Searching for Home (Spies of Chicago Book 1)

by Jessica Keller

  “You don’t have to fear me.” Coal-black hair spilled onto his forehead. A frown creased his lips. “Hold out your arms.”

  “Don’t touch her,” James growled.

  Lewis ignored him. He pointed the blade of the knife toward the ceiling. With care, he slipped the cold metal between her wrists and sawed at her restraints.

  While he freed her, Ellen studied the familiar angles of his jaw, his pale skin, and the dark lines under his eyes.

  Tears slipped down her cheeks. “You’re not going to kill us?”

  He removed the ropes from around her legs and then pulled her into his arms. “Didn’t I ask you to believe the best about me?” He set her back, a sad smile painting his features. “Have you no faith in your brother?”

  “But you—”

  “Come.” He took her hand. “Let’s get James loose before he breaks into a conniption.”

  Ellen tore at the knot near James’s ankles while Lewis sliced through the rope near his wrists.

  James glared as he zeroed in on Lewis. His nostrils flared like a bull pawing the ground.

  The moment Lewis unbound him, James pounced, slamming her brother onto the floor. Ellen stifled a scream. The knife clattered to the ground.

  James jumped on top of Lewis and grabbed fistfuls of his coat, shaking him hard enough to rattle teeth. “What game are you playing?”

  Lewis put his arms out in surrender, but his eyebrows rose as if he was dealing with a petulant child. “Really—as amusing as this is—we’re short on time.” He brushed James away and rose. “Now, Ellen—”

  But James lunged between them. In a swift movement, he tucked Ellen behind him and jammed a finger into Lewis’s chest. “After what you’ve done—and said, you have no right to speak to her. I don’t care what happens to me, but tell me now, what’ll it take for you to set her free?”

  “First, if you haven’t noticed by now, she’s already free.” Her brother crossed his arms and leveled a daring scowl. “Second, what supposedly have I done that’s wicked enough to deny me the right to speak to my sister?”

  Ellen stepped from behind James. But James held out his arm to block her from moving closer to Lewis. “We know you’re a leader with the anarchists.”

  He tossed his head back and laughed. “The anarchists! Really? That’s funny.” He took a deep breath. “I’m not with the anarchists. Their zest will die out soon enough. They amount to nothing in the big scheme of things. I’m afraid they’re unknowingly being used as pawns in a much more dangerous plot. One which I hope to crack.”

  “But, Lewis.” She brushed past James’s outstretched hand. “We were at The Rat Palace. We heard you talking to the men in the alley.”

  He rubbed his head. “I know. I had that conversation for your benefit. How else would James have known where we’d take you if you were caught?” He stepped closer. “Did you really believe a man could be knocked out cold with a book?” He reached for her but then fisted his hand and shoved it into his pocket.

  “Then the man…? Then you … were you?”

  Lewis nodded. “Yes, I played the role of your warden. I’m sorry Mary struck you. I would have stopped that if I could have.”

  Ellen nodded, remembering the long greasy wig and the oversized clothes he had worn. “It was so dark. Your disguise. I never could have recognized you. But why didn’t you tell me then?”

  “If I wanted to ensure your safety, I had to make it seem as if you got away. They had to hear the scuffle, and your emotions had to be real.”

  “But you still could have—”

  “Had I revealed my identity in the tavern, you would have tried to stay and convince me to leave as well. You would have wanted a conversation that took too long. Mary would have come back and harmed you further.” Lewis touched her chin. “Promise me you won’t try to outwit a man with a book again anytime soon.”

  “It was a rather large book.” Ellen offered a weak smile.

  “And don’t try to flirt your way out of troubles anymore, either. Well unless it’s with that lot.” He pointed at James. “Then a bit of flirting is probably the quickest way to get what you want.” His smile reminded her of the old Lewis, the one she knew and trusted. The one who tried to resuscitate the barn kitten when it fell from the hay loft and the one who let her put the vegetables she didn’t want to eat on his supper plate.

  Ellen moved to hug her brother.

