Jamie ducked back out of the little room, holding Isabella with her dolls clutched tightly in his arms.
“Over here, Nora,” he called.
Nora turned the corner ten feet away; Giovanni followed behind her. Her face lit up with joy.
“Thank God,” she said, taking a step forward.
“I told you hiding her down here would not work,” Luciano whined.
“Stupido!” Giovanni exclaimed.
The pieces fell into place for Jamie even before Isabella pointed. “Him,” she said. “That’s who told Luciano to keep me quiet ‘no matter what.’”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Nora felt Giovanni’s left arm snake out and grab her from behind. His right fist came around her chest. It held a thin but lethal blade pointed upward toward her chin.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“Stubborn woman. You insisted on the cellars.” He shoved her forward a step.
Jamie pushed Isabella’s face into his shoulder. A growl came from deep in his throat. Nora could see his eyes calculating the distance to Giovanni, but he stood fast. He could not move, not with Isabella.
The sight of Isabella on his shoulder focused Nora’s attention and narrowed her world to a few sharp sensations: the constriction of Giovanni’s arm cinching her waist, the feel of cold metal against the open bodice of her gown, and the sight of growing panic in Jamie’s eyes.Dear God, he must not move!
“You English, always so smart,” Giovanni sneered, the polished student gone. “Take the girl, Luciano. I will deal with these two.”
“Give it up, Gianni,” Luciano said. “We failed.”
“Take the girl. We need her. We have to have Castellimonte’s support. We don’t need these two.” Nora felt the rise and fall of his chest, his breathing, coming faster as his agitation increased.
“Get her yourself,” Luciano whined. “You promised this would be simple. You promised I would go home.”
“Stupid boy,” Giovanni replied. “Do you think they will let you go after this?”
“Luciano is right,” Jamie said, clutching Isabella tightly. Hewould not let her go without a fight. “You can’t expect to murder us and get away with it. Castellimonte knows I’m here. They will hunt you down.”
“As they hunted for the girl?” Giovanni sneered.
Jamie would die for Isabella. A vision of him doing exactly that and bleeding on the stone floor as a result, horrified Nora.
“Think, boy,” Jamie went on.
“I am no boy,” Giovanni spat, enraged. Nora felt the hand with the knife move fractionally upward.
Jamie’s body jerked forward and fell back. He couldn’t move, not with Isabella. Nora knew she had to act.
She slumped at the waist, made loud gagging noises, and pushed her rear into Giovanni’s legs. She forced her upper body as far forward as she dared and gagged as if she might vomit. Giovanni groaned in disgust.
Nora felt a pinprick below her neck when Giovanni jerked his head away. His stiletto slid sideways up her chest until the side of his hand pushed against her chin and the blade pointed off to the left of her ear. She dropped her chin and bit down hard. She bit until she tasted blood and the blade clanged on the floor.
Jamie closed the space between them in seconds, covered the stiletto with his boot, and thrust Isabella into Nora’s arms. He pulled Giovanni away and began to pummel him.
Nora took savage satisfaction in the beating until a sound from Isabella brought her to her senses. By that time, Jamie had him down on the floor and had slammed his head against the stone.
“Jamie, stop! You’ll kill him,” she shouted. “Jamie! Isabella!”
She tried to cover the girl’s eyes, but Isabella twisted around to look.
