My Heart's in the Highlands by Angeline Fortin (best english novels for beginners .TXT) 📗

The gun shifted until it was pointed at Hero,and Ian felt a chill race through his veins, freezing him in histracks. If he charged, he would leave Hero exposed. Instead, heinstinctively pulled Hero to the side just as a gunshot rang out,echoing across the firth. Shielding Hero with his body, Ian glaredfuriously at the young man, who only shrugged again.

“A warning shot,” he explained, cocking thepistol once more. “Just to prove I’m deadly serious. I do haveseveral shots remaining. How many should I put into her to convinceyou?”

“You’ll only kill her after I am gone,” Ianspat, keeping Hero’s head firmly tucked beneath his chin. “Sowhat’s the point?”

“I promise you I will not,” Kennedy said witha bow. “Lady Ayr may even stay at Cuilean if she likes. Under lockand key, of course, and with the proviso that she never speak ofthis. Her life would depend on it, naturally.”

“I would never!” Hero snapped at him, pushingaway from Ian’s protective embrace, “so you might as well justshoot us now!”

Ian took her hand in his, squeezing ittightly as he moved in front of her again. For the first time, hefelt a shiver of fear … not for himself, but for Hero. It was allfor her. About her. Ian knew he could not let this madman win.

“If that is your wish, my lady.” Kennedylifted the barrel of the gun, aiming down the sights, and Ian knewthat his moment had come. It was now or never.

With a shout of rage, he charged forward,catching Kennedy around his midsection and throwing him against thewall. A bullet whizzed past his ear as he threw a hard right toKennedy’s stomach. Ian heard a satisfying grunt and added a leftuppercut that threw the man back once more. Kennedy clasped hishand over his mouth as blood spurted out, and Ian knew the man hadmost likely bitten off a part of his tongue. He hauled the man upby his shirtfront, ready to beat him to a pulp, but Kennedystaggered to the side and the gun sounded again. The bullet hit thestone balcony with a ping and Hero cried out.

Holding Kennedy’s shirtfront in one fist, Ianturned back in alarm to see Hero against the ruined wall, holdingher arm. Blood oozed between her fingers. She had been hit eitherby the ricochet of the bullet or by the fragments of stone thebullet had dislodged.

“I am all right,” she panted, correctlyreading his impulse to go to her.

“Are you sure?”

With a wince, Hero nodded, and Ian turnedback to Kennedy with murder in his eyes. “That was a bigmistake.”

But Kennedy had taken Ian’s moment ofdistraction to cock the pistol once more, and he now pressed itagainst the marquis’s stomach. Kennedy wiped the blood from hismouth with the back of his hand and sneered at Ian. “No, themistake was yours.”

The gun fired for the fourth time as Iantwisted away but a familiar burning in his side told him that thebullet had hit him anyway. It wasn’t the first time Ian had beenshot, but he swore it would be the last. Pushing aside the pain,Ian dove at Kennedy, driving him back once more. They hit the lowerwall and Ian felt the stone move with the force of their combinedweight. As the gun flew from his grasp and skittered across theground, Kennedy’s eyes widened with alarm and Ian sneered down intohis face, pushing the man harder against the shifting stone. “Howdoes it feel, Kennedy, to be taken down by your own sinisterplot?”

Drops of sweat appeared on the would-bemurderer’s brow as he both clung to and fought against Ian’s graspas he was bent backward against the rail. “I never thought I wasthat good,” he audaciously jested, then relaxed his legs, droppingsuddenly and using his unsupported weight to drag himself fromIan’s grasp.

The sudden move threw Ian off balance andbefore he could recover, Kennedy threw himself against the wound inIan’s side, throwing them both sideways.

“No!” he heard Hero scream, and Ian looked upto find Hero running toward his valet, who had appeared onramparts, presumably to come to his cohort’s aid. Dickson heldanother gun in his hands, but luckily killing Hero in cold bloodseemed to give him pause. With his hesitation, Hero reached him ata full run and they toppled against the low wall. The pistol flewover the edge.

The satisfaction of seeing some part of thissinister plot fail was short-lived. Dickson grabbed at Hero,winding his arms around her while she kicked and clawed at hishands. He held her easily, but when Hero bit his hand, the valetwinced in pain. He backhanded her and Hero spun away with a cry ofpain.

Before she even fell to the ground, Ianwrestled away from Kennedy, delivering one last brutal blow to hisopponent, driving him to the ground, and charged his valet.Catching him about the waist, Ian spun him around, using the turnto throw Dickson bodily away. He stumbled, and the low outer wallcaught him low across his back. The momentum of his upper bodycontinued, bending him backward over the wall, and his feet flewup. Dickson went over the side with a shriek, catching the top withone hand. “Help me!” he begged, looking frantically up at hisemployer as he dangled helplessly over the long drop.

Ian snorted, thinking of all that this manhad done to them. A man who had had Ian’s trust. Dickson had beenin his rooms while he slept, and had attempted to murder him andHero as well. He shook his head tightly. “Help yourself.”

“Ian.”

The fear tightening her voice made Ian turn,only to find Hero in Kennedy’s hold, his arm tight around her waistand the pistol pointed at her temple. “Don’t,” the plea emergedfrom his lips. Dickson’s frantic pleading faded away as Ian’s focusshifted entirely to the safety of the woman he loved.

Chapter Thirty-Five

“I’m sorry, Ian,” Hero said, sorrow fillingher as she watched anger turn to shock and then despair. “I wastrying to get the pistol. I thought he was unconscious …”

Ian shifted his gaze to Kennedy’s triumphantexpression. “You can have