The Highlander Next Door by Janet Chapman Page B

bosom.
    “Even Nicholas won’t find us,” Reggie said, sounding like he was backing away just as a cell phone chimed, followed by another silence and then a curse. “The bastard is on one of his rants and Misty’s scared,” the boy hissed, the stairs they were standing on shuddering as he ran out of the house.
    “Reggie!” Birch shouted, banging on the door. “Reggie, wait!
    “Sweet Christ, woman, don’t—”
    Niall’s petition ended on a deafening snap, and all he could do was twist to take the brunt of the fall when the old stairway collapsed. But no sooner had they landed when Birch was shoving against him and scrambling to her feet, making Niall wonder if his ears were ringing from a blow to the head or from her screaming what he assumed were French curses.
    Hell, even Shep was looking more stunned by her reaction than by the crash.
    “You stupid little shit!” she shouted up at the door. “Don’t you dare leave us down here!” She rounded on Niall as he shoved away a section of stairs, and actually tried hauling him to his feet. “Hurry up,” she snapped when he apparently didn’t move fast enough. “We need to stop that idiot. Reggie!” she shouted again as Niall stood up, his jaw going slack when she grabbed a broken piece of wood and hurled it up at the door. “You get your sorry ass back here!”
    Okay then; it would appear Miss Callahan had more than just her bloomers in a twist at the moment. Niall pulled out his cell phone, but then shoved it back in his pocket when he couldn’t find a signal. Seeing her reaching for a piece of broken handrail as she started in on her French litany again, he headed toward the small window on the far wall—partly to hide his grin but mostly worried she might find him an equally satisfying target. Shep also beat a hasty retreat, apparently deciding now wasn’t the time for a game of tug-of-war. “Is cussing out whoever’s cooperation you’re trying to get,” Niall asked conversationally, “something they taught you at university?”
    Birch stormed over with the handrail clutched in her fist and glared up at him, the filtered sunlight exposing her flushed face. “I have little patience for macho idiots who think every problem can be solved with brute force. Who in hell is Reggie, anyway?”
    “Reggie Campbell is Julia Salohcin’s baby brother. By
macho idiots
, would you be referring to men?”
    Her eyes narrowed as she apparently tried to read his expression. “What did you mean when you said that if Reggie thinks he can outrun Julia’s husband, then Ike Vaughn will be the least of his worries?”
    Niall stepped past her to study the window. “Olivia didn’t hire Nicholas as head of her security because he’s pretty.” Realizing even a pint-sized spitfire wouldn’t fit through the window, Niall turned his attention to the fieldstones around it. “So is it your contention that all men are macho idiots or just us hulking brutes?” he asked as he ran his fingers over the mortar holding the stones together.
    “Are you going to get us out of here or not? Because it’s obvious neither of us will fit through that window.” She used the handrail to gesture at the empty stairwell. “We need to find something to stand on and break through the door.”
    Niall went back to studying the stones. “Near as I can tell, that door is the most solid thing in this house,” he said, having to raise his voice when she stormed off in another heartfelt string of curses.
    “What kind of cop runs around with an empty holster, anyway?” she muttered from somewhere behind him. “If you had your stupid gun, you could just shoot the door open. Well? You intend to look out that window until hell freezes over or are you going to help me find a way out of here?”
    Niall turned in time to see her kick at the pile of broken stairs, and folded his arms over his chest as he faced her. “Since it appears we’ll be working together in the future to protect your