Gilded Hearts (The Shadow Guild Series)

by Christine d'Abo

  “Yes.”

  “Are you joining us?”

  Turning, he nodded. “Pip?”

  She paused, keeping her back to him.

  “I’m just a man. A sergeant in the King’s Sentry, a former apprentice to the Archives with some unique skills, but in the end, only a man. I’ve made mistakes in the past, ones I’ve acknowledged. I’ll give you your time, but know this.” She turned her head so he could just make out her profile. “There’s one mistake I won’t make twice. I’ll only wait for so long before I will come after you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Piper sat in the middle of the settee, staring straight ahead as David and Aiko positioned tubes around her body and secured wires to her face. She’d gone through every meditation technique she’d been taught, but it did little to quell her fears. At least she assumed they were hers and not Annie’s.

  Please, don’t do this to me, pet. I can be of use to you. You’ll need me once you find out more.

  Piper closed her eyes and tried once more to clear her mind.

  That’s not gonna stop me. I’m going to keep screaming away here in your head until the very end. Lalalalalalala.

  Piper clenched her teeth and dug her fingertips into her legs. “How much longer before we can begin? I’m getting a headache.”

  David popped over the back of the couch, leaning on his forearms to move his face beside hers. “Be ready to start in two clicks of a cog. I was just getting a little something ready to help ease the process for you.” Reaching out, he held a glass with a rose-colored liquid inside. “I suspect Annie won’t want to go quietly. This will make things less stressful for both you and her.”

  “Thank you.”

  As she took the glass, David’s unbuttoned shirtsleeve flapped open, exposing a generous portion of skin. It was impossible to miss the design tattooed in black ink on the inside of his arm. When she met his gaze once more, she was startled to see something different from the normal easygoing and somewhat absentminded look she’d quickly come to associate with the clockwerker. His brown eyes were hard, reflecting not only his intelligence but a cunning she’d never noticed before.

  “What’s that?” She whispered the words, knowing she’d caught a glimpse of something she shouldn’t.

  “The Company likes to mark their property.” David leaned in closer. “Please take the drink, Miss Smith.”

  Piper did as David asked. “Thank you.” The liquid was sickeningly sweet as she swallowed it down. Within a minute Piper felt her muscles begin to relax and it grew increasingly difficult to blink. “I feel odd.”

  “Good. That means it’s working.” Pushing off, David bounded over to where Samuel was now standing, staring at them. “I believe we are ready to begin.”

  She tried to focus her attention on Samuel, but her mind had grown sluggish and Piper felt as if she were slipping down into a warm bath or a thick down quilt, heating her skin.

  Oh. This is lovely.

  Samuel squatted in front of Piper, resting his hands on her knees. “Pip?”

  He really does have lovely eyes, pet.

  Samuel chuckled. “Annie, I presume?”

  Piper hadn’t realized she’d spoken, but the words must have come from her lips. How odd, to be completely out of control of hers body and yet be aware of the world around her.

  I have no intention of telling you anything, copper. No matter how much this one here makes doe eyes at you.

  “Annie, I know you worked as a prostitute. That you’ve seen all sorts of evil in your days. We need to know everything we can, so that we can stop the man who killed you.”

  Piper struggled to take in a breath, the muscles in her chest constricted to the point of discomfort. No matter how much she willed her body to cooperate, she couldn’t gasp, swallow, or move the way she wanted. Annie was in control.

  Don’t you fret, pet. If these fools get their way I won’t be around much longer.

  Samuel squeezed her knee. “Pip, it’s fine. I’m just going to have a conversation with Annie. You relax.”

  Bloody easy thing for you to say, copper.

  “Did you know Jack? Had you met him before that night when he came to you?”

  You know, it’s a funny thing. All my life I was told I was a stupid girl. Annie, don’t do this, you’ll get hurt. Annie, you idiot, you told them men where we was living. Annie, don’t lift yer skirts and let them men take what they want. Not unless they pay you first. Now a copper wants my help. Wants to know what I know.

