Graeme watched for a moment as the water continued to pour in, first to the toe of his boot, then washing over it to lap at the hem of his pants. Vanessa was right. They were running out of time. He released a long string of curses.
“You have to find them, Graeme,” Niall said. “Promise me you’ll find my Penny and my son,” Niall said, his tone full of anguish.
Graeme stared at his own wife, knowing he probably would have done all the things Niall had done to protect her.
Tears silently slid down Vanessa’s cheeks, and she swallowed hard.
“I promise,” Graeme said.
“Don’t let that bastard kill them,” Niall said.
“I won’t.” But Graeme knew The Raven, and it was likely Penny and the boy were already dead, had been for weeks. Unless The Raven had planned to use them for further leverage—then there might still be time.
“Graeme.” Vanessa placed her hand on his arm, tugging on his coat sleeve. Her eyes were wide with fear. The water now came to her mid-calf, and she had to hold on to the wall to steady herself from the burgeoning current.
He nodded. “Niall,” he said, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything else.
“I know. You need to get out of here. You can’t save my family if you wait in here with me. Here,” he said as he reached his hand through the small opening. “I can’t give you all of the treasure, but this, this is the stone he’s after. Use it to get my family back.”
Graeme reached for the stone Niall offered, and a large uncut emerald fell into his hand.
“Oh my,” Vanessa said.
“I’ll save them,” Graeme said.
The water tugged at them. The frigid liquid lapped at Graeme’s thigh, so he knew Vanessa was now submerged up to her waist. He’d carry her out of here if he had to.
“Now get out of here!” Niall yelled. “Tell them I love them, tell them I tried.”
* * *
Three hours later, they were on a train headed back to London. Vanessa sat in their private sleeping car and watched Graeme prowl the small space like some great beast caged against his will. Guilt ate at him like a festering sore. She could see the anguish settle in his eyes, the firm set of his jaw.
“You did all you could,” she said, knowing fully that her words would make no difference. He would not feel right about leaving Niall there to die until he was able to save his family. She sent a silent prayer that Penny and Jonathan were still alive and that The Raven had not harmed them.
“I did nothing,” he said softly.
Vanessa stood and went to him, stilled him in mid-stride. She put one hand on his cheek to force him to look at her. “There was nothing to be done.”
He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. “I should have known, known that Niall would never willingly work with The Raven.”
Graeme met her gaze. The pain in his green eyes tugged at her heart, and she realized with utter clarity that she was hurting with him, not simply feeling sadness at the terrible situation, but empathizing with her husband. More than anything, she wanted to erase that look from his face, to remove the pain that hung heavy in his heart.
She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him fiercely. Gone were her fears about whether or not their lovemaking would alter who she was, or make her forget the woman she wanted to be. In their place was a deep-seated and simple need to comfort her husband. Touch him and make him forget, if only for a moment, that they’d been unable to save Niall’s life.
He took what she gave and demanded more. He pulled her tight to him, kissed her breathless. His fingers made quick work of the buttons on the back of her dress, which soon fell from her body in a pool at her feet. She stepped out of it, then pulled her shift over her head until she stood before him in nothing but her stockings and shoes.
“God, you’re beautiful,” he said. He tore at his own clothes, removing them quickly.
She rid herself of the stockings and shoes, and together they lay on the sleeping cot. It was much smaller than a bed, but he’d taken her on a desk, so this would suffice.
“Ride me, wife,” he said.
She wasn’t certain what to do, but in this moment, she would deny him nothing. So she brought one leg across and straddled him. He stopped her before she lowered herself on top of him. Pulled her down and kissed her again, a long, deep kiss that spoke of things Vanessa had never dared dream of. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, so she kept them closed to keep the tears from falling.
His hand found her; a finger teased her opening. She was already slick with desire for him. Merely the thought of him touching her had lust coursing through her limbs. Now the touch itself was pure pleasure. One finger slipped inside of her while another found her hidden nub.
She bucked against him, wanting him to remove his hand so she could slide onto him. But she was spiraling now, the climax hitting hard and fast.
