The Not So Secret Baby (7 page)

Chapter Eleven

Izzy wasn’t supposed to leave the house alone. The threat of Sharon and what she might do still hung in the air. She was supposed to wait until Sinyn or Connor could be with her, but waiting was never one of Izzy’s strong points. She needed to get out into the fresh air and go for a walk. Being cooped up in the house and waiting for someone to watch over her wasn’t Izzy’s style. Besides, a week had passed since Anthony’s death. Neither his body had been found nor was there a trace of Sharon. Izzy suspected Sharon had a good sense of self preservation and had taken off to avoid the police.

Izzy smiled as the sun touched her face. It was different to the harsh UV of home. While she missed the deep blue of Australian skies, the simple beauty of Inis Daire appealed to her. She passed by locals who waved or chatted about the baby or Sinyn. It felt good to be alive. That was until she rounded a corner and ran smack bang into Sharon.

“Shit,” Izzy swore and backed away several paces.

“Think I was gone, did you?” Sharon sneered.

“Well a smart person would have left after killing her husband.” Izzy looked at the other woman. She was filthy and bedraggled. Izzy guessed she had been sleeping rough.

“Are you saying I’m not smart?”

Correct
. “What do you want, Sharon?”

“I want money.”

Of course you do
. “I have none.” As a guest of the prince, there seemed no need for it on Inis Daire.

“The prince does,” Sharon pointed out.

“You think he’d pay you to get off the island?” Although he and Anthony had not got on together, Sinyn wanted justice to be done and Sharon charged for his murder.

Sharon looked pretty confident. “I think he’d pay me to leave you unhurt. I’m surprised you have no minders with you. Usually they’re trailing along. Yes, I’ve been watching you all week just waiting to meet up with you for a little chat.”

“Gee, not grieving over your husband’s death?” Izzy’s voice was full of sarcasm.

“He was weak. I was tired of dragging him along.” Sharon dismissed Anthony with a wave of her hand. “Now I want money—a lot, or you and that baby are in big trouble.

“It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten in a week. You look like a mess and you smell. The only threat you are to me is as a pollutant.”

“That’s right. I’m not dead, you bitch.” He rounded on her. “That poison knocked me out and made me groggy but as soon as the car hit the water I woke up.”

“I can explain…” Sharon began.

“I doubt it.” Anthony punched his wife in the face. She hit the ground, smashing her head against a rock.

Up until that moment, Izzy had been paralyzed with surprise “Bloody hell!” She looked down at Sharon. There was no movement from her. “I think you killed her.”

Anthony yelled down at the body on the ground. “See I
can
do something right.” He straightened up and turned to Izzy. “Now for you. I’m not going to kill you yet. You’re a bargaining chip. My cousin loves you. I’ve been watching you together. He’s besotted. Then there’s the kid. You’re too useful to kill yet.”

Talk about good news and bad news. There was a threat, but also the hope a miracle would happen and she could get free of Anthony.

“What do you plan to do?” Izzy was more worried about what he would do to an unsuspecting Sinyn than herself.

“There’s an old cave up in the mountains I used to visit as a boy. I’m going to stick you up there for a while and make my cousin crazy with worry trying to find you. He’ll think Sharon is to blame. Then, when he can’t take it anymore, I’ll drop by as a surprise for Sinyn and ask for so much ransom money it will bankrupt the island.”

“Don’t you care about the people? I thought it was your heritage.”

Anthony glared at Izzy. “Inis Daire never cared for me. It was always Sinyn they loved.” He grabbed her arm. “Now, come with me willingly or I’ll make you regret pushing me.”

* * * *

Izzy had once heard that St Patrick had driven all the snakes out of Ireland. “I just hope they didn’t set up home on Inis Daire,” she muttered to herself as she looked around the cave Anthony had dumped her in. She was tied to a large bolder and sitting on hard, damp ground. As caves went, it was what Izzy imagined. Dark, dank, and with strange noises she choose not to think about. She had been sitting there for what seemed like hours since Anthony left. Her ass ached and her wrists were bloody and sore from trying to free herself. She expected Sinyn would be frantic. Would Old Katie know where she was? Did her vision extend to seeing through rock? Izzy concentrated all her thoughts on Sinyn, willing him to come to her.