  “That’s right, Annie. In the end, you’re the smart one. You’re the one with the power and the control. You have the knowledge to help save others.”

  Others?

  Piper knew Annie was starting to get upset. Her stomach began to churn and she couldn’t unclench her hand that clung to Samuel’s.

  What others?

  “Two other women have been killed. Mary and Elizabeth.” Timmons joined Samuel’s side, but stayed on his feet. “They were both prostitutes as well.”

  I didn’t know them.

  The men exchanged a look. Piper knew they needed to find the connection between the killings, and it was far too much of a coincidence that all the women were prostitutes.

  Samuel smiled again, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “But you knew Jack? Do you think he would have gone to the other women? Sought out their services?”

  Piper knew Annie was holding back, could feel her restraining herself from answering. Fighting through the fog of her mind, Piper forced out a quick, “She knows,” before Annie took control once more.

  Shut up!

  “What do you know, Annie? I really need you to tell us. Did you know about Mary?”

  No.

  “Are there other women? We need to find them, get them off the street to make sure they’re safe.”

  No!

  “Annie, do you know Jack?”

  She leaned back as far as she could against the couch. Please, no.

  “He’s the one who killed you. We need to find him.”

  Tears streamed down her face, following the contour of her throat until they were soaked up by her bodice. Not him.

  “I’m sorry this is hard for you.” Samuel cupped her cheek, leaning in close. “I need to find Jack and stop him. I can’t let him hurt any more women.”

  He scares me.

  “Of course he does. You’re a smart girl and know when something isn’t right. Trust me, Jack is certainly not right.”

  Them men used to call me a smart girl, too, when they wanted something from me. But they only said that stuff when they wanted to take their pleasure from me. The cult would round a few of us up, bring us out to a place where they’d meet. We’d have parties, wine, food, then we’d fuck. They’d lock us in a room while they talked. Like they was planning somethin’.

  “Like what, Annie? Were they planning to do something?”

  I don’t know. But I remember Mary was there and a woman called Catherine. I didn’t know her, but Mary was nice to me. We were all there with the men. They wanted us to join the cult and stay with them. The other girls didn’t stay after, but I did. I liked them all except for one bloke. He kept to himself and never talked to me. The others called him Jack. He was pale as a ghost, but God, he was dark, so dark.

  Piper was powerless to do anything but watch the horror spread across Samuel’s face. He was blaming himself again for the actions of a madman. He was going to take off, leave her behind, and make sure she couldn’t be hurt while he pursued Jack on his own. Bloody stubborn man.

  She started to laugh. Oh you’ve done something to upset this one, copper. I think once you’ve gotten rid of poor Annie for good you’re going to be in trouble.

  “Pip?” He ran his hand down the front of his face. She knew he was struggling, his desire to protect her at odds with his need to use the tools available to solve the case. “We’ll talk.”

  I doubt that’s all you’ll want to do, copper. But poor Annie won’t be there to giv
e her any more good ideas. You’ll have to figure things out on your own.

  “Enough.” Samuel got to his feet. He picked up the wire that lay across her lap and placed the final lead to her temple. “If you don’t have anything else to say then it’s time to let you rest.”

  Another wave of tears rolled down Piper’s cheeks. Please don’t do this. I can stay here and be good. I-I won’t e-even bother her. I’ll only watch and listen. I promise.

  “I’m sorry, Annie. If there were any other way, we wouldn’t do this. Remember, the Archives have your memories. You’ll always be alive there.”

  I don’t want to be there at all! If I’m dying I want to die and go to heaven or hell, whichever will take me. You can’t stuff me in one of them little bottles!

  “It’s no different than you living on in Pip’s head. You’re only an echo. You’re not a person any longer.”

