“What the hell?” Cromwell’s face twisted in a mask of sheer evil. His foot shot out and hit her thigh, sending the knife flying from her slippery graspnear his feet.He swooped it off the floor and faced her, his body in a defensive stance, arms out, his right hand aiming the blade at her. His rapid breaths filled the confined space. “I shoulda knowd ye fight like a dog.” He swung out at her.
She barely missed the dodge and fell back over the lump. It emitted another groan.
“I’ll teach ye to fuck with Finch Cromwell, ye bitch.” He lunged again and she kicked out, hitting his thigh. The knife swiped again, this time slicing the forearm she held up to ward him off. The burning sensation was almost immediate. She looked down at her shredded, blood-soaked glove, then at him.
He backhanded her, sending her flailing back over the body on the floor, her vision wavering then going mercifully black.
~~~
Cavendish Square was a long shot, Sebastian thought not without rising panic as he pounded on Viscount Harlowe’s door. Harlowe was a man who knew the London underbelly better than anyone Sebastian could think of. The man had been kidnapped, left for dead, then dumped in a hold aboard a ship where he would have likely been tossed overboard if not for the luck of a young girl recognizing him. The entire debacle had happened two years prior.
The butler in the open doorway was a large Scot who’d been with the viscount sense his nuptials. “Who be a callin’?” The heavy brogue filled Sebastian’s ears.
“Hello, McCaskin, I’m looking for Harlowe. It’s imperative I speak with him right away.”
“Come in, Your Grace. Go into the parlour. He’ll see you right away.”
Sebastian followed his direction, uncaring that the man didn’t follow the formal protocol when it came to dealing with his betters. Sebastian rather liked the less than embellished and kowtowing. He hurried to the parlour located off the foyer, fighting his way for calm.
Sebastian pulled out his watch, his pulse ratcheting up. Every minute that passed was a minute longer Rebecca’s life was at stake.
Harlowe strode in. “Ryleigh? What an unexpected surprise. My felicitations on your recent nuptials.”
“I find myself in desperate need of your assistance.”
“My, this grows more and more curious,” Harlowe murmured.
The man’s amusement poked at Sebastian like a poisoned-tipped pike. “My wife has been absconded with and I haven’t the slightest notion where to find her.”
“Kidnapped,” Harlowe said startled.
“I believe the man’s name is Cromwell.”
“A lowlife if ever there was one.”
“So, you know of him.”
“He moved in on Jarvis’s territory after Jarvis’s demise.” Jarvis had been in the business of selling children, and the occasional woman if she proved difficult. Thankfully, Lady Harlowe had proved extremely difficult. Jarvis had perished in the scuffle. “Doubt if he moved operations at all.”
“Meaning?” Sebastian bit out impatiently.
“There’s a warehouse on the river’s edge. That’s the first place we should check. Bastards don’t alter their patterns.” Harlowe strode out of the parlor with Sebastian on his heels. “The old place Jarvis used to take children. I believe I painted a picture of the place at one time. There’s no reason to believe he would deviate from what Jarvis would have done. It’s the best place to start. I shall accompany you.”
“I appreciate that.”
They took a hack, deciding its anonymity would serve their purposes better.
Twenty-Eight
“Don’t go and die on me. You may be my only shot out of here.” The gravelly voice grated through Rebecca’s fogged brain.
A moan filled the space. The pounding started and she realized it was she who was making that godawful noise. Her only wish was to be left in peace. Still, the gloom called out to her.
“Come on, now. Based on your fancy frock, someone will be looking for you and we must be prepared.”
The voice was a relentless nag. Not a woman or child in need. An animal perhaps. No. No, animals didn’t speak. The pulse at her temple throbbed.Thump. Thump. Thump.Her arm stung like the devil.
“That is quite a scar on your arm,” he said. “What is your name?”
