by Darcy Burke
“A couple of hours ago! I haven’t had time to do a goddamned thing since then.”
“Which is why you should realize I had nothing to do with this. I’d guess Aldridge got to her, wouldn’t you?”
He couldn’t argue with the man’s logic. “Nicky Blue took her. I thought he worked for you.”
Jagger didn’t confirm that, but Daniel never expected him to, at least not without duress. “I didn’t realize he was that close with Aldridge.” He frowned deeply. “That’s troubling.”
Daniel didn’t give a damn about the problems within their criminal business. His only concern right now was Jocelyn. “Where would he take her?”
Jagger ran a hand through his hair. “Any number of places.”
Daniel’s patience was growing thin. “Narrow them down, please. I don’t have much time.” Jagger’s gaze dropped to the knife still in Daniel’s hand. Daniel shook his head. “Don’t ask me to put it away. I’ll do whatever I must to get the information I need.”
“You see how easily our moral compasses can be skewed?”
Of course he did. His had bent long ago. “I’m not trying to save myself. Try to improve your own morality, and help me save her.”
Jagger closed his eyes a moment and when they opened, there was a glimmer of regret. But it was gone so fast, Daniel wondered if he imagined it.
“Try Field Lane. His favorite receiver has a flash house there. Nicky keeps a room and sometimes uses the topmost floor for storage after a job.” It was the plainest information Daniel had ever obtained from the likes of Jagger. Given the resignation in the man’s eyes, Daniel didn’t doubt its veracity for a moment.
“Thank you.”
He rushed out, barreling along the corridor and down the stairs as if the building were on fire. A few minutes later he’d directed the hack to Field Lane and could only pray he wasn’t too late.
JOCELYN had fought her captor with everything she had, but in the end Nicky Blue had proved far stronger. Plus, he’d had help. Despite that, she’d managed to blacken one bloke’s eye and had bitten Nicky Blue’s hand hard enough that he’d hauled off and slapped her a moment later. Her cheek still stung.
Bound to a chair, she’d watched evening blend into night through the dingy window of the small room they’d locked her in. They’d left her in the dark, and she was now growing chilled in her capped sleeves.
She knew in her heart Daniel would try to find her. Nicky had tried to convince her Daniel was behind her abduction, but she didn’t believe him. She trusted Daniel and knew without a doubt he wasn’t a villain. Furthermore, Aldridge was a proven liar, so she simply couldn’t credit anything he said. It made far more sense he was the man behind this.
But none of that was any consolation. She still didn’t know why she was there or what they had planned for her. And so she shivered with cold and fear.
The door opened, and several men entered carrying lanterns. She blinked against the sudden flood of light. Because of the adjustment, she couldn’t see any of their faces.
“How forlorn you look at last, Miss Renwick. I’d begun to wonder if anything could wear you down.”
Dread iced her spine as she recognized Lord Aldridge’s voice.
“I may look a fright, my lord, but don’t let that fool you,” she said with a bravado she didn’t necessarily feel.
“You are an extraordinary female, I’ll give you that. It’s no wonder Carlyle was smitten with you. Too bad nothing will come of it.”
“You’re wrong. Daniel is going to come for me, and we plan to be married.”
“Well, you’re right about one of those things. He is coming for you, but I doubt he’ll have you after I’m finished.” His words sent a shaft of stark fear straight through her heart.
Her eyes were now accustomed to the light, and she could see four men, still holding their lanterns, standing just inside the door. Aldridge pulled up a chair and sat directly in front of her.
“This is what’s going to happen,” he said, his tone as condescending as ever. “You’re going to tell Carlyle you stole from me and sold the items for money. You’ll also tell him everything you said about me was a fabrication to discredit me in his eyes.”
Jocelyn stared at him—he was demented. “He won’t believe me. I have no reason to steal from you or recant what I told him, and he knows it. He’s an awfully good investigator, or didn’t you know that? Perhaps if you did, you would’ve been smarter about all of this.”
