Caro was out there somewhere, in the clutches of a brutal beast, and he was the reason. What if Jones had hurt her? What if she was in pain? What if she was afraid?
He would never be able to forgive himself for clinging to his pride and his anger instead of to his love for her. When this bloody business was over, he was going to tell her. He hoped to God he would have the chance.
“Try ’arder,” Sutton snapped at him, shaking him from his apprehensions.
Whenever the man started speaking like he’d been born in the rookeries, Jasper Sutton was worried. And for all that Gavin still resented Sutton for keeping him at The Sinner’s Palace under a pretense, he knew Sutton loved Caro.
Gavin loved her, too.
He supposed that did not mean Sutton was all bad.
“Think about the plan instead,” Dom urged Gavin, his tone calmer, kinder.
Gen and the legitimate Winters were the only siblings missing from this particular meeting. Gen was carrying a child and none of them—Sundenbury included—would countenance her joining them for a meeting with a madman. And this wasn’t the fight of the legitimate Winters, though Gavin had no doubt Devereaux would have gladly joined them had they sent word to him.
There were enough Winters lining the halls of The Sinner’s Palace as it was.
“The plan,” Gavin repeated slowly, forcing his spinning mind to settle upon it, for their actions were important. What they did could be the difference between life and death, between Caro’s safety and…
Nay. Do not think about that now, Gav. Think about saving her. Think about how much you need her. Think about what you must do.
A rap sounded on the door, and then was followed by three knocks in quick succession. Everyone in the room was suddenly, instantly on edge.
Sutton stood. “Jones is here. Winters, hide yourselves.”
With the push of a mechanism on the wall behind Sutton’s desk, the shelving popped open, allowing for a hidden chamber. Gavin could only guess at what purpose such a room ordinarily served. In this instance, it was to be where his brothers would wait while Gavin and Sutton faced Jeremiah Jones. There was a mechanism within the room by which those inside could open the panel should the need arise.
“No emerging unless I say so,” Sutton warned.
Dom, Devil, Blade, and Demon reluctantly shuffled into the room. There was a brace of candles lit within, but the space was incredibly cramped for four large Winter men.
“Do not betray our trust, Sutton,” Devil warned, an icy edge to his voice just before the door closed.
TrustandSutton? Once, those two words would never have been married in a sentence. But now…well, Gavindidtrust the man. If he wanted to save Caro, who was also a Sutton, he had to.
“Are you ready, Winter?” Sutton asked, taking up his position behind his desk.
“Ready,” Gavin said, feeling for the tiny pistol hidden in his coat.
Another knock sounded. Just one.
“Come,” Sutton called.
Everything within Gavin tensed and tightened as the door opened.
Caro stood on the threshold, a pistol pressed to her ribs, hands bound by a bit of dirty cloth, and a bruise on her cheek. Gavin’s heart lurched. At her side was Jeremiah Jones. The bastard was grinning as if he had just been declared the champion. The two of them crossed the threshold as one. Sutton nodded for the guard to close the door to the office.
Holding himself in place required all the restraint Gavin possessed. He wanted to run to Caro, to haul her away from Jones, but he didn’t dare move. Not with the pistol in her side.
“Gavin Winter,” Jones said. “We meet again.”
“Jones,” he spat. “Let her go. Your quarrel is with me.”
“You promised to exchange my sister,” Sutton added, his voice hard. “Release her now.”
“He means to kill you, Gavin!” Caro blurted, her voice choked with fear.
“Shut your gob, or I’ll shoot you,” Jones threatened, tightening his hold on her.
