“It’s stunning,” Richard said, at a loss for any other words to describe the incredible room.
“It is. There were several reasons I choose this home over one in the more fashionable neighborhoods,” she said. “One of those reasons was because the previous owner was a bit on the eccentric and secretive side. He made several alterations that were appealing to me. This is one of them.”
She went to the relief, to where a large owl had been carved sitting in a recessed hollow in the middle of the trunk. Brynne grasped the left edge of the branch forming the carved hollow and pulled it toward her. It swung open to reveal a small safe.
“Good gracious,” Richard said before he could stop himself. He’d seen hidden safes before, naturally. In fact, he had one himself in his own home. But he’d never seen one so elaborate.
Brynne twisted the dial as she entered the combination and pulled open the safe to reveal a small stack of documents, a few items of jewelry, and more money than Richard had ever seen in one place before. Brynne removed what she needed, leaving behind only one small stack, and closed the safe, sealing it once again behind its façade.
“Why do you keep so much in your home?” Richard asked. He kept a decent amount of money in his house as well. It was convenient to keep a certain amount on hand so one didn’t have to run to the bank whenever a bit of currency was needed. But she had a fortune hidden behind that tree.
“I find it more convenient than having to make a withdrawal or having someone from the bank bring me funds whenever I need them. And I’m not used to relying on a bank to control my money. I don’t trust them much,” she said with a shrug.
Having met some of the bankers in town, he couldn’t say that he faulted her. Especially after the panic from the year before. He followed her out of the alcove and pulled the door closed behind them. Brynne went to a small writing desk in the corner of the room and grabbed a book that rested there. She opened it, revealing its false center; a clever way to keep trinkets and odds and ends nearby without cluttering up one’s space. She upended it, sprinkling its contents across the desk, and layered the money inside.
“Now, we wait,” she said, her forlorn tone making Richard’s heart clench.
“We’ll get her back, my love,” he promised. “And then we’ll make Taggart and his associates pay.”
For the first time since Coraline had gone missing, a genuine smile crossed Brynne’s lips.
…
Waiting for midnight to approach was the hardest thing Brynne had ever had to do. She sat in the study, watching the second hand of the clock slowly tick by. She knew watching it only made the time go by more slowly…
Tick.
But she couldn’t make herself do anything else.
Tick.
Richard and Lucy had left at ten o’clock to take up their positions. Despite what the note said, they had no intention of Brynne arriving alone. They would make certain that her back was covered. And if at all possible, they would make certain the kidnappers didn’t get away with what they had done.
Tick.
The money didn’t matter to Brynne. They could have it.
Tick.
But they had taken her daughter. That she would never forgive.
Tick.
For that she would follow them to the ends of the earth.
Tick.
The clock struck the half hour. Eleven thirty.
Brynne stood, gathered her book full of money, and strode to the front door. The weight of the gun strapped to her ankle, the one in the pocket of her skirt, and the knife in its sheath at the small of her back gave her confidence as she strode toward the door. She wished she could face her enemies unencumbered by skirts. She needed her limbs free so she could fight. But Richard convinced her that their best bet at the element of surprise was if all appeared as normal as possible. Showing up dressed like a male gunslinger might scare off their prey.
And alerting any innocent passersby that something was going on wouldn’t be wise either. The last thing they wanted was for anyone to find them interesting enough to pay attention to what they were doing. Brynne cared less than a two-headed pig about what people might think of her clothing choice. But Richard had a point on the rest. Alerting Taggart and his cronies that she was there to fight wasn’t the smart thing to do.
The one concession she’d made to her own comfort was the absence of a corset. The ridiculous skirts were one thing; at least the hoops kept them from tangling around her legs. If she couldn’t give all her limbs freedom, she’d at least ensure that she could breathe.
She did, however, don the leather gloves she’d worn on the ranch. They slipped onto her fingers, the familiar leather molding to her skin. They still smelled of California; a tang of horse and the outdoors that hit Brynne with a wave of homesickness so strong she had to hold her breath for a moment. They never should have left. If they had stayed where they belonged, Coraline wouldn’t be in danger now. But then, Brynne would have never met Richard. The thought of never having known him was almost physically painful. But even that she’d gladly suffer if it meant her baby would be safe.
Brynne nodded her thanks to Mary and turned to leave.
“I’ll have the little one’s bed all ready for her when you bring her home,” Mary said.
Brynne choked back the tears that burned at the back of her throat. “Thank you, Mary.” The girl’s kindness and belief gave Brynne strength. She marched into the night to rescue her daughter.
Chapter Twenty-one
Brynne arrived at the deserted gazebo a few minutes early. There was always something going on in the park, but at this end, so late at night, there was no one about. A perfect place for a ransom exchange.
Brynne’s eyes strained to see in the darkness. She couldn’t make out much. The moon was full, but the abundance of shrubbery and the clouds that kept passing across its surface created pockets of inky blackness that no amount of staring would penetrate. All she could hear were the distant sounds of other park-goers enjoying their festivities, an occasional hoot of an owl. She knew Richard and Lucy were hidden in the darkness beyond the gazebo. She longed for some sign from them but knew that any sound they made would betray their presence and position.
