Scent Of Danger (A Sinclair & Raven Novel Book 4)

by Wendy Vella

  “He reappeared in London and changed his name to Mr. Jackson.”

  “That bastard!” Cam roared. “I’m gutting him!”

  “He has been after our money from the start. It was he who abducted Em before. When we tightened the protection around her he tried to woo her, and when that failed he compromised her thinking we would simply hand her over.”

  “That failed, so he simply took her,” Cam finished for him.

  “Yes.” Max sounded grave. “But unlike last time he tried, she can now identify him.”

  “He’ll kill her.” Fear choked Cam.

  “We won’t let that happen,” Dev said.

  “They felt you, your siblings,” Max added as they left the room. “Essie was with me, and simply doubled over wrapping her arms around her waist, calling your name. Her fear was something I will never forget. They all came then, together within minutes. Wolf sprinted in my front door wearing only a shirt and trousers. His feet were bare and his hair stood off his head.”

  “I have yet to recover from the fear that filled my veins suddenly, cousin,” Wolf said, gripping his shoulder. “We will get her back safe.”

  “It’s my belief, for sanity’s sake, that you must never live more than a mile from each other, and all travel destinations are shared from this day forth. Never do I want to see the woman I love in that kind of pain again,” Max added.

  “Agreed,” James said.

  They reached the horses and began to mount.

  “Jackson is going to London, I’m certain of that. It is his jungle, and a place he knows well. He has contacts who have warehouses there. It’s my belief he will hope to hide Emily there, and then make contact with us,” Max continued.

  “Then let us ride hard, family, for I have a man to kill,” Cam said with the scent of revenge thick in his nostrils.

  CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

  They arrived long after dark had fallen. Her eyes had adjusted to the night and the fatigue Emily kept at bay with anger. She’d been gagged once more as they entered London for fear she would scream, which she would have done given the opportunity.

  Cold had long since turned her toes and fingers numb, and her body was one large ache as they pulled up before a large house in a neighborhood she was not familiar with.

  Cam was alive, she was sure of it. The knock to his head had been hard but she felt him, and if he was dead, she would not do so. His family would have reached him by now, Emily was sure of this also. The bond they had was strong, and they would have felt his pain.

  “Swing your leg over, Miss Tolly.”

  Glaring down at Mr. Jackson, she did as he instructed, her legs buckling after so long on horseback. She leaned away from the hand he held out to steady her and into the horse.

  “Come.” He grabbed her arm and started up a step and through the gate, the hinge squeaking as he opened it. Reaching the front door, he knocked on it twice, and then turned the handle and entered. Emily followed him into the long, dimly lit hallway that had a doorway at the end and a set of stairs leading to the next floor.

  “I shall remove your gag now.”

  “He will find you,” Emily spat as soon as the foul cloth was removed. “And then you will be made to pay for the harm you have caused.”

  “Your husband has no idea it is I who has taken you, Miss Tolly, nor do your brothers. He may track you to London, but he will not find you here. I have left no trail, and this house is rented. Only the men accompanying me and the woman who will care for you are aware of who I am, and I am ensured of their silence as they will be paid handsomely when your brothers hand over the money for your return.”

  “Let me go. No good can come of this.”

  A door at the end of the hall opened then, and a woman appeared.

  “This man has kidnapped me!” Emily started forward. “I shall reward—”

  “Don’t bother, she will pay you no mind, will you, Mrs. Dobbs?”

  “No. I know what needs doing, then I’ll have me money.”

  Mrs. Dobbs raised the candle she carried, and Emily saw her mouth was a grim line. She wore black, and a lace cap that had once been white, but now was a grubby grey.

  “I’ve readied the room,” the woman said as she started up the stairs.

  They followed, she and Mr. Jackson. It was cold in here, cold and damp, Emily thought, shivering. She wanted Cam. Was it just last night she’d been in his arms? It felt like much longer. She wanted to see him laugh again, wanted that desperately.

  They walked into what appeared to be a small parlor. Four chairs stood around a table. Emily watched Mrs. Dobbs move to a set of shelves on one wall that held books. Bending, she did something, and suddenly the shelf moved and an opening appeared.

  “In you go.”

  “No!” Emily fought with everything she had. If they got her in that room, no one would find her ever, and she would have no means of escape. Lashing out with her foot, she kicked Mr. Jackson in the leg, forcing him backward, thereby releasing her. Freed, she sprinted for the door. She reached the stairs and hurried down, trying to keep her footing. Unable to use her hands as they were still bound, she stumbled, but managed to right herself by jumping down the last three. Emily ran to the front door and wrenched it open. She hurried outside.

  “Stop her!”

  The roar came from behind her. Mr. Jackson was in pursuit. Emily made it down the path and through the gate. She leaped off the step and started screaming loudly.

  “Got you!”

  Hands grabbed her, and she realized it was one of the men who had accompanied them to London. Stomping on his foot, she tried to escape, and did briefly before hands gripped her coat.

  “Grab her!”

  She bit the hand that tried to muffle her screams, but he did not relinquish the punishing grip he had on her.

  Emily was soon carried inside and back up the stairs. Once in the parlor, the man walked through the opening in the wall and dropped her onto her feet.