  But James yanked her back to his side. “I’m not so sure I’m as quick to trust you again. None of this makes any sense. If you’re not an anarchist, then what exactly are you doing?”

  “Same as you. I’m spying.”

  “That’s clear enough. But for whom?”

  Ellen held up her hand. “Don’t we need to get away before those men come back?”

  Lewis shook his head. “We have a little time. I sent all the men away, so we’re the only ones in the building at present. They’re terrified of me so they’ll follow my orders precisely. The horde of them will attend a meeting that’ll last into the morning hours. My two henchmen will wait near the lake for at least thirty more minutes before they abandon post, wondering where I am. But you should clear out by then, because they will eventually come looking for me.”

  James furrowed his eyebrows, a deep wrinkle cresting his forehead. “You haven’t answered my question.”

  “And why do I owe you an answer? So you can trot on back to the Cygnus Brotherhood and give me up?”

  James paled.

  Lewis stalked to the desk. From the side drawer he produced a file. Her brother thrust a stack of photographs into James’s hands. As James flipped through them, his hands shook. Ellen peeked over his elbow and saw pictures of James on window sills and in disguise.

  “Did you think I wouldn’t know? Honestly, James. In my position, I have to know everything that goes on in this city.”

  In his position? Ellen’s mind raced.

  James tossed the photos onto the desk. They scuttled across the surface and fanned out onto the floor. “I don’t want to know because of the Brotherhood. You owe me an answer in the name of friendship. We were friends once. That must mean something to you.”

  Lewis rubbed his jaw. “Once? Well, that makes things awkward, because I considered us friends still.”

  “Stop dodging and answer the question already.”

  “Let’s just say, I do what I do for someone far more powerful than the likes of Hugh Gunther.” He yanked his cigarette tin from his trousers and fiddled with the lid. “Speaking of that man, you have no need to concern yourself about him tonight. I had a letter fall into his possession that is written in your own hand.” He pointed to James. “It says you’re safely back at the Danby residence.”

  “I didn’t write any letter.”

  “No, but ten years of reading over your schoolwork made me an expert at copying your handwriting.” Lewis pulled out a cigarette and rolled it between his fingers. “Your penmanship always did lack creativity.”

  “Are you with the police?” Ellen whispered.

  He shook his head. “I’m with someone with much more influence. My leader orchestrates a great deal more than they do.”

  “You’re one of the Mayor’s right hands.” James offered.

  Lewis rocked on his heels. “He’s a great deal higher than the Mayor.”

  Ellen narrowed her eyes. “But who is higher—”

  “The president.” James’s voice held a note of awe.

  “Look at you, friend.” Lewis came beside them and cuffed James’s shoulder. “You’ll make a spy yet! I’ll tell you as much as I can, but there is one consideration you must agree to.”

  Her hand clasped in James’s, they both agreed.

  “You must never tell another soul. Not mother, not cousin Alice, not the Danbys. Not anyone. When you leave here tonight, you will continue with your life and live as if I never existed. You must agree to never come looking for me.”

  So everything was still the same? Lewis
didn’t care about her. He wanted nothing to do with her.

  Tears filled Ellen’s eyes. She clenched her free fist. “I know you want nothing more than to forget all about me, but I could never pretend you didn’t exist. After Grace died … I know you loved her and only ever tolerated me. Straight from the funeral, you just left us. I don’t know what I did to make you hate me.”

  Lewis’s head jerked back. “Hate you?” He pried her away from James and pulled her into a rib-crushing hug. “Know that I love you, and I’m always watching out for you. I always will. You’re the reason I do what I do. The day that….” His voice caught. “When we lost Grace, I vowed I’d do whatever I could to keep you safe. I couldn’t rescue our sister, but at least I can protect you.”

  She pressed her nose into his chest. Fibers from his coat scratched her cheek. His scent, tobacco mixed with the spices from his cologne, filled her. “Are you trying to save the poor? Because if that’s the case, I think you’re going about it in the wrong way.” Ellen grabbed his hand and pumped it twice. “Please come home. Mother is coming to town tomorrow to fetch me. Leave with us.”

