“Marriage. If you marry me, you will get the money. And as your wife, I am not at liberty to testify against you. Therefore, you can release Langdon without fear of any retribution. He can claim you kidnapped and then threatened to kill him, but if none of us collaborate his story, nobody will believe him.” Elizabeth didn’t care what happened to her. She just wanted Langdon to survive. This was her fault and she would do whatever it took to save his life.
“Intriguing. Very intriguing.” From his gleeful expression, he’d warmed up to her suggestion.
“You must obtain a special license forthwith.” It would buy her three days. Enough time to be discovered by a search party or find a way to escape.
“I said it was intriguing. I never agreed to your proposal. You’ve lied to me multiple times and frankly, Mrs. Adare, I don’t believe you.” He lifted the gun and placed it to Langdon’s forehead. “You will sign the paperwork. Langdon here will die, and Bradley will claim you did it.”
The small bit of triumph left her in a flourish and despair set her knees to shaking. She still had the gun, one she would find a way to access. Fighting their way out might be their only option, and the odds were not in her favor.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Langdon ignored the gun barrel resting against his forehead. He never broke eye contact with Idle. He had to convey a confidence in Elizabeth that he didn’t feel. The entire time he’d been speaking to her about Zander, she’d been evasive for a reason. When he confronted her, she outright lied to him.
Zander was the least of their worries, however. She might think that her plan was viable, but he was more experienced to the darker side of human nature. Greed was Idle’s motivation, and he would leave no loose ends.
“Fine, force Mrs. Adare to sign the paperwork, kill both of us, and when you get to London, what do you plan on doing once Coburn denies your claim?” Langdon asked.
“She is lying and you’re buying into her lie for your own reasons.” Agitation tightened the skin over his cheek bones, and he clenched his fists.
Of course Langdon had no wish to be murdered, but his life was secondary to hers. Yes, Elizabeth had been lying to him the entire time. She knew who Zander was, which explained why she tried to play down his role in the smuggling operation. Yet he still loved her.
“She could be lying. I could be lying, or we can all be telling the truth. Either way, it is a gamble you have to take.” The steady drip of water above was the only sound after his statement. Although the storm had faded, the chill was still present. Everyone in the room awaited Idle’s decision.
Bradley waved Idle to the far side of the cavern.
The other men stood guard at the entrance, and although he couldn’t see their faces he sensed their stony stares.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” He asked Elizabeth under his breath, betrayal leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Her duplicity stung.
Grave eyes met his. For a second, she hesitated, her mouth open before she pressed her lips together. After a shallow inhale, she shook her head. “No. I never intended to tell you or anyone else.”
“I am not just anyone, Elizabeth.” The statement shouldn’t have stunned him, but it did. Given their intimate nights in the hut, he thought there was something special between them. How wrong he had been. “I promised to help you and yet you didn’t trust me to do so.”
Jaw clenched, she tilted her head. “Do you trust me?”
“After today, I am finding it difficult.” He took no pleasure in admitting the fact, nor would he apologize. Silence sat heavily in the air between them. He could read the hurt in her expression but he couldn’t soften towards her. “You deceived me on purpose and now our lives are in peril because of it.”
“If that is your opinion of me, there is nothing I can say to change it. However, we have to work together. We have no choice.” Elizabeth lifted her chin, a chilliness underlying her tone, along with grit.
Raised voices sounded from Idle and Bradley, reminding him of the precariousness of this current situation. Bickering with Elizabeth wouldn’t help them get out of the cave alive. “I have to loosen these bonds if we have any chance of fleeing. I need you to create a distraction. Perhaps some theatrics like you did in Pike’s office?”
Eyes narrowed, she inhaled a deep breath and released a low, theatrical wail. She threw her herself at him and he nearly lost his seat. One arm moved around his neck, the other fell to his bound hands. Seeking fingers tugged at the knots of the rope, her cries more pronounced. He tilted his head to rest against hers, his torso twisted to allow her cover. A few hours past, she had been curled up next to him on their makeshift pallet. Now they were at the mercy of a murderer.
“Oh Langdon, I am so scared. So scared,” she cried.
