“Follow me,” the man said, walking away from them.
“Stay close, Alice,” Anthony said softly, as they followed the man through the alehouse and out the front door. He then led them to the right side of the building and down a narrow lane, which shouldn’t feel sinister in daylight hours, and yet did.
Thoughts whirled in Alice’s head. Were they being led into a trap? Did the old man really know Jackson?
“Stop here,” he said.
Alice caught a flicker of movement in the shadows ahead.
“Who’s there?” Toby demanded, his voice sharp.
“She’s my daughter,” the man said. “But she won’t come out. She’s bruised because of that bastard. Go on, Lilly. Tell them what you know about Jackson.”
Alice strained to see the girl, but she clung to the shadows, as if the light itself might burn her.
“Jackson paid some of us to go to a warehouse,” the woman said, her words soft and lisping. “We went, thinking it was work, but he locked us in. Him and others, they hurt us.”
Alice closed her eyes briefly, her stomach twisting.How much more suffering could this man cause?He had to be stopped.
“I’m sorry for what he did to you,” Toby said quietly. “We’re looking for him because he’s taken a friend of ours. Do you know where he might be?”
“Try the warehouse,” she whispered. “Old Fishmarket, by the river. That’s where he took me. Fool paid us not to talk, but I’m done keeping quiet.”
Anthony’s expression hardened. “Then we’ll make him pay.”
He pressed coins into the man’s hand and turned away. Moments later, they were running back toward the carriage.
As Alice climbed inside, her pulse pounded with dread and hope in equal measure.Please let it be the place, she prayed silently. Because deep inside, she could feel it—Jamie was running out of time.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jamie woke witha pounding head and a mouth that tasted as if he’d been chewing old hay. For a moment, all he could do was breathe, shallow inhales of cold, damp air that stung his throat. Then, he heard the slap of water against timber.
He tried to swallow, but his tongue scraped against the dryness of his mouth. Every muscle screamed in protest, each one a reminder of the punishment he’d endured the day before.
It took him a moment to understand why his shoulders burned so fiercely. His wrists were bound above his head, the pull on them relentless, forcing his body to hang so that his toes barely brushed the floor. The strain sent pain shooting down his arms and into his spine like fire.
Blinking against the dim light, Jamie lifted his gaze. His hands were shackled, the iron biting into his raw skin, the chain running upward to a rope looped through a hook fixed to the ceiling.
He forced himself to focus on his surroundings and ignore the stinging pain in his ribs. Warehouse, his foggy mind supplied. He knew the smell assaulting his nostrils. Jamie was near the water.
The place was mostly empty except for a few pieces of furniture hunched in a corner. An old rickety chair, a narrow table, and a trunk. On the far wall, iron rings were bolted into stone, and chains dangled from them with cuffs attached. He understood then where they had brought him. Jackson’s place.Not his home, but somewhere he used when he wanted to play his favorite games. A quiet space by the water where there were no neighbors to hear.
Jamie’s heart gave a hard, jolting thud. His breath came too quickly. He closed his eyes and counted, forcing calm to replace the rising panic. Then he thought of Alice, and it steadied him. He had to get out of here and back to her. Jamie had to tell her what was in his heart.
The light through the slats told him it was still daytime. He could also hear the patter of rain on water.
“Jackson, you cowardly bastard!” he roared, the sound burning his raw throat. “Fight me like the man you’re not!”
No answer came, only silence.
He set his teeth and jerked against the bindings. Jamie was strong, but he’d already been hanging here a while, if the ache in his shoulders was any sign, and yesterday his body had taken a beating. His strength would not last.
“You’re not finishing me, Jackson. Not today!” he vowed out loud.
Alice.He saw her as he had last night. Beautiful, passionate, and responsive to his every touch. He wanted more time with her—a lifetime.
Strong and determined. She was being tossed out of the only home she’d ever known by the man who should have protected her, and she had a plan that didn’t include Jamie.