Aldridge paled, and his mouth tightened with fury. “Your tongue is going to get you into trouble one day, gel. Be careful today isn’t that day.” He leaned forward and bared his teeth. When he next spoke, he stressed his words so forcefully that spittle flew from his mouth. “You’ve practically ruined everything, you little bitch, but I’ve been trying to avoid having you killed. I’ve particularly tried to avoid having Carlyle killed. Messy business taking down a viscount. But I’ll kill him—and you—if you don’t make him think I’m innocent. I plan to confess that I purchased your items from a receiver, but I shall be so full of remorse that even Carlyle will let me be.”
She gaped at him. “You’re mad. You can’t continue. Daniel won’t allow it. He knows your scheme, how you inform criminals like Nicky Blue as to what town house he should rob and when. And you do it to obtain specific items, sometimes from people you even call friend.” He’d explained everything to her on the carriage ride to her town house earlier. Her heart had broken at the betrayal in his voice. “Daniel will never believe you only purchased the stolen items.”
“Then, unfortunately you’ll both die.”
“Lookee what I found!” Nicky Blue pushed into the room trailed by a pair of men who were holding a struggling Daniel.
Jocelyn instinctively tried to jump up from the chair, but her bonds held her fast.
“Let her go, you son of a bitch,” Daniel growled.
Aldridge’s back had been to the door, but he got up and faced Daniel. If Daniel was surprised by the earl’s presence, he didn’t show it. His expression was all malevolence. Jocelyn shivered at the depth of rage in his eyes.
Aldridge cleared his throat. “Carlyle, I’m sorry it had to come to this. I’ve been trying to spare both of your lives—I’m no murderer—but I’m afraid you’ve made it quite difficult. Now that you know how the operation works, you can’t be allowed to expose it.”
“Just tell me why,” Daniel said, fury burning in his eyes. “You have wealth, position, a wife who loves you. Why resort to thievery?”
Aldridge took one step toward Daniel. “I have a young wife who likes pretty things and didn’t have the funds to appease her. There are certain trappings a countess expects, and her husband must provide them for her. I don’t expect someone like you to understand.” He cocked his head to the side. “I don’t suppose I could ask you to simply look the other way? Perhaps if I delivered you another criminal, say Nicky Blue here? That is how you prefer to conduct this sort of business, isn’t it?”
Daniel lunged forward, but Nicky Blue beat him to it. The criminal moved to stand in front of the earl. They were of equal height, but the earl was actually bigger, with broader shoulders and a thicker waist. “Ye won’t be doin’ that, my lord.”
“Count the number of men here.” Aldridge inclined his head toward the four men holding the lanterns. “Mine outnumber yours.”
“Yers?” Nicky asked incredulously. “Who do ye think these blokes work for? Not me, not you. They work for Gin Jimmy. And Gin Jimmy’s already given them their orders.”
Jocelyn couldn’t see Aldridge’s face, but she felt the energy in the room shift. Her gaze swung to Daniel, who began to fight his captors even more.
“No,” Daniel cried. “Don’t do this.”
“I have my orders,” Nicky said, with more than a touch of glee. He pulled a blade from inside his coat. Its familiar dragon hilt glinted in the lantern light. He delivered Aldridge a look of pure menace. “Take off yer coat.”
&n
bsp; “Don’t,” Aldridge said weakly. “I can fix this.”
Nicky waved his knife from one of his men toward Aldridge. The men pulled at Aldrige’s sleeves. Though he tried to fight them, they removed the garment, then held his arms.
Nicky moved close to him. “Ye tried and failed.” He lifted his hand and slowly pierced the earl’s side, sliding the knife in deep. The earl gasped and his hands clenched. “There now, it doesn’t hurt too much, does it?” He turned the blade and then withdrew it. “Here, sit down. It’ll be over soon.”
The two men let go of Aldridge’s arms, and Nicky guided him back to the chair so that he was once more sitting in front of Jocelyn.
She stared, horrified, as all color drained from his face. Blood spread over his waistcoat and streamed down his side over the edge of the chair and dripped onto the floor. She made a sobbing sound, but couldn’t seem to force her eyes closed. “Help him,” she said, but the words came from a distance, as if someone else had uttered them.