  Taking her by the shoulders, her brother set her away from him. “I’m not helping the poor. Well, if I succeed, I’ll end up helping them along with everyone else. But they alone are not the end goal.”

  “Is this about Haymarket? What happened tonight is my fault.”

  His lips pulled. “I hardly believe an outbreak of rioting could be pinned on you.”

  “But it is! I told Peter Geere about the meeting because he’s a Tabor and I thought he could help. But he’s the one who threw the bomb. If I hadn’t made him aware, it would never have happened.”

  “Take heart, this situation has been waiting to explode for some time. The Tabors knew about the meeting without your letter. The world could no more blame you than the daily newspaper for sharing information.”

  “Then, are you a Tabor?”

  “Has knowledge spread yet of the President’s Secret Service?” He reached into his pocket and produced a golden star-shaped badge.

  James snatched the star from his hands. “I read something about them in the national headlines. They uncover persons perpetrating deception against the government.” He placed the badge back into Lewis’s outstretched hand. “It’s real.”

  Lewis slipped the badge back into his pocket then reached to shake James’s hand. “Forgive me for not telling you sooner. I trust you more than anyone in the world. Believe that I couldn’t tell you until now or I would have. But the case I’m working on is something that could affect the entire nation. I couldn’t jeopardize it for anything. Not even you.”

  “You’re forgiven. Of course.”

  “Now, there is one more thing I must ask of you. It is in regards to my sister.” Lewis’s gaze bounced between Ellen and James, and a slow smile crept onto his face. “Although, I don’t believe my request will be a hardship to you.”

  Eyebrows rising, James glanced at Ellen. “I always held back because I thought you’d never allow it. Then I have your blessing?”

  Lewis laughed. “Precisely.” He extended his hand. “Take care of her.”

  “And you.” He turned to Ellen. “I won’t be able to walk you down the aisle at your wedding, and I’m sorry for that. Asa will have to do it, or Uncle Garret. I know neither are your first choice but this is how it must be. Now vow—both of you—that you will never seek me out.”

  “But what if we need you? What if we want to tell you something? What if something terrible happens?” Ellen couldn’t fathom the thought of never seeing her brother again.

  “I’ll always look in on you. Don’t fear about that.” Lewis pivoted, craning his ear. “Did you hear something?”

  James tucked Ellen against his side. “Yes. It sounds like people downstairs.”

  Ellen’s gaze darted to the door. “We talked for too long.”

  Lewis pointed to the cracked window above his desk. “Quickly. Through here. I’ve propped a ladder along the wall. Climb down and make certain to remove it. No one should be along that side of the wharf. Run north along the line of buildings. At the second left there will be a carriage waiting for you. The man driving is a member of the Secret Service. He’ll take you wherever you need to go. If you run into trouble, he’s been instructed to protect you with his life if needs be.”

  Ellen’s throat clamped up. Her emotions bubbled together and she didn’t quite know what to feel. Fear of the men downstairs who might find them. Heartbreak at the prospect of never seeing Lewis again. Unspeakable joy with the knowledge that James loved her—always had—and that they would be married. Everything was too much to handle.

  James inclined his head. “Take care of yourself, and should you ever need help—”

  Lewis shook his head in a quick and final manner. “No need to finish that sentence. Truth be known, you make a horrible spy. I was attempting to be encouraging when I said otherwise earlier. I do have one last thing for you to do before you leave.”

  “Anything.”

  “Ellen, you may want to turn your back to us.” Lewis moved his finger in a circle.

  She gave James a questioning look, and he shrugged.

  “Because I need James to beat me to an inch away from death, and I daresay you don’t want to watch that.”

  James started to speak, but Lewis held up his hand. “Keeping my cover is imperative to the operation. They can’t know I set you free. You’ll have to make it convincing. If I were you, I’d start by using the chair.”

  James blanched. “I don’t want to hurt you. I could never.”

