~*~
Silence enshrouded the dark of the old warehouse. It was too cold for them to last for long and Katrina had burned and exposed skin as well. Michael listened closely to detect if anyone was still present but his senses told him they were alone.
“Michael?”
He could hear the fear in her voice.
“I’m still here, sweetheart.”
“It hurts,” she whimpered.
Michael fought back the tears in his own eyes as he tried to figure out what to do. The distance between them seemed so far but he slowly and painfully began to wiggle his body forward, wincing at the rocks that would bite into his chest and legs, and the pull of his arms as they remained firmly tied against his back. Finally reaching the bench, he lay on the ground and looked up at her. His eyes could see little in the dark as moonlight streamed in some high windows.
“I’m here.” He gazed into her eyes to tell her without words just how sorry he was.
“It’s not your fault. I willingly chose this path.” She closed her eyes tight, wrinkling up her face as she fought the pain.
Michael tried to leverage himself to a kneeling position beside her. The largest of the knots was on the side by her middle back. He began to use his teeth to try to worry the knot.
“Michael, let me die. You need to get the papers to Lord Hughes. The mission has to come first.” She groaned as fresh pain lanced through her when the bonds pulled at her arm.
Michael stopped for a few moments and leaned his head against her side. “Katrina, I love you and would rather die than leave you here. Lord Hughes has the document.”
“How?”
“I’m the Cat, aren’t I? But I’ll admit I had a little help from Fidget.”
“Where is Fidget?”
“I don’t know. But don’t worry about him, he’ll be fine. He can hunt. He’s a survivor and he has served me well regardless.”
“Do you have a way to call him?”
“Yeah.”
“Then do it.”
“Why? He’s not here.”
“You don’t know that. I didn’t realize he had made it into the club either.”
“True, he is pretty sneaky.”
“Call him.”
Michael gave a low series of whistles. “There. Done. Now let me try to get this loose.”
Michael continued to worry the bonds and his teeth ached from the effort.
“Michael, he called you son. Who is the Black Diamond? Is it possible he really is your father?”
The bonds around her arms broke free. Katrina let her hands dangle to the ground, unable to move them.
Michael collapsed on the ground to his side, exhausted.
“Does it matter if he’s my father or if he’s just toying with me? I would rather he weren’t but would kill him either way if the chance presented itself.”
Katrina tried to reach with her hands to loosen the bonds that held her waist tight to the board. She wept in frustration and pain as Michael lay there and watched, the knot being in a position he couldn’t maneuver himself to. Finally, that was loose. Katrina tried to raise her head and then lay it back down, but facing away from him.
“Mouse?”
“Give me a few minutes, please. Everything hurts.”
Silence hung between them in the dark like a chasm. Michael was falling into that pit—deep, and irretrievable. He closed his eyes and let the grief wash over him. He failed Katrina, the only woman who ever loved and believed in him. Even his mother struggled to look at him. His darker features were more from his father than from the Tidley lineage. He inherited her small stature. Could that large, dark man really be his father? Michael shuddered at the thought and tried to focus on how Mouse fared.
“Michael?”
“Hmmm?” he grunted wearily, cold seeping deeper into his bones and sapping any strength.
“Can you get closer to my left hand with your wrists?”
“I’ll try.”
Michael shifted to his other side and then inched his way toward Katrina’s hand that was loosely dangling from the bench to the floor. He grunted with the effort, every move bringing pain to his shoulders, neck, back, and wrists. Finally, he was there. He tried to grasp at her hand with his stiff and cold fingers.
“I think that’s about as good as I can get,” Michael whispered and closed his eyes against the dark and pain as Katrina painstakingly tried, one-handed, to loosen his bonds.
~*~
Katrina mumbled and whimpered. Her fingers were so cold, but she needed to free Michael. The branding she received was probably already festering with dirt and her other wound had reopened. Her energy dwindled. If she could at least get Michael free she would feel better about dying. She’d seen the agony in his eyes after she was branded. She despised her weakness in crying but she was so tired, and she longed for the suffering to end. All of it.
It didn’t matter to her anymore if her father’s reputation was restored. It didn’t matter that hers was tattered beyond belief should her activities come to light. She didn’t want to face Marcus with the reality of what happened and the shame of what she had wished she had done.
She fumbled away, slowly the bonds loosened, and she removed the cloth from the wrists rubbed raw and bleeding till Michael’s hands were free. She let her hand drop and closed her eyes. The rest was up to him.
~*~
Michael gritted his teeth as Katrina worked. The tugging and pulling against his wrists was agonizing and he hoped she would be successful. He longed to see her. He wished he had the words to encourage her but he despised giving false hope. When his hands came free he slowly moved his arms and rolled onto his back. He lay there for what seemed like forever before he could move against the soreness everywhere to undo the bonds at his ankles.
He went to the fire and threw the rags in. After hunting for another flint, he managed to get a meager flame to burn. He came to stand over Katrina, whose eyes were closed. He took off his coat and lay it on her back to try to warm her up. She moaned as it hit her shoulder and he shuddered in empathy for her pain.
