Free Highland Resurrection (Blades of Honor Book 2) by B.J. Scott Page B

then glared at Lazarus’s back. He hadn’t answered her questions. “Stay where you are and dinna try to change the subject. I want to know why you allowed my brother to talk to a French—”
    A heavy knock on the door interrupted their conversation.

Chapter 8
    Lazarus swallowed hard, his pulse pounding as he approached the door. Had the French soldier he’d spoken to in the village become suspicious and followed him? His palms sweating, he hesitated as he reached for the latch. Another knock caused him to jump.
    “Are you going to see who is there?” Sheena asked.
    “I’ll get it.” Quinn darted for the door.
    Lazarus held up his hand, stopping the lad’s advancement. “You wait inside with your sister and dinna come out. No matter what you hear, I want you to stay put. Do you understand?”
    Quinn nodded.
    “Is something amiss? Tell me,” Sheena demanded.
    “I dinna know, but I see no point in taking any chances.” Lazarus opened the door enough to slip outside, then closed it behind him.
    “Thank the Lord, I have finally found you,” Simon said.
    Lazarus released the breath he was holding, relieved it was his friend and not the French guard. “What are you doing here?”
    “Looking for you. And you led me on a merry chase,” Simon admonished.
    “You shouldna have bothered, Simon. As you can see, I’m fine.”
    “That may be, but you left the abbey several days ago and said you would be back by nightfall. When you dinna show up, I feared the worst,” Simon said. “I have been searching for days and it was only by sheer luck that I found you.”
    “There was no need to fash , but I am curious how you knew where to look?”
    Simon’s brow furrowed. “It wasna easy to determine.”
    “You dinna do or say anything that might alert the French authorities as to my whereabouts, did you?” Lazarus combed his fingers through his hair. “Speaking to the wrong person could give me away.” After his close call in town today, he knew French agents were searching for him. The last thing he needed was for Simon to be asking questions that might make them suspicious.
    “Do you take me for a fool?” Simon asked. “I was very discrete. I scoured the town for three days, keeping my eyes and ears open. I was about to give up and return to the abbey, when I overheard a vendor telling a woman she should be careful when venturing out alone.”
    “How did that help you in your search?” Lazarus scratched his head. Simon was famous for taking forever to tell a short story and Lazarus wished he would get to the point.
    “Upon further eavesdropping, I heard him explain that a lass was attacked in the cattle yard recently, and if not for the assistance of a monk, she’d have been violated.”
    Lazarus pinned Simon with a stare. “Hopefully the vendor dinna suspect you were listening in on their conversation. Did he mention how he learned of the attack?”
    “He said two of his patrons and another fellow were discussing their conquests with the ladies. The one man boasted how he had his way with the lass. But the other one laughed and said a monk had stopped the braggart before he got started. Since you mentioned something happened when you were in Berwick, and I know you couldna turn your back on anyone in distress, it dinna take a scholar to figure out you were that monk.”
    Lazarus lowered his gaze. “You know me too well, Simon. I had to come back and check on the lass and got caught up in what I was doing here. However, you are right. I should have sent you word.”
    Simon grabbed Lazarus’s sleeve. “Aye, you should have let me know you were safe. But now that I have located you and you have eased your conscience, let us return to the priory at once.”
    Lazarus tugged free of his friend’s grasp. “I canna leave.” He stepped off the porch and motioned for Simon to join him in a small copse of trees behind the hut.
    Simon followed. “What do you mean you canna leave? In case you havena heard,