Niall gripped him by the shoulders. “I thank you.”
“Think nothing of it,” Trick mumbled. “We’re brothers, aye?”
“Brothers.” The younger man kissed him on both cheeks and pressed the lock and key into his hand. He gave Kendra his candle and was off, the trap door banging closed behind him.
Kendra released a long breath. “That was good of you, Trick.”
“He didn’t leave me much of a choice.”
Hearing his voice hitch, she guessed it was the result of brotherly affection. “Why did you hesitate to agree?” she asked, stepping closer.
He trailed his fingers along her arm. “After last night, I’m suddenly wanting to get home and start anew with my lovely wife.”
She sensed that wasn’t the whole truth. But, very aware they were alone deep in the earth, his words caused her heart to race anyway. “After we help your family, there will still be time for that.”
“You can be sure of it.” He kissed the tip of her nose, then took the candlestick from her and set it atop the rack, where it bathed the stone chamber with a faint but welcome glow. He set the lock there as well, an unnerving thunk of metal on wood. “Shall we see what we can find?”
“I really don’t like it down here.”
“We won’t be staying long.” Another candle blazed to join the two already lit, and Trick set it into a holder and placed it across the chamber. “There now, it’s not so eerie after all, is it? Rather cozy, don’t you think?”
Was it her imagination, or had his voice taken on a suggestive tone? “Well, I don’t expect it’s haunted if it was your mother’s secret place. But I cannot say I care for the decor, either.”
“Early Torture isn’t your style?” His easy grin helped calm her a bit, but his gaze on her had the opposite effect, making her suddenly feel shaky and overwarm. She put a hand against the rough stone wall for support.
The things I say are nothing compared to the things I do...
She shook away the images playing in her head. She had no business thinking of such things—and in a dungeon, for heaven’s sake. It was wicked.
Had just one night with Trick turned her head?
“Kendra?” Her gaze snapped to his. She forced herself to stand up straight, thinking he looked entirely too pleased with himself as his eyes wandered down the length of her body. “We’d better start looking.”
She shook herself again. “What are we looking for?”
“I wish I knew. A clue.”
He slowly traversed one side of the room while she paced the other. Gingerly touching the cold instruments of torture gave her the shivers. The blackened metal felt evil beneath her fingers, the air thick and heavy with age, not to mention horrific tales.
When he let out a little hoot of discovery, she jumped.
“Footprints,” he said.
She joined him, crouching down. “What do these tell us? They could be your mother’s, or Hamish’s, or even our own. No telling if they’re hours old or years.”
“But they’re concentrated around where a chest once sat, see? As though people were recently here, trying to lift something heavy. And here, this deep line in the dirt. They used a board or something as a lever.”
“One set of small prints and three larger ones. Yes, I see.” She looked up. “But whose?”
He shrugged. “Just information to bring back to Hamish. Maybe it will jog an idea. Let’s see what else we can find.”
Half an hour’s careful search revealed more footprints clustered around where other chests had sat, and little else. A scrap of dark fabric that Trick pocketed, a curved shard of cheap broken glass. It could have lain there for centuries, for all they knew.
He sighed. “Let’s go up. We may find more clues outdoors.”
It was a relief to ascend the stairs and see daylight once again.
“More of the same footprints.” Breathing deep of the fresh air, Kendra followed the marks. “And wheel tracks,” she called. “Here, leading out of the woods. How did we miss this before?”
“We weren’t looking.” He hurried over to see for himself. “Multiple tracks from the same vehicle. Many of them. I’m guessing the chests were carted away one at a time.”
“Southeast,” she agreed. “Around the town. And then where?”
Trick lifted a shoulder. “Shall we go find out?”
FIFTY-TWO
THEY MOUNTED their horses and headed through the woods, following the ruts. Once clear of the ruins, the trees grew dense, providing reason for the chests to have been carted out singly. A larger cart wouldn’t have made it through.
At the forest’s edge, the tracks stopped.
“They loaded them on a wagon here,” Kendra said.
“Two wagons. No, three, or maybe four. Look.” Wider-set tracks turned south and continued. “Shall we see where they went?”
The tracks were easy enough to follow, leading Trick to believe they’d missed the thieves by not more than hours. Clouds were gathering again, and the trail would soon be washed away. But for now, the air was warm, the day bright as only a Scottish summer afternoon could be.
The colors seemed more brilliant here, slopes of blues and purples, the land’s harsh contours brought out by shadow and sun. Rabbits scurried in the underbrush, and a flock of swallows soared overhead. Scotland was beautiful, and Trick had missed it in a way he hadn’t realized till now, stuck in the confines of the dingy gray castle.
“What happened back there?” Kendra asked quietly.
“Hmm?”
“With Niall.”
“Oh. That.” Heat crept up his neck, his memories of the incident childish at best. “I’m not sure. But it won’t happen again.”
“It will.”
“Nay, it won’t. I’m not usually as volatile as you’ve seen me…” His voice trailed off, because he didn’t know how to explain it. The longer he stayed at his crumbling childhood home, the more confused he seemed to get.
He’d learned his
