by Karen Kirst
She nodded, then slowly eased her hand from his to point at her gag.
“You won’t scream?”
She shook her head. He removed her gag. She licked her lips, then twisted her mouth from side to side just because she had the freedom to do so. “Thank you for your careful treatment of me. I do appreciate it.”
“Uh…you’re, um, welcome… I guess.”
“I understand your warning and the threat you want me to communicate to my stepfather. I don’t, however, understand you as a person. You sound educated, so I can’t help wondering how you got into this life of crime. Are you being blackmailed? Or are you doing this of your own free will? It would be more compelling if you were being blackmailed. Have you ever killed someone? No. Don’t tell me that. I don’t want to know. Well, I do, but still don’t tell me. You really are most interesting, though. In fact, I—” The gag slipped back into place muffling the rest completely. “That was just rude. I was going to make you a misunderstood antihero, but now you’re going to be a cold, calculating, one-dimensional villain.”
Keeping hold of her wrist, he eased over to one side of the carriage and opened the door. “There is a pair of scissors on the seat beside you to cut the ties.”
“Come back here! I’ve never met a criminal before, and I’m not done—” She growled in frustration when the door slammed shut. Realizing she was wasting time, she used the hand he’d released to push at her blindfold. It was so tight that she only managed to free one eye from the darkness. She slid toward the door where he’d exited only to be reminded that she was still tethered to the other side of the carriage. Finding the scissors he’d left, she rid herself of all her restraints and halfway stumbled out of the coach in her haste. She found herself alone in a dead-end alley.
“Obnoxious, rude criminals, why’d you have to leave so fast?” She kicked at the carriage wheel of the abandoned carriage, then felt her stomach roil. “Uh-oh.”
She’d researched chloroform enough to know that nausea was normal. She needed to lie down for a while if she didn’t want to lose the contents of her stomach. She could try to recline in the carriage. However, hanging around in an alleyway didn’t seem like a smart idea. Despite her protests to the contrary, she’d met enough dangerous men for one day. Dangerous men… Chris! She hadn’t had a chance to give him the manuscript. She supposed she could always mail it to him. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? She’d been too caught up in the moment, in his final goodbye. Well, it didn’t matter. He was long gone by now.
An unexpected sadness washed over her at the thought. She shook her shoulders in a vain attempt to rid herself of it. Turning to the waiting horses, she crooned, “Where is your driver, darlings? I hope he wasn’t hurt. We need to get out of here and find out, don’t we?”
One of the horses neighed, which seemed to indicate they agreed with her plan. Unfortunately she wasn’t entirely sure if she was capable of implementing it. She hadn’t driven herself in almost five years. Even before then, she’d only driven in Peppin, which had fewer intimidating roads and much less traffic. It would help if she knew how far she had to go. She walked to the opening of the alleyway and sagged onto the nearby building in relief. She was only one block away from her stepfather’s newspaper offices. She had no delusions that she’d been left in this spot by accident.
She went back to the carriage to gather her reticule and satchel, then gave each of the horses a reassuring pat before she stepped out of the alleyway. She suddenly realized it was entirely possible that her captor was still out there somewhere, hoping to watch her take his message to Everett. She lifted her chin and threw back her shoulders to show them she’d not been intimidated by their tactics. All the while, she willed her stomach to stop inching toward her throat.
The moment she entered through the employee’s entrance she found herself rushing to the mercifully unoccupied restroom where she emptied the contents of her stomach in short order. Once she felt it was safe to do so, she rather shakily made the seemingly endless journey up the stairs to her stepfather’s office. Thankfully, everyone in the office seemed too busy to notice her so she didn’t have to speak with anyone. Everett’s office was empty, which meant he was probably downstairs speaking with one of his reporters. No matter. He’d be back soon enough, and she’d tell him what had happened to her. Until then, she’d lie down on his divan to settle her stomach and rest her eyes…
*
Adelaide had been missing for more than three hours. The reporters of the Houston Gazette had hit the street in pursuit of answers. They’d found the Holden’s carriage in an alleyway nearby with evidence suggesting that Adelaide had been bound and gagged. The police were canvasing the area, but so far nothing more had been found. Everett left to find Rose and inform her of what was happening. Chris stayed at the newspaper making notes as reporters checked in to report where they’d been before leaving to get back to the search. Everett returned and immediately looked to Chris. “Any new leads?”
“No, sir.”
Everett’s mouth pressed into a firm line before he yelled, “Smalls, is the press ready?”
A man who couldn’t be much over five feet tall popped out of the back room. “Ready, chief. You have the copy?”
“And the illustration Brehm worked up for me.” Everett handed all of that to the Smalls. “I want those circulars printed and out the door in twenty minutes. Smalls? Smalls, what wrong with you? Stop stopping and go.”
Despite the crisis they were facing, Chris couldn’t help being impressed by Everett’s authoritative demeanor. He couldn’t imagine where Smalls found the gall to stand there shaking his head in defiance of his boss. The man must have lost his mind. Chris froze as the sound of Adelaide’s voice filled the silence. “Pa, I’m sorry to interrupt, but could I speak to you for a moment?”