  “Try that again and I’ll shoot you!” Mr. Jackson roared from behind him.

  “You’re going to kill me anyway!” Emily cried. “I know you won’t hand me back!”

  She saw it then, the guilt in his eyes, and felt a savage twist of desperation.

  “Please let me go home.” She didn’t want to beg, but could do nothing else.

  “I won’t kill you, and once I have fled London and your family cannot find me, then you will be released.” He untied her hands. “Mrs. Dobbs will bring you food and water to wash with soon.” He left, shutting the door behind him. She heard the scrape of the bookshelf and then she was alone.

  The candle showed her the chair. Falling into it she wept then, for Cam, for herself, and for the future she’d never thought she’d have, but for a brief shining moment had believed in. She wanted desperately to see her family again. Hold little Isabella and play with Samantha. Her relationship with James was still so new, and now she had told him how she felt to be part of his family, she would never see him again.

  Crying did little for Emily but give her swollen eyelids and scratchy eyes. It definitely did nothing to get her out of her current situation. With a loud sniff, she wiped her nose on her sleeve, then rose to investigate the small room.

  She’d been in dire situations before, and this was just another. The difference this time was how desperate she felt to survive. Before she’d wanted to live, because... well, who wanted to die, but now, now she had Cam, and so much more.

  “I will see him again,” she vowed.

  The candle was about ten inches, which would give her a while before she was in darkness. The room held a narrow cot and the small chair. She could see no windows until she tilted her head back and there, right at the top, she found a small rectangle of glass.

  “All right, so there is no means of escape here,” Emily muttered, making herself walk as she was freezing. Slapping her arms and stomping her feet, she felt a little better. When the door opened, she’d managed to build her anger
back up to a furnace.

  “Mrs. Dobbs, how charming to see you. Are we to dine together?” Emily said for no other reason that she wanted to annoy the woman and not let her see the fear that warred with the anger inside her.

  “I brought food, and washing water, but don’t try anything funny, as there is a man outside who will stop you.”

  “You are too kind.” Emily’s words dripped with sarcasm. “I hope they’re paying you well, because when my husband and brothers find you, the rest of your years will be spent in a small, cold cell.” Emily look around. “Not dissimilar to this one actually.”

  “I need the money.”

  “I’ll double it.”

  Mrs. Dobbs grunted something she could not understand, then left the room. Emily ate, because she needed the strength, although what it was she ate she had no idea. She washed her face and hands. Once that was done, she took the cutlery, and tucked them into the inside pocket of her cloak. Pulling the blanket over herself, she lay down.

  “I love you, Cam,” Emily whispered. “Find me.”

  She slept then fitfully, and when she woke she remembered: Eden could hear great distances. Climbing to her feet she started yelling for help as loudly as she could. When her voice was horse she stopped for a while, and then continued until she could not. They would find her if she kept yelling... they had to.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  They had lost the trail of the four riders several hours from London, but Cam knew this was where Emily was. Felt it inside him, that she was close now. He was numb with worry and fatigue, but he would not stop until she was in his arms again.

  “The warehouses and location of Jackson’s acquaintances are close to the docks,” Max said as they rode through the streets. “We shall head there.”

  “I don’t think she’s there,” Cam said. “I don’t think he’d take her somewhere obvious. Think about it, Max, why go where you know he has business? It makes no sense. No, it’s my belief he’s got her somewhere else.”

  “He doesn’t know that I know... any of us know, it’s him.”

  “Max has a point there.”

  “I believe he has her somewhere else,” Cam said, looking at his family. “Call it instinct, or whatever you want, but Emily is close, I can feel her. We need to ride around and listen. Eden will hear her.”

  “We can’t walk all the streets of London, Cam!” James growled.

  Cam’s skin prickled as he sniffed the air. “She’s close.”

  “And I repeat, we cannot simply walk the streets.”

  “I know that, James.” Cam kept his horse moving, eyes going from left to right, looking at buildings, searching for someone who may have seen something. “But we did this to rescue Lilly, and Max. I see no reason why it won’t work with Emily, as we are all together.”

  He found two men standing outside a small tobacco store.

  “Have you seen four people on horseback? They are cloaked and would have come through here in the last few hours.” He flipped a coin, and one caught it.

  “Two hours ago. They went that way.”

  “Dressed in dark clothing, hats pulled low?”

  The man nodded.

  They continued on their way, and their next clue came when a young boy dashed across the street before them.

  “You there!” The lad stopped, startled, and looked at Cam. “I’m looking for four riders, all dressed in dark clothing.”

  Children were often seen and not heard, and could be an excellent source of information.

  “Four horses headed up Boxley Street a while ago.”

  “Are you sure?”

  The boy nodded. “I was up that way and saw them.”

  Cam flipped him a coin.

  “There are many people who ride about London in fours, Cam,” James said.

  “I know that, but she is close, I can feel her.”

  Boxley Street was a ten-minute ride. Tension had replaced the tiredness and everyone was alert as they entered the street.

  “Bids, you hold the horses,” Cam said, dismounting. “We’ll walk from here.”

