by Rebecca King
To Emmeline, it told her that the gentle Oliver who had kissed her what seemed like a lifetime ago now was still there. She hadn’t lost him to the Star Elite. He would resurface when the danger had passed. It was only when she looked at him and their gazes clashed that she realised the Oliver she felt she knew and had come to care about had never really gone away. He had just been carefully hidden. For now, he was back. Oliver now had that same look in his eye when their gazes met that he had had when he had kissed her in the yard at the old safe house.
Hunger. That is what it is. He feels the same as I do.
Emmeline shivered when a wild flurry of anticipation swirled through her. She shivered and stepped closer in an instinctive motion that left her questioning what she was doing, but it was too late to move away again. He had already slid his arms around her and began to tug her toward him.
“What happens now?” she whispered. “With the investigation, I mean?”
“Right now, the men need to rest. We will wait for everyone else to catch up. They will check the area. Then, the men who haven’t spent all day riding like we have will take first watch while others get some sleep. Sometime during the night, we will swap over, probably once or twice so that everyone gets some rest. Tomorrow morning, we will all sit down and decide what we are going to do and go over the finer details. A couple of the men will go to the Red Lion and make note of the layout of the place. Once they are armed with a little knowledge, they will then meet with the watch who are already keeping an eye on Smidgley. Assuming the Smidgleys haven’t left for London, or have guests or anything, we will all set out for the Red Lion just as soon as it goes dark. Once at the Red Lion, we will all get into various positions at the same time. I need to put something into their drink, whatever they order from the inn keeper, and make sure that all of them drink it. Then, we wait. As soon as the occupants of the room are out cold, we will take the people we want and leave the rest. It will only be between when we leave the tavern and when we reach the gaol that things will be fraught. The whole team will have to move quickly and quietly to get our captives to gaol. We will all head off in different directions again, which makes it impossible for anyone to follow us, even the several men Smidgley will travel with. Only one team of men will carry Smidgley with them. That team will take him straight to gaol where the gaoler is waiting for his new prisoner. As soon as Smidgley has been delivered, we will all return here but do the same as we have done together today. We will double back on ourselves several times to make sure we are followed and will, hopefully, converge here again by dawn. It is going to be a long and very arduous night, but hopefully we can have one of the brothers behind bars before dawn, and he will have effectively just vanish with nobody having any clue as to where he has gone. He will be kept in solitary confinement while he is in the gaol. Only the gaoler and one other gaol warder will be in contact with him, but Smidgley will know where he is and know that there is nothing he can do about his predicament.”
Emmeline shook her head at him. “I don’t know how you manage to live this life,” she whispered.
“You get used to it in time. Part of our investigative work is like solving a mystery; unravelling other people’s lies to find the truth behind them. But for the most part it is like a giant game of cat and mouse but during the night and with guns.”
Emmeline rolled her eyes.
Oliver grinned and shrugged. “It’s what we do.”
“I never said anything,” she chided.
“But you don’t approve.”
Emmeline sighed. She stared at the large apple tree Oliver had paused beside while she contemplated what to say. Her entire demeanour changed the more she thought over her argument.
“Someone has to do it,” she replied quietly. “You are fighting for a very noble cause.”
“But.” He knew there was one.
“I just have to wonder if the cause is worth what it might cost you,” she admitted reluctantly.
“It hasn’t cost me anything yet. A few of my friends have found wives and married,” he grinned. “But apart from the odd injury which, I have to say, has not always been caused by the enemy, we are relatively unscathed.”
“For how long, though?”
Oliver sighed. “I should like to say that nobody can touch us, but we have – are – currently facing the most serious threat we are all ever likely to face. We have a traitor amongst us, you see?”
“One of the men?” Emmeline blinked at him.
Given the arduous day she knew they had all endured she struggled to comprehend how someone could then turn traitor and deliberately do anything that would put everyone’s lives at risk.
“No. The men work solidly to protect each other. No, I am talking about the authority who run the War Office. Not all of them have the Star Elite’s best interests at heart and are more focused on their own importance.”
“That happens everywhere,” Emmeline countered flatly. “As soon as this traitor is flushed out he can be stopped.”
“I hope so,” Oliver murmured.
“You doubt it?” There was something in his voice that made her look sharply at him. He didn’t sound so sure. She had to wonder why.
“It is because the Star Elite have always been relatively undefeated that makes me wonder if this is likely to be our ultimate downfall. I mean, we have never been challenged in this way before. We have never been in a position whereby we have had to seriously fight one of us, especially one of us in authority. It is unusual and because of it we are struggling to find a way of dealing with it. I don’t doubt that if they had the chance, our enemy within would close us down.”
“Which adds urgency to getting Smidgley off the street, doesn’t it?” she whispered.
Oliver nodded. When he turned his gaze to hers, he noticed the dark shadows beneath her eyes that hadn’t been there yesterday. He realised then that he should have escorted her inside the house where she should be resting by now.
“Let’s go in,” he suggested. “I don’t know about you, but I am starving.”
