Another shift in movement came from behind her, and she inwardly cursed. Her cousins stopped at the sound.
“She’s not alone,” Miles said. “It’s a trap.”
Francis cursed. And they ran.
Clambering from her hiding spot, Juliana rose to her feet and gave chase. She and her friends, Maria, Heather, and Grace, darted for the gate, while Jasper and Leo followed her cousins over the wall.
The close was dark, the ground glimmering with something slick beneath her half boots. Her breath fogged around her face, trailing behind her as she ran.
Footfalls and heavy breathing echoed around her, the sound barely audible over the throb of her heart in her ears.
“Where did they go?” Maria asked, winded.
Juliana shook her head. The men had vanished. There was no time to waste, however, so she let her instincts lead her and broke into a run. Soft footfalls followed her as she darted down the close toward Crown Court.
Men shouted somewhere ahead of her and to the right, and she called back to her friends. “Toward Drury Lane!”
She turned down another close, hoping to intercept the men. And all of the sudden, she was very aware that the only sounds she could hear were her racing pulse, her own breathing, and one set of footsteps. She was alone.
Turning, Juliana gazed through the darkness behind her. Heather and Maria were indeed gone.
“I finally have you to myself,” a winded voice said, echoing off the walls of the close and seemingly coming from all around her.
Juliana spun, but couldn’t see him through the darkness. Wherever he was, he hadn’t allowed himself to be silhouetted against the light at the end of the close.
“Not for long, Miles,” she warned, lifting her pistol and aiming it blindly. “Soon, you will be put on trial for your crimes…if my bullet doesn’t kill you first.” The words were all bravado, and she hoped that he didn’t test her.
He laughed, the sound low and grating, and a cold sweat broke out between her breasts.
“Why does the title mean so much?” she asked.
“It rightfully belongs to Francis.”
Juliana shook her head incredulously. It was the same argument from their childhood. There was no sense in attempting to clarify the entailment to the man, for he would never listen. “Had you been successful, you would likely be hanged for murder, and your entire plot would be for naught. Why are you willing to take that risk? What purpose does it serve but to cast you in the role of villain?”
His hiss echoed off the stone walls of the close. “Your brother doesn’t deserve the dukedom, and you’re just his half-sister bitch. Everyone will be pleased once you both are gone. Francis and I will be lauded as heroes.”
Juliana moved her aim further to her left, following the sound of his voice and soft movements.
Another shout rose up from the direction of Drury Lane, and Juliana silently hoped that Francis was being apprehended.
Despite the opaque close and the darkness of her green cloak, Juliana was certain that Miles could see her. That put her at a distinct disadvantage. Could she run from him, or would he shoot?
Realization dawned then, and renewed hope bloomed in her chest.
“You haven’t a loaded weapon,” she said with returning vigour. “I have the advantage.”
“No one has the advantage over me,” he snarled.
Crack!A gunshot reverberated along Bow Street, the noise bouncing off every building, and for a moment, Juliana’s breath caught in her throat. Who had fired the gun? Was someone hurt?
“Francis!” Miles called.
“Stop, or I’ll shoot!” Juliana shouted at him.
His frantic footfalls raced toward the noise, and Juliana’s heart skittered. She couldn’t allow him to get away!
Just as his dark silhouette was framed by the entrance to the close, Juliana aimed and pulled the trigger.
