Games (Timeless Series)

by Loyd, Sandy

  He pulled a diamond ring from beneath his coat and offered it to her.

  “I…um…I do not know what to say,” she stammered, completely stunned.

  “How about yes?”

  Giselle’s gaze went to her lap and she studied her hands intently, thinking of how to say the words. Finally, she let go of a long breath and said quietly, “I am sorry. I cannot marry you, Bradford. I do not love you.”

  “I was afraid of that,” he said, shaking his head slowly and heaving a heavy sigh. “I was hoping the game wouldn’t end this way, but it was worth a shot. Still, we’re not done playing yet.”

  “What game? You are not making any sense.” When he gave a sinister chuckle, alarm washed over her. She turned to look at his face. What she glimpsed in his eyes terrified her. Her back stiffened, the only outward sign of the fear she felt, as she schooled her face to show no concern while trying not to panic and trying to remember her father’s words.

  “So many emotions running over your face,” he said regretfully, keeping his intent gaze on her. His smile became almost vicious. “That’s why I’ve enjoyed playing with you, my dear. You’re such a good adversary and quite a prize to win—well worth the effort.”

  “You have lost me on the playing part and I am certainly no prize.” Something was definitely wrong. If she could keep a cool head, maybe she could also keep him talking. For lack of any better plan, she added, “Please enlighten me.”

  “I truly thought I had you last week,” he said, more to himself than her, not seeming to hear her. “I waited too long, though.”

  “Too long? What are you talking about?”

  “The game of love, my dear.” He sighed again, looking wistfully at the landscape, lost in his thoughts. “I played the lovelorn fool too long, which was my error.”

  “Bradford?” Confusion replaced fear. “I do not understand what you are saying.”

  In a split second, his expression turned harsh again, and he hissed, “You had to go and ruin my perfect plans. I’d never marry you now, even if you were willing.” He shoved the ring back into his pocket.

  Her trepidation increased, but her confusion remained. “Why not?” she asked, keeping the fear out of her voice. “Why back down now?”

  He backhanded her then. Pain exploded everywhere as her head reeled back against the carriage seat. For just a moment, her world went black and she saw stars.

  “You stupid bitch. You’re no better than she was.”

  It was a full minute before she could think again, at which point she remained silent, unwilling to incite his anger once more.

  “I had no idea he’d be staying with the Thorpes when he came into town.” He laughed, the sound causing the hairs on her neck to stand on end. “What a dilemma. I have no one to blame but myself for that outcome.” He glanced over at her then and his smile took on a menacing quality. She swallowed her fear and forced herself to breathe as he continued speaking. “I should have realized he caught your eye at the ball, just as he did Caroline’s. I misjudged my ability to bring you around. I thought for sure I’d be able to woo you in the time I’d allotted.”

  “Who?” she finally asked, stalling for time, already knowing the answer.

  His smile died and his eyebrows lifted. “Still playing, Giselle?” he sneered. “You can drop the pretense. You know who. If not, let me refresh your memory. Simon Harrington.” He shook his head, tsk-tsking. “Too bad about poor Simon. But don’t worry. You’ll be joining him soon.”

  “What have you done to Simon?” she asked, pushing down fear.

  “He’s dead, my love,” he whispered, trailing the back of his hand gently down her face. “Burned beyond recognition. You’ll be joining him soon, but first I’m going to satisfy my curiosity. Here I’ve been denying myself all these months, dying to taste you. Turns out you’ve given yourself freely to him. So disenchanting. We could’ve been so good together.”

  “Why,” she asked, unable to hold back the tears that streaked down her face in a steady stream at the thought of something happening to Simon.

  “He dared take what was mine. I’d never be satisfied with another man’s leavings.”

  “How could you know about us? No one knows.”

  “Caroline Hillier had sharp eyes and an even sharper mind. She figured it out and lamented to me, blaming me for putting the two of you together.” He stopped, appearing deep in thought, then shook his head before he continued speaking, appearing much more agitated. “Now I’ll have to start over. Find another heiress.”

