"You… you were behind the extortion? That was how that villain knew about my past with Grimes—you gave him the information," Morgan said slowly.
Harteford... powerful man. Wouldn't want to tangle with him myself.Recalling Magnus' words, Gavin felt chilled to the core. How long had the old conniver been weaving this malevolent web?
"Aye, but fat lot of good that did my partner, eh? Behind bars and not a shilling to show for it." Magnus gave a philosophical shrug. "This time around, I won't let greed cloud my judgment. I want the past buried once and for all." Withdrawing a blade from his pocket, he advanced toward the marquess. "And the way for that to happen is for you and Hunt to die."
Thinking quickly, Gavin twisted his head toward Kingsley. "You're going to let Magnus rob you of ten thousand pounds?" he said.
Frowning, Kingsley shoved Percy aside. Though the gag slipped from her, one of the guards grabbed her by the arm. "Think this through, old man," Kingsley said, blocking his partner's path. "With this fat purse, we'll take over the stews. No one will be able to challenge us—not even my sodding father-in-law."
"We'll have enough power as it is. A deal's a deal." Magnus' gaze narrowed. "Out of my way."
"Even if you kill Lord Harteford and Mr. Hunt, the past won't die."
Percy's voice drew everyone's attention. A perfect distraction. Gavin tensed, his muscles readied to spring.
"Mr. Kingsley and I both know that 'twas you who torched the flash house that night," she continued in a clear voice. "'Twas you who left Mr. Hunt to take the blame."
Magnus set the fire?Shock paralyzed Gavin.
"It wasyou? How... how did you know to be there that night?" Morgan said.
Magnus's gaze turned sly. "I suppose there's no harm in you knowing the truth before you die. I'd been watching the house for some time. Waiting for the opportunity to get Grimes—eye for an eye, as the saying goes." He laughed mirthlessly. "Then one night I caught an unusual sight: Grimes' favorite boy escaping out of his master's window."
Grooves of tension bracketed Morgan's mouth.
"Knowing how much Grimes enjoyed his nightly entertainments, I guessed one of two things had happened: either Grimes had fallen down dead drunk... or the boy had somehow incapacitated his master. Either way, my golden chance had arrived. I entered through the back entrance, went up to Grimes' quarters, and there I found my nemesis..."—Magnus paused—"alive."
Gavin's breath came faster.
Morgan rasped, "That's not possible. I stabbed Grimes in the chest."
"Aye, and after all these years, I get to thank you for your assistance. You'd missed the bastard's heart, but injured him enough so that he couldn't put up a fight. So that he had to watch, to suffer"—a maddened glow lit Magnus' eyes—"while I carved his heart out."
"I... I didn't kill him?" Morgan said hoarsely.
"That pleasure was mine." Satisfaction oozed from the old man's voice. "When I finished with him, I wanted no trace left of Grimes or my deeds that night. So I set the place aflame. Imagine my delight when a boy was later apprehended and jailed in my stead."
Gavin was shaking now.Hold on. Don't lose control—
"I had the perfect alibi: a boy who thought he'd killed Grimes, and another blamed for the fire. Fate does enjoy herself at our expense, however. I nearly fell off my chair when I learned from my spy thatHuntwas the boy who'd served for arson. For years, I'd been doing business with the man whose life I had ruined." Shaking his head in wonderment, Magnus said, "I knew that if you and Hunt ever got together, the truth would come out. I realized then that I had loose ends to tie."
"The attack at Vauxhall... that was you?" Gavin managed.
"That bungled attempt was Kingsley's own doing. I approached him afterward, helped him to get rid of Lyon and O'Brien." Magnus gave his partner a meaningful look. "Kingsley, you need my help to take over Covent Garden, so get out of my way."
"Your past is your problem." Kingsley raised his pistol at Magnus. "Drop the blade. I'm not losing ten thousand pounds over your stupidity."
The knife clattered to the ground. Magnus said calmly, "You'll be sorry for double-crossing me Kingsley."
"Tie him up," Kingsley ordered.
In a quick movement, Magnus grabbed the lamp off the table. Held it above his head. "Anyone comes near me, and you'll all die. For years, linseed has soaked into the walls and floors of this place, and I added more for good measure… combined with gunpowder." A devious smile crossed his face. "I drop this,"—the fire shook in his hand—"and the place explodes."
"You're insane." Looking pale, Kingsley held out a hand. "Give me that."
"Shoot me, and I'll drop it," Magnus said.
Seeing his opportunity, Gavin sprang and caught Kingsley by surprise, wrenching back the other man's weapon arm. Kingsley yelped in pain, dropping the pistol. Gavin pressed the lethal edge of glass against the man's throat.
