Page 111 of Twilight Tides
“I’ll kill him,” Murray finally stated with quiet menace. With sincerity.
It was so unlike him. Because of his own upbringing, I knew violence was the last resort for Murray.
“You’ll do no such thing,” I whispered. “He’s not worth it.”
“You’re worth it.” His words were ragged with emotion. “He tried to take you from me.”
Fresh tears trembled on my lids. “But he didn’t. I’m still here. And the best way to beat the bastard is to pretend like he doesn’t even factor in. Okay?”
I heard him take another shuddering exhale. “I just want you home.”
Home.
“I’m coming home to you,” I promised, hoping he heard more than what I said in those words.
A beeping in my ear made me sigh as I pulled back to check the phone battery. “Nee’s cell is dying, but I’ll see you tonight. Okay?”
“All right. London, I—” The phone suddenly cut out.
My heart raced, wondering what he’d been about to say. “Sorry.” I handed the cell back to Nee.
“No problem. Glad you got a chance to talk to him.”
The rest of our journey was quiet, a pall cast over our fun weekend by Nick’s harassment. “Sleekit antics,” as Cammie called them. We dozed off at one point, but when I opened my eyes, I found Cammie still awake.
“Keeping watch,” she whispered so as not to wake the others.
Affection warmed me. “You sleep now. I’ll take the next watch.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I’ll take the next watch,” Taran murmured as she awoke. “Both of you get some sleep.”
We took turns dozing, too tense and on alert for all of us to sleep at once. Thankfully, the three-hour train journey was over before we knew it.
Again, Cammie insisted on taking my luggage for me as we alighted from the train onto the station platform, which wasright on the pier at Oban. This meant we could stroll directly into the ferry terminal.
However, standing at the entrance to the station were four familiar figures.
Murray, Ramsay, Quinn, and Forde were waiting together for us.
I could feel the sob working its way up my chest, my strides picking up. Murray spotted us first, hitting Quinn’s shoulder to let him know, and then all four of them were marching across the station to meet us.
The only thing stopping me from flying into Murray’s arms was the pain that still throbbed in my body. My neck in particular hurt, the muscles strained from the fall and exacerbated by my upright sleeping position on the train. I ignored the aches as I reached my husband.
My husband.
As he gently wrapped me in his arms, the sob broke loose.
“A ghràidh,” Murray murmured gruffly, peppering kisses over my forehead. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”
I opened my eyes just long enough to see Ramsay embracing Nee, Quinn kissing Taran like she’d been gone for a million years, and shockingly, Forde holding Cammie tight in his arms, his expression strained with worry.
Murray kissed the top of my head again and pulled back, searching my tear-streaked face with a mix of affection and constrained fury. “You’re all right?”
“I am now.” I glanced behind him. “Where’s Kelly?”
“She’s with my mum. I didn’t know how to explain this to her, so I said I was going with the lads to pick you up.”