  She gasped and stared openmouthed at him.

  He met her dazed gaze and chuckled. “Surely you didn’t think I was totally enamored with you, did you? No, I liked the idea of your money much more. Still, I will admit to having a small fondness for you. If only you would have kept to the rules of the game and let Caroline have Simon rather than taking him for yourself.”

  Giselle shook her head. “You act as if you are responsible for bringing him here.”

  “I am!” he boasted proudly. “It was the perfect setup to the perfect game. The outcome was a sure thing. Doesn’t matter, though. I’ve still won. Only thing I’ve lost is you. The rest who know about the game are dead, except for you, my dear, which I’ll take care of shortly. But before I lose you totally, I’ll have you.” He sighed. His gaze turned contemplative. “Then I’ll have to start my search all over again for the perfect heiress.”

  He repeated the seemingly loving gesture with the back of his hand, moving it up and down her face again, only Giselle leaned back in an effort to avoid his disgusting touch.

  His perceptive smile sent chills up her spine. He enjoyed her dismay.

  “Of course, I’ll never find another who’s as amusing as you have been, my dear. I must say you did keep the game lively. I truly wish I hadn’t underestimated Harrington’s appeal.”

  She pushed her grief over Simon out of her mind, knowing she had to use her wits. “Why would you need an heiress?” she asked, to keep him talking in hopes of gaining a little time to think of something, anything at all, to help get her out of her current fix. “I thought you were wealthy.”

  “Correction. My mother is wealthy. My stupid father, may God rest his soul, gave me the farm, but made her his main heir. She got all the money. Such a surprise, and I would have taken care of her too. Yet, another death in the family so quickly might raise too many questions, so I had to come up with an alternative plan. Alas, I got an additional surprise when my mother ended up engaged to a shrewd old man. When she marries, the money will transfer to him. I must hand it to Bentley; he’s worked into my game rather well. Besides giving me an opportunity to capitalize on a horse’s death, as well as giving me the means to bring Simon here, he’s taking my mother off my hands. She’s become quite overbearing since my father’s death. I’ll be relieved to not have to act the simpering son any longer once she marries. That game was getting tedious.”

  Speechless, Giselle could only stare at him. Finally she asked, “I understand about wanting to marry an heiress. But why all the other stuff?”

  “I have my reasons,” he said, giving another menacing chuckle. “Money, without respect and admiration from others who have it, is not enough. I want to be known as the best breeder in the area. To ensure my goal, I had to take a couple of horses out of the running for the upcoming derby. And in order to do so, without leaving any trace, I needed Caroline Hillier. I brought in the US marshals—or rather, Simon Harrington—to guarantee her help. I must say that part was fairly easy to accomplish, especially with my dear mother’s fiancé’s help. Once I win the derby and my name is made, it won’t matter whether my farm produces winners. I’ll have the other breeders’ respect and have a reputation I can milk for years. Breeders will look at me like they look upon Colin Thorpe. Fortuna is the last thoroughbred to deal with.”

  She snorted. “It seems a lot of trouble to go through.”

  “No trouble, not really.”

  “All for on
e horse race?” she asked incredulously, still not believing that anyone would go to such great lengths to ensure the outcome of a horse race.

  “It’s going to be more than just a race, you’ll see.” His voice took on a fervent quality. “By owning the first derby winner, I’ll be immortalized and at the same time gain the respect I should’ve had all along.”

  “Still, it would be easier to do it the right way and earn it, don’t you think?” Giselle asked.

  “What would be the fun of that?” Bradford scoffed. “No, I like my game much better. At this point there’s no way I’ll lose.”

  “You cannot really believe you will win? Horse races are never sure things, even when you think you have the fastest horse. That is why they are so exciting.”

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about it,” he replied in a patronizing voice, patting her hand. “I plan on winning.”

  “So, what happens now?” Giselle asked, having a fairly good idea. His plans boded ill for her and she was stalling.

