Robbie jumped out of the front and Jeanine and Bea out of
the rear doors.
“Peter, Jacob!” Jeanine cried. Duncan stepped away so
she could lean inside to pul both boys into her arms.
“Ohmigod, you poor babies, are you okay?”
Duncan walked over to Robbie and Alec when he saw
Bea open the driver’s door and slide in to hug the boys
along with Jeanine. “Can ye get to Peg?” he asked Robbie.
Robbie shook his head. “I’m stil powerless. Only you
have any authority over the magic in this area, as your
mountain is the sole source of energy at the moment.”
“But I woke it up, so why in hel can’t you use it?”
Robbie shook his head again. “It’s tuned only to you,
Duncan, and wil remain so until Mac chooses to release al
the magic again.”
Duncan glanced back at the truck to see the women stil
hugging the boys, then looked toward the fiord and rubbed
his hands over his face. “Christ, I can’t imagine the hel he’s
putting her through.” He turned beseeching eyes on Robbie
and Alec. “What if the bastard’s already kil ed her?”
“Nay,” Robbie said quietly. “He wouldn’t have bothered
taking her if he merely wanted her dead.” He gestured at
Duncan’s right arm. “Go quiet and focus on your cuff. It’s
connected to Peg’s. Listen to what it’s tel ing you.”
Duncan faced the fiord again and took a calming breath,
focusing inward until he felt his cuff softly tighten against his
pulse and vague snapshots started flashing through his
mind. Only instead of seeing Peg, he felther emotions hit
him with enough force to nearly drop him to his knees.
“Sweet Christ,” he whispered, closing his eyes when her
calm yet utterly lethal anger resonated through every cel in
his body. “She’s toying with Dubois, trying to scare him with
the magic so he’l panic and make a mistake.” He turned to
Robbie and Alec. “She’s in pain; I can feel every bruise the
bastard put on her.”
“The connection to your wife runs in both directions,”
Robbie said. “Send her your strength, Duncan. Have Peg
feel you the same way you’re feeling her, and let her know
you’re coming for her.” He grinned tightly. “Ye may also
want to convey that anyone who tries to manipulate the
magic in anger could find themselves with more power than
they can handle.” He set a hand on Duncan’s shoulder.
“And I suggest youremember that as wel when ye come
face-to-face with Dubois.” He dropped his hand away with
a shrug, his smile turning genuine. “Then again, if ye
happened to accidental y … say, send the bastard back a
few centuries, I believe Providence would understand
you’re stil getting used to the magic.”
“The sheriff’s on his way,” Paul said, walking over to
them. “We’re in luck; dispatch said he’s nearby. She’s
sending the state police and game wardens, too.”
“Thanks,” Duncan said, striding to the pickup. He gently
moved Jeanine out of the way and clasped both twins’
trembling shoulders as they clung to each other with Hero’s
head squeezed between them. “Ye have my word, boys, I’l
have your mom home by sunrise tomorrow. Your gram and
gram-auntie wil stay right here with you and the girls until I
get back, and so wil Alec.” He gave them each a kiss on
their foreheads, then wrapped his arms around them in a
careful hug. “Ye just continue to be the brave heroes ye
are,” he whispered. “I love you.”
He gave them a reassuring squeeze, then turned to
Jeanine. “One of my men wil drive you or Bea to Ezra’s to
pick up the girls. Then I would ask that ye keep the children
here until I get back. Ye don’t worry about my crew; they can
cook their own supper. I’l be back with Peg by daybreak.”
“Wait,” Jeanine said, grabbing his arm when he turned
away. “You can’t mean to go after her al by yourself. Is the
bad man the boys are talking about Chris Dubois? Then he
knows the backcountry better than anyone,” she continued
when Duncan nodded. “How are you even going to know
where to look?”
He pul ed his frantic mother-in-law into his arms. “Ye
need to trust me, Jeanine,” he whispered. “Because I have
a secret weapon that’s going to make Dubois sorry he was
ever born.”
“W-what weapon?” she asked against his shoulder.
Duncan gave her one last squeeze and stepped away.
“Your daughter,” he said with a wink, just before he turned
and headed toward the beach. “I already know how to
manipulate time,” he said as Robbie and Alec fel into step
beside him. He stopped at the front of his pontoon boat
pul ed up on shore and looked from one man to the other.
“So once I decide where he’s taking her, I’l get ahead of
them and be waiting.”
“There’s a lot of wilderness out there,” Robbie said, even
as his deep gray eyes suddenly lit with amusement. “But
then, your mountain did have the foresight to give ye a
tracking device to put on your wife, didn’t it?”
“Aye, apparently the magic took pity when it realized it
had given me such a contrary woman,” Duncan said,
leaping onto the deck of his boat and walking back to the
steering console. “Keep an eye on things here, as we don’t
know if this might also be a diversion for Aaron Jenkins to
take another shot at the resort road.” He started the engine,
letting the powerful motor warm up at a quiet idle. “And try
to stal the sheriff from mounting a search until morning, if ye
can do it without drawing suspicion.”
Robbie and Alec nodded, then both grabbed the front
deck of the boat and pushed it off the beach when Duncan
slid the engine into reverse.
“Where’s your sword?” Alec softly cal ed after glancing
over his shoulder to make sure no one was in the
immediate area.
Duncan put the motor in forward. “In my cave. I need to
stop there first, anyway, and have a little talk with my
mountain.” He looked at Robbie. “I’l see if I can’t persuade
it to share its power with ye before I go after Dubois, on the
off chance I end up sending myself to hel with him.”
Robbie chuckled. “I’ve a fear ye may have to go through
Peg to get there. Godspeed, Duncan.” Robbie gave a
wave and turned away just as the sound of a fast-
approaching siren echoed up the main road.
Alec jogged down the beach to keep pace as Duncan
idled toward the fiord. “Are ye sure you don’t want to take
the pup?” Alec asked.
“He’s too young to know the art of stalking yet,” Duncan
said with a shake of his head. “And the children need him
now.” He slid the engine out of gear when he reached the
narrow channel in the old tote road and let the boat glide
toward shore. “Alec,” he said as his nephew waded into the
water and grabbed the side of the deck. “You’l look after
the children?” he asked quietly, leaving the ful request
unsaid.
“Aye,” Alec said with a nod. “They’l never want for love
and family.” He tapped the side of the boat with a
chuckle. “Not that I’m worried,” he said, giving it a shove
toward the fiord. “Since we both know contrary always
triumphs over stupidity.”
Duncan gave him a nod and pushed the throttle al the
way down, the powerful engine making the boat surge into
the fiord with surprising speed as he headed toward his
mountain. Aye, and if the stupid bastard Dubois didn’t
already know it, he was going to be living that very truth
before the day was through.
Chapter Twenty-four
Peg was growing more exhausted from trying to slow Chris