So she waited. It was almost time. A few minutes more.
A rustling sound drew her attention to her left.
Finnegan Taggart stepped out from a cluster of large bushes. He didn’t come out all the way, but kept his back nearly touching the shrubs. Brynne didn’t wait for instructions. If he wasn’t going to come to her, she sure as hell would go to him.
He met her gaze, not flinching or wavering as she stalked toward him. He didn’t seem to fear her at all. There were no weapons in his hands. Good.
Brynne marched up to him and swung, her fist connecting with his face before he had a chance to blink. She hit him hard enough to make his head snap back, hard enough to make her hand throb in protest. Perhaps not the wisest course of action. It was her gun hand. But striking the son of a bitch had been immensely satisfying.
Taggart massaged his jaw, but he didn’t retaliate. He didn’t even look angry. Just resigned.
Enough of this!
“Where is my daughter?”
“Where is the money?”
Brynne sneered, letting every ounce of the contempt and disgust she felt for him show on her face. “I have it. But I’m not handing it over until I see my daughter.”
Taggart nodded as if he’d expected that and turned his head toward the bushes. He whistled three sharp notes and then, before Brynne could register his intent to move, he stood toe to toe with her. He grasped her arm to pull her nearer and whispered in her ear.
“I had no choice in this. I did the best I could for you and your family, I swear it.”
Brynne glared, shoving his hand off her arm. “By stealing my daughter?”
“It would have gone far worse for her if I hadn’t been the one to do it,” he whispered urgently.
&nb
sp; A twig snapped and the bushes parted to reveal a scruffy man with a sneer on his face and an evil gleam in his eyes. His hand gripped Coraline’s shoulder tightly.
“Momma!” Coraline tried to run to her, but the man hauled her back.
It took every ounce of self-control she had and some that God must have lent her, to keep from running to her daughter. She had to keep her wits about her, had to do this right.
“Hi, chickabiddy. It’ll be okay. Momma needs to talk to these men for a minute.”
“The money,” Taggart said.
Brynne went back to the gazebo and retrieved the book from where she’d stowed it under a bench. She shoved it into Taggart’s waiting hands, her breath coming in short, seething bursts. She tried to calm down, slow her heart rate. If she didn’t gain some control, these blackguards would get the best of her.
Taggart flipped open the book and quickly flipped through the stacked bills. “It’s all here,” he said to his associate.
“Good. Then I guess we’ll be going.” He backed into the bushes, and took Coraline with him.
“My daughter,” Brynne said, fear squeezing her heart in a vice-like grip that nearly brought her to her knees.
Taggart turned to the thin man with a confused frown. “She paid the ransom. Let the little girl go.”
“Well, mate, we have a small problem with that. They’ve both seen our faces now. Can’t have them running off to the pigs now, can we? Unless you want to spend your golden years in a cell.”
“Let her go, Haddon. I didn’t sign up for kidnapping or murdering women and children.”
“You signed up to do whatever was needed. But if you object, an extra body is no never mind to me.”
Brynne had had enough. “Well, you’ll excuse me if I have a slight objection.”
She pulled the gun from her skirt pocket, but the material slowed her down. By the time she had her gun pointed at the thin man’s head, his was pointed at Coraline’s.
Brynne froze, the sight of a gun pressed to her baby’s head paralyzing her.
Taggart drew his gun but didn’t seem able to decide where to point it. Instead, he aimed it somewhere near the middle, his eyes darting between the two of them.
Coraline whimpered in fear. The sound pierced Brynne’s heart.
The hammer of a third gun cocked and Brynne’s gaze quickly darted to the side, and registered another of Taggart’s associates with his gun aimed at her head. The tall, thin man sneered at her. She ignored him and returned her attention to Coraline and Haddon.
“Drop it nice and easy, missus,” Haddon instructed.
Brynne slowly bent down, lowering her gun to the ground. She laid it down gently and raised her hands to show they were empty. A slight movement over Haddon’s shoulder caught her attention and she glanced into the darkness, taking her time standing back up. Richard stood with his gun trained on the thin man. His eyes darted to the side and Brynne’s followed. Lucy materialized from behind a tree, her gun pointed at Taggart.
Unfortunately, the thin man caught sight of Lucy as well.
“She’s not alone!” He aimed at Lucy and fired.
All hell broke loose.
When his associate fired at Lucy, Haddon swung his gun around to Lucy as well. Brynne reached for the knife at the small of her back. The second his attention was off her, she mouthed “Down!” to Coraline.
Coraline, her eyes wide in her pale little face, twisted in Haddon’s grip and went limp.
Startled when his captive suddenly dropped from his grasp, Haddon swung his gun back toward Brynne. Her arm shot forward and she loosed her knife. With a sickening thunk, it buried itself deep in his chest. His mouth slowly dropped open, his eyes staring at the blade sticking from his ribcage. Then he crumpled to the ground, his gun falling uselessly from his hand.
A gunshot went off over Brynne’s head as she scrambled forward to gather her daughter. Another shot. Coraline wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and Brynne hunched over her, putting her body between her daughter and any harm that might come their way. Two more shots fired. Lucy shouted, her voice the only sound in the sudden silence.