  “First, I plan on fulfilling my curiosity,” he said, letting his gaze rake her body in a suggestive fashion. He grinned, then sighed. With extreme patience, he explained further, as if she were a child. “Next, my dear, you’ll meet with an unfortunate accident. Too bad Fortuna has to die along with you. You should have stayed out of that, my dear.”

  Even though her fear was escalating again, she chuckled and boldly mocked, “How are you going to make it look like an accident? It will be obvious by my dress I did not go riding.”

  “A challenging task to overcome,” he agreed, capturing her eyes. His gaze held a deranged look when he continued speaking. “But what would be the fun of playing if it wasn’t somewhat challenging?” Shivers went down her spine at his menacing smile. “Let me see!” He broke off.

  Finally he chuckled. “Ah, yes. You came to me to tell me you weren’t going to marry me. I was distraught by that news, and because I’m so enamored of you I became a little overbearing. We kissed. One thing led to another, and we consummated things. You were so upset that you could be so fickle, you went charging off with Fortuna, without even a coat. I tried to follow but you’re a much better rider than I am, and Fortuna is much faster than my mount. It’s a pity both horse and rider stumbled. The perfect murder for both, wouldn’t you say?” He stopped talking, again lost in thought. Then, he reached into his jacket, saying quietly, almost regretfully, “It’s time to finish the game, my dear.”

  He drew a cloth out of his pocket, along with a bottle, and pulled the stopper. After pouring some of the liquid onto the cloth, he replaced the stopper.

  Giselle, noticing his attention was on what he was doing, used the distraction to jump from the carriage, hitting the ground with a jarring thud. She started running, trying to get some distance so she could load her weapon. Unfortunately, she wasn’t dressed in her usual habit and riding boots. Her progress through the rough terrain was hindered by the fact that she was wearing half boots with heels and heavy woolen skirts along with a cloak. She got no more than fifty feet when she was tackled from behind and while going down, she put out her glove-covered hands to stop her fall. The next thing Giselle knew, he had the cloth over her mouth and nose. All too soon, everything faded to darkness.

  Chapter 27

  Simon and Parker rode fast, arriving at Twin Oaks in record time.

  Dismounting and giving the reins to Jake as the man ambled up to them, Simon yelled, “Where’s Giselle?”

  “Whoa there, these horses are lathered up. You should know better than to run them so hard.”

  “Jake! Forget about the horses. Where is Giselle?”

  The warning in Simon’s voice cut through the air, alerting Jake to the seriousness of the situation. With a question in his eyes, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know that anything’s wrong. Goddamn it, man, just tell me where she is.”

  “She’s fine. She’s out with Tyler. They ride together all the time,” Jake assured Simon.

  Parker picked up on why Simon was in such a hurry. “Where’d they go?” he asked.

  Jake shrugged. “Out for a ride. I gave them Fortuna and Hercules, like I always do.”

  Livid at the fact that Giselle would go out with Bradford Tyler after their discussion this morning, and worried beyond belief because she was now in the man’s clutches, he vented his rage on Jake. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”

  “No. Surely you don’t think anything could happen to Giselle while she’s with Tyler?” He laughed, as if the thought was too ludicrous to consider. “The guy’s harmless. Trust me.”

  “You think someone who just tried to kill me, who killed three other people, and possibly a fourth is harmless?” Simon snarled back.

  Jake paled. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes! Now think, man, do you have any idea where they went?”

  “No, but let me saddle three more horses and we can go searching for them. I’m going with you.” Shaking his head, he pulled a hand through his hair. “I still can’t believe you’re describing Tyler.”

  When Parker nodded, his face took on the look of stunned realization. He turned, taking the reins of Simon’s and Parker’s horses, and strode with them in tow on the double toward the stable. Over his shoulder, he shouted, “My God, I entrusted Fortuna and Hercules into his care.”

  “I don’t give a damn about the horses. All I care about is Giselle. That animal has her.”

  Just then Marcus came out of the house and walked over to the group. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Simon was following Jake. He stopped and turned toward the older man. “The bastard has her. My God, I knew there was more to this. I don’t know why I didn’t figure it out sooner.”

