Free Highland Wolf (Highland Brides) by Lois Greiman

Betty's house. He had tried to think of some way to retrieve the precious necklace. Perhaps if he had another priceless piece of jewelry, he might lure the Shadow out of hiding and catch him. But he had no access to such jewels and no hope of obtaining any. Thus he had returned to his only hope, Betty Mullen, the rough jewel of the Red Fox.
    Another dull, sleepless night stretched before him. He slipped silently into the shadows and tried to get comfortable in the shallow niche of a stone wall not far from the house he watched so intently.
    Time ticked away. Fatigue settled in. The huge white hound could be seen as no more than a glimmer of gray in the blackness. Would he bark if someone approached?
    Roman shifted his gaze back to the house. If only he could move about to keep himself awake. But he had paced in his rented room, and still the necklace had been stolen.
    He had paced, Roman thought, and realized that he had forgotten his endless strides across the room in a hopeless attempt to remain alert. In fact, he had forgotten much of that night. True, he had been tired. But wasn't it strange that memories of that time were just returning to him now? He was a light sleeper. If haunting dreams hadn't assured that, living with men called the Rogue and the Hawk, had. Even in sleep Roman had learned to sense trouble. But not that night, for the weariness had been strangely heavy.
    Roman scanned the darkness again. Shadows, deep and unrevealing, smothered the house. He shifted his gaze away, across the narrow alley then turned back to the house. All was darkness, stillness. But... Something was different. The house's shadow had shifted. Roman stared, unblinking, until his eyes hurt. But nothing changed.
    He blew out his breath, but just then he realized the shadow wasn't there at all. It was at the back gate, then beyond, without so much as a creak of hinges. It was a ghost or ...
    Roman shook his head, trying to awaken, for surely he had fallen asleep. But just then he heard a sound like the sharp intake of breath.
    "Jesu!" he swore, and launched himself from his hiding spot. For just a moment the shadow froze, but then it swept away, no longer a shadow but a living being. A man. Roman was certain of it now. The white hound thumped his tail ingratiatingly. Roman rushed on. His prey was fast and knew the terrain. Suddenly, he was gone, vanished from sight in the middle of a blind alley.
    Roman careened to a halt, glancing wildly about. He couldn't have disappeared. He wasn't a ghost.
    There. Atop the roof, a flitting shadow, a whisper of sound. In a second Roman was climbing. Thatch scattered as he scaled the building. The thief was in sight again.
    Along the center of the building, then down, sliding on his backside and falling to the ground, for the Shadow was running again and nearly out of sight. Roman thundered after him. His chest ached from the exertion, but fury pressed him on, down another alley. Mud sucked at his shoes. The odor of urine fouled his nostrils.
    A pig squealed, and from somewhere in the darkness, a man cursed. Roman paid no heed to any of this.
    The Shadow was less than a rod ahead and losing ground. He disappeared around a corner. Roman bolted after him. Hell fire! Suddenly his prey was almost out of sight. Roman put on a final burst of speed and barreled down on the flagging runner as if he were standing still.
    Closer. Closer, until, without taking time to think, to draw an extra breath, Roman leapt.
    He hit the man's back dead on, bowling him over with sheer impetus.
    "What the 'ell?" he grunted, but Roman was in no mood for explanation.
    The man was huge. Both tall and fat. Roman rolled him over with some difficulty, puffing all the while and wondering how the hell this tub of a man had led him such a wild chase.
    "Where is it?" Roman rasped.
    "What the 'ell?" the man said again, his eyes showing wide rings of fear in the darkness.
    "Where's the necklace?" Roman panted. But just then he heard a noise