The Highlander's Sin by Eliza Knight Page B

he’d known how much she hated the sour, bitter, stinging taste of whisky, he might have appreciated the limits she was willing to go to.
    Duncan shook his head slowly, eyeing her with distrust. “One thing the lady who hired me said was that ye were cunning. Not to underestimate ye.”
    Heather stiffened. Who knew her? Who could tell him all about her? Who had betrayed the Sutherlands?
    “A compliment, to be sure, but I swear,” she crossed herself, “that I am not trying to pull the wool over your eyes.”
    How easily she was capable of lying. Father Hurley would see her punished for a fortnight at this rate. Abducted or not.
    Duncan leaned close, his scent enveloping her. Instinctively, she wanted to lean in closer, but in her mind she knew it was a bad idea. Heather leaned back, but inch by inch he drew nearer, until she had to brace a hand behind her on the stone wall to hold herself up.
    “ Ye’re a pretty little liar,” he crooned, his voice as silk-edged as her own had been. “But I give ye credit for trying. Now I just have to figure out how—”
    An ear -piercing whistle sounded through the falls, causing both Heather and Duncan to still. She swallowed hard, afraid to breathe. Her stomach twisted into knots. They’d been found.
    She stared at Duncan, eyes so wide they hurt, but he didn’t look at her, no matter how much she willed him to do so. His attention was outside the falls. Body stiff, he seemed made of stone.
    Another whistle sounded, this one different. Two people? More than two? How in the world were they to know? God, would they have any warning before someone was upon them, before swords thrust through the diamond falls and into their hearts?
    Heather jerked her gaze to the falling water, half expecting to see the flash of metal as their enemy stabbed into their hiding spot.
    Her heart leapt with sudden hope. What if it wasn’t an enemy, but her brothers? Or better yet, men of the resistance? What if they saved her? She tried to bring the sounds of the whistles back into her mind, but they were lost on her, not sounding in the least familiar. That didn’t mean all hope was lost, though. The sound of the falls could have altered the tone of the whistles, making it harder for her to decipher them.
    Even with those thoughts, her stomach started to sink. She was fairly certain her brothers, her hope for salvation , were not on the other side of the water.
    “Dinna make a sound,” Duncan whispered.
    He waited for her to nod, then he nodded in return.
    H e slowly withdrew his sword. She barely heard him move. He was stealthy, as he should have been, and as he had been when sneaking into Dunrobin Castle.
    As Duncan edged closer to the visible opening of their secluded spot, Heather push ed herself up against the wall. If need be, she could run through the waterfall, yanking at her gowns as she went.
    Duncan was in the perfect position for her to shove him through the water and attempt to make her escape, but that would only call attention from whoever stood on the other side. And she didn’t want to do that. Here was another opportunity for escape wasted.
    Oh, how she wanted to curse the fates for what they’d served her, but there was no time to feel sorry for herself.
    Where was her dagger? She had to at least protect herself. Duncan’s satchels were a few feet away. No hint of her knife, but she thought she’d seen him shove it back inside the sack.
    She inched along the wall toward the satchels, while Duncan made slow -moving steps toward the ledge they’d walked in on. He paid her no attention, the entirety of his focus on the outside of their spot.
    When she reached their satchels, she eyed the insides, careful not to move, in case he turned around to see her. Glinting on top of the various paraphernalia was her knife—the same gilded handle. Had to be hers. Keeping her eyes on Duncan, she bent down, grabbed the knife and then straightened, holding the hilt in her hand.
    The metal was