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without him.
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Chapter 20
Booted feet raced towards the morgue, louder and louder. All Hell was breaking
loose. The door was flung open and slammed against the wall behind it, shattering the
glass in the window.
There they are! roared one assailant. More men were pouring into the morgue
around the corner and chasing after Neil and Robert. With a surge, the two young men
leapt into action, running at top speed towards Angus, as did Donald.
In rising panic, Angus eyes whirled around the room for some place to escape the
barrage of men barreling down on them from the open door, scanning for any possible aid
to their escape. On the floor, he saw the displaced heads scattered about. Without
thinking, he grabbed the head nearest him and heaved it with all of his might towards the
large window behind his back.
The severed head spun as if in slow motion as it sailed through the air towards the
window. Droplets of liquid and blood rained out as it spiraled and rotated. Angus
shielded his face with his arm in protection against the putrid fluid that was spraying
everywhere.
Finally a sickening thud resounded as it finally hit the window. The glass gave
way under the weight of the head and crashed, leaving a gaping hole where the window
had been.
Follow me men! This way! yelled Angus, and he flung himself through the
hole and landed in the yard outside. The other three propelled themselves through the
window after him.
Robert and Neil, ye two run towards the fence, and make sure your screaming
and yelling draws the guards away from the gate, lads. Ye both are young and should
make it over the fence easily. Go now and hurry, he commanded. He bent to pick up
the discarded head and tucked it underneath his arm. Donald and Angus raced towards
the dilapidated wagon and the swayback horse. The animal whinnied and tossed its head
as they neared the wagon.
Leaping up onto the front seat, Angus slapped the reins against the horse s rump.
Ya, ye old nag, ya! He knew they had no other possible exit, as he directed the horse
towards the still closed gates. He could see the two guards sprinting in the direction of
the fence. They must have seen and heard Robert and Neil. His gaze followed the
direction the guards took, and he was relieved to see the two young clansmen hurling
themselves over the high, spiked fence. Angus muttered a silent prayer of thanks as he
watched them slip into the darkness on the other side. But just as quickly, the two guards
skidded to a halt and were now gazing and pointing in their direction.
The wagon now approached the ominous gate, which still remained closed.
Drawing back on the reins, Donald leaped from the still moving wagon to push open the
gates. His efforts appeared strained as he struggled to push open one half of the iron
HANDSOME DEVIL Donna McAteer 119
enclosure.
Angus could now see the two guards running in their direction. Hurry Donald!
he yelled. The fire and hate in their eyes fueled his panic as he jumped from the wagon
to help Donald.
As he reached the gate, he leaned his entire body weight into pushing the gate
open. They moved to the other half of the gate, straining and grunting. They now could
hear the pounding footsteps of the two guards as they charged across the yard.
One last effort and the gate swung slowly open. They dashed towards the wagon
and jumped onto the seat, and Angus flailed the reins against the horse s flanks,
screaming at the top of his lungs. Ya, ya!!!
The wagon lunged forward and careened through the gates just as the two men
reached the portal. They gave chase but were lost in the dust of the retreating wagon.
Eventually they pulled back and disappeared into the dark and mist of the Edinburgh
night.
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Chapter 21
She left in the middle of the night, believing it was definitely in her benefit to
have the entire household in a deep sleep. She didn t wish to defend her actions or justify
her feelings. Although Lucas probably had some idea of how she was feeling, he had still
chosen to leave her behind.
Hours after the castle had become completely silent, she rose from her bed. She
dressed in a set of Aidan s clothes that she had brought with her. She needed to be
disguised as a male traveler along the treacherous roads to Edinburgh.
Tucking her hair beneath the hat and securing the belt around the baggy pants, she
inhaled one giant shaky breath. As she glanced around the cozy bedchamber, she
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