“Liam,” his best friend called from the corner table. Boyd was a short, stocky man with dark curly hair and a shrewd gaze that missed nothing. “Over here.”
Liam joined the table. Beside him sat the O’Malley brothers. The Bricks. They were as dumb as their nickname, but what they lacked in brains they made up for in brawn. They were identical twins with blunt, blocklike features and powerful fists. Liam didn’t know them like he knew his childhood friend Boyd, but it didn’t matter. The Bricks were always up for shady business, especially if it paid well.
“What’s the news, then?” Boyd asked.
Liam signaled for a tankard of ale. “A baron travels this way in a week’s time. He’s taking his wife to visit friends, so there should be a nice bit of jewelry traveling with them.”
Boyd let out a derisive snort. “Hang your bits of jewelry, Liam. The boys and I have far better news.”
One of the Bricks grunted and took a swig of ale.
A serving girl brought over a tankard and set it down in front of Liam, leaning over a little farther than necessary. Her smile was big and her cleavage, bigger.
“Thank you, Betsy.” Liam winked.
She giggled, sliding a hand over his muscular shoulders before sashaying away.
“How do you do it?” Boyd asked irritably. “Every woman within five miles of you can’t resist shoving her tits in your face. Even rich Margaret Brady gives you calf eyes whenever she rolls by in her grand carriage, and I can only guess what else she’s giving you when that husband of hers is out of town.”
Liam shrugged, but said nothing. He’d been in a casual dalliance with Margaret for months, now. Being unhappy in her cold marriage with her ancient husband, she’d lured Liam in with her sleek black hair and lush figure. He sighed dramatically. “Everyone has a cross to bear, my friend. I endure it as best I can.”
Boyd snorted. “One of these days you’re going to get tangled up in something, Liam O’Connor, and your pretty face and even prettier lies aren’t going to save you.”
“You’ve no need to be bellyaching,” Liam said. “Your wife is the best-looking girl in the village.”
Boyd’s scowl smoothed out. “True. Alice is the best. She’s got the loveliest—”
“Enough,” one of the Bricks muttered. “Tell him about the house.”
Boyd leaned in. “We just found out Squire McLeod and his daughter left town for some fancy party today. They’ll be gone for three days, leaving that big house on the hill all alone.” He braced his arms on the table. “Think of it, Liam. The squire’s house. They say he keeps a treasure trove of his late wife’s jewels in there. Jewels like none of us have ever seen.” His small eyes glittered with greed. “It’ll be our grandest haul yet.”
Liam gripped his mug, unease prickling the back of his neck. He liked the squire. The man was an understanding landlord, and he’d been kind to his brother and family when their crops began to fail. Liam was never one to shy away from easy profit, but to steal from a man who had been so generous to them... It did not sit well with him.
“Boring.” Liam tried to bluster. “I’d much rather rob the rich coach when it comes through the woods, or have you all lost your balls for a real adventure?”
The twins growled in unison.
Boyd looked at Liam in disbelief. “Did you fall and hit your head out there during the street fight? I’m talking about the squire’s legendary jewels. They’ll be sitting in that house unprotected. Ours for the plundering.”
“Not just plundering,” one of the twins said in a voice like gravel. He gripped his hand into a fist and smacked it against his open palm.
“Aye,” Boyd said. “We’re not just going to steal the squire’s jewels. We’re going to destroy his house. All of it. See how the lofty pig enjoys having nothing, like the rest of us.”
“Burn it to the ground.” The other twin growled.
Liam struggled to keep his expression neutral. He hooked an arm over the back of his chair and took a long, slow drink of ale, trying to figure a way out. He and Boyd had been stealing from the rich for years, scheming and picking pockets and robbing the occasional stagecoach. In a world where the next meal might not come for days, they’d learned out of necessity. But this plan of Boyd’s tasted wrong. Not just because Liam liked the squire, but because there were too many unknowns. Boyd often let his greed overrule his common sense, which was why Liam usually made the final calls, and why they’d survived as long as they had.
“It sounds like a hassle,” Liam finally said.
Boyd turned to the twins. “I think our fearless leader here’s gone daft.”
“Look.” Liam set his tankard down on the table with a thud. “Robbing a stagecoach in the woods, you can run for miles in any direction. If we’re chased, no one will be able to outrun us. We know all the hiding places and all the hidden trails. In a house like the squire’s...” He shook his head. “None of us knows our way around. The squire and his daughter may be gone, yes. But what about the servants? There are bound to be many in a house that big. We’d be trapped like fish in a barrel if we get caught, and there’d be nowhere to run.”
Boyd’s mouth flattened in annoyance. “Listen to yourself, Liam. Spouting off about running from danger like some wee lassie hiding behind her nursemaid’s skirts. This is a foolproof plan. The twins heard it from the dressmaker that the squire’s servants have been given the time off, as well. They’ll be leaving tomorrow, and the house will be empty. So we go in tomorrow night, simple as that. The only danger to us will be the danger of getting too fat from overeating and overdrinking because we’ve all become rich as the devil himself.” He pounded his fist on the table and roared with laughter.
The Bricks joined in.
Liam gave a reluctant smile and took another drink of ale. He knew Boyd well enough to know there was no stopping him when he got like this. Boyd was a loyal friend, but his greed was boundless.
As the men discussed the following night’s plan, Liam came up with a secret one of his own. If Squire McLeod’s house did have a treasure trove of jewels, he would break in tonight and steal them before his friends had a chance. Then he’d present the jewels to them tomorrow. He’d say going it alone was easier than having them all risk their necks. Boyd and the Bricks would likely be so dazzled by their good fortune, they’d forget their plan of setting fire to the house. It was the only way Liam could think to keep it safe.
He gritted his teeth with determination, mind spinning with what he was about to do.
Men from the outside brawl began pouring back into the tavern, and Liam caught sight of old Angus in the crowd. Perfect timing.