“You piece of shit,” Daniel yelled.
The earl’s eyes settled on her. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. Then his mouth sagged, and he slumped in the chair. His gaze unfocused and his lids drooped, but didn’t close. Then he was still.
Blood continued to pour from his wound. It began to spread on the floor and slithered toward her like a living thing.
She tried to push the chair back, but it only wobbled and she worried it would tip over.
“You sick son of a bitch,” Daniel said.
Nicky snapped his fingers, and two of the lantern men put down their lights. They came and dragged Aldridge to the side of the room. Then the two men holding Daniel brought him forward and tried to sit him in the bloody chair, but he fought them with everything he had.
“A little help,” Nicky said, and the men who’d taken Aldridge away returned. “Carlyle needs some persuasion.”
Suddenly Jocelyn felt a cold blade against her neck, and Daniel instantly stilled. The men settled him in the chair. She could see his beloved face so close.
“Yer turn,” Nicky Blue said, wiping the blood from the knife on Aldridge’s discarded coat. “I’ve been lookin’ forward to this for a long time. Ever since ye sent me to the hulks.”
Jocelyn shook her head, as horror turned her extremities to ice. “No. Please. No.”
The men removed Daniel’s coat. He kept his gaze locked with hers. “It’s all right, darling.” His voice was soothing, calm, but it did nothing to stop the sheer terror gripping every part of her. “I love you.”
Tears filled her eyes, and she couldn’t draw a deep enough breath to fill her lungs. “I love you too.”
His eyes never left hers, but his voice took on a vicious edge. “Nicky, if anything happens to her, I’ll find a way to come back and eviscerate you.”
Nicky laughed, then came forward.
Jocelyn couldn’t bear to watch Daniel die. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for a miracle.
Chapter Thirteen
DANIEL TENSED. He was glad Jocelyn had closed her eyes. It was bad enough she’d had to sit there and watch the life drain away from Aldridge, but to force her to watch them murder him too … If there hadn’t been a knife against her throat, he’d kill every single one of them with his bare hands.
“For Christ’s sake, Nicky, knock it off!”
Jagger’s thunderous voice filled the space. Jocelyn’s eyes flew open. Daniel wanted to turn to see if Jagger was alone, but he couldn’t turn away from Jocelyn.
He felt the prick of Nicky’s blade against his side, and then it was gone. Nicky had been pulled away, quickly disarmed, and was now being held by the two men who’d been holding Daniel.
Jagger came forward and threw a dark glance at Daniel. “Untie her.”
Daniel needed no further urging. He quickly released her from the chair, and she was in his arms clutching his neck in an instant. He held her close, trying to absorb all of her anguish and fear.
Jagger faced Nicky. “What an unbelievable mess. What the hell were you thinking, bringing her here? You were supposed to take care of Aldridge. End of assignment.”
Nicky’s eyes darted from side to side, assessing his situation. It seemed no one was going to come forward to help him. “She found my knife. I can’t have her linkin’ me to any of that. Especially when she’s attached to this son of a bitch.” He jabbed his thumb toward Daniel.
“Those decisions are above you.” Jagger spoke as if to a child. “You do as you’re told and nothing else. But then that’s why you ended up in prison in the first place, if memory serves. Always getting ahead of yourself, thinking you’re above your station.”
Nicky’s mouth tightened, and his eyes slitted.
Jagger dusted off Nicky’s shoulder. “I’m afraid it’s the last time you do that.” He glanced at the men holding his arms. “You know what to do.”
“No!” Nicky began to fight his captors. How the tables had turned. And Daniel couldn’t summon even an ounce of compassion. Not after what he’d forced Jocelyn to witness.
They dragged him from the room, shouting and struggling. Jagger turned toward Daniel and Jocelyn, his mouth grim. Then he pivoted back to the rest of the henchmen and glared at them. “Why are you standing there? Go help them.”
They scurried from the room like rats from a fire.
“I’m sorry for all of that,” Jagger said quietly. He wasn’t looking at them, and his voice held a dark, desperate quality. Daniel wondered what was going on.
