The Highlander Next Door Read online

  “Wait, let me give you some money.”

  She waved away his offer without stopping. “Nonsense. I’ll just have Vanetta start us a tab and pay it once a month.”

  “Shep, go with her,” Niall said, turning to the men, only to bite back a chuckle when Jake Sheppard stopped himself in mid-step. “So gentlemen, do ye need more time to gauge the size of my pecker or are ye ready to hear my rule of employment?”

  “Don’t you mean rules, as in plural?” Cole asked.

  Niall shook his head. “The rule is I’m the only one who may break the rules. You will do everything by the book, and if something isn’t in the book then you may not do it.”

  Jake’s eyes widened. “Everything? Hell, man, if we had followed even half the stupid rules written by a bunch of government pencil pushers, we’d both have been planted six feet under a hundred times by now.”

  “How about if we promise to play nice instead?” Cole offered. “Jake and I are intelligent men, seeing how we’re both still alive, and we actually like ordinary citizens.”

  “It’s just bad guys we don’t like,” Jake interjected.

  “And since they never follow the rules,” Cole added, “how in hell do you expect us to catch them if we have to? We swear we won’t shoot any innocent people.”

  “Deal,” Niall said with a nod, turning away to hide his grin.

  “Well, shit,” Cole muttered. “I think I just felt my pecker shrink.”

  “What are we supposed to call you?” Jake asked.

  “Niall will do,” he said, looking around the room. “Did either of ye happen to see what Hazel did with my box of paperwork and equipment?”

  “She was setting an empty box on the porch when we showed up,” Cole said.

  “We’re getting uniforms, right?” Jake asked.

  Niall stopped opening drawers on the larger of the desks. “I like the casualness of jeans and a button-up shirt. We’re Spellbound and Turtleback’s first venture into having policemen, so I prefer we blend in so they’ll see us as one of them.”

  “Maybe you didn’t notice,” Jake drawled, “but I don’t exactly look like a local. Hell, I’ve hardly even seen any black tourists around here.”

  “All the more reason to dress like a local,” Niall pointed out.

  “But I thought we’d be wearing uniforms,” Jake countered. “Crisp blues with a big leather belt loaded down with Mace and a Taser and handcuffs and extra bullets and stuff. Are you saying we aren’t even going to be issued hats?” He straightened away from the desk to glare at Cole. “The only reason I let you talk me into this gig was for the uniform.” He turned to Niall, his expression desperate. “I just spent eleven years blending in to every stinking hellhole on the planet, and now I want to stand out on the streets of good old America.”

  Cole straightened with a snort. “No, you want a uniform to help you score some good old American tail.” He looked at Niall, his expression derisive. “Actually, I signed on for the same reason. And it’s not uncommon in small-town forces for the officers to wear uniforms and the chief to wear only a badge.”

  Niall decided the interview was over. Based on what he’d spent half the night reading in the files Sam had given him—which he didn’t doubt had disclosed very little of their actual . . . skills—Jake Sheppard and Cole Wyatt were men he wanted on his side in a fight. And now that he had met them in person, he could see the three of them would be a good fit. No; the four of them, since Shep was also a good judge of character and hadn’t gone for either of their throats.

  “Done,” Niall said with a nod. “Tell Hazel what ye want for uniforms.”

  He went back to opening drawers but stopped when his cell phone rang, the tone telling him it was 911 dispatch. “MacKeage,” he said by way of answering, only to stiffen as the woman related the details of an automobile accident. “Where again, exactly?” he asked as he opened several more drawers and grabbed a portable two-way radio out of the last one. “And ye say the driver called it in herself and claims she’s not injured?” he continued, motioning for Jake and Cole to follow as he headed outside. “Is she still on the line with you? Tell her to sit tight, that help will be there in ten minutes. I’ll call you back on my truck radio.” He pocketed his cell phone on his way down the steps and handed the portable radio to Cole. “How did ye get here?”

