“But he was definitely working with Rune?”
“Definitely.”
Catriona frowned. “Great. Two of them.”
“Now get lost.” Sean nodded to Broch and the Highlander returned the gesture before ushering Catriona away.
* * *
On the way home, Catriona gripped the steering wheel, alternating between numbness and anger. She screeched to a halt at a stoplight, only noticing the red glow at the last moment.
“Are ye okay?” asked Broch.
“No. I’m really not. This isn’t fair. Why would they kill Luther?”
“Sean seems tae think he sacrificed hisself.”
“Maybe. It doesn’t matter. I’m still going to kill Rune.”
She turned to glance at her back seat. Two bags were sitting there.
Perfect.
She made a left and Broch looked at her.
“This isn’t the way hame.”
“We’re going to the gym.”
“How come?”
“I need it. I need to hit something. If I go home I’m—” She felt the tears coming again and stopped.
“Ye kin hit me,” said Broch, reaching over to give her leg a brisk pet.
“Thank you. I’d like that.” She sniffed a little sobbing laugh. They’d sparred before and she knew she found striking the oak tree of a man immensely satisfying.
When they arrived at the gym, Brochan held open the door as Catriona stormed through, desperately trying to clear her mind and pretend it was just another day. If she allowed her thoughts to wander to Luther, she’d start crying, and she had no idea how she would stop if that happened.
Catriona nodded to the girl behind the counter and headed directly into kickboxing studio. It was blessedly empty. She set down her bag and retrieved the tape for her hands. Today, she would pound away with her fists, her feet and everything else she could throw at the bag until she was too tired to cry.
Brochan dropped the makeshift training bag she’d gathered for him beside hers. It was pink, one of her old gym bags, but she knew he didn’t mind the feminine color. No one would dare call the giant girly, not if she’d given him a My Pretty Pony bag covered in ribbons and glitter. Not if they had any sense of self-preservation. Broch wouldn’t care either way, but the apes in the gym didn’t know that.
Broch taped his own hands, and she watched his technique as she finished her own.
“Good job. You remembered. It usually takes people a few times before they can wrap that well.”
He shrugged and held her gaze. “Whit aboot yer pains?”
Catriona positioned herself in front of the heavy bag, punching and kicking it lightly several times, testing out her sore spots. They seemed healed. What she’d felt sure was a cracked rib now felt fine.
“It’s weird, but they’re gone.”
Brochan punched his bag and it shuddered from the force of his blow. Catriona returned to her own workout, wondering whether it would be better to process the loss of Luther while she worked out, or better to push him out of her head and keep her pain locked down until she could find time alone.
Neither option seemed ideal.
Instead, she imagined Rune standing in front of her. Skinny bastard. Bam! One in the face. He’s reeling. Bam! Bam! Bam! Repeated blows to the body. He’s up against the wall. Sidekick! Now his ribs are broken.
She saw a flash of Luther’s body on the ground, blood pooling beneath his shattered skull. Had it been quick? Had he known he couldn’t survive the moment he broke through the window? Had he made sure to push Rune toward the wall to break his back as Sean had described, only to have him get away?
“Catriona. Catriona. Stop. Stop.”
Broch grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. She realized she was sobbing and watched as her hot tears dripped down Broch’s arm.
So much for not crying.
He held her close to him, her head resting against his massive bicep. The hard muscles in his chest rose and fell against her body. He cradled her, gently, like a bird with a broken wing.
That was how she felt. Broken. Her wounds had healed, but she felt weak. Luther had been like a second father to her. The thought of a world without him…
She allowed herself to cry until her nose stuffed and she couldn’t produce any more tears. She felt Broch’s lips press against the top of her head.
“It’ll be all right,” he whispered.
“I’m going to kill him.”
“Ah ken.”
She sniffed as embarrassment slowly replaced her pain. It was one thing to cover the big man’s arms in tears, but she felt self-conscious about the rivers of snot headed in his direction. She pulled back and wiped his arm.
“I’m dripping all over you.”
He smiled. “Ah dinnae mind.”
Another man had come into the gym, not as large as Broch but clearly fit. He was already sweaty, presumably from working out in another part of the gym.
“Get a room,” he said to them. It was a joke, but he sneered as he said it, catching Broch’s eye as if to scoff, women.
Catriona looked at him and he laughed upon spotting her puffy eyes.
“Yikes. Breakup?” he asked.
Broch straightened. “Ye best be minded yer own business.”
“Yeah well...” He mumbled something under his breath Catriona couldn’t catch.
Asshat.
Catriona suffered a sharp flare of anger. She wiped her face on her arms. “You want to spar?”
The man snorted a laugh, looking back and forth from Broch to her. “Right. So you and the hulk there think you can double-team me?”
“He won’t be involved.”
“Cat—” Broch touched her arm and she flinched away from him, white hot anger burning behind her eyes.
She couldn’t find Rune yet, but maybe this man would do for now.
Rune’s