Emmeline grinned when his stomach rumbled loudly and was swiftly echoed by hers. When he returned her smile, though, something made him hesitate. The air stilled between them and became watchful and intent. His gaze fell instinctively to her lips. Oliver didn’t give a moment’s thought to anybody who might be looking out of the window and happen to see them. With a groan, he hauled her into his arms and claimed her lips in a kiss that warned him he was in even more trouble than he could ever have contemplated, and it had nothing to do with traitors, the Smidgley brothers, or cold-blooded murderers. This problem was considerably more personal, and her name was Emmeline.
Later that same night, there was an air of tension hovering over everyone in the kitchen of the safe house. Emmeline tried to be as inconspicuous as possible as she sat and watched the men prepare to leave. She was ready to go. The men were just making their last-minute preparations before everyone left. They were going after Rupert Smidgley.
Emmeline was exhausted and couldn’t comprehend how, after such a manic day, the men felt they could face an arduous night challenging someone who was, after all, a serial killer with connections in high places. She was exhausted. So much so, she was glad she was sitting down – for the time being at least.
Half an hour later, Emmeline followed the men out of the yard. Their pace was considerably slower than the one they would usually take in deference to her lack of riding skill, but she could only be grateful for their consideration. She was stiff and sore and damned uncomfortable after the day she had just had, but nevertheless rode through the night until the faint lights of the village came into view.
“When we get there, don’t speak. The men have all moved into position and know what they are doing. We are going to stand you with Harry.”
Emmeline’s gaze few to Oliver. “Where will you be?”
Her gaze widened when she saw the brilliant white flash of Oliver’s teeth as he grinned mischievo
usly at her. “I have to put the baby to sleep.”
Emmeline rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. “Well, don’t forget that this baby bites.”
Oliver snorted. “I don’t care. I bite back.”
She shook her head at him but there was nothing she could say. This was his job; his livelihood. In a way it was interesting to be able to see what he did with his days. A part of her was curious to know because she suspected it was going to stand her in good stead for the future if she did have a deeper romantic connection Oliver. She would know exactly what he was doing while he was at work.
And I will worry myself senseless until he returns home safely because of it.
“Here is Harry,” Oliver whispered.
Emmeline’s stomach dipped. She knew the next time she saw Oliver he would have Smidgley with him. It was horrible concept, to have someone she cared about in such close contact with a ruthless blackguard like Smidgley. It was tempting to ask Oliver not to do it, to demand to be taken back to the safe house instead, if only to get him away from the area and stop what he was about to do, but it was far too late for any of that.
“All set,” Harry murmured quietly.
He helped Emmeline dismount and winked at her. “Just stay either beside me or behind me. You could help by keeping an eye on the area around us. Don’t talk, but just nudge me if you see anyone trying to creep up on us. It helps that Oliver showed you a things to do if you need to defend yourself, but hopefully you won’t need them. Try not to panic if it does all kick off, eh?”
“You are worrying her, Harry,” Oliver sighed. He turned to Emmeline. “Ignore him. You aren’t going to need to do anything. Stay here. I will be back soon.”
It was all too instinctive to lean forward for a swift kiss before he turned away and disappeared into the shadows. It was only when he was stalking toward Rhys that he realised what he had just done.
God, could I be any more blatant? I may as well have just told her I love her.
Oliver shook his head because he knew he didn’t love her yet. He cared about her; he cared about her safety and liked her. She was a passionate, if somewhat quietly thoughtful young woman, but she was so opposite to what he was used to that Oliver wasn’t at all sure what to do when he was around her. She was the only female he had ever met who made him feel gauche and uncomfortable. It was damned odd that he was almost afraid to do something or say something that would upset or offend her in some way. Moreover, it was damned odd that any woman was able to affect him as profoundly as Emmeline Elkins did. Experiencing such rash displays of emotion was most definitely not what he was used to, but it was difficult to know what to do about them because they were so instinctive.
“What name can I put to the need I have to keep her safe?” He mused aloud.
“It’s protection,” Rhys warned.
“This is different,” he replied simply because it was.
“You are falling for her,” Rhys advised sagely. He grinned when Oliver threw him a dirty look. “I didn’t say it was a bad thing. It is just something you need to be aware of, that’s all. I mean, look how much Angus tried to avoid the way he felt about Charity, and we all know how that ended up. If you care about Emmeline, there is no reason for you to be worried. Just don’t shy away from it too much. Emmeline could be the love of your life, but a woman like that won’t be single forever.”
He lifted his brows when Oliver didn’t immediately protest, but instead lapsed into a thoughtful silence that warned Rhys he had hit the nail on the head. Oliver was indeed falling for Miss Emmeline Elkins and, if the kiss they had shared when they had reached the new safe house was anything to go by, a kiss that Oliver had made no attempt to hide from his colleagues, his romantic entanglement with their new guest was more than a passing fancy.
“Just keep your mind on the job for the next half hour. Harry will look after her. The sooner we can get this Smidgley nonsense sorted the sooner we can all get on with our lives. Maybe you need to keep Emmeline a little closer from now on, especially once we have Rupert out of the way? If Rupert wants vengeance, he is going to go straight after Emmeline, and knows she is with us. It’s going to get crazy for a while.”
