Seeing Danger (A Sinclair & Raven Novel Book 2)

by Wendy Vella

  They stayed connected, the Sinclair siblings holding hands so their strength was greater and their senses stronger. Dev felt sensations travel through them as they focused, all intent on finding Lilly.

  He and James spoke to whomever Toby took them too, and handed over money for information, but as yet none of it led him to Lilly. They frequented small, dilapidated buildings, and talked with people huddled in alleyways. No one approached, and Dev thought that was due to the fierce expression he knew he wore.

  Someone knew something, and he was willing to pay whatever was needed to get her back, but the desperation inside him told him he had to find her soon.

  They passed people doing things no child should know about, yet Toby never flinched, his small body watchful and silent as they made their way to another informant, who he hoped would have the information he needed. Dev used his vision in the more sinister areas to determine anything moving or alive; most kept out their way, as they were moving fast and a large group.

  Essie and Eden stayed between the men, but when two men tried to grab Essie, Dev's growl and Cam's fist sent them back to the shadows.

  “Stay here, my lord, and I shall return shortly.”

  They had reached the back of a small alehouse. Dev could hear the rumble of noise with the occasional high-pitched squeal.

  “The big brother in me demands I shouldn't let you go in there unescorted, Toby, yet I know this situation is not new to you.”

  Toby snorted and shook his head, but said nothing before disappearing through a door.

  “A remarkable young boy,” James said, pulling Eden in front of him and wrapping his arms around her.

  “Are you all right, Eden?” Dev asked, as this was harder on her than any of them. She would be able to hear everything that was happening around her.

  “I am, although what is taking place in the rooms somewhere in that house is extremely disturbing.”

  Cam snorted, knowing full well it was a brothel.

  “Where the hell is she?” Dev said, giving voice to his fears.

  “If anyone can find her, brother, it is us,” Cam said. “We will search for as long as we need.”

  Dev looked at the faces of his family, all there to support him and find the woman he loved. Yes, it was love, he knew that now, because the pain inside him was unlike anything he had experienced before.

  Toby came out of the building. “I have just spoken to Split, who has heard from Jessie, who overheard his master, Ely Chit, talking to Delve about something happening down at a warehouse on Dilth Street. It's old and unused and by the water.”

  Dev's siblings often talked in circles, so he followed with what little patience he had left.

  “We has to find her tonight,” Toby added. “’Cause Jessie said that Gegan is involved, and that means there's a lot of money at stake. ’Cause he'd sell his mother for a coin.”

  “Do they know what he's involved in?”

  “Jessie said Dominus was at Dilth Street.”

  “Dominus being?” James asked.

  “He's new in town, but mean and done some bad things. But he's starting up an army of thieves, so we have heard.”

  “And the missing children could have been kidnapped to work for him?” Dev made the leap.

  “That's my guess, but there's got to be more, ’cause we all know how to filch, so this had to be more,” Toby said.

  “Specialized, you mean?” Cam said. “As if he wants them trained for a reason?”

  “Not sure what the first word means, but I think the other part’s right. Could be he plans to steal from nobs.”

  “Nobs like us,” James said.

  The boy nodded. “Strange that no one seen him yet though, and don't know much about him.”

  “Why strange?” Dev asked.

  “Rumors have a way of spreading on these streets. The man must be a mean one, if he's managed to keep everyone's lips tight.”

  Dev thought about that for a few seconds. Could whoever was taking these children be the one who had Lilly? Was her disappearance a direct result of her interference? If he had her, what did he plan to do to her?

  He could not contemplate that, so he focused on Toby again.

  “We have to find her now,” Dev said, the tension inside him rising.

  “Let's go then.”

  Toby led them deeper into a dark side of London. Buildings rose above them along narrow lanes, blocking even the smallest glimpse of the moon.

  “Now,” Eden whispered when they reached the end of a narrow lane. “Hold hands now.”

