Where was Thomas Littleton when she needed him?
Finally, the lock clicked and opened. With shaky hands, she lifted the trunk’s lid. Shiny steel gleamed from within, and she blinked to adjust her vision. Several swords lay in a bed of red silk, along with knives and pistols.
Her chest clenched. Why did Raúl have so many weapons? Did this have something to do with his trade business?
The floorboards outside the bedroom creaked, and Maxey froze, straining to listen. Footsteps clicked nearby, making her heart jump to her throat.
Quickly, she closed the lid and snapped on the lock. Not knowing who was in the hall, she turned off the lamp. Taking precautions to be as quiet as possible, she tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against the wood. A rattle of coins came from nearby as the footsteps neared.
She backed against the wall, hoping it would swallow her. Even if Raúl walked inside, the door would hide her only until he closed it.
A soft rap sounded, and she jumped.
“Maxey? Are you in there?”
She placed her hand on her bosom as she regulated her out-of-control breathing. “Yes, Nash.” She opened the door and peeked out.
“Come quickly. We have no time to waste. Raúl is on his way.”
Nash grasped her wrist and pulled her out. She didn’t have time to analyze his stern expression, or how he knew where she was in the first place.
“What should I do with the key?” She held out her hand; the key lay flat on her palm.
Nash glanced around the area, then snatched the key and laid it beside the door. “It will have to stay there.”
He led them from one corridor to the next until they hurried inside their room. She sank on the bed and breathed slower while he paced the floor in front of her. His angry eyes stayed on her the whole time.
“Maxey, will you kindly explain what you were doing inside his room?”
Sheepishly, she grinned and shrugged. “Looking for my cloak?”
The corner of his lip twitched upward. “Try again.”
“How did you know I was there in the first place?”
“You have proven time and time again that you are a woman of adventure. You also believe yourself to be an investigator, which you are not. Need I say more?”
It looked as if he was getting to know her habits just as she knew most of his. Holding back a grin, she stood and faced him, planting her hands on her hips. “Exactly. But what excuse did you use to leave Raúl to come find me?”
“I told him I worried about your welfare, since you’d been sick of late, and I needed to find you.” Raking his fingers through his hair, he sighed deeply. “Did you discover anything of importance? Should we trust him?”
“I’m not certain. I needed more time to look. Before your interruption, I had barely opened the first trunk. He had two others that I didn’t have time to search.”
“What did you find in the first trunk? Anything noteworthy?”
“Actually,” she said, stepping closer to him and laying her hand on his arm, “many different weapons filled the trunk.”
Nash’s eyes grew wide.
“I don’t know if that is a good thing or not. After all, he is in the trading business, so perhaps he sells weapons.”
Nash clutched her shoulders and pulled her close. His soft gaze bored into hers, making her limbs melt and her heart pitter-patter.
“Maxey, be very careful. If Raúl is one of my uncle’s men, he is trained to be dangerous. He would not think twice before breaking your neck with his hands.” Nash touched her cheek, letting his fingers trail down the column of her throat. “I do not know what I would do if that happened to you, especially when I have promised to protect you.”
Her mouth grew dry from his sweetness. “Nash, you forget, I can take care of myself.”
He shook his head. “No, you cannot. You are not as strong as you want to believe. I also know this is your first time being an investigator, and you will make mistakes along the way—just as you have done since our first meeting.”
