She lifted her hands and rested them on his chest. He automatically covered them with his.
“This is going to work,” she assured. “He will not be able to hide behind cryptic notes and shadowed burglars and elusive threats. He will have to react to this.”
“Oh, I’m certain he will,” Phin replied, not adding how that was exactly what worried him.
As if reading his mind, she said, “And you’ll be right there when he does. As will Aadesh and Iago and the others I know you’ll have stationed about the place.”
Phin smiled and tipped his forehead to hers. They inhaled together before he pressed his lips to her mouth. It was a brief kiss, but it contained every facet of his feelings for her.
When they separated, she smiled. “I will see you there?”
He nodded as she stepped away and crossed the room, her stride steady and full of purpose. She left without even a glance over her shoulder.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Phin approached thetownhouse belonging to Lord and Lady Smithson not from the front lane facing Grosvenor Square, but from the rear. He wished to check in with Iago and ensure all was in place before entering the ballroom as a guest.
He found his man where he expected, hidden near the house. His other men were spread about in various spots around the premises—watchful and prepared to intervene should anyone attempt to take Eleanor from the house. Aadesh was also somewhere nearby, preferring to seek out his own covert location. Though Phin did not know the man well and couldn’t be sure of his ultimate goals, in their current caper, he was certainly an ally. Aadesh’s immediate objective was clear and unwavering. He would ensure the safety of the necklace if nothing else. And right now, that necklace was around Eleanor’s throat, which meant Aadesh would be keeping as close an eye on her as Phin himself.
Joining Iago in the shadows near the house, where they had a view straight into the ballroom through the terrace windows, Phin remained silent for a moment. His gaze scanned the interior, seeking a stunningly fair young lady dressed in a gown of dark rose. He spotted her easily as she’d taken up position near the windows as discussed. Though she stood alone amongst the shifting crowd, there could be no mistaking her for anything other than magnificent.
Phin’s heart jolted. Fear and admiration and so much morefilled him.
“We’ll keep anything from harming her, my lord,” Iago whispered beside him, reading his mind as he so often did.
Phin nodded. But he couldn’t shake the fear that had taken root inside him. He’d never been so uncertain of a plan. He suspected it was because there had never been so much at stake before. But they’d done what they could to cover all avenues of risk and ensure Eleanor’s safety.
So, why was his instinct screaming to abort?
Taking a step forward, he peered intently at the guests moving through the crowd around Eleanor. As their casual glances swept for her position, they swiftly sharpened, obviously focusing on her unusual adornment. But, aside from subtle covetousness and occasional glimmers of envy, no one signaled any kind of recognition when gazing at the jewels around her lovely neck.
Phin had been in some extremely precarious and terrifying situations. He’d once nearly fallen off a mountainside cliff. He’d peered into the depths of an active volcano. He’d faced vicious predators in the wild and even more vicious villains in black market alleyways. He’d engaged in countless duels—with and without weapons. But he’d never felt such an intense spike of anxiety as he did while watching Eleanor in that ballroom.
Anxiety and the deepest admiration. She was breathtaking.
She washis.
Dammit. He sounded like Ackerly.
He fisted his hands.
It was in that moment that Phin saw the fair-haired gentleman with the intense stare heading toward Eleanor. Alarm shot through him like a bolt. There was too much possession in the man’s eyes as it settled upon the jewels circling Eleanor’s throat.
It had to be Ackerly.
“That’s him,” he murmured tensely. “I’ve got to get in there.”
When Iago didn’t reply, he glanced back over his shoulder to seeonly empty shadows.
His man was gone.
Alarm spiked, but before he could react, a heavy cloth was thrown over his head from behind and something slammed against the back of his head with stunning force. Stars danced before his eyes as a whooshing sound filled his ears.
Shame, terror, and the deepest regret rushed through him.
Then nothing.
*