“Hold on, Mouse. We’ll get out of this yet,” he whispered. He knelt down and with the light of the fire to guide him he began to work on the bonds at her feet. The going was slow, but he finally got her freed from the bench. He slowly worked to sit her up but she kept leaning forward against him. Finally, he brought her to the floor.
They were both free. Michael rubbed Katrina’s stocking feet and put them near the fire next to his own. He held up her hands and rubbed them and held them out to the fire as well. She moaned as her arms moved, increasing the pain in her shoulder, but she failed to awaken. The cold was taking her away from him and he experienced fear like never before.
Michael struggled to rise and bring circulation to his legs. He gingerly lifted Katrina in his arms and made his way to the door of the warehouse, into the bleak coldness and damp air. He set her down by the wall and listened carefully at the door. Were guards posted there?
“Michael, wait.” Katrina pulled him down beside her as she leaned wearily against the wall of the warehouse, tears involuntarily coming due to the pain.
Michael was on one knee before her and gently placed one hand alongside her face. “What is it, Mouse?” His thumb wiped away a tear. His other hand came up and pushed hair out of her eyes. Her pins had come out during her capture and the rough treatment she had endured. Michael swallowed the big lump in his throat as he searched her face.
She peered up at him. “You need to leave me. I can provide a distraction and you can escape. Get help. I can’t go any further.”
Michael frowned. “I would sooner die than leave you here to be tortured by those pagans.”
“If you take me with you, you may get your wish, but I don’t know that I could live with being the cause even if I survived.”
“You care about me that much?” Michael asked softly.
“I’ve always loved you, Michael. For as long as I reme
mber, it was always and only you.” Her eyes drooped and he watched the eyelashes fanning across her dirty cheeks.
“Sweetheart, I don’t know when I began to love you, but maybe I always have. I never felt worthy of your admiration but I craved it. You were the one I wished I could share the truth of my double life with. But I couldn’t, so I stayed away. But now…”
“Now you can move into a future free of my childhood infatuation.”
“I’d rather move into the future with you always by my side.”
“Be realistic, Michael.” Her gaze was once again focused on his face and the grim set of his mouth.
“Marry me. Let me prove to you just how real I am.”
“I will consider that when this is over after we have recovered. If we make it out of here alive.”
She lied. He could tell by the way her eyes shifted around as she said the words. She inhaled deeply and with one hand reached up to touch his face. “Just one more kiss…”
He acquiesced to her request.
12
Noise from outside tore them apart. A shuffle of feet and the sound of punches thrown. Yells of pain and shouts of victory. Michael spun around and stood with Katrina still on the floor behind him slumped against the wall. The key turned the lock and the door opened.
~*~
Katrina couldn’t bear to look. She retreated deep inside herself, away from the pain, from everything. Fear and shame seared her deep within. Unworthy of love and adoration, even from the one man she’d always longed for. She fought to not sniff back her running nose and she swiped it instead with her sleeve. So cold, even with Michael’s coat. She tipped her head down and let her hair cover her face so she would melt into the wall around her. She’d always been the master of being invisible. She hoped she could do the same now, although she was equally determined to assist Michael in any way possible, even if it meant risking her life. She kept an eye on the door which she could see just past Michael’s thigh.
~*~
A small thin furry creature entered. Spying Michael, Fidget ran to him, climbed up to his shoulder, and clicked noisily at him.
“Shhhhh,” Michael said as he waited, holding his breath. He scooped up Fidget and dropped him into Katrina’s lap. “Guard her, Fidget.” The ferret gave Katrina a kiss on the cheek and set to work warming up her fingers with his body.
Slowly, one after another, three men entered the room, their once pristine appearances now disheveled and torn.
“Michael?” a voice cautiously called out. “Katrina?”
“Marcus?” Michael asked.
The three men turned to see Michael behind them near the door.
Marcus stepped forward. “Are we alone in here?”
Michael nodded.
“Katrina?”
“Behind me. She’s been tortured, she’s weak and tired. I hope you brought the coach,” Michael said as he stepped aside so the men could see the dark figure slumped on the floor with a ferret in her lap.
Katrina looked up. “Hi, cousin. Fancy meeting you here.”
Marcus frowned and came forward.
Michael stepped in his way. “I’ll carry her.”
Marcus stood several inches taller than Michael. “Don’t be a fool. You’ve suffered enough. I will take care of Miss Shepherd now. She is my concern, after all.”
“I would make her mine,” Michael said boldly with his chin lifting a fraction and not letting his eye contact fall.
“So, is that the way the land lies? Good. Often believed she was the one for you. Yet, I insist as head of the household, that you let me care for my family member as I deem appropriate.” With that, Marcus pushed Michael aside.
Michael stepped toward Phillip. “The Black Diamond branded her.”
Phillip’s face turned gray in the moonlight. He shifted his gaze to the girl and watched as Marcus bent down to lift her up. Phillip’s eyes sought Michael’s. “He did this in front of you?”
Michael nodded, unsmiling, as he fought back tears.
Phillip put an arm around Michael. “He’s getting closer and bolder. We will all work to help protect her and you now.”
Michael lay his head against his friend’s shoulder. “Thank you, Phillip. I definitely need it.”