  Dev and his siblings formed a circle and while they closed their eyes, he changed his vision and focused.

  “I hear men, three, possibly four. They are discussing a woman,” Eden said. “Where they are to take her, and what is to be done. It's Lilly, I'm certain, and she is in very real danger. We must get to her now.”

  “She's near, I can detect the faintest trace of her scent,” Cam added.

  “Fear,” Essie whispered. “She's scared because it's dark, and she's alone.”

  “The warehouse is just down there,” Toby said, his eyes wide as he tried to understand what he was hearing.

  They trod silently to where the old building stood. Dev looked around for people and saw two men standing at the front of the building. A black carriage stood waiting for someone, and Dev wondered if it belonged to this Dominus Toby spoke of. Looking toward the building, he opened his senses and found Lilly, her unique color among the others inside. She was alone, and relief nearly buckled his knees as he watched her move. She was alive and her color strong.

  “I see her,” Dev whispered. “I'm going to get inside through one of the open boards. Cam, you come with me and watch my back. You others stay here.”

  “I should come with you.”

  “I know you want to, Toby, but I need you to go back to the end of the street and keep an eye out for anyone approaching.”

  He didn't want to; Dev could see it in the narrowing of his eyes and jut of his jaw.

  “Trust me to get her out safe, Toby.”

  “I do.”

  “Can I take your scarf with me? I may need it.”

  Nodding, the boy quickly unwound it from his neck and then left.

  “No risks, Dev, you call to Eden if you need help, and I'll come,” James said.

  Leaving their family looking grim, he and Cam walked along the building until they found some broken boards and a space big enough to slip through.

  I'm coming, Lilly.

  Lilly was dirty, hungry, and in the light of day, she had also been bloody angry. Now, however, the darkness was making her fear for her sanity. Moonlight helped, and showed her she was alone in the room, but still the shadows had appeared, and with them the fear.

  Her hands and feet were bound, and she had been bundled into a cart and carried for hours—well it had felt like hours—to her current accommodation.

  The small room she had been thrown into had nothing to sit on or look at. In fact, it was dark, damp, and airless, with only one window above her in the roof.

  She feared for Bee and Wilson, and hoped they had survived the attack. Where was she? Would anyone come for her?

  Looking up, Lilly tried to focus on the glass and the sky beyond, anything to force back the terror that was rising inside her. Could she see stars? Just one that she could focus on.

  Biting her lip to stop the moan of terror, she inhaled a deep breath and slowly released it.

  “You are strong, Lilly. The dark will soon give way to light, and you will be safe until then.” She forced herself to focus on those words. She was intelligent and knew that her fear was irrational, but it had been that way since she was a child.

  Did anyone know, besides her staff, that she was missing? Who would come and find her? Toby, definitely, Wilson and Bee if they were unhurt. Mr. and Mrs. Davey, perhaps. Her brother? Definitely not. In fact, he would probably rejoice in her disappearance. A pair of green eyes slipped into her head a
nd Lilly quickly banished them.

  Lord Sinclair would come for her if he knew she had disappeared, because he was an honorable man, but who would tell him? Blinking several times, she forced the tears away. She would not think of him now, or the prospect that she would never see him again. It really was ridiculous how she felt about him, and all simply because he had been nice to her.

  Liar, there is a great deal more to your feelings for him than that, a little voice inside her head said. Lilly pushed it aside.

  Had she been kidnapped because of her interference with the missing children? It now seemed likely. If whoever was taking them had enough power, he could have her removed—as he had—successfully. Yet, she was still the daughter of a nobleman, so kidnapping her would not go unnoticed. Presumably she was a threat that made this worth doing.

  Relief filled her as a key fitted into the lock on her door. She didn't care who walked through that door; whoever it was would take her mind off the dark and the thoughts spinning around inside her head. Lilly struggled to wedge her bottom into the corner of the room and lever herself to her feet. If she was to face her captors, it would be standing and defiant.

  “I ’ave food.”

