Over the last few days, both his parents had hinted rather broadly about his leaving Sammy behind with them. Harry expelled a long breath. He couldn’t postpone the inevitable.

“When I leave for Glasgow, Sammy’s going with me.”

“Why?” Gavin wrinkled his forehead, just like Sammy did on occasion.

“It’s time I took on my fatherly responsibilities. Sammy deserves better from his parents.” Harry turned the wheel to avoid a large pothole.

Gavin frowned at the hole before he boomeranged back to the topic. “Sammy hasn’t bothered us in the least. Your mum and I love the boy.”

“I know you do. That’s what made leaving him so easy while I was overseas.” Harry downshifted. “If I make a hash of things, I’ll send him back for a reset. Deal?”

“Deal. But I can’t speak for your mum. You can be sure she’ll have plenty to say on this.”

Harry’s eye twitched. “No doubt.”

Gavin faced forward. “It might soften the blow if you brought a particular young lady home to meet her.”

Chapter 38

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Elise lowered her handgun, and the cloud of smoke thinned, then dissipated. She narrowed her eyes on the target—three clean center shots.

She’d come home for the weekend to visit her family because she was heartily sick of her own company. The other reason was a lot more complicated.

After church services tomorrow, she’d return to her estate north of Glasgow. The SCIF, an enclosed area inside her home office used to process sensitive information, was now completed. With her newly installed state-of-the-art technology and stand-sit desk, her employer had provided for all her business and physical needs.

Her occupational success had not extended to her private affairs, at least not with her staff, despite her concerted efforts to reel in her acerbic tongue. George, her estate manager, had threatened all last week to retire. Then, on Friday, he had followed through.

The mansion house with its multi-gabled slate roof and chimneys was a vast cavern of soulless, echoing rooms. After work each day, she wandered the land, taking in the sweeping vista of Munros, loch, and glen. But she had no one to share it with, and each day, the void inside her grew until the emptiness of her life attempted to swallow her whole.

She had blocked Harry’s calls and left London to give him the chance to find what he needed—a woman whose life centered around hearth and home—a woman who could provide Sammy with a sibling or two.

Inserting a new magazine inside her gun, she resumed her stance, focused on the target, and squeezed the trigger in quick succession.

Bang. Bang. Bang.