“Keeping track of Mouse? It always took all three of us to keep her out of trouble. But once you marry her, you will be on your own,” Phillip said.
Michael grinned and nodded. “I think that once we are married I will handle those responsibilities just fine, and without your assistance.”
Phillip grinned back as they all made their way out of the warehouse into Marcus’s waiting carriage.
It was a tight squeeze.
Lord Harrow decided to ride on top with the coachman with a gun primed and ready.
~*~
Michael couldn’t take his eyes off Katrina. Anger surged from Marcus and he knew his accounting was coming. He’d led Katrina into danger. He would pay a price for that. In spite of his own pain, he ached at what she had endured because of him.
Since Josie remained at Rose Hill, it was decided to descend once again on Phillip’s home.
Beth was up, waiting at the door when the carriage pulled up.
Marcus came up the stairs with the limp woman in his arms, with Michael on his heels. She quickly called out orders to her staff for a doctor to be fetched, a bath to be drawn, and clothing to be gathered. She led them up the stairs to a room adjacent to the one Katrina previously occupied. This room was done all in creams with accents of mint green and Rosewood furniture.
Marcus carried Katrina to a couch and lay her gently down. “She’s been injured, Beth. Branded on her right shoulder.”
Beth paled at these words.
Michael swallowed hard as he was dragged from the room. He didn’t protest. He wished God were real and could somehow swoop down to repair the damage he’d done to the one woman who mattered most.
~*~
Katrina struggled to cooperate with Beth and the maid as they eased her into the bathtub. The hot soapy water felt good until it hit her burn and she cried out in pain. A glass of brandy was handed to her along with a low-voiced apology as the women set about getting Katrina bathed and dressed for the doctor. In lieu of a night rail, a chemise was chosen so that her wounds were more easily accessed. After she had been treated and fed some toast, Katrina fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
~*~
Michael was not treated with as much kindness. He was allowed to bathe and change in the room that had typically been his on his visits. A servant had been dispatched to his own townhouse to fetch clean clothing for him since Tristan was no longer in service, the explanation he gave to his friends.
When he finally entered Phillip’s study, his three friends sat by the fireplace with their own hair damp from their attempts to clean up from the events of the evening.
Michael reluctantly entered and wearily sat in the one remaining chair.
“Brandy?” Phillip offered.
Michael shook his head and put a flat hand up to refuse the offered drink. “Begin the interrogation, unless you would be gracious enough to let me rest and you can tear me apart in the morning.”
“One question first,” Marcus spoke softly.
Michael nodded. “I’m at your disposal.”
“How serious are you about marrying Katrina?”
“Deadly serious. If she will have me.”
“After what I perceive as her shenanigans, Michael, she will be more than eager to take you for her groom.”
“Don’t count on it, Marcus. That girl has a mind of her own and is not easily swayed.”
“Except for when it comes to you. Don’t downplay your charms with the fairer sex,” Theo stated.
Michael glared at him. “Can I seek my bed now?” Michael asked.
Phillip rose. “You may. We’re just glad you are both alive.”
“Thank you for coming for us. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you’d left me there. It�
��s what I deserve.” Michael rose and departed before they could respond.
He slowly climbed the stairs to his room, the suite that had been occupied by Mouse during her previous stay. She was in the adjoining room and after having his boots removed by a servant, he excused the man, locked his door, and padded across the room to the door separating his room from hers. He slowly opened it and crossed the rug to the side of the bed where she slept.
With both shoulders freshly bandaged, she looked uncomfortable no matter what position she would be in. She rested on her stomach with her arm embracing her pillow. Fidget was curled up next to her and raised his head to let him know he had not abandoned his post.
“Good job, Fidget,” Michael whispered as he smiled at his pet. The ferret lay his head back down and closed his eyes.
Michael knelt by the bed, folded his hands, and bent his head to the mattress. Lord, thank You for bringing us out alive. I did nothing to deserve You rescuing us from the Black Diamond. I’m ready. I’m ready to set aside my sinful ways and follow You. I’m ready to live life Your way, because mine doesn’t seem to be working out too well. Please heal Katrina and incline her to accept me as a husband. I love her and it broke my heart to watch her suffer tonight because of my foolishness. I’ll quit my work with the War Office and do whatever it is You would have me do. Even if Katrina refuses to be a part of that, I will follow, but it would break my heart to not have her in my life after coming to realize how much she means to me.
Michael brushed away an errant tear. In frustration at his weakness, he rose and gazed down for a time at the young woman lying asleep. Her profile highlighted her perky nose, the dark lashes fanning her cheeks, and the brown hair braided down her back that made him itch to loosen the strands so he could touch it again. He sighed, turned to leave, locked the door, and shoved the key under it. Would she even realize he’d been there?
~*~
The next morning Michael sneaked out of the house and made his way to the War Office to meet with Lord Hughes. He was ushered in immediately.
“You look like hell, Tidley.”
“After I got the document to you last night, the Black Diamond came after me and Miss Shepherd.” Michael stood before the heavy wood desk with his arms at his sides, clenching and unclenching, his bandaged wrists hidden.
Sir Michael's Mayhem Page 12
