Not Without Juliet - By L.L. Muir Page 0,13

wife and had nearly a dozen children, one of whom ruled the Gordon Clan after...you...died.”

Oops.

Judging from the fury on the faces of Cinead’s brothers, Quinn had hit a sore spot. But their anger wasn’t directed at him, but at their father, as if they’d just had some suspicion verified. The fact that Quinn had been telling fortunes hadn’t seemed to impress them at all.

The older man growled at the pack of wolves rising to their feet and Quinn realized the rocks in the man’s voice was likely due to a lifetime of making that same noise.

“The man’s no witch, ye dolts. He’s tryin’ to stir ye up so he can get away in the confusion.” The Gordon turned a wild eye on Quinn. “Ye’ve not The Sight, Montgomery Ross. Otherwise ye would have known what yer sister Morna would do, and ye would have stopped her!”

Quinn snorted. “I knew enough of what would happen here that I gave Ewan the Clan, did I not?”

The Gordon snorted and banged his tankard for a refill.

What else? What else could he remember to make them think twice about keeping him prisoner? There had to be something. Something that happened near the year 1496!

“The grandson of the current King James will be handed the crown of England.” They needn’t know it would be given by an English woman.

“What do we care of English politics a hundred years from now?” Gordon snorted again. His sons’ hackles were back down and they were now laughing at their father’s comment like he was the king and they were pretending to kiss his arse.

“One day a man will walk on the moon,” Quinn offered, sure that would give them pause.

Gordon’s nose curled to one side. “I care more who walks onto Gordon lands, and today, someone did.”

Another sore subject then.

“What would you like to ken of the future, Laird Gordon? I will trade any information for my freedom. I’m more surprised than anyone to find that I’d prefer to live.”

“Ach, now. Bad timing that,” said a strange voice very near his ear. He turned to see a small man, who had to be Cinead Gordon, forcefully lowering a club to his head.

CHAPTER FOUR

“Jillian. I beg ye to cease yer teasin’.”

Jules was still sitting against the wall where the big man must have propped her up after she’d passed out, clearly due to a lack of food. She should have shoved a chocolate bar in her mouth before running down the side of the mountain. With no calories to burn, her body must have burned some brain cells instead, because nothing made sense. The hitter still hadn’t found the room, hadn’t shown up at the door, and hadn’t shot his way into the tomb. He sure as hell wouldn’t have given up.

Unless too many people had suddenly showed up for an evening tour...

Maybe he’d retreated and planned to come search for her later. If so, she wasn’t going to wait around for him. But she couldn’t seem to rouse herself. Maybe that chocolate would help. Better late than never.

She pulled a bar from her pocket and ate it quickly.

Mm. Better.

“Jillian,” the big man said again.

Jules pointed to herself. “Jules. Okay? Jules. You call me Jillian again, and I’m going to have to hurt you.”

“Bah!” He turned away, then turned back. “If ye be Jillian’s sister, why did the lass never mention ye, let alone a sister who looks just like her?"

"I don't know if she knows about me, actually. I mean, it would be an obvious excuse for her to use, but it's not like she wouldn't remember me, right? I mean, I remember her just fine. And if we're identical, her memory should be just as good as mine."

"She may not ken? Surely, when she saw yer face she realized—”

"She hasn't seen me yet." Jules held up a hand in the universal request of help me up.

It took him a second to take the hint, but then he pulled her to her feet.

"Hasna seen ye? And how did ye come to be in the witch's hole then? I was of a mind Jillian and Monty would be guarding it a bit close, aye?"

It was a little embarrassing to admit to breaking and entering, but she’d had good reason.

"Two old women showed me how to get up inside, to hide. You know, from the guy who’s going to be coming through that door any second now?" She moved over to the wall behind the door and tried to flatten