He paced madly, a million plans and worries running through his head
. I need to find Izzy.
Nothing else mattered. “There are hundreds of caves in those hills.” The ancient ones had first set up home in them when they left the mainland of Ireland. He knew the location of a lot of them but not all. “Are you sure it was Anthony? I thought you said he was dead.”

“I said he was gone.”

“Right.” That was the thing about Old Katie. She said what she saw. Sinyn had jumped to the conclusion about his cousin’s death.

“Isadora will be fine. She is tough and smart.”

Yes she is
. It was the one thing he held on to. “It’s going to get cold soon.”

“No, only Sharon. She’s dead. I expect you’ll find her body soon enough. As for your Australian slut? She’s fine and will remain that way as long as I get what I want.”

“There’s no question of what I plan to do.” Sinyn knew there was no point bargaining with a blackmailer. He launched himself at Anthony, tackling him in one move and slamming him onto the floor. From there they staggered to their feet and began punching each other. They fought fueled with years of pent-up anger and aggression. It was hard and bloody and only ended when Sinyn slammed his cousin back into the floor, twisted one arm behind him, and sat astride his back so he couldn’t move. It wasn’t a fair fight due to Anthony’s condition. But Sinyn didn’t care about fair. He wanted Izzy back.

“Where is she?”

Anthony laughed. “You’re not that smart, are you? I figured you’d work it out. You’re the one who’s supposed to be lord of the island and know it so well.”

Old Katie hobbled over to Sinyn as he stood up from his cousin. “Think, Prince. You are linked to Isadora. Picture her face and you will find her.”

Sinyn swore again. “I don’t have the sight like you do. Why can’t you see her?”

“I’m not the one who’s supposed to save her. You are,” Old Katie told Sinyn. “Be quiet. Think. Picture Isadora. She would only call out to you.”

At this stage, Sinyn was ready to try anything. He closed his eyes and stood in the middle of the room and pictured the face of the woman he loved.

Anthony scrambled up and came up behind him to king-hit Sinyn. Old Katie kneecapped him with her cane. Anthony wailed in pain. “Never underestimate me, boy.”

Sinyn zoned out of the chaos around him and concentrated on the only thing that mattered. Izzy.

* * * *

Izzy jerked upright. For a moment it had felt like Sinyn was touching her. She looked around the gloom of the cave. It was only her in the increasing dark and cold. She closed her eyes once more and kept her mind on Sinyn and willed him to follow the path they had taken to the cave. If fate had brought them together for a reason, then fate could find a way to reunite them.

Sinyn looked at his cousin. “Izzy is in a northwest facing cave near the stone cross and the broken-down dray.” He remembered going there as a child. Sinyn leaned down and looked at his wretch of a cousin. “Bastard.” He punched him in the face one more time.

Chapter Twelve

“Well, you took your time,” Izzy murmured as Sinyn cut the rope from her writs and hauled her up to her feet. She threw herself into his arms and held on to the solid, safe warmth of his body.

“Happy to see me?”

“I’m freezing, my ass hurts, and I really need to pee.” Her teeth were chattering as she spoke. “And I need body heat.” Izzy’s eyes met his and instantly she felt a burst of energy. “But yeah, you’re a beautiful sight, Prince.”

* * * *

Izzy sat astride Sinyn, his dick buried deep inside her cunt and his hands around her hips. “Marry me.” The words came out naturally. It was what she wanted.

While it was hard to concentrate on words when actions at that moment were so much more fun, Izzy needed to know where she stood. She wanted this man. She had expected he wanted her back. “Do you want to marry me?”

“Yes.”

“Well?” His vague answers were driving her mad. “Ask me.” Izzy started bouncing on top of him. Each jolt sent the thrill of hard dick pushing up and down inside her.

“I thought we were doing
it
.”