Relief filled Chris. Before he could take a step toward her, Everett had already crossed the room to take his stepdaughter in his arms for a hug. Realizing he didn’t have a right to do the same, especially after he’d all but said his final goodbyes to Adelaide at the station, Chris hung back and waited for Everett to start asking the questions begging for answers. He wasn’t disappointed, for the man stepped back to look at Adelaide in concern. “Are you all right? What happened? We’ve been so worried.”
He caught a glimpse of her reassuring smile over Everett’s shoulder. However, Chris couldn’t help being concerned despite her insistence that she was fine. She might be trying not to worry them. Or she might not fully know the extent of her injuries if the criminals had used the same tactics with her as they had with Ezra. Chris waited until Everett finished hugging her before quietly suggesting, “She should still see a doctor just to make sure.”
Adelaide’s light-green eyes landed on him and widened even as her smile grew. “Chris! I thought you’d be long gone by now.”
He crossed his arms and offered a shrug. “You didn’t come back, so I didn’t leave.”
“Chris has been helping us try to track you down,” Everett said. “He’s right. We’ll have a doctor look you over to be safe.”
“If y’all insist, but I really do feel fine. The nap I took helped. Thanks for letting me borrow your office.”
Chris shared a confused look with Everett who frowned. “You were in my office? For how long?”
“That depends. What time is it now?”
Chris glanced down at his pocket watch. “A quarter to four.”
“Well, I walked over here right after…what I need to talk to you about so I guess three hours or so.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, Ezra and the horses! Pa—”
“We found them, and they’re fine. But, three hours!”
The men exchanged glanced with each other until Smalls finally said what they were all thinking. “She was right under our noses almost the whole time.”
“You mean y’all didn’t know I was here?” Adelaide grimaced. “I’m so sorry! No wonder y’all were worried. I guess I should have said something
when I came in. I wasn’t feeling very well and everyone seemed so busy that I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
“For the record,” Chris drawled. “You wouldn’t have been a bother.”
A hint of amusement sparked in her eyes. He did his best to curtail his smile because they were the only ones who seemed to think the situation was the least bit funny. Everett shook his head as he slowly sank into the nearest chair. “Don’t worry about it, Adelaide. It wasn’t your fault. We had a roomful of reporters and policemen. Someone should have noticed. The fact that we didn’t doesn’t speak well for our observation skills. We’ll be the laughingstock of Texas if this gets out.”
“The circular never went out,” Smalls said as he returned the papers Everett had handed him earlier. “That means the public doesn’t need to know this ever happened.”
“True.” Everett squared his shoulders and offered a nod. “The police will want to know for their investigation, of course, but I doubt they’ll do anything to publicize this. Their reputations are just as much at stake as the newspaper’s is. Let’s not worry about that now, though. Smalls, if you’ll stay and inform everyone that Adelaide is safe, I’ll go ahead and take her to see a doctor.”
“Sure thing, Chief.”
“Thank you. Chris, will you join my family for supper?”
Chris glanced down at the suitcase which he’d set beside his borrowed desk. He’d promised his father that he’d return to Peppin as soon as Adelaide was safe. On the other hand, a man had to eat. Besides, the next train wouldn’t leave until almost eight o’clock anyway. He’d probably have plenty of time to make it to the station. Right?
Wrong. Supper was delayed by Adelaide’s visit to the doctor and an interview with the police chief. By the time they did eat, Everett had convinced Chris to stay in Houston one more night. After the household retired, Chris still hadn’t been able to settle down enough to even change into his sleeping clothes. Realizing that his uneasiness was probably nothing compared to what Adelaide must be feeling, he slipped from his room and down the stairs. As he’d expected, he found her pacing back and forth in the candlelit library.
He stepped inside, quietly calling her name so as not to startle her. She jumped anyway. After placing a calming hand over her heart, she rushed into his arms. He caught her to his chest and buried his face in the free-spilling waves of her hair. He suddenly knew this was why he’d stayed. He’d needed a chance to hold her in his arms, offer what comfort he could and know that she was truly out of harm’s way.
She shifted to rest her cheek against his chest, but didn’t let go.
“I was fine. I was fine all day, when I talked to the police—even while it was happening. I managed to stay calm. Now, I’m shaking like a leaf. Every time I close my eyes I see that man lunging at me in the carriage.” She shuddered. “My heart starts beating so fast.”
He rubbed calming circles on her back. “Hey, it’s all right. You’re all right. Take a deep breath.”
She did as he said, then pushed away slightly to meet his gaze. Tears pooled in her eyes but she sounded somewhat calmer. “Do you know what the scariest part of all this is? I was bound, gagged, blindfolded and unconscious. Anything could have happened to me. I wouldn’t have been able to defend myself.”
“You’re right that it could have been worse, but it wasn’t. You know the end of the story so don’t let the unknowable bother you. You were released. You’re unharmed. Let’s focus on that, all right?”
She nodded, which knocked a tear loose. He brushed it away, then led her to sit beside him on the settee. She bit her lip and stared into the empty fireplace across the room. “There is something I haven’t told anyone about what happened.”
