He left them standing side by side in the room and went upstairs to the bedroom that he’d shared with Nora these past weeks. Stepping through the door, he smiled when he remembered flashes of the laughter and lovemaking that had filled almost every moment they had been here together. Each room now resonated with memories of Nora instead of painful ones of his father. Joy and life had returned to the castle, much like before his mother’s passing.
Viktor pulled his holster from the trunk at the foot of the bed. He strapped the hard leather around his chest, fastening the buckles and pulling them snug. One by one, his daggers found their homes in the sheaths. He fingered the red sash, pulling it around his waist and tying a knot. He slid his pistol and his sword into the knots he had fashioned years ago for them. His black leather cloak slid over his shoulders, the hood shielding his face as he pulled it into place. Viktor walked to the door, grabbing his bow as he made his way out. He was coming for Cuddy, and he wouldn’t stop until the worthless man lay dead at his feet, leaving Nora safe from agony and abuse.
“Viktor?” Nora stood in the hallway, leaning against a wall. “Please be careful.”
“Always, love. You as well. Do you remember what I taught you?”
“Use my environment, stay aware, let them make the first move, use their own strength against them... I remember.” She smiled, tapping the sword that she now had strapped to her waist.
“That’s my girl.”
“I’ll miss you.”
“Not as much as I’ll miss you.” He closed the distance between them and swept her into his arms. She gasped as his lips crashed into hers, his arm encircling her waist and tipping her backward. He absorbed her taste, her smell, and the feeling of her touch, desperate to hold this feeling until he could return. Without warning, he set her back on her feet.
“I love you, Nora,” he said, turning to leave before he changed his mind.
“I love you, too!” she called breathlessly behind him.
His heart fluttered at the words, his eyes closing as they resonated deep in his soul. He smiled and headed down the stairs and off to slay the man who had caused her so much pain. The one man standing between him and the dreams he never knew he had.
“COME ON, BOY.” VIKTOR clucked his tongue and urged his grey gelding past the shadow that flared his nostrils and caused his neck to crane in fear. “You’re fine.”
A pat on his neck and a squeeze of his legs pushed the horse forward, a wary ear tipped to the shadows as he scooted by.
“You’ve been spooky all day, what gives?”
He had rented the horse from the stables just south of his estate. Their first day of travel he had been brave and steady, today he jumped at every crack and creak of the forest. The horse’s unease caused him to proceed with caution. Years on horseback had taught him that a horse always knows best. If he senses danger, you are smart to heed him.
They continued on, both sets of eyes searching the trees for any threats. Only a few hours separated him from Liverpool where Charlie and John would be waiting. Once his suspicions were confirmed, Viktor would revel in the moment he watched the life fade from Baron Aberdeen. Just the thought of his vile touch on Nora’s delicate skin snarled his lip.
A branch cracked behind them. The gelding shot forward, spinning to face the sound. Snorts bellowed from his nose as Viktor regained his balance. That time, he was certain he had heard something, too. He grabbed the branch above his head and pulled himself up into the tree. He crouched down, dagger readied as he searched the path they had walked through the thick forest. His gelding turned and trotted away, tail flagged while he ran from the sound. Viktor heard the bushes shake, leaves crunching beneath... hooves. Someone was following him.
The chestnut horse stepped into sight, its footsteps following Viktor’s trail. He squinted and tried to make out the figure perched on top of it, a dark shawl covering the form.
“Hurry, buddy! He’s getting too far!” her voice whispered and she bumped her legs on the horse’s side.
Viktor’s mouth fell slack at the sight of them emerging through the trees. Nora! That little minx! A mixture of relief and excitement stirred as she made her way down the path toward him. His joy in seeing her was soon shrouded with disapproval when the gravity of the situation sank in. She’d deliberately put herself in danger against his express wishes. Viktor crouched lower, disappearing into the tree.
Nora urged at her reluctant horse and he pinned his ears and trudged on. Viktor waited, breath held fast, until they walked beneath him. He dropped from the branch and landed facing her, straddled across the pommel of her saddle.
