He looked at her directly. “When you’ve given as many rides as I have during all hours o’ th’ day an’ night, you start t’ notice things.”
She lifted a brow, realizing that he had a point. “Very well then. Follow him.”
He narrowed his gaze. “I don’t give anyone rides for free, even ladies.”
She sniffed. “Then it’s a good thing I don’t intend to take advantage of your lovely generosity. Now,gobefore we lose him.”
He gave a flick of the reins and she had to hold on to her bonnet to keep it from jumping off her head. “Scoundrel,” she mumbled under her breath, but decided she would let the slight pass, so long as she gained what she wanted.
CHAPTER 8
When the Crown & Sceptre proved fruitless, Dominic headed for Amos’s residence. Very few people knew where his second-in-command laid his head at night and just as it was imperative that Dominic had never been caught unaware, Amos employed the same discretion. With several places to escape if things became too heated within the underground, Dominic knew them all and was confident he knew where he could find Amos.
He was correct and as he knocked on the door with a special coded rap of his knuckles, it was opened. The burly man stood there, his blue eye in sharp contrast to his dark skin and the eyepatch on the opposite side of his face. “I thought I might be expecting you.”
As Dominic walked inside, he said, “You’ve already heard?”
“News travels fast, don’t you know. Or have you been too preoccupied with your light-haired vixen to remember that?”
Dominic immediately bristled at the mention of Miss Givenwald. “She is a vixen, that I won’t deny, but I am still the same man who leads this operation and you will show me the proper respect or I might be tempted to rid you of your other eye.”
Rather than get offended or angry, white teeth flashed on Amos’s face in a broad smile. “She really has gotten under your skin.”
“You have no idea,” Dominic muttered irritably. Rather than sit down, he remained standing and set a hand on the edge of the doorframe that led to the modest bedchamber. Other than a shaving set and a few other toiletries, no one could guess that Amos lived there, although this had been his primary residence for more than three years. There were no personal touches on the walls or scattered about. It was perfectly stripped of anything that might be used against him. Dominic wished he might have had the same luxury to pattern his own life after Amos, but splitting his time between the underworld and that of a dukedom was a bit more complicated.
Preferring to delve into the topic of the thief, rather than face his fascination with Miss Givenwald, he looked steadily at Amos. “I shot the bastard, the proof was in the blood left on my windowsill, but I have not yet figured out what he might have been searching for. He already has the pages from the journal.”
“Jewels? Coin?” Amos guessed.
“No. This wasn’t about money. If he wants that, I’m sure he will blackmail me for it soon enough.”
“Hmm.” Amos’s brows drew together. “It would have to be something rather damning in order for him to take such a risk so soon after he obtained the journal.”
“At least I’ve made it even harder for him to steal something else. Bow Street has set two men to watch my residence outside at all times and the servants are alternating on the inside. If he makes it through again, he will have to come in through one of the chimneys.”
Amos snorted. “Perhaps he will embody the spirit of St. Nicholas and do just that.”
The image caused Dominic’s lips to twitch. “Then I shall just have to ensure roaring fires are lit in each one every night.”
A chuckle was the reply. “I had no doubt you would discover a solution to the problem.”
“Perhaps in something so ridiculous in nature, but when it comes to uncovering what else he wants, I shall have to remain in ignorance.”
Seriousness returned to Amos’s expression. “There has to be something you’re missing. Some vital piece of information that you don’t think matters. It could very well be the key to ending all of this.”
He exhaled heavily. “I will return home and search through all the family gemstones and documentation to see if anything might jog my memory or seem out of sorts. But first I will head to the pub to see if there is something I overlooked there.”
“I doubt there is anything the thief failed to get last time, but it wouldn’t be amiss to check things thoroughly.” Amos tilted his head to the side. “Once you discover who it is, do you plan to turn him over to the authorities, or the Blue Boys?”
Dominic clenched his jaw. “It would depend on how far he pushes me. If he harms Miss Givenwald you already know my answer to that.”
There was a pause and then Amos asked, “Have you considered we might have another traitor in our midst?”
Shaking his head, Dominic said, “After what happened last time, I believe I made my sentiments perfectly clear on how I deal with anyone who betrays those who are loyal to Avalon.”
Amos nodded. “You did, indeed.”
A slight knock came at the door and Dominic was instantly on alert. He straightened. “Were you expecting Devon?” he asked tightly, referring to the other man’s son.
