The Highlander's Time Read Free Page A

assist her.”
    “Oh,” the blonde moaned.
    Iaen moved out of the way, pulling the two sober women with him a split instance before the blonde vomited all over the front of Malcolm's plaid. “Elspeth,” Iaen shouted.
    He recognized the signs of a woman who didnae know when to let off the jug. Her sallow skin and shaking hands only lent credence to his opinion. When she started to retch again, he moved the two sober women down the stairs. “Nay, you let her be,” he ordered the brunette when she struggled against the hand he’d clamped on her elbow. His barked command didnae stop her from trying to escape his grip. “You will do as you are told.”
    Why are you bothering? She donnae understand you. Even if she didnae, his tone should have told her plainly to calm.
    Seeing Elspeth standing in the middle of the hall, he pursed his lips into a thin line. “Tea and lots of it.”
    “Aye, milord.” He heard his cook call.

Chapter Two

    Could someone show me to the closest exit out of this nightmare?

    “Let go of me!” Jenny struggled to free herself from his vice-like grip. Furious with him for his lack of compassion to Lila, she tugged with all her might. Irate at herself for not thinking faster on her feet in the office, she slapped his arm. “Ow.”
    Talk about rock-hard muscle . If she wasn't so pissed, she'd love to run her hands over his skin. Nah, he's more Lila's type. Well, that was yet to be determined. He doesn't look like the type to party all night long and pray to the porcelain god once the sun comes up.
    She met his glare while she shook the sting from her hand. “Charlzie, are you okay over there?”
    “I think so.” Tears clung to Charlzie's words. “Do you think this is a dream? That we were somehow sucked into Lila's drunken hallucination.”
    Rejecting the latter straight off, Jenny tried to wrap her brain around the situation. “I don't know what is going on.” How did you test a dream when you were consumed in it? “On my count, pinch yourself.”
    It was the stupidest idea she'd ever thought of. “Never mind.” She wracked her brain for a way. Back when she was a kid and she had nightmares about her mother's impending death, her father would tell her to put him in the dream. Even though he couldn't rescue her mom, he could give her comfort in her dream. “Tell yourself to wake up.”
    “Come on, Charlzie, wake up. Time to rise and shine.”
    Listening to Charlzie chant those two lines, Jenny imagined her dad walking in. Please, dad, please show up . When he didn't stride in, she changed tactics. Maybe the trick only works with living people . That didn't help her at all, since the other two people she spent most of her day with were in the dream with her.
    Jenny tried to picture the doorman from the office building holding the throne-like chair for her. She attempted to imagine her nosy neighbor peeking from behind a tapestry.
    Nada.
    Zip.
    Zilch.
    Think, Jenny. There has to be an explanation or a way out of this dream .
    “Jenny, what are we going to do?”
    “Give me a moment, Charlzie. I'm still trying to find my footing.” Tripping over a bucket, Jenny shrieked with fury. “Will you just get over yourself?” She shouted at the mountain of muscle glaring at her.
    She jerked away from him. Her arms flailed before she dropped to the floor. Landing hard, she scurried back until she was a good ten feet from him. She rubbed the ache from her brutalized ass. “What part of, 'I need to sit and think', don't you understand?” Not even telling the delusion to buzz off brought her back to reality and the pain was her wake-up call.
    Going through the scenario in the office, she remembered Charlzie taking a few sips from her tea. She, too, had nursed her cup of Earl Grey. “Charlzie, what if we're drugged?”
    “You mean someone spiked our tea?”
    “It's the only logical conclusion.” But who would want to do that to them? Lila had enough enemies and frenemies to choke a herd of