She screamed, and the horse bolted forward. Viktor’s arm enclosed her waist as she tumbled backward from the thrust. The lazy horse stalled out his speed after only a moment and craned his neck around to sniff Viktor’s boot. She fell forward into his arms and he pulled her upright. Wide eyes lifted to meet his.
“Hello, love.”
“Viktor!” she swatted his chest. “You nearly startled me to death! I could have fallen! What were you thinking?”
Viktor blew a puff of air through the side of his mouth. “Come now, I never would have let you fall. And wait, what was I thinking? What were you thinking? How could you be so reckless to come here?”
“I wasn’t going to sit behind while you dealt with my husband. I won’t. I’m coming with you!”
He snarled. “Damn you, woman! Now what the hell am I supposed to do with you?”
“Do with me? Take me along, of course!”
Her face puckered in defiance. Pink lips pursed so tight the color drained from them. Viktor grabbed her face between his hands and pressed his lips into them, her lips softening and inviting him in. He sighed into her mouth when her hands raked their way through his hair, her firm pulls tugging as he devoured her lips. He released her mouth and sat her back.
“Now, where were we? Oh, yes. You’re going home and I’m going on.”
The stunned look on her face returned to the defiant one she wore before he’d kissed her senseless.
“I’m coming with you, and that is that.”
Viktor sighed. “Why, Nora? Why is this so important to you?”
“For the same reason you’re not having Charlie and John deal with it. I want to know for sure that my death was his desire. I want to look in his eyes and see the life drain from them. I want to feel the relief in the certainty he will never lay a hand on me, or anyone else, for the rest of eternity. You don’t understand what I have been through, Viktor. I need this.”
Her chin puckered as glassy eyes stared up into his. It would be a lie to say he didn’t understand. He wanted the same satisfaction.
“All right. You come along. But you do exactly as I say, when I say. Deal?”
Her eyes shifted from cloudy grey to the vibrant blue he had grown so accustomed to. “Deal.”
“Now, hold still while I climb around. I certainly can’t ride all the way to Liverpool backward.”
Nora giggled as he swung around and settled in behind her. One swoop of his arm and he pulled her up into his lap. “Well, here we are again, just like we started.”
A soft kiss fell onto his cheek. He sighed and clucked the horse forward. His own mount was just ahead grazing on a patch of grass growing on the forest floor. A long stretch of his arm captured the reins and tugged him along. He saw no reason to change his current riding situation. She rode the rest of the way to Liverpool snuggled deep into his arms.
VIKTOR GUIDED THE HORSES down the busy streets. Since the first wet dock was installed in Liverpool just a few years ago, it had exploded as a shipping port. Sailors and Navymen littered the streets, prostitutes calling them in from the windows as they passed by. The horses wound their way down the roads, Viktor’s grey still in tow, until they arrived at the front of a building in the center of town. A wooden sign with a black cat burned into it swung from the covered porch. The Sleeping Cat Inn.
“Come on, love.” Viktor pat
ted her bottom and held the reins while she slid down. A swing of his leg and he landed beside her, his arm snaring her waist and pulling her close. He tugged her shawl forward, concealing more of her face. “Don’t wander.”
She responded with a nod, her body tensing while she took in her surroundings. Viktor tossed both sets of reins around the hitching post and flicked a shilling to the young boy chewing a piece of straw on the stairs.
“Feed them and water them, please?” Viktor asked.
The boy wiped his nose on his sleeve, dirt smearing deeper across his face with the movement. He eyeballed the shiny piece and nodded.
Viktor opened the door, his arm guiding Nora inside. The smell of fresh baked goods wafted to his nose when they stepped inside the inn. It was busy, dozens of men and women were deep in conversation scattered at tables throughout.
“Take a seat at any open table, darling,” the server said, passing by. A dark wig sat perched above two grey eyebrows. Her aged skin tattled that the color of the hair beneath wasn’t anywhere as dark as her wig. Perhaps it was twenty years ago, but grey was the likely shade these days.
