Deadly Intent (Linked Inc. Book 1) (9 page)

Chapter 15

Collin’s stomach sank as he read the appraiser’s report. The word “fake” stared back, mocking him. Had Quinn known the emerald wasn’t real? “This cannae be.”

“It is, Collin. I had him check the stone twice.”

“I knew she was a fraud,” Margarete whispered. “I bet she kept the real one. Collin, I’d never be that devious.”

“Yes, you would.” Collin shook her hold off his arm and searched the dance floor for Quinn. Instead, he spotted Ian with one of Collin’s maid’s in his arms. Collin stomped across the room. “Where is she?”

Ian dipped Abigail and brought her back up. Abigail giggled before answering.  “Mavis had a surprise for her in the kitchen.”

Collin threw open the kitchen doors, and the impact made the doors bounce off the stone wall. Mavis was lying in the middle of the kitchen floor, clutching her arm. “Oh God, no.”

He ran out into the hall and grabbed someone standing close by. “Get Ian, and get a doctor, NOW!”

He returned to Mavis and slid down to his knees. “Mavis, what happened?”

“I fell.”

Collin glanced past her to all of the red sauce and cheese covering the floor.

“Hang on, luv. The doctor is coming.”

Mavis grabbed his lapel. “I had a vision, and it made me fall. Quinn’s in trouble. You have to go to her. Go find Quinn.”

“Where is she?” he asked, searching her gaze, wishing he could pull the answers faster from her lips.

“The old library. Look for the book with the black spine and white symbols. Find the book and find Quinn.”

Ian busted into the kitchen with the McDougall doctor by his side, who ushered Collin out of the way. 

“Ian, stay with Mavis.”

Collin turned to leave, but Ian caught his arm. “What’s going on?”

“The emerald is a fake, and Quinn is in trouble.”

“Nay.” Ian shook his head. “It bares the mark from the sword fight. I saw it with my own eyes. The one she returned was real.”

“What are you talking about?” Collin lowered his voice and pulled him farther away from Mavis and the others in the room.

“Like the Menzies, the McDougalls have their tales. The emerald was a gift from my clan to yours. The McDougall laird at the time wanted to give the emerald as a wedding present and symbol of peace, but his heir did not. They battled over it. His son died from his wounds. That’s how the curse started. His bride cursed the stone while clutching McDougall’s dying body in her arms. It’s believed she had gypsy blood in her. The emerald was damaged in the scuffle. The emerald Quinn brought you was real, Collin. I saw the mark. Now where’s Quinn?”

His heart hammered against his ribs. “She’s gone to find a killer. Stay here with Mavis and then send everyone home.”

“Aye, go.”

Collin rushed out of the kitchen and right into Ramsey. “Whoa, where are you going?”

“Quinn’s in trouble.”

“I should say so.” His eyebrows dipped and his mouth turned down.

“She was going to the library. Never mind. Help Ian send everyone home.” Collin didn’t waste time explaining how Quinn could be in trouble in a library of all places. Hell, he didn’t even know. He just knew he needed to get to her. Collin swallowed around the lump in his throat as he ran toward the east wing where all of the old books were kept. No wonder she said she’d planned to spend her day in the library. She was looking for something, and if his gut told him anything, he’d say she’d found whatever it was she was looking for. 

Collin burst into the old library, expecting to find her, and God knows who else, but the room was empty. No sign she’d even been in the room. Had Mavis been wrong? Was she somewhere else? He hesitated to leave when he spotted the odd spine with symbols, not words, that Mavis had mentioned. If whatever she was looking for was in that book, there was no way he was leaving it behind.

He stomped to the bookshelf and pulled. He had heard a click before the book sprang back into place. The shelf pushed in, revealing a secret passageway that he hadn’t even known was there. Collin stepped inside the dark corridor.

“Quinn,” he yelled.

“In here.” He heard her voice, and his heart skipped a beat as he stepped closer toward the sound.

A light was bouncing off the walls as she neared. “Don’t let the door shut.”

She said it a minute too late. Collin turned toward the click.

“Perfect.” She sighed and shined the flashlight to a keyhole. “I don’t suppose you brought a key?”

“Nay. What are you doing in here?”

“Following the clues. I found something interesting. You might want to come take a look.”

She turned to leave, and Collin pulled her into his arms. “Wait. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“The emerald was stolen,” she answered for him. “I know, but how did you know?”

“What do you mean you know?” he asked, releasing her arm.

“Because I found it…again.” She grabbed Collin’s hand and shined the light down the tunnel. Steel beams were secured into the rock leading him to believe they were for support from a possible cave-in. Every few feet more beams had been constructed, spaced to withstand the weight.  He’d rounded a curve, and he could see the opening up ahead and the night sky outside. He was greeted by the sound of crashing waves in the distance, and his tense body slowly started to relax.

