by Jade Lee
Maddy must have realized it too because she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She was that upset and yet trying to be strong. She glanced up at Kit, silently begging him to help, so he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and tucked her close. From that position, he spoke to the boy.
“What’s your name?”
The child lifted his chin. “Ain’t gonna say.”
“Fair enough,” Kit returned. “I wouldn’t speak either if I was about to hang for kidnapping the daughter of an earl. Nothing you say will save you anyway.”
He felt Maddy tighten in shock at his words, but the boy’s face rushed through a cycle of emotions starting with shock, horror, but ending in fury.
“It weren’t no kidnapping!” he snapped. “She’s sitting pretty enough and complaining about the ale.”
That sounded like Rose, but he needn’t tell the boy that. “You would expect us to believe that an earl’s daughter asked to be kidnapped off the street in Mayfair?”
“I ain’t got nothing to do with that!” the boy bellowed.
“But you are involved, boy. You’re here demanding the ransom, aren’t you?”
He shook his head, his jaw tight with fury. “I’m to tell you where to go after you gives me the gold.”
Kit smiled, allowing his slave’s face to shine through. In seven years, he had seen hundreds of men have their spirits killed, their will broken. Did this boy think he could withstand a man hardened beneath a pirate sail?
The boy looked up, and his expression faltered but didn’t break. It would take a bit more convincing. Kit didn’t even have to look behind him to Alex. Twisting his hand behind his back, he flicked his wrist at the young man. He knew exactly what to do. After all, it had once been a favorite game of Venboer’s. Nice to turn it to their own advantage for once.
Alex shifted silently into position, then neatly slipped a noose over the boy’s head. “Ey!” squealed the boy, but it was too late. His throat was already constricted tight enough to cut off his words and nearly all his breath. And the more he struggled, the tighter the noose became. Meanwhile, Kit gently disentangled himself from Maddy to bend down close to the boy’s face.
“I care nothing for you, boy, or Lady Rose. She is mad and deserves to rot in Bedlam. So you decide. Do I kill you now? Or do you tell me where she is so we can pretend none of this ever happened?”
The boy’s eyes bulged, but Kit could tell he wasn’t convinced. The child simply didn’t believe that Kit would carry through on his threat.
“You know,” Kit said in a conversational tone to Alex, “Rose was only kept at home out of pride. I’ll bet the earl will thank me if she dies. No one wants a madwoman on the family tree.”
Alex nodded, obviously picking up the thread. “But, sir, we can’t count on the street rat keeping silent. He’d tell the earl that we purposely let her die.”
Kit sighed and pulled out a knife from his boot. It was long and thin and perfect for what he was about to describe. “I’ll do it,” he said. “You’ve never gutted a boy before. Sad to say what I’ve learned among the pirates. First thing they taught me was the fastest way to make a child bleed out silently.”
Alex nodded and pulled the child around by the noose. “Yes, sir. But where do we take him? There will be a lot of blood.”
“Not so much. A regular tub will catch it. Then we throw it and the body into the stream. There’s one not so far away.”
“Excellent idea, sir,” Alex returned. Then he looked up at the maid, who was standing there slack-jawed with shock. “Be so good as to inform the cook that we shall be needing the large pot. And then have them all take a holiday, will you? Best they not know what for.”
The maid’s mouth opened and closed, opened and closed. It took Maddy to snap her out of her daze.
“Gilly! Do as they say! Good God, girl, don’t you understand that they’re pirates!”
The maid started then quickly bobbed a curtsey. “Yes, miss. Right away, miss.” Then she dashed away.
That was all that was needed for the boy. It was one thing for the peerage to be calmly talking about killing him. It was quite another to see the maid rush off to carry out the orders that would lead to one’s demise. The boy started waving his arms frantically, trying to get Kit’s attention.
“I’ll tell! I’ll tell!”
