To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite Book 7)

by Rebecca King

  “If I thought it was going to keep me alive then yes, I would,” Callum replied. “And so into the village we shall go.”

  “We have company,” she murmured when she looked over his shoulder and saw a group of men riding down the lane toward them.

  “It’s Melrose’s men,” Callum announced.

  He knew that none of the Star Elite men would be that blatantly visible.

  “Do you think there is any way for us to get to that woodland without going through the village?”

  “If Sir Hugo has told us to go this way it is probably because it is the safest and fastest route. The man knows what he is doing,” Callum growled.

  “What can I do to help?” she whispered.

  “Nothing. Just sit tight. Keep an eye on the area. Tell me if you see someone hiding who might be able to ambush us, or if someone comes up behind us too closely. As long as that group keep their distance there shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Warily, Mallory watched the group of riders behind them. Thankfully, they didn’t close the distance but didn’t stop following either.

  “Do you think they are waiting for something?”

  “I think they are making it clear that they know we have to go through the village,” Callum replied honestly.

  “They are waiting for us in the village as well, aren’t they?”

  Mallory felt sick at the thought of being ambushed.

  “It is what I would do if I was in their situation,” he said honestly.

  “What do we do? It is foolish to blithely follow your friend’s orders when we know we are going to ride into an ambush. Are you sure your friend, Sir Hugo, knows what he is doing?”

  Callum wasn’t at all sure he did. “We have no other support right now. We have to trust him.”

  Mallory turned to study the main street they were approaching. Thankfully, dawn was fast approaching. While it cast a steel grey pall over everything, it also penetrated the worst of the shadows.

  “Over there, slightly to the right of the tavern,” she whispered. “There is a man hiding in the doorway next to the shop.”

  Mallory began to shake as danger surrounded her.

  Callum slowed Horace to a steady walk. While he couldn’t see a weapon in the man’s hand, Callum knew that the man would be armed.

  “On this occasion, Sir Hugo is most definitely wrong,” Callum sighed.

  He was about to turn Horace around so they could take a detour around the outskirts of the village when the man flicked out a rapid sequence of hand signals only Callum could understand. While he didn’t recognise him, Callum knew the man could be trusted. He was probably a colleague of Sir Hugo’s.

  “Come on,” he whispered.

  The man watched the group of guards as Callum approached. When Callum reached him, the man stepped away from the shop doorway and began to walk down the road.

  “Who is he?”

  “Best not to ask, eh?”

  They had no choice but to follow the man, who turned into a narrow cart track that led along the back of a long row of houses at right angles to the main road. Half-way down that track, the man waved them into the rear of a huge field beyond which was several acres of woodland.

  “Go. You have about three minutes,” the man warned as Horace ambled past.

  Callum nodded his thanks and nudged Horace into a fast walk.

  “The gate’s shut,” Mallory said as she watched the man tie rope around the gate and knot it before he ambled off.

  Within seconds, he had vanished into the back of one of the houses.

  “They won’t have seen him,” Callum assured her. “He is safe. Melrose’s men will have to take a longer route to reach the woods now. Every second counts right now. Sir Hugo hasn’t bought us much time, but it might be enough.”

  Once clear of the village, Callum nudged Horace into a canter.

  “Keep an eye out for the guards,” he asked of Mallory.

  Mallory nodded and did what he asked of her but was somewhat distracted this time, but not by the guards, or Melrose. She was distracted by him: Callum.

  “Do you know, I don’t even know your surname,” she mused without thinking.

  Callum’s brows shot up. “Do you think that now is the best time for a formal introduction?”

  Mallory’s lips quirked. “Probably not.”

  Callum rolled his eyes.

  Mallory took the opportunity to get a good look at the enigma that was Callum, whatever his surname was.

  He is handsome.

  With dark brown, slightly curled hair, and dove grey eyes, Callum was handsome, startlingly so. His masculine countenance was made up of sharp edges and fine lines but only emphasised his natural good looks. His tanned complexion made it difficult to define his age but assured her that he spent a lot of time outside. Mallory suspected that he was somewhere in his mid-thirties, but from the small scars she could see on his chin, cheek, and brow, his life had been far from easy. As they rode toward the woods, Mallory was painfully aware of each shift and twitch of his lithe frame behind her. He was heavily muscled, of that there could be no doubt, but he wasn’t heavy-set. He was solid; well-built. While he had a somewhat menacing quality about him, Mallory wasn’t at all frightened in his presence. Callum was cool, collected, and steady in a crisis.

  “What?” Callum demanded when he felt her staring at him. He lifted his brows and waited.

  Their gazes clashed.

  It took effort but he ignored the wild tug of attraction that pummelled him when he got his first good look at Mallory Reynolds. She was pretty; breathtakingly beautiful, some would say, but in an undefined way. With sable hair and emerald eyes, the porcelain curves of her cheeks and chin were smooth, sleek, well proportioned. There was nothing particularly remarkable about her. However, there was an etheric equality; an air of mystery about her that was captivating. It was as if she carried secrets but would only divulge them to those who earnt her favour.

  She is utterly arresting.