She bent down by the cave entrance and pulled back the red tartan. Beneath it was the emerald, along with several other Menzie heirloom pieces. “I found all these. Someone is stealing from you, Collin, and they’re using this cave to smuggle things out.”

“How did you figure this out?” Collin asked, picking up a jewel-encrusted box that had been among Gwinnie’s things. He’d been told it had perished.

“In one of the paintings that Gwinnie’s mother-in-law had commissioned, the psychic drew the book. This must be how they got the emerald out the first time.”

“Looks like someone has taken to using it again.” He rose and moved to the mouth of the cave. Waves were crashing against the shore ten feet below. There was no easy exit out of the place unless someone had climbing gear.

“Looks like they were using the ropes and that basket for lowering stuff down. It’s kind of impressive. I doubt you’d see a thing from the castle windows.” She picked up a rope lying against the wall.

Moonlight was dancing on the water. It would have been a beautiful place to be stranded, if the reason they were there hadn’t been so wretched.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“Mavis got hurt when she had a vision. She said you were in trouble and to look for the book that you described to her.”

Quinn’s hand flew to her cover her mouth. “Oh my God. Is she going to be okay?”

“Aye. She’ll be fine, but your pizza dinnae fair so well.”

Quinn’s shoulders deflated as she leaned against his arm. “How long before someone finds us?”

Collin wrapped her in his arms and kissed her lips, the betrayal of the fake emerald replaced with dread. “Quinn, I need to get you out of here. If the person responsible comes back, there’s no telling what they’ll do.”

She stepped out of his embrace. “Great. I don’t suppose you can fly us out of here.”

“Nay, but I can lower you down with the rope.”

“I’m not leaving without you.”

“You have to, luv. When you reach the bottom, you can get help and let me out.”

She glanced down over the ledge and shook her head.

“You can do this, Quinn.”

“I’m in a dress with heels, Collin. I can’t do this.”

“You can.” He bent down to take off his boots and socks. “You can wear my boots for traction, and I’ll lower you down slowly. I won’t drop you. I promise.”

“Collin…”

“Quinn, you’re the strongest person I know. We’ll do this nice and slow and get out of this together.” He picked up the rope and tied it into a harness to ease her worry. He helped her into his boots and tied them as tightly as he could, so they wouldn’t fall off her feet, before he helped her between the ropes. “I’ll ease you down. Slow and steady.”

She sat at the edge of the opening and waited until Collin had the rope around one of the beams to use as a makeshift pulley. He tied the other end around his waist. She would not be dying by his hands.

He pulled the tension from the rope and nodded.

Fear shined in her eyes. It was a look he’d never seen on her face, not even when knowing a killer was out to silence her. She eased over the rock, and he strained against the weight, trying hard to act strong when his insides just wanted to recoil. She let go of the edge and clung to the rope for dear life. Collin slowly lowered her, inch by agonizing inch. He took his time. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she hollered back. “The quicker I get down, the better. Just rip the Band-Aid already.”

Collin smiled at her newfound resolve. His Quinn wanted to get down faster, so he moved a little quicker but watched for any problems she encountered. He had her about a foot above the ground when he heard the faint sound of a gun cocking.

“Drop the rope,” Ramsey said.

Collin glanced down once more to find Quinn trying to get out of her harness. He threw the rope over. When it landed by her feet, her gaze shot up to the cave at the very second that Ramsey pulled the trigger.

The bullet seared his arm. The impact sent him back against the jagged stone wall and down to the cold floor.

Chapter 16

“No…oh God, no.” Quinn kicked off Collin’s boots and lifted her skirt to run along the base of the cliff, up the incline, and toward the driveway. The cars from earlier were gone. Only a few remained, along with an ambulance. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire before she reached the castle doors and burst through them right into Ian’s arms.

He spun with her force. “Whoa there.”

She slapped at his hands. “Let me go; let me go. Collin’s been shot. I’ve got to save him.”

“He’ll kill me if I let you go running into harm’s way. Where is he?”

Quinn blinked through the tears forming in her eyes as one slipped free. She didn’t have time to explain. Fear knotted her insides as panic stabbed at her heart, twisting and turning, making it difficult to breathe.

“Let me go,” she demanded through gritted teeth and wiggled free. Grabbing the hem of her skirt, she lifted it past her knees and ran, ignoring the questioning stares from the staff and lingering guests. She took the stairs two at a time. The sound of Ian’s boots against the stone echoed behind her, but she wasn’t stopping, not for him or for anyone. She ran into the old library and straight to the shelf. Grabbing a nearby chair, she pulled the book to open the secret passage and jammed the furniture in its way to keep it from closing. Ian stared, watching her, speechless.