  Not exactly a cheerful face, yet the man was not fearful-looking either. Short and round, he could be everyone's favorite uncle and not their feared jailer, and better still, he had a lamp. Lilly felt the muscles in her body slowly ease as light began to fill the dark spaces in the small room.

  “Why am I here?”

  “Not my business. Eat and drink or don't, I care nothing either way.”

  “Charming. I bet you have trouble with the ladies,” Lilly muttered, wondering if she antagonized him enough, would he leave and forget to take the lamp with him. “It's not as if you have the physical attributes to fall back on either.” Lilly clamped her knees together to stop them shaking. She would not show this man she was terrified. Her grandmother had told her to never show fear when faced with adversity. “Attack, Lilliana, when others expect you to cower!”

  “There's no call for you to speak to me like that!”

  “Oh sorry, were the words to big for you to understand?” Lilly cooed. “I meant that you're ugly.”

  She watched his face puff up and turn as red as Mr. Davey's nose on a chilly winter's day. Lilly wondered why she was antagonizing the man when she was alone, bound hand and foot, and totally at his mercy.

  “I have ladies!”

  A man's ego was so fragile, Lilly thought, looking him over slowly and hoping he couldn't hear the thudding of her heart.

  “Come now, sir, we both know the women who spend time with you could not be termed ladies, even loosely.” She was pleased with her words, even if they were high-pitched and squeaky.

  “My Rosetta is a lady!”

  “I need you out here, Joe!” The words came from somewhere beyond the door.

  “I ain't untying your hands now.”

  With a final glare at Lilly, the man dropped the tray at her feet, taking the lamp with him as he left the room. As the door clicked shut, Lilly was once again plunged into darkness.

  Slumping to the ground, she pulled up her knees. How would she ever escape from here? The food smelled bad and she had no intention of putting any of it into her mouth; the way she was feeling it would just come out again anyway. She felt the sting of tears begin to slowly fall down her cheeks and was angry for the weakness. Tears achieved nothing but a sore head and tired eyes, yet still they came. Lying on her side, Lilly gave up the battle, letting them flow in the hopes that exhaustion would help her sleep and, let her escape the darkness.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Dev, with Cam on his heels, made it through the warehouse undetected and up to the second floor. He had seen the colors of several men grouped together in a small room downstairs, but had managed to keep away from there. Passing the door that he knew Lilly sat behind, he noted the lock was large and secure and the door made of sturdy wood. He had nothing to break it, and even if he did, it would alert someone that he was there.

  Moving past, he did not tell Lilly he was near, but kept walking to a small door at the end of the hallway. Opening it, he found a balcony.

  “You stay here,” he whispered to Cam, then motioned that he was going up onto the roof.

  Climbing onto the railing, he pulled himself up. If his luck was in, there would be a window in the side of the building or in the roof and he could get her out that way. Walking slowly, he hoped it would hold him. Dropping to his knees when he was above her, he found a window and looked down. Pressing his face to the glass, he tried to find her.

  “Lilly, it's Devon,” he said softly, using his fingers to tap on the pane. He kept tapping until he heard her call his name. He had to take a chance and break the glass—hopefully they would not hear him from below.

  “I'm going to break the glass, Lilly. Move away from beneath it.”

  Standing, he stomped his foot, and the window cracked instantly. Taking off his jacket, he wrapped it around his fist and cleared the glass from the opening.

  “Please hurry, Devon!”

  He could hear the panic in her voice and remembered her fear of the dark. Add to that everything else she had endured, and he would say she was close to hysteria.

  “Soon, Lilly, I will have you out soon. Just a few minutes more.”

  “I-i-it’s dark in here.”

  “I know, sweetheart. I am going to put a knot in the end of this scarf and then lower it to you. I want you to use both hands and hold on tight while I pull you up.” Lord, he hoped she was strong enough. The distance wasn't great, yet it would be difficult for her.

