A Highland Heist A Contemporary Highland Romance Book Three (15 page)

It took all the energy he had to not punch the wall. Frustration knotted his muscles, his chest tight, every breath an effort. This was the exact reason he avoided anything more than a one-night stand. And yet…He let out a weary sigh. He’d happily walk over hot coals if she was waiting for him at the end of it.

Problem was, she wasn’t. She wasn’t there.

Rowan reached out and squeezed his hand. “Are you sure there’s actually a problem? Maybe she’s just in a bit of a mood. It’s not like you’re all peaches and cream every moment of every day.”

He raised his brows at that one. “She’s like night and day, Rowan. I wish it was just a bit of a mood that would soon pass, but…” His mind wandered to the depression she’d struggled with, but…this felt different.

“Then maybe it’s something she needs to work out on her own. I’m sure, once that’s sorted, everything will be back to normal. I’ve seen the way she looks at you, Conall. Don’t give up on her just yet.”

“Believe me when I tell ye, that’s the last thing I want to do.” He loved her, damn it. And she loved him. So what the hell was the bloody problem?

A commotion at the bar pulled him from his thoughts. Lara was none too happy with one of her customers, the bloke getting more than an earful as she attempted to chuck him out. Not that the guy was moving fast enough for her taste, as her curses rode high above the noise in the pub.

As the man turned towards Lara, Conall saw his face-and it was as if the earth was falling out from under him. Sean. Maggie’s ex.

Suddenly, everything he thought, everything he believed, was pulled into question.

Barely realizing he was in motion, he caught Sean as he headed for the door. “What the hell are ye doing in Dunmuir?”

Sean looked at him as if trying to place him, before recognition settled on his features, all of it an act. “Ah. Maggie’s friend, yeah?”

Conall’s hands curled into fists, his anger fueled by suspicion and his past hurts. There was only one logical reason why Sean was in Dunmuir and that was Maggie. “More than her friend.”

Sean scoffed. “Is that what she led ye to believe? Ye poor sod. And you were daft enough to believe her? Didn’t ye know, there’s nothing Maggie likes more than to play those sorts of games.”

Anger boiled in Conall’s chest, but Angus had hold of his arm and pulled him away before things escalated. “Leave it, aye? He’s not worth it.”

With a grin, Sean stepped forward. “I’ll be sure to tell her you send yer regards.”

Conall struggled against Angus but couldn’t get free of his friend’s grip. “He’s just goading ye, aye? It means nothing.”

Once Sean was gone, Angus loosened his hold but didn’t let go completely, as if testing to see if Conall would go after the bastard. Conall took a deep breath to steady himself and get control of his anger.

“I can’t believe that arse.” Lara looked ready to murder Sean if he showed his face again. It was clear Conall had at least one formidable ally. “Tell Maggie that I’m sorry. She’s always welcome here, but that friend of hers is barred. The cheek of him!”

“Her friend? Is that what he said?” Conall ran a rough hand down his face and tried to push his anger to the side.

She pulled another pint, her gaze still on the door. “Aye-when she was here with him the other night. Though what she’s doing with that arse, I haven’t a clue.”

The other night…The only night they’d been apart was last night-when she’d cancelled their plans together. “When, Lara? When was she here-with Sean?”

“Last night. Sat in the booth right next to the one ye’re in.”

He turned to Angus, barely able to get the words out through his clenched jaw. “I have to go.”

Angus grabbed his arm. “Are ye going to tell me what the hell’s going on?”

“I need to talk to Maggie. If ye’ll excuse me.”

As he drove to Maggie’s cottage, his thoughts and doubts, the hurt and betrayal, were all-consuming. Yet he wasn’t ready to give up on her, still hoping there was a logical explanation.

Part of him wanted to think that she and Sean were nothing more than friends-or that Sean had shown up on his own. But then why not just tell him? Why push him away?