Brynne kept Coraline’s head tucked in her neck so she couldn’t see the carnage that lay around them and crept to Richard’s side. The thin man lay bleeding and silent on the ground. Richard stood over him, kicking his gun from his hand.
The hand that held his own gun trembled and his haunted eyes stared down at the man he’d killed. The first man he’d ever killed, Brynne was willing to bet. She reached over and took the gun from his hand. He released it, turning to her with an air of shock.
“Thank you for protecting us,” Brynne whispered.
Richard’s face cleared, his shock and horror replaced with such an expression of overwhelming love that Brynne’s knees nearly buckled. He pulled them into his arms, kissed Brynne on the lips and Coraline on the forehead, and held them both tight. Coraline loosed her grip on Brynne and reached up to Richard. He took her in his arms and gently kissed her cheek.
Coraline wrapped her arms about his neck. “I knew you and Momma would come,” she said, her voice barely audible.
Richard cleared his throat, which, Brynne had no doubt, was likely as clogged with unshed tears as her own. “There was never any doubt,” he answered, hugging her tight.
Brynne searched for Lucy and saw her a short distance away, her gun still trained on Taggart. Taggart had his hands up, more as if he were fending off the torrent of words coming from Lucy than as if he was surrendering to her.
“Stay here,” Brynne said, grabbing Richard’s gun.
“Brynne…”
“I’ll be fine. Besides, you need to start dealing with them,” she said, jerking her head over her shoulder. Lamplights flashed in the distance and the murmur of voices floated to them. The gunshots must have been heard by someone who had naturally alerted the authorities. They would very shortly have a lot of explaining to do.
Brynne hurried toward Taggart and Lucy, who were locked in a passionate argument. Lucy glanced over, saw Brynne coming their way, and turned back to Taggart. A few more furious words, a lingering, regretful look on Taggart’s part, and he lunged away, sprinting off as fast as his feet would carry him.
Brynne ran the rest of the distance to her sister. “Why did you let him go?”
“It wasn’t his fault, Brynne.”
Red-hot fury burned through Brynne, inflaming her cheeks with a literal heat she could feel pouring from her. “He took my daughter! He put us all through hell!”
Tears streamed down Lucy’s face. “It would have been worse if he hadn’t.”
Brynne made a Herculean effort to contain her rage, but the events of the night had left her with little patience for Lucy’s infatuated ramblings.
Lucy pressed on before Brynne could get another word out. “His associates were going to take her, ransom her to regain some of the losses they suffered at your hands. Finn couldn’t talk them out of it. The best he could do was be the one who took her.”
Brynne sputtered, so furious she couldn’t force a coherent sentence past her lips.
“Think about it, Brynne. Please. Just stop and think. Coraline knew Finn. She trusted him.”
“Yes, which made it all the more easy for him to take her. He took her from me, Lucy! You aren’t her mother so maybe you’ll never understand the hell I’ve been in since the day she disappeared.”
“I love her, too!”
“Then how can you defend him to me?”
“Because I know him. He never would have hurt her. He did what he did to protect her.”
“That bastard—”
“Think about it. Was she harmed at all? Does she even seem frightened? How would she have been if one of the others had taken her? With him, she was safe. He took care of her, made sure she was well looked after. Would that have happened if one of the other men had taken her?”
Lucy had a point, but Brynne was not willing to forgive Taggart. “He coul
d have come to us, told us what they were planning. Instead, he went through with their plan. What if something had gone wrong?”
“He didn’t have a choice. They already questioned his loyalty. He didn’t even know of the plot until it was already underway. That’s why he left so abruptly. He needed to intercept them, be sure that he was the one who took Coraline. So he could keep her safe.”
Lamplight flooded the area and shouts from the police filled the night. Brynne slipped her gun into her pocket. “We’ll talk of this later.”
She turned her back on Lucy and went to join Richard, who was trying to explain what he was doing in the middle of the night surrounded by dead bodies. The fact that he was a very respected member of society who was accompanied by two women, had a child clinging to his neck, and pointed out the false book full of money tucked firmly into the waistband of one of the deceased went a ways in his favor. When Brynne assured them she could produce the ransom notes, the officers agreed to accompany them back to the house for more questioning.
Brynne took Coraline back into her arms and sighed a deep breath of relief. She had her baby back again. The man she loved was by her side. Nothing else in the world mattered.
Chapter Twenty-two
Brynne blinked in surprise at the visitors who stood at her front door.
“Well, are you going to let us in?” Cilla asked.
Brynne threw herself at her sister with a happy shriek that brought half the household running. The next several moments were filled with hugs and kisses and exclamations of surprise and delight as Brynne, Cilla, and Lucy were reunited. Cilla’s husband Leo and Richard stood awkwardly nodding at one another and Coraline was on the floor already playing with her new cousin who toddled around the foyer, looking with interest at his surroundings.
Once the bedlam of their reunion had died down a bit, Brynne ushered them all into the parlor.
“What are you doing here?” Brynne asked.
Blood Blade Sisters Series (Entangled Scandalous) Page 40