  “In my new pickup,” Jake said as they strode up the narrow lane. “Cole’s truck is being delivered tomorrow.”

  “Then the two of you follow me.”

  “What about Shep?” Cole asked. “You want me to go get him?”

  “He’s on his way,” Niall said, reaching his truck where it was parked on the main road just as Shep came racing down the sidewalk. “There’s only one car involved, but it’s apparently gone into the river and is wedged up against the bridge. Rescue has been dispatched, but the closest full-time fire station is another thirty miles south of Turtleback, so it may take a while for them to get there.” He opened the door and let Shep jump up, then climbed in behind the wheel. “Since ye don’t have sirens and lights yet, try to keep right behind me.”

  “I had the truck outfitted when I picked it up in Bangor,” Jake said, heading across the road to a bright blue, four-door pickup covered with enough chrome and emergency lights to blind the sun.

  “We’ll keep up,” Cole said as he sprinted after his friend.

  Niall hit his own siren and lights, checked for traffic and pulled a U-turn in front of the men, then keyed the mike on his radio. “MacKeage here. Are ye still in contact with the woman? You say she claims the car isn’t sinking?”

  “She’s still on the line,” the dispatcher assured him. “She told me the car is tangled in a large tree that seems to be holding it up, and that the river’s current has her pinned against one of the bridge abutments.”

  “And she’s all alone? No passengers?”

  “Only her. She said her name is Birch Callahan. The car is a late-model red Lexus crossover with Quebec license plates, but she can’t remember the tag numbers because she bought it only a couple of months ago,” the dispatcher continued when Niall stopped asking questions in order to regulate his breathing.

  Sweet Christ, it was Birch. “Can she climb onto the abutment?” he asked.

  “Hang on,” the dispatcher said, which was followed by a silence that seemed to stretch on forever. “She claims a man told her to stay in the vehicle.”

  “Someone’s there?”

  Another silence, then, “Birch said she didn’t actually see anyone; she just heard a male voice tell her to stay in the car when she tried to crawl out.”

  “I’m only two miles away now. Tell her to stay put.”

  “Ten-four. Millinocket rescue and ambulance are en route, and Turtleback Station managed to gather together a crew of five and is sending their ladder truck.”

  “I’ll be off the radio, but two new officers are with me; Cole Wyatt and Jake Sheppard. They’ll relay information to you. Stay on the line with Birch.”

  “Roger that, MacKeage. Good luck.”

  Niall dropped the mike on the console as he approached the bridge just as an empty logging truck crossed it coming toward him. Apparently unaware anything was amiss, the driver didn’t slow down until he saw the two pickups racing toward him with lights flashing and sirens blaring. Not that Niall saw any sign of an accident, either, until he spotted the churned gravel just before this end of the bridge. Hell, there were hardly any rubber marks on the road, indicating Birch hadn’t even slammed on the brakes until the last minute.

  He hit his own brakes, stopping right in the middle of the lane, and jumped out. “Block off the other end of the bridge,” he told the men as they pulled up beside him. “But leave room for rescue to get through.”

  Niall walked toward the churned gravel marks and saw where it looked like a large tree had been uproote
d from the riverbank, then scanned down the side of the bridge until he saw Birch’s red car, indeed tangled up in a large tree, caught against the middle granite pier. He returned to his truck and grabbed a bagged throw rope from the cargo bed and started running. Cole and Jake met him in the center of the bridge and all three looked over the rail to see Birch crouched on the passenger door of her car as it rested on its side about twenty feet below them, her cell phone pressed to her ear.

  “I heard sirens but they went right by me. Oh, they’re here!” she cried through the open window—her pale face flushing as she dropped the phone and grabbed the steering wheel to stand. “Niall, help me. It’s going to sink!”

  “Don’t move,” he called down, straightening once he saw her freeze. He took off his jacket and unstrapped his holster. “Get out the rope,” he told Jake, setting the gun on his jacket on the ground. He slipped his backup weapon out of his belt and tossed it down along with his cell phone, then reached for the end of the rope.

