He poured the amber-colored liquid into a glass and brought it to his lips.
“Do you think me a fool?” The cold voice came from behind him.
Niall stopped. As if he’d downed a chilled drink, icy cold spread through his body. He set the glass down before turning to face The Raven. “Of course not.”
“If you think to outsmart me, you had best consider your family dead now.” He fell into a chair across from Niall’s desk, then propped his feet up on the mahogany furniture. “You’ll never find them, and I’ll never let them go. And if you try to kill me,” he released a low chuckle as he lit a cigar, “not only will you fail, but your family will suffer for your stupidity.”
The Raven took a slow drag, then shook his head. “I’ve killed men for lesser offenses.” He eyed Niall’s glass. “I once stabbed a man because he spilled scotch on my favorite boots. I’ve always hated the stench of scotch. Terrible stuff, don’t you agree? I much prefer brandy.”
Niall thought to argue, claim ignorance of what the man accused him of, but he knew better. This man was no fool. Defeated, Niall picked up his drink and settled in. His nerves needed steeling.
“I’d kill you right now if I hadn’t already invested so much time and energy in you. Between kidnapping your family and arranging for their care all these weeks, it simply wouldn’t be efficient to find someone else to do the job I’ve arranged for you.” The Raven lowered his cigar and leveled his soulless gaze on Niall. “But do not test me again. I have two members of your family in my care. I would hate for something unfortunate to happen to one of them. Though I suspect you would hold up your end of our arrangement to ensure the safety of only your son.”
Niall took a step forward. “Don’t hurt my wife.”
“Find my treasure, and I’ll disappear from your life,”
The Raven said matter-of-factly. He inhaled deeply on his cigar, then released a puff of smoke.
“Please, if you would let me know they are safe.” Niall leaned forward on his desk, meeting the other man’s gaze. Cold blue eyes stared back at him. “Please.” The Raven’s stare never changed. Niall sat back in his leather chair. “I would be able to concentrate more if I knew they were safe and healthy,” he added softly.
The Raven paused as if truly considering his offer, but Niall knew it was merely a cruel illusion; this was not a man to be reasoned with. Still, he couldn’t help begging for his family’s safety. His wife and son meant everything to him. And this—this obsession for the Loch Ness treasure that used to fill his life—had become little more than a casual hobby that he tinkered with every now and again. Spending time with Penny and Jonathan had become so much more important than a frivolous treasure. But now their lives depended on the bloody gems. He ran his hand through his hair.
The Raven laughed. “I never give anything for free. You bring me what I want, and you can have your precious family back.”
“My son is just a boy.”
If it was possible, The Raven’s features hardened even more. “I have a son, too,” he said. “They’re not worth the trouble.”
Niall turned away from the man now, unable to look upon him any longer. He had no choice. He had to find that damn treasure. And quickly. The terrifying thing was, he wasn’t any closer today than he’d been three years ago.
The Raven stood from the chair. Niall heard the leather creak as his weight lifted.
“If I don’t have that stone in my hand by next week,” The Raven said, his tone steady, “I’ll kill them. And I won’t be gentle. I’ll start with your wife, take my pleasure with her, and rough her up a little, but not enough so that she isn’t alert when I kill your son. For him, I’ll start at his throat, and I’ll drag my knife all the way down to his groin, completely gutting him. I have no pity for those who fail me, nor their loved ones. Don’t forget that.” With that, he strode out of the office.
Niall downed his drink and then forced himself to take steadying breaths. His stomach rolled with the thought of that bastard laying a hand on his sweet wife. But he couldn’t afford to panic now. Penny needed him. As did young Jonathan. His fingers curled around the glass in his hand, then he fired his arm back and hurled the glass across the room. It shattered against the heavy wood paneling, falling to tiny shards on the floor. Like a million sparkling gemstones, mocking him.
He’d searched every bloody cave that he could get to, and he’d never found anything that resembled a treasure. But he also knew there were more caverns hidden in the depths of that mountain. He only needed to blast his way into them. He was running out of time.
Vanessa still felt the hum of discovery coursing through her as she and Graeme walked back to the cottage. Not only had she discovered her first fossil—she gripped the stone, which sat at the bottom of her bag—but she had come upon another cavern, ripe with potential discoveries. She wanted to tell Graeme about it, but decided it might be best to be more discreet about the exchange of information. She was still quite curious about the notes she’d read in the study.
If she wanted him to give her additional information regarding the treasure hunt and the search for the Stone of Destiny, perhaps her discovery would provide her with some negotiating room.
“What were you doing in there?” Graeme asked.
“Exploring,” she said simply. “I am a scientist. It is in my nature to be curious.”
“And?” he asked, prodding for more information. His eyebrows arched up from his warm green eyes.
“And what?” she said, feigning ignorance.
He actually huffed like a little boy, then released some sort of frustrated growl.
She was annoying him; that much she could tell. There was some small part of her that relished the thought. Childish, she recognized, but still it was there. She knew what he wanted, and she even had something specific to tell him. Something about his own personal interests. But dragging it out was informative and revealing about his character.
“Did you see anything?” he asked slowly through gritted teeth. “Or find anything of interest?”
“Such as?”
