Page 89 of The Lady’s Sweet Revenge

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Harlow barely felt the cold barrel of the pistol at her temple. She had been so angry she worried she might catch fire with her hatred at any second. But now she had lost control of the situation.

“Let her go, Merrick,” Reese said and Harlow felt her stomach lurch at the knowledge that the man holding a gun to her head was the man who’d had her taken from London in the first place. Only vaguely did she wonder how Reese knew the man by sight. But the fear had pushed away all thought but self-preservation.

“Ah, Breckenridge. I thought I killed you once but missed my mark. I won’t make that mistake again.”

Merrick was the man who had hurt Reese?

Her uncle looked up from where he had knelt on the ground begging for forgiveness from his dead niece. It was exactly what she had wanted, but it hadn’t made her feel any better. She still hurt from the man’s betrayal.

Now, Edgar blinked and looked around in confusion.

“You see her? She is alive?”

“For now,” Merrick chuckled. “I have to say I was wondering what this performance was all about. I was quite entertained until she planned to kill the man who holds the names I need. The man who owes me for his disloyalty.” He gave Harlow a pat. “Don’t worry, love, I’ll do away with him for you. But only after I get what I need first.”

She thought she might be sick. All this time she’d been so angry at her uncle, blind with rage. And he had only been a pawn in Captain Merrick’s plans. It was hard to let go of the anger she’d cloaked herself with all this time. But it had been misplaced. She should have been angry at Merrick. It was he who needed to pay.

Reese took a step closer and Merrick pulled Harlow closer.

“Stay back, unless you want to watch the girl’s head get blown off. It would be a shame as I’d had other plans for her…” The man leaned down and sniffed her hair.

“Reese?” She didn’t know what he could do, but she needed him.

“Aye, your hero and I have some business as well. Come. We’ll sort everything out on the Zephyr.”

She shoved at the large man but he didn’t loosen his grip around her waist. The barrel of the pistol bit into her temple, causing her to whimper. She hated the sound of weakness coming from her throat, but there was nothing for it. She was defeated.

Suddenly a shot rang out and Merrick dropped behind her.

She lifted her head to see a stranger with a pistol step out and rush at Merrick, kicking the gun from his grip. The captain was shot in the shoulder and was still alive but moaning as he grasped his wound.

Then she was pressed against Reese’s chest.

“Are you all right?” he asked.

She didn’t know how to respond so she didn’t.

“Good job, Reese. The plan worked perfectly,” the other man said with a wide smile. “We finally got him, and you got your revenge on Merrick.”

She was shaking as everything that had happened seemed to twist in on itself. It was all tied together in a huge knot of deceit.

“You used me to get to Merrick,” she whispered. “You agreed to help me only to get what you wanted.”

“No. Harlow. That’s not—”

She pulled away from him and went to her brother.

“Take me home. I wish to be away from this place.”

Fortunately, Luke didn’t hesitate to do just that.

*

Reese ran his hands through his hair as he watched the Ardmere carriage ride off with the woman he loved.

“The Home Office will hear about this, Breckenridge. You’ll be up for a commendation. You assisted in capturing Merrick and now we have Polk’s confession as well.” Collins fairly gleamed with excitement, oblivious to how thoroughly Reese’s world had just imploded.