Kit sighed and shook his head even though Alex was already loosening the noose enough so that the child could speak. “I’m sorry, boy. It’s too late. I’ve decided it’s easier to kill you than rescue one mad daughter.”
“No! No! I’ll tell you everything!”
Kit tilted his head. “But I don’t want to hear it.”
“You do! You do! They’re in an old warehouse. Near the docks! They ain’t touched her.”
“I don’t care.”
“She do! She do!” the boy cried pointing at Maddy.
Kit turned to Maddy. Her face was pale, her expression composed. He prayed she understood that he was only pretending. He would never truly hurt the boy. Then he watched her expression shift from frightened to exquisitely sad. She understood, then. Thank heaven! Meanwhile, she folded her arms across her chest and looked out the window.
“I don’t like all this killing in my house,” she groused. “And Rose is my cousin. She has her charms.”
“She is beautiful,” inserted Alex.
Kit nodded as if thinking. “She is that. But they’ve probably spoiled her looks by now.”
“No! No, they ain’t!” The boy tried to take a step forward, but he was pulled up short by the noose. “I’ll take you to ’er. I swear it! I’ll make them give ’er to you, all nice and tight. Paps’ll listen to me. I swear!”
Kit shook his head. “I don’t trust him.”
And then, with perfect timing, the maid chose that moment to reappear with a hurried bob. “Everything’s ready in the kitchen, miss. Ain’t nobody there t’ see nothing.”
“Well?” asked Alex as he tightened the noose as tight as it would go without killing the boy. “Do we trust him? Or do we let the pirate out to play with his knife?”
Kit turned eagerly to Maddy, his voice wheedling. “The staff is already on holiday, Maddy. He’s a small boy. There won’t be anything for you to clean up.”
“No, no!” Maddy cried as she threw up her hands. “Enough of the knives and the blood.” She stomped over to grab the noose out of Alex’s hand, then she glared at the child. “You will take us to where they are holding Rose. You will tell them to surrender her without a fight or I will allow him to play.” Then she lowered her voice. “He spent years as a slave to the Barbary pirates, boy. And then he escaped. He is capable of killing you and every one of your friends. He already did it to the pirates. You and your Paps will be nothing to him.”
The boy was shaking so hard he could barely nod his agreement. So Maddy reached forward to remove the noose, but she was stopped by Alex.
“Leave it on him. It will make him easier to catch if he tries to run.”
She frowned. “One good catch will jerk his neck and snap his spine in two.”
“Exactly,” returned Alex with a dark grin as he took the rope back from her.
Meanwhile, Maddy shrugged and looked down at the boy. “Do you know what happened to our last houseboy?”
The child shook his head.
“He thought he was faster than a Barbary pirate.”
The words hit the child broadside enough that he paled to a ghostly white.
“We’ll take the carriage,” Maddy said.
Maddy had to physically restrain herself from climbing into Kit’s lap. They were in the carriage heading God knew where according to the boy’s instruction, ready to face God knew what, and all Maddy could think about was that Kit sat beside her and she wanted him to hold her.
It wasn’t just that she was grateful for his help. God knew, she wouldn’t have a clue how to handle this without him. Between him and Alex, she had no doubt that Rose would come o
ut mostly unharmed. And the relief she felt at that made her knees go weak.
But what really made her want to crawl into his arms was the way he let her lead. He hadn’t put himself forward until after she came up empty. She hadn’t known what to say to the boy, how best to approach the child, or even what to do with the ransom demand. Her mind had been so blank that she’d just gaped at the child like a dying fish. And yet Kit hadn’t taken over until she looked up at him for help.
And then he had been masterful.
Later, she would smile at the way he had tricked the boy. At the noose and the nearly bored way he had talked about killing the child. She ought to be horrified, but she really thought the whole thing funny. Kit would no more kill the child than he would a kitten. Thankfully, the boy didn’t know that.