His anger flared again as Sean’s words haunted him. If she had gotten back together with her ex, if she had cheated on him, if she thought this nothing more than a game, it was a betrayal he didn’t think he’d recover from.

It was bad enough to go through it with Janet, but Maggie…He’d been so sure she was different. So sure of what they had. Of them. He thought he’d found the one. So how could he be so mistaken?

He pulled down Maggie’s drive, relieved to see that there weren’t any unfamiliar vehicles. This would be a difficult enough conversation to have without having Sean there to taunt him. And a good thing, too, since he might have to murder the bastard.

Of course it was Liam who answered the door. “I need to see Maggie.”

“She’s busy.” Liam got ready to close the door when Conall stopped him with a firm hand on the door’s surface. “Look…I like ye, but ye need to go-and ye need to leave my sister alone.”

“The only way that’s going to happen is if I talk to her first. If ye want me gone, the fastest way to accomplish that is to let me see her.” By the gods, he’d fight his way to her if he had to. He needed answers. He needed to know the truth. Because, more than anything, it would be the uncertainty that would kill him.

“Ye’re better off forgetting about her. Move on, yeah?” Liam stood up straight, his gaze challenging. “As for work, ye’ll now be dealing with me if ye need anything.”

“I’m not going, Liam. Not until I see her one last time.” Conall debated his options, but there were few outside of sheer stubbornness. And then he spotted Maggie at the top of the stairs. “
Maggie!
”

She wrapped her arms around herself, as if warding off a chill, but she didn’t come any closer.

“I’m not leaving until ye talk to me.” Though he was desperate for answers, seeing her again had his emotions in a tumult.

He breathed a little easier when she came down the stairs. “It’s fine, Liam.”

Liam cursed under his breath, but left with a final glare at Conall and unspoken words between him and his sister. As Maggie approached, Conall couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under her red eyes. It left him torn. Part of him wanted to take her in his arms and comfort her, and the other part of him was still furious about Sean.

“I could do with a whisky. You?” Maggie stepped to the side to let him in, and then headed to the cabinet where there was a bottle of Jameson and a couple of glasses sitting on a small tray.

“Aye. May as well.” Conall thanked her for the drink and took a long sip, the heat of it like molten glass as it slipped down his throat and warmed him from the inside. It was just the fortification he needed. “I don’t mean to bother ye, Maggie, but I need answers and I need the truth.”

“Conall…things aren’t always that simple. Ye’re always looking for things to be black and white, and they’re not. They’re every shade in between. Nothing is ever so clear cut.” She let out a weary sigh and hung her head, as if the mere sight of him was too much to bear.

“I sure as hell didn’t think the way we felt about each other was just another grey area, Maggie. Sorry for being so foolish.” He grit his teeth to keep from swearing up a storm.

She looked away and bit her bottom lip, wrapping her arms around herself. “What do you want me to say, Conall? Things got a bit intense and I needed a break. Some space.”

“I could see that. Things did get intense.” Conall took another deep breath. “So, last night…I hope ye managed a quiet night at home. Did it help?”

She glanced at him and then looked away, her gaze avoiding his as she spoke. “Yeah. Time alone helped.”

“I don’t suppose ye want to try looking at me if ye’re going to lie,” Conall scoffed, not quite wanting to believe that history was repeating itself. “I know you were with Sean, Maggie. And damn it, if ye didn’t want to be with me, then ye could have bloody well said so.” With his heart breaking and feeling a fool, he turned to leave.

She grabbed his arm. “Wait. Don’t go.”

She took a step towards him, but his hurt had him backing away. “Why shouldn’t I? Or are ye going to tell me Sean’s just one more shade of grey?”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I never wanted to hurt ye, Conall. I hope ye know that.”

“Aye, well, not lying to me would’ve been a good start.” He took a deep breath to calm himself, and to push away the tumult of emotions that threatened. “It was the only thing I’d asked for. A bit of honesty. At least now I know the truth. I know where we stand.”

