“Or what?” Leo asked.
“Or it will not go well for you.”
The leader of the Seven did not like backing down.
Neither did Jack.
“Grab him,” Leo said to his crew. “And take his purse.”
Immediately the older boys picked up heavy boards from the ground and attacked. So did the younger boys. They came at him head-on, a sign they weren’t sophisticated fighters, not like the frontiersmen and sailors Jack had faced in his past.
Yes, the lads lived a hard life, but they’d never had tobattlefor what they wanted. It was easier to steal it or run.
So Jack had no trouble blocking the older boys. He yanked the boards out of their hands and pushed them so they fell into the younger ones.
There was a mad scramble of legs and arms, grunts and curses.
Jack helped by taking the board and giving them whacks. The little ones shouted and threw their hands over their heads as if afraid of more.
The older boys tried to attack again. This time they spread out but Jack was good at hand-to-hand combat. An elbow here, a kick there, and the older boys attempted to make a quick retreat.
He grabbed one by his collar before he could dash away and tossed him into the crowd cowering behind Leo. Leo’s hat went flying off his head and bouncing on its triangle-shaped brim across the ground.
“That was as easy as playing ninepins,” Jack observed, referring to the bowling game. “Does anyone else wish to continue?”
“Move your arse,” Leo ordered his young henchmen, shoving them off him. They weren’t trying to rise too fast. Jack was certain they’d had enough of him. He picked up Leo’s hat from the ground.
“I’ll keep this,” he said to Leo. “It will be a sign of your promise to leave Lady Charlene alone. And don’t go on about her owing money,” he warned as Leo opened his mouth to protest. “As it is, the lot of you have the opportunity to play another day. If I wished, I could see you in prison. Or worse. Let us leave it as it is.”
Leo clenched and unclenched his fists. Jack stood patiently but he was ready for another salvo.
And then Leo bent down and picked up the coins that had been scattered about during the scuffle.
“You know, there are those who could harm her,” Leo threatened.
“I doubt that,” Jack answered. “You don’t want to let it be known that I’ve bested you. Lads like you cannot afford any sign of weakness. You have a territory to protect. And, after all is said and done, I shoot better than I fight. Understand, if anything happens to Lady Charlene, Baynton and I will hunt you down.”
Leo snatched his crop up from the ground where it had fallen. He waved it at Jack. “I don’t want to see you here again.”
Jack bowed his agreement. He turned and walked away. They let him. Thieves preferred easy conquests. He was fairly certain that his lady was safe.
His intent was to return home. That would have been the wise course. It should have been enough that he had freed Lady Charlene from blackmail.
And yet he felt he must do something meaningful with Leo’s hat. It was a trophy. A sign that Leo understood he had been beaten.
Of course Jack found himself walking in the direction of Mulberry Street.
The hour was growing late and the shadows long. The temperature had dropped but Jack was too intent on his quest to feel the cold.
Lights burned in the windows of her house. There was a movement in the front window. A woman’s slender shape walked back and forth. He knew it had to be her.
Jack pulled the brim of his hat lower over his eyes and strode quickly to the door. He knocked. Footsteps marched toward the door.
A few beats later, the front door was thrown wide open andshe was there.
For a second, he forgot why he came.
She wore her hair down. Curls framed her face and fell around her shoulders. Her dress was plain, a sensible blue day dress, and yet she made it special.