  Everyone’s gaze bounced to the door when the stairs creaked with weight.

  “If you love my sister as much as you say you do, you’ll thrash me soundly. It’s the only way.” Lewis reached for Ellen and she dove into his arms.

  “I love you.” She squeezed him.

  “Take care of yourself. Listen to James.”

  James took Ellen by the shoulders and turned her away. He rolled his sleeves to his elbows. Then he walked out of her line of vision. She heard the first blow collide. It seemed to echo in the room along with each successive hit.

  Lewis groaned.

  James muttered.

  Ellen locked her eyes on the green curtain that waved in the breeze, but her vision misted over, and a moment later her shoulders wracked with sobs.

  She heard Lewis’s weight crumple to the floor.

  Then James’s anguished, “Enough, I can’t strike you anymore.” He came beside Ellen and tugged her toward the window. When she tried to glance at her brother over her shoulder, James framed her face with his hands, making her look him in the eye. “He wouldn’t want you to see him like that.”

  After he unfastened the window, James helped her down the ladder. As instructed, they pulled the ladder down, laying it beside the warehouse. James gripped her hand. He peeked both ways before they bolted along the row of buildings.

  Cold midnight air sucked the breath from her lungs. Her patent leather boots rubbed her heels raw. She winced as they turned the corner and sent up a prayer of thanksgiving when she spotted the carriage.

  A man dressed in all black hopped down to greet them. He opened the side door. “Where am I to take you?”

  “To the Danbys’. Their address is—” James looked her way.

  But the driver shook his head. “I know the way to their house from here. Agent Ingram added it to the patrol routes more than a week ago.”

  Ellen dropped into the plush bunch along the back of the carriage. James took the seat beside her and the carriage lurched into motion.

  When James’s arm came around her, her head drifted to his shoulder. “What now?”

  He rubbed his thumb in a circle over her arm. “We go back to the Danbys’ and announce our engagement. We’ll wait for your mother’s arrival tomorrow and leave the city with them as planned.”

  “My mother!” She bolted forward. “We forgot to tell Lewis about her m
oving west.”

  James rested his hand on her back, right between her shoulder blades. “We’ll let the driver know. I have a hunch he keeps close communication with Lewis.” He guided her back to his side.

  “Poor Lewis, I hate to think of him lying there in pain.”

  “He was right. It was the only way. The Secret Service … I still can’t believe it.”

  Harnesses jingled as the horses made haste out of the dockside portion of the city. She closed her eyes and listened to James’s heart beating. She was having a hard time processing everything and the steady thump of his heart helped calm her frayed nerves.

  “Ellen, you didn’t say anything about the engagement. Is it not what you want?”

  Not what she wanted?

  She turned, grabbed his chin and planted a long kiss on his lips. He tasted like smoke and fish and weariness, but she didn’t care. When their lips parted, she touched her forehead to his and left her hand hooked around his neck. She searched his green eyes. “Does that answer your question?”

  A sly, tight-lipped James-smile creased his handsome face, making the L shaped scar on his cheek stand out. “I love you. You know that, don’t you?” He kissed her again.

  When she rested against the seat a moment later, James took a deep breath. “There is just one thing I have to do before we return to Wheaton tomorrow.” He laced his fingers through hers. “I met a man tonight who perished from a wound he received at the riot. I promised him I’d look in on his family and give them a last letter from him. I want to do what I can to care for them. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Mind?” She squeezed his hand. “I’m proud to have such an honorable fiancé.”

  “I like the sound of that.” He snuggled closer than Madame De Molineus would have deemed proper. In fact, Madame was against snuggling in any form. Ellen took a deep breath of James’s Clubman aftershave and sighed. Pity for Madame.

  Tomorrow, when he went to see this family, maybe Ellen would go and bid farewell to Iana. She still had to figure out what God wanted her to do for those people. And now she was leaving Chicago. What if she never saw them again? She didn’t even know if James would consent to her helping the poor. What if he wanted a wife who stayed in the home, one who didn’t use his money toward charitable endeavors?