  “You can’t mean Bradford?” The emotion in Simon’s voice had Marcus’s gaze shooting to his eyes for clarification.

  “That’s exactly who I mean. He’s behind all of this. What’s more—he’s dangerous. Tyler’s killed several people already.”

  “Oh my God!” Marcus exclaimed, his face draining of color. “In sending her out with him to end things properly, I put her right into his clutches.”

  With a steely, calm expression, Simon turned back toward the stables, saying, “He won’t have her for long. The bastard’s a walking dead man.”

  “Simon, don’t do anything rash.” Simon kept walking, ignoring his words. Marcus warned again, “Simon, you can’t take the law into your own hands. The man’s not worth it.” Watching Simon’s receding back, he turned and ran back to the house to grab his coat, gloves, and hat. When he caught up with Simon, there was a determined edge to his voice. “I’m coming with you. Someone’s got to watch out to make sure the two of you don’t get yourselves killed before the wedding.”

  “We’ll take care of it. I promise I’ll bring her back alive.”

  Marcus shook his head and stated firmly, “I’m coming too, if only to keep you from killing the bastard before he hangs. I have no intention of watching you hang in his place.”

  “This isn’t your affair,” Simon warned.

  “Like hell it’s not. It’s my daughter he has out there and I’m the one who pushed her into his grip.”

  Jake finished saddling three horses. He began saddling a fourth, saying, “Let him come, Harrington. We can use the help.”

  Turning to Marcus, Simon frowned. “You best keep up then. We’re not waiting around while you try and catch us.”

  While leaping onto Zeus’s saddle, Simon caught Marcus’s words as he spoke them under his breath.

  “Arrogant young pups. Think they’re the only ones who ever met danger.” The older man mounted his horse and said in a louder voice, “You damn well better keep up with me.” He then turned his horse and sped out of the stable at a full gallop.

  Just as Marcus flew out of the stable, Jamison strode up to Jake as he was about to mount Asapurna, and asked, “What’s all the uproar?”

  “Giselle’s gone m
issing with Tyler.”

  “They can’t have gone far, I saw them leave not more’n twenty minutes ago in his gig with Fortuna and Hercules tied to the back.”

  Simon heard this and, in a fluid motion, he turned Zeus back to Jamison.

  “They took a horse and buggy? Where’d they go?”

  “Out toward the main road. I’m surprised you didn’t spot ’em on the way, seein’s how you just came from that direction.”

  “Thanks, Jamison. That’s twice I owe you for being observant.” Jamison’s beaming countenance was Simon’s answer, and turning to Jake, he said, “They must’ve taken a trail. Do you know of any offhand that lead to his place, or back to the main road?”

  “There are only two that I know of that are wide enough,” Jake said, mounting. He stilled an impatient Asapurna and added, “If he had a conveyance, he’ll be hampered. Come on! We’re wasting time.”

  Parker, Simon, and Jake rode in single file out of the main stable doors. In the lead, and finally out in the open, Simon increased his speed to catch up with Marcus.

  He caught up with him and yelled in an amused fashion—as amused as he could be given the situation, “Do you know where you’re going, Marcus?”

  Marcus glanced at Simon with an expression saying he was clueless. “You know damn well I don’t.” His annoyed, clipped voice resonated in the cold air.

  Simon only grunted. “I thought not.” Then he grinned and said, “Follow Jake. He’s not too far ahead of us. We have a good idea where he went with her.”

  “Thank God.” He slowed, letting Jake and Parker gallop ahead of him before following right behind.

  Jake came to an abrupt stop and quickly dismounted. He hiked to the trail and searched the ground more carefully. He strode back to his horse and looked at Simon.

  “No sign of ’em on this trail,” he said, shaking his head. “They must’ve taken the other.”

  In one smooth movement, he swiftly mounted and had his horse heading down the lane. The others followed.

  After riding another few minutes, Jake slowed. This time he didn’t dismount. He carefully bent from the saddle, checking the bushes and shrubbery along the trail.