She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes as she tried to release her worry for Rose. Beside her, Kit tightened his grip on her hand, squeezing her gently as reassurance. She felt her lips curve but didn’t open her eyes. If she looked at him, she would likely kiss him, and she didn’t want to do that in front of Alex and the boy. Still, her heart swelled at his gentle grip, and she tightened her own fingers in response.
So this is what being in love felt like. She had expected the joy when they were together, the despair when they were not. She was startled to discover that this was equally precious: the moments of simple reassurance, the shared problems, and her absolute faith that he would see her through.
All her lingering doubts about becoming his mistress disappeared in a breath. All her worries about tomorrow faded as well. For as long as he wanted her, she would be with him. And though the thought that he might someday tire of her cut her to the bone, she focused on what she was feeling now. On the fact that she finally, completely, and wholly loved a man.
“We’ll get her back safe and sound,” Kit said softly.
“I know,” she answered, her gaze going back to his face. It took an act of will for her not to simply stare calf-eyed at him.
“I want you to stay in the carriage when we get there.”
“Absolutely not.” The words were out of her mouth without her even thinking it. Apparently being in love didn’t mean she had to agree to everything he said. “I will grab Rose while you deal with . . . with . . .”
“With the kidnapping criminals?” supplied Alex from the opposite seat.
“Ey!” snapped the boy. “She came t’ us! Offered gold!” He tugged at the cravat noose. “Daft bitch.”
Alex thunked him on the head for his language, but nobody argued with the characterization.
“I will stay out of danger,” said Maddy.
“No—”
“Unless you’d rather deal with Rose’s romantic hysterics. I promise you that she has quite a scene built up in her head. After hours of cooling her heels, she’ll be ready to throw her all into her performance.”
She actually smiled when Kit paled. Alex tried to cover his laugh with a cough, but failed miserably.
“There will be no dramatics,” Kit finally snapped. “You will see to that!” he ordered as he pointed at the street boy. “I’m still open to just killing you and forgetting the whole bloody mess.” That last was clearly added for the child’s benefit. It wouldn’t do to have him relax and stop thinking of them as murderers.
The boy nodded with alacrity, and they all subsided into a brooding kind of silence. And in that state, they finally arrived at the warehouse.
Chapter 28
Kit felt like he was about to jump out of his skin. He had just climbed out of the carriage, a knife in each hand and another smaller one in his boot. It was a throwing knife, and he wasn’t as accurate with it as he’d like. He’d learned closequarter killing, not long-distance throwing. But it was what he had, even though it was woefully inadequate to protect the woman he loved.
He smiled grimly at that thought. He’d come to accept that he loved his angel. He no longer started at the thought, but allowed it to permeate his entire being. His love for her was as much a part of him now as his need to breathe. Which made it even worse that she was walking into danger with him.
No more sentimentality, he told himself. It was time to act. The knives felt steady in his hands, the slave inside him comfortable with war. He’s just spent the last two months quieting the beast inside him, and now it appeared he had only silenced it for a time. With knives in his hands, the slave was back at full strength. His lips curled in disdain and he glared at the boy. “How many inside?” he snapped.
“Don’t know. Six. Mebbe eight.”
Kit’s eyes narrowed. The child was probably inflating the number, pretending to a strength that wasn’t there. But even four or five armed men were dangerous. Especially since he was only one, plus Alex, who was good with knots but not with knives or guns. And then there were the two women.
But there was nothing to do now to change it. “Let the boy go,” he grumbled. “But leave the noose. So he will remember.”
Alex nodded and let go of the rope. Meanwhile, the boy did his own bit of nodding. “Nice and easy,” he said, his voice quavering only a little bit. “No blood.”
Kit jerked his chin. “Go.”
The boy did, moving quickly to the warehouse door and bypassing it completely. Instead, the boy lifted a broken board in the wall and slipped inside.
Worse and worse. Who knew what waited on the other side of that narrow space? He glanced at Alex. “Circle round. See if you can find another way in. And hurry.”