  “Let me go,” Jake said. “I have technical climbing experience.”

  “Nay, this is personal,” Niall quietly countered, tying the rope around his chest. “And I have plenty of climbing experience, some as recently as yesterday.”

  “Yeah, we heard,” Cole said, pulling the remaining rope out of the bag as he leaned over and looked down. “The tide must be going out and the current is really battering that tree. Maybe we should start by tying it off.”

  Niall climbed over the rail. “Nay, we could end up in more trouble if the tree breaks free.” He stood on the edge and looked at both men. “If it does, you cut me free as well. I’ll stay with the car and pull Birch out once we’ve cleared the bridge. There’s another throw bag in my truck, so head downriver after us if that happens. Shep,” he said to the dog standing with his head shoved through the rail looking down at Birch. “Go get the other rope bag. Show him the empty bag, Jake.”

  Despite his look of disbelief, Jake picked up the throw bag and held it out.

  “Fetch,” Niall said. “In the truck bed, Shep. Get the bag. Thoir leat.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Cole muttered, watching Shep hightail it for the truck.

  Niall waited until Jake had the rope slung around his back and his feet braced against the concrete curb of the bridge, then gave the men a nod and started climbing down the side of the old metal structure. “You’re going to have to lower me the last four feet to the top of the abutment,” he called up.

  “We’re ready when you are.”

  Niall transferred his weight to the rope and used his hand to steady his descent, then found his footing again on the top pyramiding block of the old granite pier. “Give me some slack,” he called up, grabbing one of the tree branches and stepping down several more blocks before turning toward Birch. He then gave an exaggerated sigh through the open window. “I’m getting sorely tired of rescuing women off ledges,” he said through his grin. “Are ye sure you’re not hurt, Birch?” he continued when she didn’t even crack a smile. “Your neck and back and ribs feel okay?”

  She shook her head but quickly changed to nodding. “I’m sure,” she said, reaching up to him—only to shoot to her feet when a large branch suddenly snapped, making the car drop a good foot as she banged against the steering wheel. “Don’t let me fall, Niall! I can’t swim!”

  “If ye end up in the water,” he said calmly, prying her fingers out of his shirtsleeves, “I’ll be going in with you. Now reach up and wrap your hands around my neck, then slowly straighten. That’s it, give me a tight hug,” he said, stretching down to grasp the waist of her pants. “I need tension on the rope,” he called over his shoulder, slowly straightening when he felt the rope tighten. “As soon as you’re free of the car, wrap your legs around me,” he instructed, cupping her backside and lifting her out, then leaning back against an upper block with a sigh of relief as he held her trembling body.

  “Oh, mon Dieu,” she repeatedly whispered against his neck as she clung to him, only to suddenly scream when several branches snapped in rapid succession.

  “Look out!” one of the men shouted from above. “It’s breaking free!”

  Niall splayed a hand over Birch’s head and twisted to avoid getting caught on a branch when the tree slowly rolled and then swung around the pier with a shrieking groan as wood and metal scraped against the granite. He stayed twisted, watching the current rip the car from the tree as both floated under the bridge toward Bottomless, the car bobbing and bumping on rocks just below the surface.

  Niall turned his head and smiled into Birch’s heather-blue eyes as he brushed a thumb over her cheek. “We definitely have to stop meeting like this, Miss Callahan.”

  Her whole body shuddered as she released the breath she’d been holding while watching her car float away, and buried her face in his shoulder as she began trembling again. “C-can you just hold me a minute.”

  “For as long as ye need, lass,” he murmured, leaning back against the granite.

  “Everyone okay?” Jake called down.

  Niall tilted his head back. “We’re good. Give us a minute.”

  “Who are they?” she whispered without moving.

  “My two new officers, Jake Sheppard and Cole Wyatt. Can ye tell me how you ended up in the river, Birch? Did ye swerve for an animal?”

