Despair curled in Deirdre’s stomach. If they didn’t want his property, she didn’t know what else Liam could offer them. What would they do then? Shoot him? And what about her?
She bit down hard on her lip to keep the panic at bay. What she wouldn’t give for the marshal to come knocking right at this very moment.
Out of nowhere, Morgan lifted a hand and took a loose lock of Deirdre’s hair between his fingers. “I know men who go wild for hair like this. Not me, of course,” he said, as he twisted her hair around his finger. “I prefer a pretty blonde myself. Less hassle.”
He laughed, and Deirdre’s panic turned into white hot ire. Without thinking, she lifted a hand to slap him at the very same time Liam lunged forward.
But Morgan was fast. He dropped her hair and caught her wrist before her hand made contact with his face, Meanwhile, Dunn shoved Liam to the floor, and stood over him with the revolver pointed.
“As I said, much less hassle than a redhead.” Morgan’s eyes, as dark as his hair, bored into Deirdre as his hand tightened around her wrist.
Turning toward Liam, he jerked Deirdre around with him. “You might want to hear my proposal before coming to attack me, Hannan. Because if you don’t have the money, this is your only way out.”
“I’m listening, provided you let go of Deirdre.” Liam’s voice held an edge despite the gun pointed at him.
“You’re in no place to strike deals with me,” Morgan said sharply, but he released his hold on Deirdre’s arm. “Sit.”
Clutching her skirts to keep her hands from shaking, Deirdre perched on the edge of the settee. Her wrist ached, and while she wished Jeremiah was here, she was also glad he wasn’t. She didn’t know what he would have done when Morgan had grabbed hold of her.
Dunn gestured for Liam to do the same, and he complied, standing and joining Deirdre on the settee.
Morgan crossed his arms, his eyes as hard as steel as he stared down at Liam. “It’s simple. You find that money, or we’ll take your sister.”
Deirdre pressed a hand against her stomach as it lurched.Take her where?
“No—” Liam began to stand, but Deirdre grabbed at his arm, begging him silently to stay in place.
An evil grin stole across Morgan’s face. “She’ll fetch a price high enough to make Dutch happy and forgive your debt.”
Deirdre clenched Liam’s arm as she squeezed her eyes closed. This wasn’t happening. How could Liam have done this to himself . . . and to her?
“I can get you the money,” Liam said in a strangled voice. “Tonight.”
Deirdre’s eyes flew open. She stared at Liam, but he kept his gaze on Morgan and Dunn. She didn’t know how much he’d borrowed, but it must have been a significant amount. Where would he find that much right away?
Morgan looked bored with Liam’s news. “We’re not common criminals, Hannan. I’m not robbing a bank.”
“You don’t have to. It’s here.”
Realization crept in, and Deirdre’s eyes went wide. “Liam—”
“It’s in my study.”
Morgan raised his eyebrows. “This is an interesting turn of events. It almost makes one think there isn’t any money and you’re concocting some sort of scheme.”
“The money is there,” Liam said in a flat voice. “There is no scheme.”
“It isn’t yours to give away,” Deirdre hissed at him. The thought of Jeremiah losing everything he’d saved and the funds his parents had lent him to these men made her feel hollow inside.
Liam fixed her with a stony look. “It’s better than the alternative. He would do the same.”
Deirdre opened her mouth and closed it without saying anything. This was a terrible solution, and yet if Liam didn’t offer it, she’d find herself kidnapped and . . . The awful possibilities ran through her mind as she looked down at her hands.
“You take him into the study, and I’ll keep Mrs. Wiley company,” Morgan said to Dunn.
Liam left, and Morgan took his place. Deirdre sat stiffly as far away from him as she could, but thankfully, most of his attention was on the study opposite them. Deirdre couldn’t watch. She fought the hot tears that stung her eyes, not wanting to cry here in front of these men.
All of Jeremiah’s dreams were going to disappear in the span of a few minutes. That money had been safe in the bank until recently. He’d taken it out in preparation for his meeting with the lawyer, and Liam had kindly offered the use of his small safe.