  Mind-numbing panic clawed up inside her. Piper’s body began to convulse, taking on a life of its own. She was powerless to do anything to stop it. Annie continued to scream in her head. The words became a jumbled mess, and she no longer knew if she was speaking, screaming, crying, or simply going mad.

  Samuel loomed over her, pressing her shoulders down to the couch. “Someone help me!”

  “Rory, hold her down!”

  “Get her legs.”

  “David, start the process.”

  “I don’t know what will happen with her—”

  “Do it now!”

  Piper screamed. Her throat and chest felt as if she were being torn apart from the inside out—Annie forcing her way from her body. Her vision blacked out, but for a lingering moment she could hear. Despite the force of her screams, she clung to the soft chant of words falling from Samuel’s lips.

  “Hold on, Pip. Hold on, Pip. Please, sweetheart. Hold on.”

  One moment Piper was thrashing beneath his hands. The next she collapsed unconscious to the couch. Her face was white as a sheet and covered in a fine sheen of sweat. He pushed her damp hair from her forehead, ignoring the way his hand shook.

  “Did you start it?” His voice was rough, throat tight with repressed emotion. “How long until we know if Annie is gone?”

  A hand squeezed his shoulder. He expected Timmons, but looked up to see David standing there, his expression serious. “If everything goes well, she’ll be asleep for several hours.”

  “And if things don’t go well?” Shit, he didn’t even want to think about something going wrong. There were so many variables, things David couldn’t know about how the process worked. The chance that Piper would come out of this unscathed was minuscule.

  “I’ve taken every precaution. Aiko and I will stay with her and make sure she is comfortable.”

  “I’m not leaving her.” If they thought anything was more important to him than ensuring Piper was safe and healthy, they were as insane as Jack.

  Timmons shared a look with David before clearing his throat. “I can appreciate you wanting to stay with her, but there is something you will need to see.”

  “I don’t care what it is. I’m not—”

  “We got another letter.”

  Samuel dropped his head to Piper’s shoulder and let out a shuddering breath. “No.”

  “I’m sorry. I just received a note in the tube from the home office. It was sent to the Tower and addressed directly to you. No one has opened it, but apparently the Archivist Guild is already aware of it, and demanding to know what was said.”

  With the Archives forcing their involvement, there was no way Samuel would be able to escape dealing with the matter as quickly as possible. “Dammit.”

  “I promise you, I’ll watch her and give her the best of care. Like she was my own family.” David took a seat beside Piper on the couch and checked her pulse. “She seems to be holding her own, but the next hour will be the critical period. After that it’s mostly rest and recovery.”

  Samuel nodded. She looked fragile, though she’d mostly likely punch him for thinking of her in such a way. Her body had been through so much in the past few days. It was a wonder she hadn’t collapsed from the weight of it all. “How much will she remember?”

  “If I’ve calculated everything correctly, she’ll have her memories wiped from a few hours before the extraction until now.”

  Samuel faced David. “If you were wrong?”

  “A day earlier.” He shrugged. “It was the closest I could get given the circumstances.”

  She would remember nothing of their night together, their kiss. She wouldn’t have any recollection of being on the run from the Archives, their discussion with Dennison, the attack on Sam. Every bit of progress they’d made, their rekindled friendship and growing attachment.

  All gone.

  Samuel got to his feet and stalked across the room to snatch his coat from the chair. “I want to know the moment she regains consciousness. She won’t know who any of you are and won’t understand what is happening.”

  “We’ll send word to the Tower if you are not back.” Aiko laced her hands behind her back. “Is there anything else you wish for us to tell her?”

  “Tell her I’m done running.” Yanking his greatcoat into place, he strode from the room. “Let’s go see what Jack wants.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Samuel was forced to wear his radiation goggles as they made their way along Regent Street to the iron walk. Even though the sun was setting, the sky was cloudless, making the burn and brightness too much for him to handle. Timmons forewent his, but did slip on his gloves before holding on to the worn metal rail.

