned. “Ye want to leave the past behind?”
“Aye.” Raphael nodded. “Ye should do the same.”
“Nae,” Gresham hissed. “Ye may be done with yer past, but yer past isnae done with ye, Raphael. I saw that ye have made quite a life for yerself here. Ye all have forged a clan—a good clan. And ye have changed yer lives for the better. But what about the rest of us, huh? The rest of us who lost everythin’, even our families! What do we have, except revenge?”
Raphael shook his head. “Hatred will only poison ye even more.”
“Or it will bring me the only pleasure I have known lately,” Gresham snarled. “I have nothin’ but the thirst for revenge, and ye willnae deny me that!”