“Come on.” Viktor ushered Nora between the tables, astute eyes scanning for the safest place to sit. Dark shadows flickered over a table in the far corner. It was the perfect place to wait for John and Charlie. He started in its direction, stopping when he saw two shrouded forms already seated. A smile crept across his face. Of course they would have been drawn to the very same table.
“Hello, Viktor.” Charlie peeked out from underneath her hood, those familiar red lips revealing her straight white teeth. She pushed back her cloak, and red hair spilled over her shoulders.
“Charlie, hello...” he stopped himself, the expression now reserved for the woman at his side. “Hello, darling.”
John pushed back his hood, amusement dancing on his face. “Darling? No love? Who are you and what have you done with Viktor?”
“Things have changed, John. You two remember Nora?” His arm slipped around her waist. Charlie and John exchanged a look and a smile, both eyes falling back to Nora who shrunk several inches beneath their stares.
John crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. “I’ll say they have. Nora, it’s wonderful to see you again. Please, both of you, join us.”
Viktor pulled out her chair and scooted it in behind her. John and Charlie stared at him, brows furrowed in unison as they watched him sit.
“Seriously. Where is Viktor? What have you done with him?” Charlie teased.
“Meet the new and improved Viktor. A fool for love and a man driven by revenge. Please, tell me you have good news.”
Charlie leaned forward, a catlike gaze meeting Nora’s. “I applaud you, Nora. You have tamed the untamable beast. You have my respect.”
“And my condolences,” John chimed.
Nora giggled and tossed a look to Viktor. He melted once again beneath her gaze.
John slapped the table. “Good God, Viktor. You blushed.”
“I can still slit your throat while blushing, John.” Viktor peaked a brow. “Now, where were we? Good news?”
Charlie leaned forward on her elbows. “If you consider we have found the evidence needed to prove it is indeed Baron Aberdeen who issued the death order on Nora to be good news... then yes, the news is good.”
Viktor felt Nora squeeze his leg. He covered her hand with his own and slipped his fingers between hers. A soft squeeze returned it.
Anger tensed the muscles in Viktor’s face. “Well then? What are we waiting for? I believe Baron Aberdeen is the newest mark in the assassin’s world. I for one am delighted to oblige.”
“I want to be there.” Nora finally spoke. Three sets of eyes turned to meet hers. “When it happens, I want to be there.”
“Are you sure?” Charlie asked.
“I’m sure.” No doubt clouded her eyes. Viktor knew why she wanted to personally witness Cuddy’s downfall, and he would not take the pleasure away from her. “She comes with us.”
“Do we have a plan?” John asked.
Viktor stroked his chin. “Well, to keep all suspicions from Nora, I say we return the favor. Let’s make it a suicide. His death the result of his grief from Nora’s disappearance. She returns unharmed, claims her inheritance and disappears to a new life. How does that sound?”
John raised his eyebrows and nodded. “I like it. Word on the street is Nora is dead. It would only fit that her husband could be driven to suicide.”
“And how do we explain Nora’s sudden return?” Charlie asked.
Viktor took a thoughtful breath, his eyes popping open as he thought of an answer. “Kidnapped at the party and held captive by a madman? One of us can play the part of the good citizen who heard her cries and rescued her.”
“It could work,” Charlie said. “I like it.”
“Is this what you guys do?” Nora asked, her expression shocked as she listened to them plot a death and a kidnaping without batting an eye.
They exchanged glances and shrugged. “I suppose it is.” Laughter trickled between them.
“So, we have a plan?” Viktor asked.
John and Charlie nodded. All eyes fell to Nora.
She nodded in return. “We have a plan.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
TWO DAYS PASSED WHILE Nora hid inside the small room at the inn. Viktor, Charlie, and John had been hard at work gaining intel on the house she once called home. They watched Cuddy, got a feel for his habits and reported back to her each night. Her stomach turned with the realization that tonight was the night. By morning, Cuddy would pay for what he had done and she would be a widow.