Her eyes finally locked on his, as if daring him to look away, her gaze fierce. “You know nothing, Conall. Not a single thing.”

Chapter Fifteen

Of course, Maggie still had to work with Conall, which only served to remind her why she’d fallen for him so hard. He’d done his best to avoid her, but Iain had informed them that they would be housing a few more precious items, and so a change had to be made to the schematics. Not exactly her brother’s area of expertise.

She had drafted up the first of the changes she’d be making and now waited for Conall to look them over and make his recommendations. He had his head bent over the papers she’d given him, his dark honey locks scruffy and unkempt, matching the thick stubble across his handsome face. Her heart ached for him, and she longed to have him close, making her want to tell him everything so he could take her in his arms and tell her everything would be fine.

“I’ll put yer changes in place once we finalize them.” He turned those intense amber eyes on her and then frowned, as he took her in. “Are ye all right?”

Hearing the weariness in his voice had her blinking away the tears that always seemed to threaten as of late. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

He took a step towards her, but it seemed he’d done so out of habit, and stopped as if remembering they were no longer together. His jaw tightened and his eyes hardened, making her heart ache all the more. “It was yer decision, Maggie. I’m sorry if it no longer suits ye.”

Her decision.
She scoffed in disbelief. As if this were exactly how she had wanted her life to unfold. She’d found the perfect man, only to have it ruined by lies she was forced to tell. “I still love ye, Conall.”

He shook his head, his breathing heavy as those beautiful gold eyes turned hard. “What the hell am I supposed to do with that, Maggie? Do ye think this is easy for me? Cause I can tell ye that it isn’t, damn it.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m dancing around in my party-knickers either. I’ve never been more miserable, Conall.” She turned away and swiped at her tears, cursing herself for being so weak. But it was all too much, and her emotions had been running high ever since those bastards took Aidan.

“Ye should have thought of that before ye promised me honesty and then lied to me with the same breath.” He pounded the work table with a fist, making the pens jump. “Ye made yer bed.”

As if the gods must truly have it out for her, Iain and Andrew walked into the workroom. “I’ve gotta go.” Luckily, there was a back door. Ignoring Conall’s curses, she bolted for it, not wanting the others to see her crying. She’d catch up with Iain after she’d had a chance to calm herself and dry her eyes.

“
Maggie.
Hold up, would ye?” Conall caught up to her, his long stride closing the distance between them with ease. When she didn’t stop, he grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. She was helpless to keep her tears from falling, and though she refused to look at him, it did little to hide the state she was in.

The silence stretched out between them until he let out a weary sigh. “Och, love…I wish ye’d tell me what the hell’s gone wrong.”

The kindness in his voice, despite everything they’d recently been through, gave her the hope and courage she needed to look at him. “I wish I could tell ye, love, but I can’t.”

The hard edge to his voice and gaze was back. “Can’t or won’t? Because I’ve offered to be there for ye, offered my help and support, and ye’ve still turned me away, still lied to me.”

The words sat there on the tip of her tongue, desperate to escape, to tell him everything. Yet the thought of Aidan coming to harm left her second-guessing everything her heart was telling her she should do. “I said can’t. I
can’t
tell ye. I was happy, Conall. Happier than I’ve ever been. So why the hell would I put all that on the line?”

He threw his hands up and shook his head. “Clearly, I haven’t a clue, Maggie. And this is going nowhere if ye don’t let me in on what’s happening with ye. I’m not a bloody mindreader, aye?”

When she said nothing, he let out a weary sigh and hung his head. “I can’t do this, love. I can’t. Like ye said-life’s too short. And it’s certainly too short to spend it with someone who doesn’t trust me. Sorry we couldn’t make it work. I think we would have been happy together.”

“I’ve no doubt we would have.”

***

Maggie turned away and squeezed her eyes shut the moment she realized that the video was of her brother, his captors sending a clear message. They were losing patience and Aidan was running out of time. Fury competed with fear as she swiped at her tears.