Octavia shifted on the bench before asking, “Who is paying you?”
“It doesn’t matter to you, now does it?”
“You are wrong. It does matter to me since this person paid to have me abducted.”
John retrieved his pistol and pointed it at her. “Stop talking,” he ordered.
Now if Octavia was smart, she would follow his command and leave it be. But she refused to be cowed by this man. “May I ask one more question?”
He looked at her in disbelief. “I am pointing a pistol at you. Does that not concern you?”
“It does, but this isn’t the first time someone has pointed a pistol at me,” she replied.
“I could shoot you.”
“You could, but you wouldn’t do something so foolish.”
John looked amused by her words. “And why is that?”
“You do not want to do anything to upset my brother,” Octavia said. “He is fiercely protective of me and he will enact revenge if I am harmed.”
Puffing out his chest, John remarked, “Your brother doesn’t scare me.”
“He should,” Octavia stated. “He is not a man that you want to trifle with. Neither of my brothers are. But Roswell is on his wedding tour or else he would be plotting his revenge right now.”
John smirked. “Your brothers probably have never gotten their hands dirty before. What would they have done?”
Octavia smiled, knowing she was privy to a secret. “My brothers are far more dangerous than you.”
He let out a bark of laughter. “I didn’t realize you had such a vivid imagination.”
She decided it would be best not to elaborate because she thought it was better if the man kept his preconceived notions. No matter how wrong they were. It would be for their benefit when Fredrick came to rescue her.
“I have been watching you for a while,” John started, “and I have noticed nothing that would indicate that Lord Chatsworth is a threat to me.”
“Why have you been watching me?”
“One is always well-versed with his target,” he replied. “It is how I knew that Lord Kendal’s weakness was you.”
Octavia furrowed her brow. “I am not his weakness.”
“You are. He is enamored with you.”
“I do not believe that to be true.”
John considered her for a moment before saying, “You truly don’t know how he feels about you?”
She grew silent, not knowing what to say. She hoped what he was saying was true, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up. After all, John had abducted her. Why would she think he would tell her the truth?
“I did the impossible. I got you to shut your mouth,” John mocked. “Well, you might be saddened to hear that Lord Kendal is going to die tonight.”
Her eyes grew wide. “What? Why?” she asked.
“I don’t know the reasonings nor do I care,” he said. “Our job ends when we kill Lord Kendal.”
Panic welled up inside of her as she rushed out, “I am rich. I will pay you whatever you want to leave him be.”
“I don’t want your money,” John spat out.