  “No,” she said, still not moving but for her trembling. “A car shoved me off the road.” She finally looked up, the skin on her pale cheeks taut with tension and her eyes distant with lingering—or remembered—terror. “I saw it in my mirror and thought the driver was crazy to pass just before a bridge, but when it got beside me . . .” She looked toward the riverbank and shuddered again. “I was about to slow down and let it go by when the woman passenger gave me the finger just as the car rammed my front fender. I went airborne,” she whispered, her eyes going distant again, “and saw I was headed for a huge tree. I hit it dead center, and it should have . . . but it didn’t . . .”

  “It didn’t what?”

  She looked toward the bank again, but Niall knew she was really looking out her windshield. “It felt like I hit a ball of cotton. My air bags didn’t even go off. And I swear I heard a loud grunt as branches wrapped around the car and the tree fell backward into the river. And then we just floated until we got caught against the bridge,” she finished with another body-wracking shudder.

  Niall closed his eyes on a silent growl, undecided as to what part of her story he had the most trouble believing—that someone had deliberately run her off the road or that the new forest god had saved her life. “Ye told the dispatcher that a man instructed you to stay in the car when you tried to climb out, but that you didn’t see him. Is that right?”

  She merely nodded against his chest again.

  “You two gonna be much longer?” Jake called down, making Niall tilt his head back to see him leaning over the rail. “Because I can send out for pizza if you want,” the grinning idiot offered. “You prefer pepperoni or vegetarian?”

  “Ignore him,” Niall said, cupping her head back to his chest when Birch tried to straighten. “We’ll go up once you’ve calmed down enough to make the climb.”

  “I’m calm,” she said into his shirt.

  Aye, that was the problem; the Birch he was coming to know would have reared up and snapped at him for that remark. But it was her very lack of emotion in relating her tale of how she’d ended up in the river that truly scared him. Hell, she hadn’t cussed once. “Did ye recognize the woman in the car?” he asked, wanting to keep her talking.

  “No.”

  “Could you tell if it was a man or woman driving?”

  “No.”

  “Did you recognize the car?”

  She lifted her head and frowned. “I think I saw it parked beside the road not far from here when I was heading home.”

  “You were heading north when ye saw it parked the
re?” he thought to clarify, since she’d been traveling south when she left the road.

  She dropped her frown to his shoulder. “I was maybe four or five miles from Spellbound when my cell phone rang. It was Noreen, and she said a man had called the shelter saying he’d just passed a young woman carrying a baby and dragging a rolling suitcase behind her, and that the guy was worried because he thought the girl was crying and she was miles from any house.”

  “But you hadn’t seen this girl on your drive up from Turtleback?”

  “No, but I thought she might have come from one of the camp roads.”

  “But ye did see the car that hit you parked on the side of the road?”

  She nodded again.

  “What color was it?”

  “White. Large. An older model.”

  “Was anyone in it?”

  “I didn’t see anyone,” she said, melting into him again, her sigh giving him hope she was beginning to relax.

  He still wasn’t moving until she stopped trembling, though.

  “Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered into his shirt.

  “Aye.”

  “The tree talked to me.”

  “You said he told ye to stay in the car.”

  She leaned back again, this time looking directly at him. “He also told me not to panic, that he’d hold me up until help arrived,” she went on, her eyes searching his. “Only there wasn’t anyone there, Niall. The voice wasn’t shouting down from the bridge; it was soft and calm and . . . and as close as you and I are now.” She hesitated, then rested her forehead against his chest. “He asked me what I thought of the name Kci-skitap ’cey Kcihq or something like that,” she continued, her voice growing devoid of emotion again. “I asked him how it was spelled, and he rattled off some letters and said it was Maliseet for Great Man of the Forest. I told him that was too complicated, so he asked what I thought of the name Telos, and I said . . . I told him I like it.” He felt the lass hold her breath for a heartbeat. “I’m not hysterical, Niall. I know trees can’t talk.” She straightened again. “Please don’t tell anyone this one talked to me, or . . . or that I talked back to it.”