  “I-I can't. My hands are bound at the back.”

  Someone would pay for leaving her bound, helpless, and alone in the dark; he would see to it. Once again on his stomach, he looked down at her.

  Dirt was smeared over her face, her clothes were torn, and her hair had come unbound. However, it was the look of utter desperation in her eyes that made him curse. He'd never seen that look before.

  “Y-you'll have to get help.”

  “I won't leave you, Lilly,” Dev said, trying to work out how the hell he was going to get her out of the room. She sniffed but said nothing further.

  “Bend at the waist and slip your hands under your bottom. Then sit on it and try and wriggle them under your legs so they are bound in front of you.”

  He watched as she wriggled, trying to push her hands beneath her.

  “My petticoats and bottom are too large.”

  “Your bottom is not too large, it's perfect. Now wriggle harder.”

  She did and finally she sat and began a series of maneuvers to try and get her legs through her hands. If she failed he would call Cam, then drop into the room and lift her up to him.

  “It-it's hard!”

  Her skirts were now up around her waist as she tried to wriggle her hands past her ankles, and if the situation were not so dire, he would take great pleasure in viewing her long, slender limbs.

  “Don't you dare look at my—”

  “Knickers?” Dev supplied. At least she had some fight back in her voice.

  “I did it!”

  “Clever girl. Now stand and take the end of the scarf.”

  Sitting upright, Dev braced his feet on either side of the window frame and began to pull her up.

  “Don't drop me!”

  “Untrusting wench!” Dev grunted.

  “My h-hands are slipping.”

  “No,” Dev wheezed, “they are not.”

  “Pull, Dev!”

  He answered with a grunt. When his hand clamped on her wrist, she sobbed. Standing, he hauled her through the opening and then she was free.

  “I–I have you,” Dev rasped, breathless as he lowered them to the roof. He sat with her on his lap, wrapping his arms around her. He held her tight and dropped his head to her shoulder.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, burrowing into him. “I didn't think anyone would come
so soon. I-it was dark, and then a man came and I was horrid to him, and he left a-again, taking his lamp.”

  He let her babble out her fear as he held her, stroking her hair and assuring her she was with him now, and safe.

  “Let me untie you,” he said when his breathing had begun to regulate and she had run out of words.

  “Thank you.” She gripped his neck hard. “Thank you for coming to find me.”

  Dev kissed her cheek, and then easing her back, he untied her feet and hands, rubbing each when he had finished.

  “I have you now, sweetheart; no one will hurt you again,” he said, cupping her face between his hands. “I have been slowly going out of my mind imagining what horrors you were being exposed to.”

  “You really mean that, don't you?” she whispered.

  “I never say anything I don't mean.”

  “I-I did not think anyone would come for me,” she added, and Dev wanted to go and find Nicholas Braithwaite and punch him, only this time harder.

  “My family and James are here, plus Toby, and I would love to tell you how many ways you are special to me, Lilly, but right now we need to leave as quietly and quickly as I came, before any of us is detected.”

  Lilly nodded. Dev lifted her to her feet. He took her gloved hand and led her to the edge of the roof. Cam was waiting to take her, and Dev lowered Lilly into his arms. He quickly followed. Opening the door, they saw no one in the hallway, and he pulled her through behind him. On tiptoes they walked its length, and then started down the stairs.

  “We need to slip past a room where I believe several men are, and as there could be trouble waiting for us out there you must run if I tell you to,” Dev whispered. “My family will be outside, go to them.”

  “I will not leave you.”

  “You will do as you are told, Lilly. If I say run, you run to where the others await.”

  “I—”

  “Promise me,” Dev demanded softly.

  “I promise.”

  Cam snorted at the unenthusiastic tone of her voice. However, she had promised, so at least Dev had her word.

  Dev could see clearly; Lilly and Cam, however, could not, so he led them silently through the warehouse. It was as they approached the hole they had entered through that he heard the sound of feet running toward them.