Their talks had been going so well untilhe’d ruined it with a loose tongue. Lachlan sighed. Mayhap heshould be less forthcoming aboot her fate. Eventually she wouldsuccumb to his demands. She had to. Veronica, whether she kenned soor not, dinna have a choice. He was the one who would make thedecision and he had long ago decided upon keeping her.
‘Twas ever the way of it in his world.Surely she would acquiesce? Certainly she would soon learn nobetter mon existed to protect her? Mayhap she would come around. Hegrunted. Or mayhap not.
Chapter Eleven
Following their last conversation, Veronicaspent the entire next week avoiding Lachlan. She realized shecouldn’t stop him from watching her, but she could keep herselffrom seeing and hearing him. Besides, she reasoned, she needed herhead in the game. Soon she would be washing up on the Scottishshoreline. Soon she needed to be as clear-minded and physically fitas possible. Who knew how many infected there would be?
Even if Victor could accurately guestimatetheir numbers, she couldn’t be certain whether or not the dead werecontinuing to evolve at a rapid rate. In other words, maybe it nowonly took one eater well removed from the others to spot you for ahoard to be alerted and come stalking its prey. That’s how theworld was looking in Apple Creek when she’d left it and thepopulation there probably wasn’t much higher than in theHighlands.
The dead were definitely evolving quickly.Way too quickly. It was difficult to surmise what, if any, geneticmutations the infected had developed over these last weeks aboardship. Remembering the security cameras at Victor’s undergroundcompound, it had certainly looked like the hordes were now sendingout scouts from their packs. That level of advancement was a bonechilling possibility to consider.
Stop this. You aren’t helping yourself,Veronica.
Victor was no doubt furious with her forfailing to open the laptop even once since she’d discovered herbrother had basically made her the Bride of Kong. A handsome Kongshe thought about with far too much frequency, but still. Victorshould have known better than to use her as a bargaining chip. Shefrowned as she mulled over all the reasons it should beherwho was on the warpath for Victor—not the other way around.
“The Victor/Veronica will reach itsdestination in precisely twenty-four hours,”the disembodied AIcaptain announced.“Prepare.”
Veronica broke the warrior stance she’d beenin and rested her palms on her thighs as her breathing returned tonormal. She’d been subjecting herself to extraordinarily vigorousworkouts over the past week. Mostly out of necessity, but a littlebit as distraction. Until she knew what to make of Kong.
“I can’t put this off any longer,” she saidas she stood up. “I need to know what Victor can see.” She pulledout her ponytail and let her long, damp curls fall freely beforesliding the scrunchie onto her free wrist. “I’m telling you beforeI open the laptop that I don’t want to hear it from you, Victor!”Yes, she’d been uncommunicative, but damn it, he’d had it coming.“Literally not one fucking word!” She grudgingly padded over towhere the laptop set closed and opened it for the first time inseven days. “If you think for a second—"
“—You’ve a foul mouth for a lady,” afamiliar voice hissed. “I should put you o’er my knee.”
Oh damn, she gulped. Her heart leapt. It wasLaird Kong.
*****
Lachlan dinna ken how he should be feelingin this moment. The past sennight, with no communication betweenthem, had all but driven him daft. He’d been foul-tempered for thewhole of it, barking commands at warriors, servants, and Victoralike. He battle-trained in the days and brooded in the eves.Always, his mind was on Veronica. Finally, here she was, as closeto being near to him as currently possible.
“I’m sorry,” the wide-eyed wench quicklydemurred. She raised her palms. “I know it was really shitty of menot to talk to you, but quite frankly you threw me for a really bigloop the last time we spoke.”
She was speaking Gaelic, yet he dinna kensome of what she’d said. He think he got the overall meaningthough. “It matters not to me do you wish to take me for ahusband,” Lachlan lied. His teeth gritted. “I want you for my wife.‘Tis enough for me right now.” His pride was smarting and he knewit, but he could barely admit that flaw to himself much less toVeronica.
She frowned. “Do you always get what youwant?”
“Aye. Whether taken or given, aye.”
“Very comforting.” She sighed and loweredher palms. “Can we discuss this later? Right now I really need totalk to my brother. The ship will reach the shore in twenty-fourhours.”
Lachlan grunted. He knew she was telling thetruth for he’d heard a voice say so whilst he’d been watching her.His first priority was getting her here, to him. Nothing, not evenhis ire at her absence, could come afore that. “Fine. I will takeyou to your brother. Just ken that our discussion has barely begunmuch less reached its conclusion.”
“Fine. And you have my thanks,” she quietlyreplied.
He grunted, still feeling surly. At leasthe’d gotten to speak with her and ken she was doing verra well.“You are welcome.”
*****
“I’m not seeing a lot of activity near theshoreline,” Victor told her, “but there is some activity as younear the castle. It looks negligible though.”
“Define negligible.”
“A small hoard. Maybe five or six.”
“Is it five or six?”
“Six,” Victor assured her. “It’s six.”
Victor was discomfited by the laird’slooming presence over his shoulder. He could hear and sense hispacing even though he wasn’t looking at him. Finn and Ramsay, ordarkness and light as he thought of them because of their disparatelooks, stood stoically off to the side, presumedly taking in theentire scene. Unlike the laird, though, the two warriors didn’tspeak any English—at least not modern English—so they had no ideawhat he was conversing with his sister about.
