Fire Maidens Scotland (Billionaires & Bodyguards #6) - Anna Lowe Page 0,27
“It’s impossible to tell.” Then she shook her head and rifled through the box. “And anyway, we have to see what Trevor wants us to do next.”
“He’d have wanted you safe.”
“I can keep myself safe, thank you very much.” She pulled out the next envelope with a flourish, like a knight brandishing a sword. Then she cocked her head, reading the label. “Oh.”
Lachlan waited. Oh, what?
She held out the envelope. “‘To be opened in my study at Creag Aerden.’”
Lachlan exhaled. Thank goodness for that. He much preferred not to squabble with Holly, who had a way of turning every argument on its head.
“Creag Aerden it is,” Lachlan agreed, pulling out his phone.
First, he called the housekeeper to let her know they would be coming. Then he made a second call, which was picked up on the third ring.
“Pronto,” a deep voice answered.
“Tony? C’est moi,” Lachlan said, switching to French out of habit. Or rather, the bastardized form of French most of his comrades used.
Holly swiveled around in surprise.
He gave Tony a brief rundown of the situation, then waited while the lion shifter checked his duty roster. The Guardians of every major region of Europe had sent elite shifter soldiers to guard the prisoner at Gleninnis — two from France, another two from England, a trio from Greece, and so on. Tony was one of the best. Lachlan himself had just finished a ten-day tour of duty at Gleninnis and technically had a few days off.
But a good commander was never really off duty — especially with the likes of Enzo Lombardi to watch over.
Napoleon was banished to an island prison, yet he escaped, his dragon grumbled.
Lachlan couldn’t agree more, but then again, what choice did he have?
We should have killed him when we had the chance, his dragon muttered.
Yes, he should have. But Enzo had surrendered in a battle off Ireland four weeks earlier, giving Lachlan and his friend Finn no choice but to bring in the old dragon to face justice. Enzo might be a coward who twisted the shifter honor code to his own purposes, but Lachlan would never stoop that low. For the time being, that meant living with the ever-present threat of Enzo Lombardi on Scottish soil.
He grimaced. Lombardi was imprisoned on the very island Trevor wanted his ashes scattered over. Bloody hell — what a complication.
Still, scattering ashes only took a few moments, and he could hustle Holly on and off the island in a matter of minutes.
Theoretically, his dragon rumbled, not convinced.
Holly’s words echoed through his mind. No matter how much you plan, things turn out differently. And the more complicated something is, the more you’ll end up winging it in the end.
She was right, dammit — except for one thing. He did not wing things. He made plans, backup plans, and emergency contingencies. Yes, there was always a certain degree of uncertainty, but that was where Tony came in — one of the few men Lachlan trusted unconditionally.
“And?” he asked into the silence on the other end of the line. “I need backup right away.”
“Backup?” Holly turned, catching the word. Then she hollered toward the phone, “We don’t need backup. We’re fine.”
“Not fine,” Lachlan growled.
“We have Mungo, you know.” Holly pointed out. “Right, sweetie?” She scratched the dog under the chin.
Mungo stuck his nose in Lachlan’s ear as if to underscore Holly’s point.
“Sweetie?” Tony asked.
Lachlan could picture his friend’s eyebrows jump up.
“She meant the dog,” he muttered.
Silence came over the line before Tony answered. “She? Dog?” He paused. “Dare I ask?”
“No,” Lachlan barked.
Tony chuckled. “Allora… I’ll check if one of the others can cover for me here.”
While Lachlan held the line, Holly sat with her arms crossed. How much of the conversation could she follow? Did she speak French?
So much we don’t know about her, his dragon lamented.
Tony came back on the line. “All right. Michael can cover for me here. I’m on my way to you, your woman, and your dog.”
“Not my woman, not my dog,” he muttered in French.
Definitely my woman, his dragon rumbled.
“What was that?” Holly cocked her head.
Lachlan waved his hand. Whew. Thank goodness she hadn’t caught the my woman part. “Nothing. Just Tony.”
“Just?” Tony protested.
“Who’s Tony?” Holly asked at the same time.
“Tony is a very annoying lion shifter I already regret asking for help,” he grumbled.
“No regrets,” Holly chirped.
“I like her already,” Tony laughed.
Lachlan went stiff, and his dragon nearly roared. My mate, not yours!
Tony hung up with a chuckle. Despite the lion shifter’s ribbing, relief washed over