Why was he lying to Preston now?
“She remained quiet until he left to deal with you, and then she released me. Tell Pres about it, dearest.”
Charlotte looked about to spit bullets at him. Behind her, Preston lowered the knife. “You remained loyal, Charlotte?”
“Of course. Pendridge is a stranger. I was notchoosingto stay with him. I was a prisoner under my father’s orders. I waited for you to come, Preston, but you were too busy with Amanda.”
Michael stopped breathing. What? What was she saying? She was lying, too. Shedidchoose to stay with him.
“She means nothing,” Preston argued. “I sent her away. Forgive me for doubting you, but you also must remember that I could not come to you. He had shot me.”
“Hmm, I should not forgive you for inviting Amanda to you to begin with.”
Her pout earned her an indulgent smile from Preston that make Michael sick. He was going to kill Preston if he didn’t step away from his wife.
Everything happened in a split second after that. Preston turned his back to Surrey for a moment and, in that moment, the knife the baron had been flipping up in the air, landed hilt first in his hand and then flew through the air, the blade sliced into Preston’s back.
Charlotte screamed, alerting more men. Michael hurried to her where she knelt over Preston’s body. “Charlotte, are you with me?”
She looked at him with tears running down her face. Seconds passed on endlessly until she spoke, “Aye. I’m with you, my love.”
“Come,” he said, gently pulling her from her friend. He knew how it felt to be pulled away from a dead friend.
Clements grinned at him, the way he used to when he and Michael were off duty and at a club, and Michael walked away with a woman hanging off him.
“You love this one, Mick?”
“Yeah, Jimmy, I love her.”
“It’s about time!” Clements laughed, covering his mouth with his hand, like he used to do because he had a crooked front tooth. He was walking away backward. “Have fun on the journey, man.”
“I’m going to try,” Michael promised as Jimmy disappeared.
“Captain?”
Captain? It was William.
“We should leave, Captain. There are more men coming.”
“Yes,” Michael said and smiled at him. He took Charlotte’s hand and, together, with the baron already gone, they raced out of the kitchen.
“Do we have any men left?” he asked Will as they ran down the hall.
“They’ll be back, Sir. Most of them grew afraid when they saw Lord Sutton and his men.”
Michael hated that Preston and his buddies had been strong-arming the people for so long. Well, no more. Preston was dead and it was all going to stop. He eyed the baron while they ran out the back door to the keep’s inner courtyard. What was Michael to do with him? And Charlotte…how far would she go for her outlaw family?
“Can we get to the garrison from here?” he asked William.
When William nodded, Michael told him to lead the way.
“We are not leaving?” asked Charlotte.
“No,” Michael told her. “I’m not running. Whoever wants to come against me can try. But they won’t be victorious. If I run, what am I showing them?”
“That you are clever enough to live another day.”
He frowned. “You have no faith in me.”