  To give himself something else to think about, Callum checked his gun for shot. But it didn’t work. He soon found his thoughts returning to her. He was tired, cold, and hungry, but ignored his physical discomforts because Mallory’s welfare was more important. He had to get her out of the biting morning chill, preferably before she was shot at anymore.

  “Should we go in there?” Mallory asked as she studied the swaying trees they were approaching.

  They looked dark and sinister to her.

  “They could hide all sorts of attackers,” she hissed.

  Callum knew they could still be ambushed. If he was Melrose, he would choose woods in which to ambush someone as well. But this was where Sir Hugo had told them to go and so they had to use it.

  “Whatever happens, don’t go back to the village. Find somewhere to hide. Stay perfectly still until you are positive the guards have gone. It might take several hours, but that’s fine. They will mount a search but aren’t likely to search an area more than once.”

  “What do I do if they send the dogs after me?”

  Callum sighed.

  “I hope to God we are never split up for you to find out.”

  Callum had to stop to contemplate what to tell her.

  “Look, about a mile over the brow of that hill is a river. The best thing you can do is go to that. Get into the water, cross it if you can, and get out of the water a fair distance away from where you got in. I don’t know how deep it is, but the dogs cannot track your scent in water. They will lose you. Just don’t get out of your depth.”

  “I cannot swim,” Mallory breathed.

  Callum stared hard at her. “It is the only chance you will have.”

  Mallory felt sick at the thought of it ever happening. She would do it, of course, not least because she trusted Callum to know about such things.

  “I hope it never comes to it,” Callum whispered before Mallory could.

  “As soon as you can, go to Ribbleton. There is a huge house on
the outskirts of the village, about a quarter of a mile off the main road, that sits through some trees. Go to that, tell them Sir Hugo sent you.”

  “Are you sure someone will be there?”

  Callum nodded.

  “What about you?”

  “If you ever need to wade through the river for your life you will know I am dead,” Callum growled bluntly.

  When Mallory flinched, Callum ruefully pursed his lips.

  “I don’t intend to die today,” he mused with a wink.

  “Neither do I,” she replied honestly.

  “Good, so let’s see what happens. Try not to panic, eh? Whatever happens, panicking will make you do foolish things and it might just get you killed.”

  Mallory was horrified at the thought of having to run for her life on her own. Now that she had experienced what it was like to have to run from Melrose’s guards, Mallory knew that she would never have survived had she been alone. The guards would have caught her, and she would probably have been murdered by now.

  “I wish I could tell you that it is going to be all right,” Callum breathed, and meant every word.

  Knowing this might be the day that he didn’t live to see nightfall, Callum’s gaze fell to her lips. As he watched, the tip of her tongue slid gently across the lush ripeness of her lips. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, his head bent. One brush, one fine sweep of those luscious lips, and Callum knew that he had tasted temptation. He knew that had they been faced with any other circumstances; Callum would have sampled her some more. As it was, they were almost in the trees, and had to set aside this compelling attraction they felt for each other for another time when they were able to think more clearly.

  “Callum,” she whispered, unsure what else she could say.

  Callum stared into limpid eyes. He knew she was stunned by what had just happened, and still wrapped in the haze of desire that was completely alien to her. He wished that there was something he could say or do that would dispel that look of adoration she was giving him. He didn’t want her to put him on a pedestal. He wasn’t the pedestal kind of man.

  If we live through the next few hours, I will have to sit her down and tell her that the kiss meant nothing, even if I have to lie. I don’t want her being attracted to me because she sees me as some sort of hero. I am just me, a normal man doing a strange and difficult job.

  For now, all Callum could do was force aside his attraction to Mallory and focus on getting through the woods alive.

  CHAPTER SIX

  In contrast to the early morning birdsong Mallory had heard in the village, the woods were silent and darkly ominous. The only sound that could be heard was the steady thud of hooves as Horace plodded steadily along a path carved through the undergrowth.

  Callum knew that they were far more vulnerable now than they had been since they had left Melrose House.

  “There is something wrong, isn’t there?” Mallory had no idea why she felt compelled to ask but the words were out before she could stop them.

  The infinitesimal nod of Callum’s head made Mallory’s stomach lurch sickeningly.

  “We are not alone,” Callum breathed.

  Mallory shivered, but this time it had nothing to do with the cold. Raw attraction snaked down her spine and heightened her senses in a way she hadn’t expected. It was exacerbated by the danger that threatened them. It stretched her nerves taught, and commanded she savour every moment of her last few minutes alive.

  I shouldn’t be attracted to him because I didn’t even know he existed three hours ago, yet I already trust him with my life.

  Callum could see that trust shining from her eyes. It was reassuring because he knew that if something did go wrong, Mallory would follow his orders. On the other hand, it created a connection with her he knew no investigator should have for anybody under his protection.

  “Thank you,” she whispered. “Whatever happens, I want you to know that I am grateful for what you have done for me.”

  Callum looked down at her and lifted his brows.

  “You saved me,” Mallory winced. “I never thought anybody would.”

  Callum mentally winced.

  “We are not safe yet,” he warned her. “Thank me when this is all over.”

  As if to prove his point, a large twig cracked loudly somewhere behind them. Callum jerked and looked over his shoulder.