Oliver nodded. “He has to get through me first.”
“Come on. Let’s get this over and done with. Do you have the drugs?”
Oliver patted his pocket.
“Let’s get to it then. Soonest done is soonest mended.” With that, Rhys disappeared around the end of the building they were standing beside and sauntered casually down the main street toward the tavern.
When he had disappeared inside, Oliver set off in the opposite direction. He took a longer route but, moments later, followed Rhys into the building.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“How long do you think they will be?” Emmeline asked quietly when what felt like an age had passed and nothing had happened. She was cold, tired, and hungry in that order. Moreover, she was worried sick about Oliver. “How do you know something hasn’t gone wrong?”
“Because there would be a rumpus if it did,” Harry breathed. “Just keep quiet.”
Emmeline glared at him and wondered if there was something wrong with him. Apart from looking over his shoulder occasionally, the man hadn’t moved at all in the last half an hour. She, meantime, was struggling not to hop to try to get some warmth and feeling back into her numbed toes. When she studied Harry a little closer, she noticed that while he wasn’t physically moving, his eyes were constantly scanning the area. She hastened a glance over their shoulder, but nothing moved or stirred. For all intents and purposes, they were the only foolish people loitering outside on such a cold and lifeless night. In a reluctant sort of way, she almost wished she was inside the tavern with Oliver.
“Are they in there?” Oliver asked of the inn keeper who grimly nodded his head. When he looked at Oliver his eyes were worried.
“They are all in there, gambling as usual. They are going to get me closed down if they keep doing this to me. They wreck the room and upset my maids. None of my girls will go in there and serve them, and I wouldn’t send them. That Smidgley lot are a ribald lot, and a damned nuisance, but I cannot get them to stop coming here.”
“We will,” Oliver grinned. He motioned to the tray of drinks and two bottles of the inn keeper’s finest brandy waiting on a battered silver tray beside them. “Is this theirs?”
Again, the inn keeper nodded. “There are four of them in the room. They have asked for two more bottles to be delivered tonight.”
“Go and fetch them, and make sure you put all of the drinks to be delivered in there in a place where nobody else will touch them.” Oliver sighed and scratched his head. “On second thoughts, deliver all of their drinks at once.”
“Are they going to taste it? That toff can get damned nasty when he wants to, and those brutes of his are mean.” The inn keeper glanced around the tavern wildly, clearly terrified at the backlash.
“They won’t notice a damned thing. This stuff doesn’t taste much. Besides, they will be so busy gambling, any sharper taste of the brandy will be put down to the brandy itself rather than the drugs. By the time they have all taken a few sips they will be sleepy, and less inclined to fight. If they keep gambling, and supping, they will be asleep before they realise what has happened,” Oliver assured the man. “They will then be removed from here and taken to gaol before they wake up. As far as anybody is concerned, nobody in this tavern has seen them tonight. Understand?”
The inn keeper nodded.
Oliver handed the man several notes, far more than the price of the brandy. “Just make sure that the bottles are thrown away when you are done, and the contents are never drunk by anybody else. They are to be disposed of swiftly and quietly, and the bottles tucked away somewhere nobody will ever find them. Make sure you do it as soon as we have gone, understand? If anybody asks, no matter how persistent they get or what they threaten, just lie. The maids know nothing. Nobody has seen any of them. Can you do th
at?”
“Aye. Of course we can. Everybody will lie if it helps get rid of those bounders. I don’t know why the Hell they keep coming here, they know we don’t want them to keep coming.”
“It is because you don’t want them to keep coming that they keep coming,” Oliver warned. “There is nothing that toff likes more than to rile people and assert his power over them. Just make sure your maids are escorted home for the next few weeks, that’s all. This cretin and his brother are behind the kidnappings.”
This news made the innkeeper freeze and stare at him with wide, horrified eyes. His mouth fell open as he absorbed that startling bit of news. He blinked several times. “Good God,” he breathed.
“So, you are helping King and country get the kidnapper behind bars, or one of them, but nobody is to know of it. Is that understood? We are going to get Smidgley behind bars so he cannot snatch anybody else. Like I have said, just make sure you escort your maids home for the next several weeks. As soon as the other Smidgley brother has been arrested, the news of their crimes will hit the broadsheets. Then, and only then, will anybody be safe and then, and only then, can you start to tell people about your involvement in bringing them to justice. Understand?”
Oliver left the inn keeper nodding and looking considerably more relieved and turned his attention to the drinks. He removed the small vial out of his pocket and began to pour the contents equally into the four bottles of brandy. When he was finished, he carefully wrapped the vial back up in its protective leather pouch and tucked it safely back into his pocket. He then repositioned the corks and tipped the bottles up to stir the contents. When he was done, he polished the bottles off, so they looked untouched. He then stepped back and nodded at the inn keeper who, now that he realised what he was dealing with, purposefully picked up the tray and, with a careful nod at Oliver to assure him he had his full support, took the drugged drinks into the room.
