rushed in her ears as her breaths became ragged with fear.
From somewhere within the cold room, she heard a man’s laughter break through the silence. ’Twas hideous.
“Struggle all ye wish, ’twill do ye no good.”
Keevah sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes. God help me.
Chapter Seventeen
There would not be a building, a rock, or a place in Inverness that Lachlan would not tear apart looking for Keevah. No stone would be left unturned.
Murdoch raced to the inn where the rest of their men were staying. They came running, armed to the teeth, angry as hell, and fully prepared to do battle.
They used the Tickled Pickle as a staging location. ’Twas just after midnight on this bleak, cold winter’s night. The moon shone brilliantly, which would aid in their search.
Charles had gathered more men to help. Lachlan did not bother asking for names or histories. He simply wanted the manpower.
Ewan came in right behind Charles.
“When was she taken?” Ewan asked as he thundered through the back door.
“Bessie last saw her three hours ago,” Lachlan informed him.
Ewan gave a curt nod of his head. “Then there is still time.”
“How do ye ken that?” Murdoch asked.
Ewan began to answer when Lachlan flung open the door. “Ye can discuss that while we look,” he ground out. “I will nae waste time on yer theories or assumptions.”
“Lachlan, we should have a plan,” Charles said. “To make certain we do nae search the same places twice.
His fury and anger were not allowing him to think clearly. He was glad, however, that Charles suggested it. ’Twas quickly decided that the men would be broken into teams of two and each were assigned a street. Three men would be sent to search along the river. Lachlan, Murdoch, and Ewan would search together.
Ewan spoke up. “He is probably usin’ an abandoned buildin’. I would search those first.”
Lachlan could not necessarily disagree with that assumption. It stood to reason that the killer would not want anyone witnessing his comings and goings.
He took one last long look at the men crowded into the kitchen and gave a curt nod before opening the door.
More than two-dozen men spilled into the alley. Torches flickered in the night air, casting shadows across the buildings. These were men on a hunt: the hunt for a killer and an innocent woman.
Ewan and Murdoch walked beside Lachlan. “I have been doin’ more research,” Ewan began. “I think he keeps then for a day or two before he disposes of them.”
Fury coursed through Lachlan’s veins, white hot, impenetrable. His only thought, his only mission was to find Keevah.
“What do ye mean, he keeps them?” Murdoch asked as they reached the end of the alley.
Lachlan stopped the procession. “Search every buildin’, every inn, tavern, every business. Ye search them with or without the owners’ permission. Do nae stop until ye find her.”
“And if ye do find her,” Charles said, “ye bring her back here at once then send word to Lachlan.”
The men agreed and soon began to fan out. Lachlan, Murdoch, and Ewan would search the buildings along Chapel Street. Laughter and light spilled out from the few taverns that were still open at this hour. Lachlan thundered down the street, all the while his heart beat mercilessly against his chest.
Fear. Inescapable fear filled his gut. Fear of what was happening to Keevah at this very moment. Fear that she was already dead.
And rage. Rage that any man would dare harm her, let alone any other woman. But she was not just any other woman. She was his. His heart. His entire existence.
He refused to think about his future without her in it. He would not allow his heart or his mind to think of his world continuing without her in it. He would accept nothing less than finding her alive.
The next emotion to assault his senses was guilt. Absolute, unequivocal guilt. He should have insisted they left days ago; that very night. What were ye thinkin’ keepin’ her here? The answer wasn’t hard to find. He was trying to endear himself to her. To make her see he could be agreeable, that he loved her no matter what may come.
Ye were so busy tryin’ to impress her that ye could nae truly see what danger she might be in. She was just like the others, ye fool. A former prostitute with a child.
His reverie was broken by the discussion between Murdoch and Ewan. “It has to be close to where the other bodies were discovered,” Ewan