“Slatter escaped the group he had been handed over to and we’ve been sent to find him.”
Willow noticed that Rhodes didn’t mention that the group consisted of barbarians, but then the Lord of Fire often seemed a man of mystery to her, keeping things to himself.
“And you? Where is your escort?” Rhodes asked.
Willow turned her head casually from side to side. “They’re somewhere around here.”
“They leave you alone, unprotected?” Rhodes shook his head. “That is unacceptable. I will have a word with them.”
He obviously didn’t know that she had been abducted. Either William had never made it to the Macardle Clan or Rhodes and his men had left before the news of her abduction arrived. The problem now was what did she do?
Rhodes would soon discover she was not with Ruddock’s warriors and would question what had happened to her. Did she speak the truth? Did she return home with Tarass’s warriors? Did she have a choice?
She wouldn’t tell Rhodes about Slatter. As odd as it seemed, she felt that if she mentioned anything about him, she would be betraying her husband. Besides, he had helped her escape Beck and she was grateful to him for that. She could return home and say nothing about her marriage to Slatter. No one would ever need know.
But she knew, and her sensible side warned that secrets don’t stay secrets forever. The more people who knew your secret the better chance you had of it being revealed.
It wasn’t long before all the warriors returned, and without Slatter.
“I don’t know how he got away from us,” Owen explained. “One minute he was there and the next minute he was gone. It was like chasing a ghost.”
The other warriors nodded in agreement.
“Did you see any of Lord Ruddock’s warriors?” Rhodes asked the men.
They all shook their heads while Owen said, “Not a one of them.”
Rhodes looked to Willow. “As I said, you will stay with us until this gets sorted out.”
Willow didn’t expect to feel disappointed. She supposed it was because she expected a different ending to her situation with Slatter, one that was satisfying to them both. If she was her usual sensible self she would have realized from the beginning that would never be possible.
But nothing had seemed sensible since she’d been lowered in that hole with Slatter.
“We’ll return you home to speak with your family and Lord Tarass,” Rhodes said.
Willow stood her ground. “You need not do that. Lord Ruddock’s warriors are probably chasing Slatter as we speak. I will wait their return.”
“Then we will wait with you for their return,” Rhodes said.
Willow didn’t have to see his face to know that he didn’t believe her, she heard it in his voice, and it annoyed her.
She folded her arms across her chest and spoke with firm authority. “As I said, you need not do that. You are not responsible for my safety. Take your leave. I have no need of your help.”
“I cannot do that,” Rhodes said, letting her know it wasn’t negotiable. “We will wait and see you turned safely over to Northwick warriors.”
Frustrated, Willow didn’t know what to do. She looked to the woods where Walcott and the other men waited. Or had they left at the first sign of trouble? Had Slatter left with them? Had he left her behind?
Why does that matter? She scolded herself silently. Maybe Slatter felt she would be better off returned to her family. And didn’t she want to go home? Funny, she should question that. With all that had gone on while visiting her sister, then the attack on the way home, and spending time with Slatter in that godawful hole, she felt more alive than she had in some time.
“We’re camped over there,” Rhodes said with a nod to the left.
Willow almost groaned when she saw the campsite. There had to be twelve or more of Tarass’s warriors there. She was going home, whether she was ready to or not.
“We have drink and food,” Rhodes said and stretched his arm out for her to precede him.
Willow walked as if she was being escorted to the gallows and admonished herself for thinking so dramatically. If it was Sorrell who faced this dilemma, she would already have fashioned an escape plan.
She picked up her pace as the other warriors walked past her, determined to find a way out of this and see to settling things with her husband before returning home.
One of the men in camp began waving frantically to Rhodes and pointing to a man, standing beside a horse.
Willow’s stomach soured. She dreaded her thought, but it seemed the most logical. News had been received about her abduction.
She hastened her step again so that Rhodes would, and he did, rushing past her. With all the warriors congregated in one place, Willow took a chance, turned the other way, and took off running.