A light rap sounded on the door.
“Viktor?” she asked. He had been gone for hours getting the last of the recon done.
“No, it’s Charlie.”
“Come in.”
Charlie cracked the door and stepped through, careful not to open it too wide. She slipped herself and the box she had clutched in her arms inside and closed it behind her.
“I thought you were Viktor,” Nora said.
Charlie responded with a smile. “Sorry, just me.”
“No need to be sorry. I appreciate the company. Viktor has been busy the past few days and I’m quite bored.” Nora sat back on the bed.
“Are you sure you want to do this? It’s all right if you want to sit it out. No one would think less of you if you changed your mind.”
Nora shook her head. “No. I need to see this end for myself. The things he did to me, Charlie. I can’t... I won’t. I won’t wonder if he’s gone for the rest of my life. I need to know.” Her voice broke.
Charlie sat down beside her, a comforting arm wrapped around her shoulders. “It’s okay, Nora. It’s okay. I understand.”
“I have to see this through, Charlie.”
“And you will. Here, I got something for you.”
Charlie placed the box in her lap. Nora looked at it with trepidation. “What is it?”
“Just open it, you’ll see.” Charlie smiled.
Nora slid the top off the box, layers of sapphire-blue velvet and black leather were folded in the box. Nora pulled out the first layer, a dark blue velvet cloak unfolding as she hoisted it up.
“What is all this?” Nora asked, her mouth falling open.
Charlie smirked. “If you’re going to join us in battle, you can’t expect to be running around in a gown.”
Nora tugged out the black leather next. A black corset and soft leather pants. “Pants! I’ve never worn them.”
“Well, you will now. Much better for scaling walls.” Charlie patted her own leather-clad leg. “My gift to you.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Just take care of Viktor. He’s a good man. He loves you, and that’s not nothing. Don’t hurt him, understood?” Charlie flashed a threatening glance Nora wasn’t sure was playful or serious. She suspected both.
“I won’t hurt him. I love him, Charlie.”
Sh
e smiled. “Good. Get dressed. We leave soon. I’ll be outside the door waiting.”
Nora could only nod. She looked up to see Charlie flip up the hood of her red cloak, a smirk tipping her crimson lips as she disappeared out the door. Nora stared at the leather, gulping while she processed the implications. She would join them to murder her husband. A knot formed in her stomach, but only for a moment. Visions of his hulking flesh forced on hers, of his fists falling on her while she wailed before him, all flooded her mind. Nora narrowed her eyes... she was going to enjoy this.
She slipped off her dress and exhaled a sharp breath when she pulled the leather pants up over her legs. The leather corset wrapped around her bare bosoms. Her hands shook as she laced the tie through the eyelets. The corset tightened as she worked her way up, her breasts pushing out the top when they ran out of room. A small bottle of lip stain sat in the box. She had never worn it, but she had seen it used. Pulling it out she moved to the floor-length mirror in the corner of the room. A shudder moved through her when she saw her own reflection. She looked positively lethal.
She poured a few drops of red dye on the rag and dabbed it along her mouth. The color soaked in and left behind a pair of crimson lips that made them look even fuller than they already were. She stared at her reflection in disbelief. No longer was she powerless, a slave to her own circumstances. Tonight, she intended to take back her life and save her family in the process.
She reached for the cloak. The crushed velvet was so soft compared to the smooth leather, both gentle on her skin but drastically different to the touch. The cloak wrapped around her neck, and she fastened the clasp at her throat. With one tug, she pulled the hood up over her golden waves and exhaled as she watched the last of Baroness Nora Aberdeen disappear.
Nora strode to the door. With one last breath, she pulled it open. Charlie leaned against the wall in the hallway, her arms crossed while she waited. An approving smile pressed her lips tight when she saw Nora emerge.
Beneath The Assassin's Touch (Daggers 0f Desire Book 2) Page 18