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Which means I need to do something to tip the status quo before that happens. I need to destroy the lab downstairs.

I crank my head toward the door. “Hey!” Nothing. “HEY! GIBBONS!”

He appears languidly at the door. “That’s not a very ladylike way to behave.”

“I need to use the restroom. Now.”

He arches an eyebrow.

“I’ve been sitting here forever,” I remind him.

“Very well.” Gibbons flips out a knife. “Don’t try anything stupid,” he warns.

“I thought you needed me,” I challenge.

“You’re not irreplaceable, especially if you get nasty. I’ve relied on my own talents thus far, as inconvenient as they are. And you forget that within days, I’m going to be richer than Mr. Mitchell ever dreamed about. With that kind of wealth, it will be easy to find someone as talented as you … that is, if I decide to leave.”

I refrain from answering. I hold my breath when the cold metal of the knife brushes against my hands as he removes my restraints. I stay calm as he releases my legs.

He chuckles. “I’d prefer it if you behaved, so I can keep you around. That is, if you can travel with the ease that the FBI suspects.” He raises an eyebrow at me. I don’t answer, narrowing my eyes in a glare. “I think that’s a yes,” he chuckles.

I stand up, then purposely tumble forward into Gibbons, grasping his arms for support.

“Easy there.” He laughs, putting a hand on my back to steady me.

I swing my knee up hard, slamming Gibbons in the groin. He howls in pain, backing away and swearing. I shove the heel of my hand up into his face, making cringe-inducing contact with his nose and feeling it break. Adrenaline fuels my quick scramble to my feet and out the door, Gibbons stumbling and swearing behind me.

Get to the kitchen. Get to the kitchen. I saw it when Gibbons hauled me into the house through the back door. Shelves familiar to me from Ben’s video of the room had lined every wall.

I careen down the hallway, grasping the railing of the stairs lest I tumble down headfirst on my wobbly legs. I trip on the last step, rolling painfully into the downstairs hall. Ignoring the pain, I leap up again, focused on the doorway to the kitchen, only a few feet away.

I run smack into the chest of a well-built, well-dressed man. Looking up, I meet the cold glare of Lord Bailemore.

“What’s this?” he asks, bemused. He grips my upper arm and looks past me. “Has your female company gotten the better of you?” I try to yank away but only earn myself a more painful grip on my arm.

Gibbons’s footsteps echo down the stairs. “She’s the girlfriend of that meddler who stole the pills. Had to use her to get out of his friend’s house last night.” Gibbons draws up level with us, anger burning in his eyes. He reaches up and backhands me, sending me flailing into the opposite wall. “Should’ve killed her when we got here,” he snaps.

Lord Bailemore sighs and reaches for my shoulder, hauling me back up off the floor and eliciting a yelp of pain. “Tsk, tsk, Gibbons.” He rubs a finger along my jaw. “You should know better than to treat a lady so. Look at her wrists. I’m sure you could find better uses for her.”

Gibbons strides down the hall and laughs bitterly. “You’re welcome to her, my lord. I hope she doesn’t scratch your eyes out.”

Lord Bailemore chuckles. “I know how to treat a lady, Gibbons.” He scoops a hand around my waist and draws me to him, running his strong hands firmly over my back and then much lower. I repay him by attempting to kick him between the legs as well. He shoves me backward, still keeping a grip on my upper arm, but laughs. “Hmm. Yes, I see. Still, I think she can be brought to task.” He draws me back toward him, lowering his voice. “If you want to stay alive, young lady, you’d better be more obedient,” he warns.

I know I’ll regret my next action, but I swing my head forward, slamming it into Lord Bailemore’s with a satisfying crack—and a rip of pain. Funny how they misjudge my ability to hurt them because I’m a woman. Lord Bailemore stumbles back, clutching his forehead and loosening his grip on my arm. I clamber away, but Gibbons dives between me and the front door—not that I was trying to escape that way, but he also cuts off my path to the kitchen.

I scramble back, away from him, the room spinning from the hard hit to Lord Bailemore’s head. Gibbons dives for me again, and I push myself up, ignoring the dizziness and forcing myself to focus on the moves Burke taught me during all that training.

Gibbons begins throwing punches, no longer treating me as an unworthy opponent. Not surprising, given he’s from the modern era and he’s learned quickly. I may be dressed like a dame from the thirties, but I’ve been trained. I block with my arms, pushing my forearms against his punches with all my strength. I land a kick to his knee. He crumples for an instant, then rushes at my stomach, headfirst.

I slam back into a wall, my breath knocked out of me. Ignoring the panic rising, I wrap my arms around his waist and knee him in the chest as hard as I can. He loses his balance enough for me to push his head downward and send him to the floor, allowing me to scramble over him. He spins, making a grab for my legs, but I kick wildly. He rolls to one side to avoid getting hit in the head.

Lord Bailemore snatches at my waist, trying to pull me back to him. I swing my feet back, missing him as he ducks. It changes his balance enough that I can lunge forward, almost to the door of the kitchen. Gibbons catches up with me, yanking on my arm with one hand and swinging for me with the other. I duck and throw my free elbow into his stomach, then yank down to free my hand. I’m so close to the kitchen, I dive forward.

I grab for the first shelf in sight, even while Lord Bailemore dives on top of me.

The shelf comes crashing through the doorway. Both men jump to either side, trying to avoid getting hit by the crashing glass and surely poisonous chemicals. I scurry forward into the kitchen, pulling down another shelf to put between me and my attackers. My head pounds, my arms ache, but I surge forward, intent on destroying everything.

“Don’t shoot!” Gibbons shouts at Lord Bailemore from the hallway. “You’ll blow the house sky-high.”