Placing the wristband on her lower arm belowher watch, the thing tightened and injected some sort of needleinto her. She hissed as the needle retracted, the wristband stillclinging to her, though this time with less force.
“If you felt the jab of a needle then Ishould be able to locate you within the next fifteen minutes or so.Just sit tight. Over and out.”
“Hurry,” Veronica said, now a little lessqueasy, but still totally tired and grumpy. She glanced over at thesecurity cameras screens to the left of her on the wall. Her eyeswidened and her heartbeat accelerated. “It doesn’t look like thisplace will be safe for long.” The eaters must have picked up herunwashed scent from the trapdoor. Damn it! Staying here wouldn’thave been a possibility even if Victor had remained behind. “Theoutside is crawling with eaters, bro. I give this place forty-eighthours tops before it’s breached.” That reality didn’t set well withher. “Actually, I’ll be right back. I need to keep weapons on me atall times.”
She got up and strode into the kitchen toretrieve her sword and machete. Thinking ahead, she grabbed morefood from the freezer and cupboards and threw their packaging intotwoFoodMasters.If she had to flee tonight, she’d be doingit on a full belly. That accomplished, she exited the kitchen andentered the room where she knew Victor kept his guns. A small smilecurved her lips as she recognized the pieces left behind forher.
Her brother had thought of everything.Plenty of guns, tons of ammo, and just as importantly, the guns hadsilencers. Without the silencers the weapons would have beenrendered useless. Pulling an unsilenced trigger on one eater wasakin to ringing the dinner bell for all of them.
Veronica picked out two guns, loaded them,and attached them to her belt. She put other assorted weaponryinside a faux leather satchel Victor had obviously left behind forher use. She made her way back to the kitchen, grabbed the preparedfood and more water bottles, then strode back to Victor’s office.Her queasiness had finally subsided.
*****
‘Twas driving him daft that he dinna ken aword the wench spoke exceptVictor. “When will sheunderstand Gaelic?” Lachlan rumbled to Victor’s back.
“She’ll have to learn it. She’ll have timeto teach herself soon enough. In the meantime I can teach you ourlanguage,” Victor offered. “If it pleases you.”
He grunted. “I want her to ken my words, butaye, I will learn from you how to ken her words as well.”
Lachlan realized he was growing unreasonablyimpatient. The lass still knew naught of his existence, much lessthat she was to be his bride and birth his bairns. Veronica wouldgive him beautiful, cunning babes. ‘Twas what he wanted and aslaird here ‘twas his right to choose whichever wench under hisprotection he so desired. Certainly that much hadn’t changed in thefuture. She would ken her duty to the warlord who would beprotecting her the soonest.
“Can we watch?” Ramsay asked, punching himin the arm. “’Tis nigh unto unbelievable, this.”
Lachlan frowned, but nodded. None but histwo most trusted warriors knew aught of Victor’s time traveling andhis future devices. Ramsay and Finn could stay. For now.
*****
Veronica yawned after eating again, her chincoming down to rest on the palm of her left hand. Her amber curlscascaded down around her. “Fifteen minutes, my ass,” she said tothe screen. “I thought you wanted to get this show on the road,little brother.”
Her gaze flicked back to the securitycameras. Uneasiness stole over her as she watched the undeadcontinue to congregate and test the trapdoor. They were definitelylearning, getting smarter.Where are you, Victor?
As if on cue, the screen came roaring tolife. On the other side of it sat a beleaguered looking Victor andthree very large men standing behind him. The men were dressedoddly to say the least. All three wore the same black and bluekilts. All three sported rough wool shirts that clung to theirheavily muscled bodies. The largest of the three, and the onestaring through the screen as if his eyes were boring into hers,was definitely their leader. Call it intuition or an educatedguess, but everything about him—from his cornrowed black hairhanging down to his shoulders to his mountainous torso andlimbs—was commanding.
“What’s going on?” she asked, returning hergaze to her brother. “Who are these men? Where are you?”
“Oh good, you can see me! Can you hear me?”Victor responded.
“Loud and clear.” She sat up straight andheld up a palm. “Please don’t explain to me how or why this ispossible,” she forestalled him. The last thing she was in the moodfor was a technical explanation that wouldn’t make sense to heranyway. Plus time was turning out to be a crucial factor. “Justtell me what’s going on.”
“Fine,” he sniffed, “but if the world hadn’tgone to hell let’s just say I’d be accepting the Nobel fromSweden’s last queen right about now. I’ve accomplished thescientific unthinkable.”
“Victor—”
“Yes, yes, to the point.” He slid hisglasses back up the bridge of his nose. “I’m in the ScottishHighlands.”
Veronica’s brow furrowed. She supposed thatexplained the kilts. Not that she’d known the men there still worethem. “How on earth did you get there?”
“The same way you will.”
“And how is that?”
“By car, boat, and serum.”
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to elaborate onthat one.” With the electrical grids down, there weren’t exactlycars and boats cruising around. And another serum? What did thateven mean? “Explain yourself, but keep it at a normal person’seducational level please.” She again noted the huge man staring ather. His penetrative gaze was a bit unsettling.
“There is a bottle in the right drawerlabeled TT. I want you to grab that bottle and anothersyringe.”
She nodded.
