“What was that ye said,
“Eye.” He had thought she was saying
“Did something happen to your eye?” he asked.
“That’s where the bad man took Mother.”
His daughter spoke in perfect Gaelic, but Alex had no idea what she meant.
“Eye snort,” Sorcha said. “That’s where the bad man said he was taking her.”
“Eyenort Loch?” he asked. “On South Uist?”
“South Uist,” Sorcha repeated, and nodded.
Alex gave her a big kiss on her forehead. “What a blessing ye are.”
“Mother called him Magnus,” Sorcha said. “She doesn’t like him.”
“That’s verra helpful, little one,” Alex said, keeping his voice calm with an effort. “Do ye remember anything else?”
“Another bad man came, and they argued.”
“Did ye hear the second man’s name?”
Sorcha gave him a solemn nod. “Hugh.”
“Ye did verra, verra well,” Alex said as he started down the stairs with her. “Now I must leave ye with Bessie while I go fetch your mother.”
“Bring her home,” Sorcha said, hugging his neck.
“I will.”
Alex had just had one miracle. And now he needed another.
CHAPTER 53
I’ll let your husband stew for a few days,” Hugh said, as he tied her wrists to the mast. “I need my bait live ’til then, so I’m leaving a man here to guard ye from Magnus. Ye made an enemy with that one, lass, though I can’t say I blame ye for sticking a blade in him. Magnus is an arse.”
“
Hugh hit her so hard across the face that Glynis saw stars and swayed on her feet.
“Mind that tongue of yours if ye want to keep it,” he said.
She had been foolish to goad him—her stepmother always told her that she did not know when to be quiet. Because Hugh had protected her from Magnus, she’d relaxed her guard around him. She’d do well to remember that Hugh was a ruthless man who killed innocents and stole food from the mouths of children.
“If Magnus sets foot on my boat against my orders, kill him,” Hugh said to the man with him. “I could use another boat.”
While Hugh hoisted himself over the side of the galley, Glynis eyed her guard. He was a huge, muscular man with unkempt hair, a scarred face, and only one ear. When the guard turned, the look he gave her sent alarm racing through her veins. Glynis felt helpless to defend herself, tied like a dog to the mast. She tugged at the ropes, but they held fast.
* * *
A heavy fog rolled in over the loch as evening turned to night. Although Alex could not see the shore, the raucous laughter of the pirates’ camp carried clearly across the still water. Hugh had grown lax.
Behind the laugher, Alex heard the clank of cups and the snap of the fires. Hugh’s and Magnus’s men would outnumber them, but they had surprise on their side. Judging from the sounds, Hugh’s men were well into their cups, celebrating with Alex’s whiskey and ale.
Alex, Duncan, Ian, and Connor stood at the front of his galley and would go first. While the others were fine warriors, the four of them had long years of fighting together. And they were the best.
Alex nodded to the others, and the four of them dropped over the side of the boat with a soft splash. He paused to listen, but the pirates carried on as before. As soon as he gave a low dove call, the other men began dropping into the water behind them. They moved silently through the chest-high water, holding their shields and claymores over their heads. As he neared shore, Alex could see the glow of campfires through the thick fog.
He and Connor hid in the brush near the shore, while Duncan and Ian led most of the men behind the encampment. Duncan and Ian’s group would attack from behind so the pirates could not escape inland. Their plan was to trap the pirates between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Before giving the signal, Alex and Connor’s task was to make certain Glynis and any other hostages would not be caught in the middle of the attack. They crawled forward on their bellies until they were close enough to see the faces of the men gathered around the fires. Alex saw Hugh and Connor’s other uncles, Angus and Torquil.
But he did not see Magnus. Or Glynis.
Alex’s blood went cold as he saw one man come out of a tent that had been set up and another go in. Either that was where the whiskey was—or they were taking turns with a woman. When Alex heard a woman cry out, he was off the ground before Connor grabbed his arm to stop him.