  “I cannot see anything but trees,” Mallory whispered, acutely aware that they were almost cheek-to-cheek.

  “That is not as good as it sounds,” Callum grunted. “Just stay quiet. We are making too much noise even whispering.”

  Callum tipped his head to listen to any sounds beyond that of Horace’s hooves. He clutched the handle of his gun tighter but knew his weapon would be useless if he was shot in the back. Any moment now his life could be brought to an abrupt end. Each breath might be his last. He would be bloody useless to protect Mallory then. It was a humbling thought and brought about a stark realisation within Callum that he wasn’t prepared to die yet. He wanted so much more from life. He wanted to experience more; a wife, a child maybe.

  Strangely, whenever he thought about a wife and child, the mental image of Mallory hovered in the back of his mind. He tried to sweep her aside, and contemplate what his wife might look like, but Mallory wouldn’t be ignored.

  It must be because she is the only female who I have been alone with for nigh on seven months now.

  But Callum knew it was more, much more. Mallory was unforgettable. She was one of those people Callum knew he would find himself thinking about for weeks after they had parted.

  “What do you think it is that made the noise?”

  “Whatever it was is bigger than us,” Callum warned.

  “They have been waiting for us in here,” she whispered.

  “Don’t forget that it might be Sir Hugo watching us,” Callum warned.

  Mallory doubted it. The woods had a sinister air to them that was unnerving. She sensed danger. It wasn’t something she had ever experienced before she had been kidnapped. But being in the hands of strangers had made her wary of people; more watchful and cautious of everything around her. Consequently, she had learnt to read cruelty in a person’s face and listen to the tones of someone’s voice that could convey so much about their character.

  What she could read in Callum’s face was a wisdom that made her trust him. She didn’t doubt that he had been in situations just like this in the past and had fought to stay alive. She, on the other hand, was a dithering bundle of nerves who was going to start screaming any moment now if something didn’t happen to break the unbearable tension.

  “Stop right there.”

  The words, when they came, were like physical blows.

  Mallory felt her world crumble. Her stomach lurched. She clung tighter to Callum’s reassuring strength but began to shake so fiercely that she felt her teeth start to clatter.

  Callum reflexively tightened his arm around her. It was all the reassurance he could give her right now. He knew she was terrified. The colour that had once been in her cheeks had drained from her face leaving her so pale that she looked ill. Her eyes darkened and she inwardly seemed to curl in on herself. It was horrifying to watch someone who had, moments earlier, seemed quite alive and well turn into a mere ghost of herself.

  “What do you want?” he demanded of the man who stepped out of the trees and planted himself directly in their path.

  On either side them, several more men stepped out of the undergrowth. They didn’t emerge completely but remained partially obscured by the bushes so that they were still protected should Callum try to shoot them.

  “Give us the girl back.”

  “She doesn’t want to come with you,” Callum replied. “Taking her against her will is kidnap. She is neither your prize nor your possession.”

  “She is with us.”

  “No, I am not,” Mallory cried. “I would never go willingly with the likes of you. You have no control over me
. You are a brute and a kidnapper.”

  Mallory’s chest heaved with the force of her emotion. She was scared out of her wits but conversely it was that terror that brought her strength.

  “Stay strong,” Callum breathed.

  Mallory sucked in a breath and immediately straightened her spine, even though she wanted to slide off the horse and run, as far away and as quickly as her feet could carry her.

  “Get out of our way,” Callum demanded.

  In response, the guard cocked his gun.

  “Get down off that horse or we will shoot you down,” another guard to their right ordered.

  “Try it, and you will have to explain to your boss why you have taken to killing the person he wants found,” Mallory retorted.

  “He wants you back. He didn’t say nothing about you being taken back alive,” the guard sneered.

  “Kill me and he will never know what I have already told the authorities,” Mallory snapped.

  The guard squinted at her, as if trying to gauge if she had the time to tell anybody what she had been put through.

  “Get down. You are going to come with us.”

  The guard cocked his gun and pointed it straight at her heart.

  “Then shoot me because I would rather die than go anywhere with the likes of you.”

  She screamed and ducked when a shower of splinters cascaded over her the second the bullet hit the tree closest to them. A large crack appeared in the thick bark inches from her head. Rather than be frightened into climbing down, Mallory glared at the gunman.

  “You are a lousy shot,” she sneered.

  Callum huffed a laugh. “Now now, my dear, not everyone can be a good shot.”

  Callum saw the man’s gaze drop to Horace. Without hesitation, Callum lifted his gun and shot the man in the centre of his chest. The second he had taken the shot, Callum dragged Mallory off Horace. Dodging behind a tree, he slapped Horace’s backside and watched the horse charge down the path. Horace, in flight, stomped over the groaning man on the floor, who promptly fell silent beneath the weight of the horse’s hooves.

  With Mallory tucked safely behind him, Callum shot another guard. Immediately, the forest exploded into a hail of gunfire that was deafening. Trees groaned and shattered beneath the force of the bullets. Men moaned as they were caught by the poorly aimed shots of their cohorts. Callum coldly picked off one man after another, until he had to move to be able to find more victims.