He covered her hand with his. “What’s that?”
“After I figured out that the abductor wasn’t going to hurt me, I convinced him to remove my gag, then I tried to question him…” She met his gaze guiltily. “So I could use him as a character in one of my books.”
That was so far from the realm of anything Chris had expected her to confess that it took a moment for him to process. He grinned. “That whole situation is exactly like something that would happen in one of your books.”
“I know!” She leaned forward. “That’s what I was thinking the whole time. In fact, it was very similar to what happened to—”
They finished together, “Chet Ryder in The Outlaw Ranger.”
They stared at each other for a moment before a soft but delighted smile touched her lip. “That’s absolutely right, Chris.”
Of course it was. He’d read that book more times than he could count. “So did you learn anything from the abductor?”
“No.” She rolled her eyes. “He wouldn’t cooperate—didn’t answer a single one of my questions, then he put the gag back on.”
“How rude.”
She laughed. “I thought so.”
It was Chris’s turn to pull in a deep breath. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“So am I.” Her green eyes sobered. “And I’m glad you stayed.”
Chris took her hand as he smiled and nodded in agreement. He wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else during this time than by her side and helping her family. However, that, in and of itself, was a frightening admission. He didn’t want to care for her. Yet, couldn’t seem to stop himself. That was fine. Caring was one thing—a manageable thing, something he could walk away from if need be. He wouldn’t allow it to go any deeper than that.
CHAPTER EIGHT
When had Chris released her hand? Adelaide opened her eyes in search of it, in search of him, only to find herself alone in the library. Morning light eased through the heavy curtains to softly illuminate the room. She must have drifted to sleep while they were talking.
She shook her head to banish the lingering sleepiness, then sat up, accidentally knocking the throw that covered her onto the floor. A smile drifted across her lips as she imagined him laying it over her. She wasn’t entirely sure how long they’d stayed up talking last night. All she knew was that it had been wonderful…like having a best friend again. It had been so long since she’d connected with anyone who truly seemed to understand what made her tick—five long years to be exact. She remembered now how Chris had always been willing to listen and ready to help. She’d made herself forget that and so many other things because it had been too painful keep those memories close.
Chris was everything she remembered. The frightening thing was that she was starting to forget why she’d let him go in the first place. She closed her eyes and took the opportunity to remind herself. She could believe that his feeling for her had been genuine and maybe even deep when he’d first proposed. However, that didn’t mean that hers had been. Everything had happened so fast that rainy evening she’d left Peppin. All because a single kiss had transformed their friendship into something more. How could she possibly have risked basing the entirety of her future on that?
A soft knock on the library door interrupted her thoughts just before her mother entered the room. “Oh, good. You’re awake. How are you feeling?”
“I’m feeling fine. I think I slept off all the effects of the chloroform in Pa’s office yesterday.” Adelaide’s eyebrows rose at the sight of the breakfast tray Rose carried. “What’s all this?”
“I thought you deserved a bit of pampering today.” Rose placed the tray table in front of the settee.
“Really? That’s sweet,” Adelaide said, hating that she was unable to stop the hint of confusion entering her voice. There had been a time before Hiram had died, and even before they’d moved to Houston, when she and her mother had been a team with the same goals and objectives. Somewhere along the way, they’d become adversaries, whether her mother knew it or not. However, for right now, the tension that usually filled the air between them seemed to have lessened considerably. Adelaide offered her mother a tentative smile. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome. Now, eat up while we talk about next steps.�
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“Next steps to what?”
“Keeping you safe, of course. Your stepfather and I were absolutely terrified at the idea of anything happening to you yesterday. We don’t want to take any chances when it comes to your safety. Everett plans to work with the police to launch a full investigation into the person or people behind your abduction. Now that he knows you were targeted as a way to threaten him about one specific story, he’s been able to narrow the field of suspects considerably. It shouldn’t be long before they find proof of whatever it is those men wanted to hide. Until then, he and I agree that it’s best you leave town until it’s safe for you to return.”
“Leave town? Where would I go?”
“To Peppin with Chris. I’ll be going with you as a chaperone and also because your stepfather is concerned about my safety, as well. It’s all been arranged. The train leaves in about two hours. I have a maid packing some of your belongings right now. After you eat, you can go up to see if there’s anything you want to take with you that she’s missed.”
Adelaide shook her head. “There are so many things I don’t understand about what is happening right now. How is traveling to Peppin any safer than staying right here? I can just stick close to the house until whoever did this is caught.”
“You know Everett. The fact that these people threatened him through you has only made him more determined to expose whatever they’re doing. But he doesn’t want you or me in the line of fire.”
“Peppin isn’t entirely safe, either. Is it? That’s where the charity house is that started all the problems.”
“To hear Everett describe it, that place is nothing more than an empty false front. He talked to the sheriff while he was in Peppin and there’s been no activity around the property. Besides, the town is so small that it will be easier to spot anyone who is out of place or acting suspicious. If we let it be known that we’re in danger, the whole town will look out for us. We lived there long enough, and you kept in touch with enough of your friends, that they consider you one of their own.”