Cade stepped out of the shadows, his hands raised. “Don’t shoot.”
“You are not alone.” Baptiste’s eyes darted back and forth. “I know zis. Who else is—”
This time Danielle stepped out of the shadows, her hands raised above her head.
“Damn it, Danielle,” Cade muttered under his breath.
Danielle kept her eyes trained on Baptiste and his pistol but her words were for Cade. “You don’t think I’m going to allow you to get shot alone, do you?”
The barrel of Baptiste’s gun swiveled back and forth between them and the Frenchman backed up a few paces into the cabin to secure his position, holding both of them at bay. “Danielle?” he asked. “Danielle who?” His eyes narrowed.
“Why don’t you put the gun down so we can formally introduce ourselves?” Cade asked, the hint of a smile on his cracked lips. “Perhaps ring for tea.”
Baptiste’s lip curled in a sneer. “So funny, Captain Cavendish. It will be a pity to kill you.”
“I’m certain you’ll find a way to live with it,” Cade replied, still grinning.
Baptiste cocked the pistol. Danielle braced herself, ready to jump in front of the bullet to save Cade. More footsteps sounded on the stairs outside the cabin and Danielle and Cade turned in time to see Rafe and Grimaldi fly into the room. Grimaldi held a pistol, too. He quickly trained it on Baptiste. Baptiste’s eyes narrowed and he glanced between the brothers, clearly confused. “There are two of you?”
“Seeing double?” Rafe smirked.
“Put zee gun down,” Baptiste ordered Grimaldi.
Grimaldi’s eyes were hard pieces of coal. “Why should I?”
“Because you have more friends here for me to kill.” Baptiste sneered.
Grimaldi’s lips twisted. “You only have one bullet. I’ll kill you as soon as you fire. I’m willing to bet my life on the fact that I’m a much better shot than you are.”
Another sneer from Baptiste. “Your own life, perhaps. But which one of your friends here would be worth it for you to lose?” He waved the gun at all of them.
Grimaldi cursed. His finger gripped the trigger.
“Don’t do it, Grim. He’s bluffing,” Rafe growled under his breath.
“Am I? Captain Cavendish, or whatever your name is, do you want to be zee one to find out for certain if I am?”
“Shoot me, you son of a bitch,” Cade ground out.
“No!” Danielle yelled. She stepped toward Baptiste. “You can only get out of here safely if you take one of us with you. Take me.”
“I don’t wantyou,” Baptiste scoffed. “I want zee man who started all of zis. I wantle Renard Noir. Now which one of you two bastards is it?” Baptiste waved the gun at the twins. “Admit it and I will let zee rest of you go.”
Cade and Rafe exchanged uneasy looks.
“Come now, brothers,” Baptiste taunted. “Which one of you will betray zee other to save himself?”
“If you want the Black Fox,” Danielle ground out, “then you’re going to have to killme.” She ran for the window and vaulted onto it.
“No!” Cade made a move to follow her but Baptiste’s gun brought him up short.
“Danielle, don’t!” Cade shouted.
Danielle remained perched on the edge of the window. Baptiste had barely spared her a glance.
“Let her go,” the Frenchman said. “We don’t need her.”
“You couldn’t be more wrong, you bastard,” Danielle said from the window. “For Iamthe Black Fox.”
