But while their presence was noted, no one seemed to pay them any heed.
Except one man—and he could easily destroy everything.
“Where are you going with that prisoner?” Simon barked.
Isabella might have just imagined it, but it was as if a silence fell across the entire encampment. Shehastened tolower her head, praying that the hat she wore would conceal her true identity. Even so, she clutched the rifle in her hands until her knuckles turned white.
Logan replied in perfect French, “We received the order to transport him to Paris immediately.”
“Is that so?” Lord Wistenberry snarled. “In that case, perhaps I should go with you. I have a sensitive message that needs to be delivered. It’s my way of atoning for my—”He broke off abruptly and Isabella dared to sneak a glance at him, although his attention wasfixedon Ridge. “What’s your name, soldier?”
With a flawless accent, Ridge replied, “Major Hugh Berger.”He took a step forward. “Although when it comes to addressing your superiors, I would be a bit morerespectful.”
Instead of appearing chastised, Simon scoffed and put his face right up next to Ridge. “I’m a viscount, you imbecile.”
Isabella was afraid that they might come to blows, so she turned to Logan with a silent plea in her eyes. “That’s enough, children,” the agent drawled. “We had best get a move on if we are to make it to Paris by nightfall. Dawn is already upon us.”
Until that point, Isabella hadn’t realized how long they had been there, but true enough, the sun wasbeginningtotintthe horizonwitha fiery orange glow.
As they started to march off once more, Isabella abruptly lost her footing on a stray stone. Pierce was quick enough to reach out and catch her before she fell, but not hasty enough to fix her hat which fell to the ground—and freed her long copper braid.
With a gasp, shebentdown and pickup the hat,butas she did,she riskeda glance behind her to see if Simon had noticed.
He had.
Hiscomplexionturned a mottled shade of red, his dark eyes bulging as his focus locked on her.“What the bloody—?” He didn’t even finish his sentence as he took a threatening step toward her.“You evaded me once, youbitch, but it won’t happen a second time!”
Simon stopped as the muzzle of Ridge’s riflewas placed directlybeneathhischin. “Touch one hair on her head and you won’t have to worry about the consequences of the French. You’ll be dead before you hit the ground.”
The viscountstiffened andglared athim. “You’ll regret this.”
Ridge didn’t even blink. “I regret many things, but your death won’t be one of them.”
Emotion flickered inSimon’s eyes as he appeared toweigh his options,thenhetook a cautiousstep back. With one last deadly glare at Isabella, hewhirled aboutand shouted, “Guards!”
“Time to go.” Ridge grabbed hold of Isabella’slefthand,and they started running.
Logan and Pierce weren’t far behind, butthe momentthey cleared the encampment’s barrier, the sound of curses and thunderous footsteps reached her ears, just before the Frenchmen began discharging their weapons.
“They’re shooting at us!” she cried, not even bothering to hide her distress. She ducked her head as a bullet whizzed past.
“You don’t say,” Ridge returned in a mocking tone. “Then again, it’s not as if thishasn’t happened to me before.”
Isabella stared at Ridge in shocking horror. “And you’re…finewith this?” Two more strayshotsinterrupted her.
“Not particularly, no,” he retorted. “But especially not withyou.”
She fell silent after that,the fearshe might end up in enemy handsoverrode any further argument.
Thankfully, the harbor wasn’t as far away as she’d imagined. Butconsideringshe’d been praying furtively in the back of a cart full of smuggled supplieson the way to the compound, she’d been a little preoccupied when it came to judging distance.
At least, without her stays, she could breathe a little easier, which made running for her life a bit less challenging, even though her lungs were starting to burn from her exertions.
“We’re going to need to get out of the harbor themoment our feet touch that deck,” Ridge yelled over his shoulder.
Isabella watched as he yanked his hat off and tossed it to the side, and then withdrew the patch from the inner pocket of his jacket and settled it over his left eye, all without releasing her hand from his grip.
Sounds of pursuit continued behind them as the cutter came into view, hostile French demands being called out thattheyignored. If there was one small mercy, it was that the stunned faces they passed decided it was best to stay out of the fight, pirates and British soldiers alike turning their backs on the uproar and tending to their ownillicitbusiness.