  They’d lost a day, precious time they needed to find out where Jack was and put a stop to his killings. With the guild now forcing their involvement with the investigation, it would be almost impossible to keep Piper from falling back into their care.

  Timmons kept his voice low. “Do you think he planned this? Getting the Archives involved?”

  Samuel could still hear Jack’s gravelly voice whispering in his ear. I used to watch you, Sammy-boy. Instead of the anxiety the killer had intended, Samuel felt only rage. This bastard was trying to taunt him, instill fear into Samuel so he would either botch the investigation or put his focus in the wrong place. He wasn’t watching closely enough if he thought he could affect Samuel that easily.

  “He’s cocky. He probably assumes I want to keep as far away from the guild as possible. Their arrival is most likely a bonus.”

  Timmons grunted, succinctly summing up how Samuel felt.

  The crowds were heavy and the streets crowded. Two officers from the King’s Sentry commanded a certain amount of respect, and people gave way as they stepped off the iron walk and onto the road to the Tower.

  Despite what he’d said to Timmons, Samuel couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Looking as subtly as he could, he scanned the faces of those around him. No one stood out as being a possible match for Jack.

  “What’s wrong?” Timmons’ metal fingers grabbed his shoulder to halt him. “Sam?”

  Closing his eyes, Samuel reached out and tried to find the lull in the emotions coming from the group around him. A void that screamed the wrongness of the person to whom it belonged. It was difficult to filter through the cacophony of feeling breaking against him.

  There was something… vague.

  “The alley,” his hoarse whisper betrayed his discomfort. “I think—”

  Timmons didn’t wait for the rest, bolting in the direction Samuel had indicated.

  Alone once more in the sea of bodies that comprised New London, Samuel battled with himself for control. Alone in the dark, alone with no one to love, to care for, to touch. Samuel had hated those nights when he’d been confined to his quarters, locked away from Pip and everyone else. Left to dwell in his dark, spiraling thoughts.

  Had Jack been there, too? Locked away in another room in the pit of the Archives? Samuel had tried, but with the arrival of Piper, he’d given up on finding Jack and turned his attent
ion to her. To the possibility of a future out in the daylight. Could he blame Jack for being angry, for wanting to kill him?

  It all made sense, and yet none of it did.

  Timmons returned moments later, out of breath and flushed. “Nothing. If he was there, he’s disappeared into the ether.”

  “Shit.” They were back to where they were. There was no guarantee that the person following them was Jack. The poison, lack of sleep, all of it was wearing on him. “Let’s get back to the Tower. I think the only way we are going to get anywhere is to see that letter.”

  Samuel should have been concerned about returning to the one place where the Guild Masters knew he’d eventually show up. It was no surprise they’d taken a direct interest in the letter, given how desperately they probably wanted to get their hands on Piper. He could count on Timmons not to say anything, but he couldn’t be certain the rest of their circle of men were as loyal to him and not swayed by the promise of serving the greater good.

  As they walked up the path leading to the Tower, the men and women of the Sentry they passed stared openly. “Who sent the message about the letter arriving?”

  “The note was unsigned. Think it might be a trap?”

  “I wouldn’t be surprised. If it is, let them take me. Only go back for Piper when you know things are safe.”

  The lights inside the Tower surged; a burst of steam rattled the pipes as it rolled through the stone structure. The moment they set foot inside, a steady stream of his men homed in on him. Orders, directives, direction on the case. He’d been neglecting his duty, so focused on Piper and Jack, that the simplest of his tasks had been forgotten.

  “Make sure the boys expand their inquiries to the neighboring districts.” He quickly scratched his name on the orders and shoved them into the hands of the waiting man. The moment he was out of earshot, Timmons grabbed Samuel by the shoulder and pulled him away. “You’d think I’d been gone for a month.”

  “I kept them busy as I could, but they always want the boss’ approval.”

  “Too late to ask for a demotion?”