Alex nodded and took off at a lope. It was full afternoon, so he was easy to see, as were the workers in the other buildings. But this warehouse was smaller than the others, obviously abandoned and falling to ruin. Even the men hired to watch the nearest other building didn’t give them more than a cursory glance.
“Maddy . . .” he began, but she waved him to silence.
“Do I go first or you?”
He grimaced. “Me,” he snapped. “And stay back. Far back. Until I know what waits on the other side.”
She nodded, her face pale. He felt his heart lurch within him. He did not want her to be here. He did not want her to see him like this, with knives out and more than ready to kill.
“You are in control, Kit,” she said. “You need not kill anyone if you do not wish to.”
He blinked. How did she always know just what to say to him, just when he needed to hear it? He was in control. Two months ago, he would not have been so sanguine about this. But now and with her beside him? He was in control. He had to be.
Swooping down, he pressed a swift kiss to her lips. Then before he distracted himself too much, he spun on his heel. A moment later, he was lifting the board and slipping into the darkness inside.
He waited to allow his eyes to adjust. Instead of afternoon sun, the area was lit by two weak lanterns in a cavernous space. He was partially hidden behind a haphazard stack of crates, but only partially. Anyone watching would see him well before he could respond. And clearly, someone was watching.
Within seconds of entering the building, a feminine wail began. It was loud and piercing, a howl like he had sometimes heard from cats. And it was completely staged. He knew because he had heard real screams of terror, real hysterics. There was no mind-numbing horror in her scream, but something more gleeful. Which meant it was Rose, and suddenly he was very glad that Maddy was here. Let her handle the dramatic idiot. He was looking at the men.
There were four of them, plus the boy, all scattered strategically about the room. Rose, naturally, was in the center, gripped in the arms of one of the thugs. Except she wasn’t exactly gripped. As far as Kit could tell, the man was barely keeping his balance as Rose jerked her body left and right in a pretense of a struggle.
“Oh, my love!” she wailed. “You have come to save me!”
“Shut up!” he snapped, hoping she could hear him over all that screeching. It helped that the leader of the band of thieves said the exact same thing at the same time.
Rose gasp
ed in shock for a moment, then subsided into noisy fake sobs.
“You got the gold?” asked the man, presumably Paps.
“No,” answered Kit calmly as he stepped into the center of the room.
“She said you’d have gold,” growled one of the men.
Kit didn’t look to the side, but he knew that he was being slowly surrounded. Meanwhile, Maddy crept in behind him.
“I have nothing. She is daft. And you best hand her over before she gets you the noose, and not a toy one like on your boy.” Then he spun his knife for effect before sheathing it at his waist. “She’s an earl’s daughter, you know, and set for Bedlam.”
“I am not!” she cried, indignation lacing her tone.
“Well, you should be!” he snapped back, not even bothering to look at her.
“How dare you—”
“Oh, shut up, Rose,” interrupted Maddy from behind. “Let go of that man and step over here. Your father has left town and it is the devil to manage all the details. I have need of your help.”
That at least penetrated the girl’s dramatic scene. She stopped her pretend tears and straightened in confusion. “Father left? Whatever for?”
Kit let disgust infest his tone. “He decided that blackmailing your cousin into becoming his mistress was not in the interest of his health.” He allowed his remaining knife to flicker in the lamplight. “It was a cuttingly quick decision.”
That’s when the boy inserted himself, ripping off the noose with an impatient curse. “They’re all daft, Paps. All of them. Cuts earls, boils children in pots—”
Kit huffed loudly, easily playing into the insane image. “Not boil, boy. The pot was for drainage. Even a child your size bleeds an awful lot.”
“See!” pleaded the boy. “Murdering bedlamites, the lot of them. Ain’t no good to be messing with them.”
Kit held his breath a moment, hoping the boy’s cries would be heard. They weren’t. Paps simply folded his massive arms across his chest and glared. “Daft or not, I were promised gold. Seems to me, we’re four against one.”