  “Whistle if you need me,” the driver said. Nodding, Cam started walking with his family.

  “Listen carefully now, my love,” James said softly to Eden.

  The road was a long one, with many houses, and many voices for Eden to work through. It was late, but still people were awake.

  “Everyone in,” Dev whispered. “We’re tired. We need to use each other to build our strength and find Emily. Hold hands now,” he added.

  They formed a circle right there in the street. The surge of power revitalized Cam as he focused on her. His wife, his love. Wolf’s strength added to their power, and the look on his face could only be described as wonder.

  “She’s near,” Essie and Eden said together.

  “Yes.” Dev nodded, his eyes glowing green in the dark.

  Cam sniffed the air for anything that would direct him to Emily. He caught it then, a faint scent.

  “I smell her scent. She spilled a bottle of it over herself this morning. She’s passed by here recently.”

  Cam found Dev’s eyes on him.

  “Your sense is strengthening, brother, as mine did when I fell in love.”

  Cam said nothing and continued walking.

  “I hear her!” Eden started running. “She’s yelling for help.”

  Blood surged through Cam as he ran after his sister.

  “Oh, she’s stopped.” Eden slowed her pace. “But I believe she is in one of these two houses.”

  “The left,” Dev said. “I see her color.”

  Cam tried the handle but it was locked, so he banged hard on the wood. He then put his shoulder into it, but all that achieved was pain.

  “Someone is coming.”

  Dev, Max, and James pulled out their pistols, as did Essie.

  The door opened slowly, and someone peeked out. Cam leaned on it and forced his way inside.

  “You have my wife here. I want her now!”

  The woman backed up several steps as his family followed.

  “I don’t know who you mean?”

  “She’s here, we heard her scream. Take me to her at once.”

  “There is no one here but me and my son,” the woman said.

  “She’s here,” Dev said, looking upward. “Let’s go.”

  They ran up the stairs and searched each room. “This one,” Dev said, running into a parlor.

  “But where is she?” Essie asked, turning in a circle.

  “I see her color, she’s behind that wall.” Dev walked toward a bookshelf. Cam joined him, urgency riding him as together they started removing the books.

  “There must be a lever, anything,” Cam said, desperate now that Emily was close.

  “Here.” Max had dropped to his haunches. “A lever.” He pulled it, and the wall started moving.

  “Emily!”

  She ran through as soon as the gap was wide enough, and threw herself at him.

  “Thank God.” Cam’s arms banded around her. He pushed his face into her hair and breathed her in. “I have you, my love.”

  “I watched you fall, Cam.”

  “I’m here.” He kissed her cheek. “Lilly healed me so I am well.”

  “I did not know how you would find me.”

  The words were muffled against his chest, but he heard her anguish.

  Cupping her face, he urged her to look at him. “I will always find you, Emily, you are part of me now.”

  Her face was dirty, hair a mess, and she was exhausted like he, but to him she was the most beautiful woman in the world.

  “Jackson,” Eden whispered. “I hear him outside.”

  Cam thrust Emily at Lilly and sprinted for the door; the great wave of fatigue he’d felt when he realized Emily was safe had left him. Now he had blood in his eyes. With Dev, James, and Max on his heels he headed outside.

  They sounded like a stampede of cattle running down the stairs and out the door. Th
ere they found horses, and Jackson about to mount one.

  “You bastard!” Cam ran, hurdling the gate, and landing a foot from the man. Jackson was attempting to get his foot in the stirrup, but in his haste was failing. Cam was on him in seconds. “I’m going to rip you apart!”

  He managed to get three punches in before he was dragged off.

  “Let me have him!”

  “No, his death will not be by your hand,” James said.

  “He will be dealt with,” Max added, stepping in front of Cam. “He will be dealt with by the law, and by me.”

  “And me,” James added.

  “I may have a hand in that also,” Dev said in a deadly calm voice.

  “Cam?”

  He turned, shaking off the hands that held him, and saw her appear in the doorway. She hurried down the path to him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it hard.

  “You will not kill Mr. Jackson.”

  “He deserves to die for the torment he put your through.” He cupped her face.

  “But he did not win, Cam, we did. You, me, and our family, as we always will.”

  “The thought of not seeing you again nearly killed me,” Cam whispered. “To know you were somewhere, scared and alone, and I could not reach you—”

  “But you did reach me.” The smile on her lips was gentle, and so sweet it made him swallow. “As I knew you would.”

  “Fear made me doubt,” Cam conceded.

  “As it did me, but I felt you, Cam. Felt that you were all right.”

  “Did you really?”

  She nodded, and he pulled her into his embrace.

  “God, I love you, Mrs. Sinclair.”

  “And I you, Mr. Sinclair.”

  Behind them decisions were made, and then Jackson was removed by Max as he pleaded with them for clemency, which of course was ignored.

  Cam cared little as to where the man went, only that he never came near Emily again. He lifted her onto his horse and rode home with their siblings flanking them.

  He refused his family’s offer to house them for the evening, and instead rode to his home. Wolf, Dev had told him, had relocated into his house, a fact that pleased Warwick, Dorrie, and Somer immensely, as supposedly he was a great deal like Cam.