Indignation rose up in Bridget, nearly making her break character.
A ride?
His hand reached out toward her waist, and before Bridget could stop herself, she slapped his hand away. He looked up at her, startled, and she drew on a wicked smile.
“Sorry, love. No money, no touch,” she said.
“Well, come on in and we’ll—”
“Did you not hear me?” she asked with a wave of confidence taking over her. “I am meant for the Earl and no one else. And if he is not here, then I need to find him. He already paid up. Now, tell me where he is.”
The man seemed perplexed by her nature as he raised a hand to rub his head.
“Couldn’t say,” he said with a shrug. “Did ye check Henry’s?”
Henry’s?
“What’s that?” Bridget asked.
The man’s awe-struck gaze suddenly hardened into a suspicious look. He finally looked directly into Bridget’s eyes, as if looking for a secret.
“A bird like you don’t know Henry’s? Who is your handler?” he asked.
Bridget felt her persona start to fall apart as her heartbeat began to hammer in her chest. She had no idea what a handler was, and as she tried to think of a fake name, her mind suddenly went blank. The bald man took a step toward her, looking as if he was about to grab her and drag her inside, when suddenly someone else’s hand grabbed her shoulder and twirled her around.
Her heart slammed into her chest, and she suddenly grew very warm as she looked up into the Duke of Redgrave’s piercing blueeyes.
“There you are,” he purred, his deep, calm voice contradicting the anger in his eyes. “I believe you are in the wrong place.”
Chapter 8
“Your Grace. Good to see you. It has been a while since you visited our establishment.”
Adrian continued to glare down into Bridget’s wide, honey-colored eyes as Tommy, the guard at the Blue Parrot, greeted him.
“Yes, I have been quite busy with this one, you see,” Adrian answered, sweeping his gaze hungrily over Bridget’s body. He had come to the Blue Parrot after finding out it was one of the Earl’s favorite establishments, and his jaw had nearly dropped to the ground when he recognized Bridget standing at the door.
She might have been in a simple dress that she wore in the most wicked manner, but after meeting her the previous night, he would have known her face anywhere. After all, what little sleep he had got the night before had been haunted by the dreams of her.
“Well, she tells me she won’t take any new customers tonight. She’s promised to the Earl of Winslow, so she says,” Tommy remarked.
Adrian flicked his eyes to Tommy as he mentioned the Earl.
“Is he here?” Adrian demanded.
“As I told your bird, no,” Tommy replied. “Haven’t seen him in four days.”
Annoyance surged through Adrian’s veins as yet another one of his leads brought him to a dead end.
“Told her to check at Henry’s,” Tommy grunted, nodding toward Bridget.
Recognition sparked in Adrian. Henry’s was a more private,illegalgaming hell just a few streets over. They specialized in high-stakes card games and offered women who were willing to perform more…unusualacts.
“Thank you, Tommy,” Adrian answered, tightening his grip on Bridget’s arm as he looked down at her. “Time for us to go.”
Bridget, who had been silent throughout the entire exchange, just nodded and thankfully did not fight him as he pulled her down the street. He waited until he heard the door to the Blue Parrot shut before he stopped and whirled her around to face him.
“What in God’s name are you doing here?” he demanded.