Then the criminal turned and squared his shoulders. “What you do next is very important.”
Jocelyn finally relaxed in Daniel’s arms and rested her head against his chest. She slid her arms from his neck and clasped them about his waist, holding him as if her life depended on it.
Daniel eyed Jagger skeptically. “What should I do next?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Jagger clasped his hands behind his back as if he were delivering a lecture. “After you leave here, go on about your life. Get married. Live happily ever after. Forget what you knew about Aldridge—he’s quite paid for his crimes, don’t you agree?”
More than, but that didn’t make any of this right. “I can’t do that.”
Jagger’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t be a fool. Of course you can. I’m not asking you to ignore a crime. The theft ring you uncovered—Aldridge and Nicky Blue—is over.” As if to punctuate this declaration, screams came from a nearby room, followed by sudden silence. Jocelyn shivered in his arms and gripped his waist even more tightly.
Daniel couldn’t argue with that. But he was shocked that Jagger wasn’t killing them. “Why are you letting us go?”
He arched a brow. “Because I can.”
Daniel was afraid he knew how this sort of arrangement worked. Jagger was saving his life, and would expect reciprocation some day. “You’ll want something from me in the future.”
Jagger shrugged. “Aside from keeping my name out of this entire event? Perhaps.”
Jocelyn looked at Jagger, and then up at Daniel. “Can we go?”
“There’s a hack waiting for you outside,” Jagger said.
Daniel nodded, then turned with Jocelyn to go. He paused halfway to the door and looked back at Jagger. “It’s still not too late for you to choose a different path.”
Jagger gave a small, dark smile. “I’m afraid it is.”
Perhaps. Still, he wouldn’t forget what this criminal had done for them. He led Jocelyn from the flash house and into the waiting hack, calling the address to the driver as he climbed in.
Inside, she curled against him. “Please don’t ever let me go.”
He brushed his lips against the top of her head. “Never.”
She drew back to look up at him as the coach swung into motion. “How is Gertrude?”
“Shaken, but I think she’ll be fine.” He allowed himself to smile as he recalled Mrs. Harwood’s spirit earlier. Her courage was inspi
ring. “She’s looking forward to dancing at our wedding.”
She splayed her hand over his chest. “Must we really wait for the banns? After tonight, I don’t want to be without you.”
His heart clenched. He didn’t want to be without her either, wasn’t sure he could. “Then I shall procure a special license, and we’ll wed immediately. You’ll need to stay at my town house tonight anyway. Mrs. Harwood and all of the retainers are there. Poor Mrs. Moss is never returning to Hertford Street.”
She laid her head back down against his chest. “I can’t say I blame her. I don’t want to return, either.”
They fell silent. He stroked her back, and her breathing finally reached an even rate.
“What will happen to Aldridge?” she asked. “His body, I mean.”
Daniel was all too familiar with how those sorts of executions played out. They’d find his discarded body somewhere far from here, if it was found it at all. Gin Jimmy’s gang might decide to dump him into the Thames, especially since he was an earl. But Daniel rather thought Jagger would ensure the body was discovered. That way, Daniel and Jocelyn wouldn’t have to keep his death a secret. “It will turn up.”
“That’s bound to shock Society.”
“I'm sure.”
She shook her head against him. “Lady Aldridge will be devastated.”
Her concern for the man’s wife was touching. It reminded him how much he loved her. He tipped her chin up and gently kissed her. “I love you,” he said against her mouth.
She kissed him back. “I love you too. When I think about how close I came to losing—” Her breath caught on a sob.
“Shhh,” he kissed her again, wanting to take away all of her pain, wishing she could forget the last hours. “You didn’t. And I didn’t lose you.”
She shuddered in his arms and pulled back. “I’m very glad you’re no longer a constable. I’d have to insist you resign.”
He’d never imagined a life outside the magistrate’s office, but now he couldn’t ever see going back. Inheriting the viscountcy had changed his path, but falling in love with Jocelyn had altered it permanently. Now he only saw a future with her. With their children. With her love surrounding them.
