Oh, blast it. I shifted my weight as Rennie One punched Rennie Two in the temple. I didn’t know if I should cheer or despair. Rennie One straddled Rennie Two and rained punches on his face. Groans and grunts filled the room.
“Monia!” Rennie Two, the one being punched, said.
“Lawrence?” I called, taken by a sudden inspiration.
Rennie Two nodded. “It’s me.”
A thud ricocheted off the walls when I smashed the oil lamp onto the nape of Rennie One. His eyes rolled back into his skull, and he dropped to the floor in a heap of limbs.
“Ha! Take that!” I smiled at Rennie. “I knew you would have answered if I’d called you Lawrence.”
Rennie’s eyes flashed black, the colour of onyx. “Thank you, darling.” He sprang up and darted out of the room, which meant the unconscious Rennie on the floor was the real one. And I had bludgeoned him into oblivion.
Oops.
I crouched next to him and brushed his hair from his bruised face. “Rennie, please say something.”
He didn’t stir. I touched his neck. His heartbeat was slow but steady. I took the basin of water and cleaned the blood from his face. A lump was clogging my throat.
“Rennie?” Fear drummed in my chest. I was about to call the doctor when he blinked and groaned.
“Hellfire.” He rubbed his face.
Relief washed over me. I knelt next to him and took his hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“My head.”
“I know, I know.” I put the wet cloth on his nape.
“Bloody hell, woman. You knocked me out.”
“I thought the other one was the real Rennie when I called him Lawrence and he answered.”
He shot me a glare. No lamia could imitate that look. “I was in the middle of a fight. Why would I reply if you called me Lawrence?”
“I didn’t know what to do, all right? We should discuss a watchword, something that will identify you.”
He sat up, groaning. “I almost caught it.”
“Sorry.”
He waved a dismissive hand. “I’m grateful you didn’t kill me.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he eyed the bed. “Were you and the lamia... ?”
Heat flushed my face, which was ridiculous. Rennie and I had enjoyed some intimate moments, but being caught doing the same things with someone else caused my chest to tighten in shame.
“Well, a bit. I thought it was you. I did wonder, though, why you wanted to have a proper fumble right in the middle of the day.” I cleared my throat. “Admittedly, I didn’t question that part much. I was too enthralled by the activity.”
He chuckled, his chest rising and falling quickly. “Was it any good?”
“No!” I wiped more blood from his chin. “Something was missing. You are inimitable. Unique. My only one.”
His smile vanished. “Am I? Your only one?”
I caressed his cheek. “You are.”
Holding my hand, he kissed my wrist. “So are you. You have wrapped me around your little finger.”
“Not as much as I’d like, since you don’t want to have a proper fumble with me.”
“Who says I don’t want to? It’s only the bloody work that keeps me away from you. Speaking of which. Sorry it took me so long. I left the ship to send a wire to the bureau.” He kissed my wrist again. “Apparently, Oliver has a hefty debt due to some unwise financial investments. The man Oliver met in Bellini Garden is most likely an Unnatural smuggler, willing to pay Oliver a large sum of money for the lamia.”
I sat back, shocked by the fact a man like Oliver, who was supposed to protect innocent people, was selling Unnaturals. “How awful.” I dabbed another cut on Rennie’s chin.
I shifted next to him on the floor. My arm was sore after I’d used all my strength to hit Rennie. If it hadn’t been for the shaven chin, I would have left the lamia to keep going. The devil was in the details. The lamia should have known Rennie had stubble today. The last time his cheeks had been shaven was when we—“Oh, my gosh. I think I know where the lamia is.”