“Well, don’t just stand there. If this door closes, we’ll be stuck,” she said while climbing over the chair and into the cave. She paused. “If anyone comes out but Collin or me, then beat their ass.”

She left Ian while he was demanding he be the one to charge in and she be the one to wait. Typical. Without the light, she slowly made her way in the dark around the corner to where Collin had been.

Collin’s white shirt was covered in blood as he slumped against the cave floor. Ramsey stood above him with a gun pointed at Collin’s chest.

Quinn slipped the dagger from the sheath and inched closer, hoping that Ramsey wouldn’t hear or see her approach. Collin met her gaze, and his eyes widened, tipping Ramsey off to her presence, so she did the only thing she could. She stabbed him in the side with the sharp point of her dagger and dropped her shoulder, tackling him like she’d seen linebackers do on TV.

He hadn’t expected the move and misfired, shooting the bullet into the cave walls. Ramsey pulled the dagger free and he dropped the gun to try and push her off. They both flew toward the cave entrance. Quinn was intent on making sure Ramsey never harmed another soul, and in that second, she knew she was going to die.

Ramsey latched onto her leg and was prepared to take her with him as he went out the opening. Her fingers caught the steel beam as she tried to hold up both of their weights. Her slick fingers were losing their grip as death knocked on her door. There were no flashes in her mind of events from her life. The anguish in Collin’s gaze held her in a trance. She barely knew him, but she loved him, and she couldn’t have picked a worse moment to figure it out.

“You willnae die.”

He must have mistaken the look of confusion on her face for resignation to let go. Collin grabbed the gun and her arm at the same time. He fired a shot into Ramsey’s body, and his weight instantly released.

“I’ve got you, Quinn.”

She struggled to pull herself up, knowing his shoulder wouldn’t hold out long. The pain alone could send him into unconsciousness, and then they’d both be screwed and sleeping with whatever animals filled the sea below. She crawled over the edge, thankful her dress didn’t catch on the rocks, and pressed close to his side.

His face was pale and sweat covered his forehead as he held her gaze. His heartbeat was slowing as he battled to keep his eyes open. He tried to give her a reassuring smile.

“Collin Menzie, you better not die on me. Just hold on, baby. Please. Ian, help me,” Quinn screamed, and within seconds, Ian crowded her, thrusting a flashlight into her hands.

“Collin, just hang in there.” Ian hoisted Collin over his shoulder and carried him out of the secret cave and into the library.

Ian eased Collin down on one of the old couches. “You need to apply pressure while I go get my doctor.”

“Hurry, please hurry.” Quinn fought through the tears as she ripped her dress and pressed the fabric to his wound to staunch the blood flow.

Collin cried out in agony from the pain. He struggled to catch his breath before placing his hand over hers. “Quinn, you were so brave.”

“Shut up. Don’t you dare act like you’re going anywhere.”

His gaze softened as he reached up for her face and cupped her cheek. “You came back for me.”

“You save me; I save you back. That’s how we work.”

“Aye. That’s how we work.”

Within minutes, the doctor was moving her out of the way as a stretcher and paramedics entered the room. Thank God, they were already here.

Quinn’s stomach was tied in knots as they wheeled Collin from the room and into the waiting ambulance, where Mavis was already waiting. Quinn went to climb in, and the paramedic stopped her.

“There’s no room.”

“I’ll bring Angus and her,” Ian said. “We’ll be right behind you.”

Ian opened Angus’ door and helped the frantic old man out from behind the wheel and then opened the back door for him, helping him inside.

Quinn ignored the gesture to climb in the back and jogged to the front passenger side.

“Let’s go,” she demanded and dove inside, shutting the door.

Angus leaned forward, holding out a handkerchief, and she took it. Her stomach clenched as she swallowed around the rock lodged in her throat. If Collin died, she’d figure out a way to bring Ramsey back from the dead, and kill him again. There was no way the evil bastard had survived that fall.

“He better be okay,” she whispered as the tears started to flow.  

Ian looked uneasy as he regarded her. She didn’t have many breakdowns, but when she did, they weren’t the sweet tears of a young girl. They were ugly, gut-wrenching cries that would leave her puffy and drained for days.

“Well, what do you know. The lass does bleed green.” Ian started the engine, and if he hadn’t been behind the wheel, she would have smacked him….hard.

“Ian, if you don’t start driving, I’m going to know exactly what color it is that you bleed.”