by Joanna Shupe
“You are more optimistic than I, then.”
“I’ll make you a deal: We give this a month. If Lee still holds out, I’ll travel to China and smuggle her out.”
“You can’t do that,” Hugo protested. “Who will run the papers while you’re gone? Not to mention there are several high-ranking Chinese officials who’d like to see you swinging at the end of a rope. You’ll be caught as soon as you dock.”
All true, and the danger was the only reason Calvin hadn’t made the journey before this. But at some point the guilt far outweighed the possibilities of what might go wrong. If he died in the attempt, at least he would have tried. How much longer should Hugo be expected to wait?
A knock sounded on the open door and Calvin glanced up to find the Pinkerton he’d hired to look after Lily standing just inside the room. The investigator was as pale as paper.
Calvin shot to his feet. “What is it?”
“It’s Miss Davies, Mr. Cabot. She’s gone.”
Chapter Twenty
Lily came awake slowly, a steady hammering piercing her aching brain. Someone was shouting and pounding nearby. Dear God, please make it stop.
“Let us out of here!”
That voice. She fought to open her eyes, a Herculean feat at the moment. Why was she so tired? She and Cora had been at a dinner party. They’d left shortly before midnight, sharing a ride in Lily’s brougham. Then it all came rushing back: The men dragging her and Cora out of the carriage. Being tied up and having that horrible liquid forced down her throat. The world had gone black after that.
Through a crack in her lids, she discovered herself on a bed in a rundown, shabby room. Where was she?
“Oh, thank God you’re awake!” Cora appeared in Lily’s line of sight, her cousin’s hair askew, gaze bright with unshed tears. She was pale and trembling as she grabbed Lily’s hand. “Those men—they drugged us. I woke a few moments ago and I’ve been shouting for someone to come, for someone to let us out of here.”
Lily’s stomach sank. This had to be Mr. Lee’s doing. No one else would kidnap Lily—and now poor Cora had been drawn into this drama as well. She swallowed hard and forced down the fear threatening to choke her. She had to find a way out before something terrible happened. Something more terrible than being kidnapped.
“Help me up,” she croaked, holding out her arm.
Cora grabbed Lily’s wrist and helped her to sit. Lily dragged a hand down her face and tried to shake the cobwebs from her brain. “Have you seen anyone?”
“No,” Cora said. “I heard footsteps outside the door, though.”
Lily examined the room. Besides the bed, there was just a table and a lamp. No windows. One door, which was presumably the only way out. Where were they?
She tried to stand and her head swam, causing nausea to roil in her stomach. Cora steadied her with a strong hand. “Go slow,” her cousin said. “Whatever they gave us was potent. My stomach nearly emptied when I tried to stand.”
“God, Cora. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“What do you mean, your fault? What are you talking about?”
“The man who took us . . . he was after me.”
Cora pushed an errant lock of hair off Lily’s forehead. “After you? Who is it?”
“His name is Lee. He’s a . . . criminal in Chinatown.”
“How do you know a criminal in Chinatown?”
“It’s a long story.” Lily took a step and her knees wobbled. She leaned on the mattress for support.
“I think we have time,” Cora snapped. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve been kidnapped.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry.”
“Yes, you said that already.” Cora began pacing, her silk evening dress rustling. “I don’t understand. What does he want with you?”
“I’m not certain. The man who took us, Mr. Lee, thought Tom was involved with his daughter, which turned out to be false. But then someone—one of Lee’s men—tried to break into my house the other night—”
“Someone broke into your house!” Cora’s eyes were saucers, huge even in the low light. “What happened?”
“Nothing. He was apprehended and dealt with. I was fine.”
“Well, why would this Mr. Lee send someone to your house?”
“To hurt me, in turn hurting Calvin.”
“You and Calvin . . . again?”
Lily winced. “It’s madness, I know. But there’s something about the two of us together. I cannot seem to help myself when I’m around him.”
“Lily! That man tore your heart in two. And after what he printed about Monty? How could you still want him?”
Lily recalled Cora’s comments about a man she cared about being linked in the papers to other women. There was a man in Cora’s life, and not one who reciprocated her feelings. “We cannot always control who we fall in love with,” Lily said pointedly.
Cora held up a hand. “Touché. And it’s not as if we should be arguing about this now. We need to find a way out of here. The door is locked and there are no windows.”
Voices carried through the thin wooden partition along with footsteps coming down the corridor. Lily pointed at the wall near the door. Wait there, she mouthed to Cora. Her cousin nodded and pressed her back to the wall, not making a sound. In the meantime, Lily glanced wildly for a weapon, something she could use to defend them. Unfortunately, the options were limited to the lamp or the wooden table. Lily lunged for the lamp and quickly extinguished the flame. The room fell into darkness and she positioned herself flat against the wall next to Cora.
A key went into the lock. Turned. A click sounded and then the knob began to rotate. Lily held her breath, bringing the lamp over her head. Tensed her muscles. The door cracked and slowly widened, and soon a large form walked in. She swung the lamp with all her might, bringing the brass base down with both arms. It struck the man on the side of the face and he grunted, stumbling back. The lamp crashed to the floor, oil splashing. She felt a surge of victory and grabbed Cora’s hand, ready to pull her cousin into the corridor and bolt for freedom.
The second they stepped near the threshold, however, another man, one she recognized, blocked their path. Lee.
He showed no reaction to Lily’s escape attempt, just continued inside, two other men right behind him. Clasping Cora’s arm, Lily moved as far away from the door as possible, shielding her cousin as best she could with her body. “What is this all about?”
“Good evening, Miss Davies.” Lee appeared much the same as the last time she’d seen him, wearing a dark coat and trousers, his long braid falling down his back. “I hope you are comfortable here. Although you will need a new lamp, I see.”
One of Lee’s men began assisting the hurt man out of the room. Lee turned and spoke to them in his native tongue before they disappeared. Then he faced Lily and Cora. “Your cousin is very pretty, like you. How fortunate I now have two pretty girls.”
Cora shivered behind Lily, so Lily tried to prevent her voice from wavering. “I demand that you let us go. You had no right to kidnap us.”
“You are wrong. It was necessary, as a way to force your husband’s hand. You see, he has something that belongs to me and I want it returned.”
A man hurried into the room carrying a lit lamp. He placed it on the small wooden table, bowed to Lee, and left. The light illuminated the small room, revealing Lee’s cold expression, the malice in his eyes. A stab of pure fear wedged under Lily’s sternum, making it hard to breathe.
Still, Lee had to be mistaken. “Calvin hasn’t taken anything.”
One of Lee’s brows shot up. “You don’t know?”
“No.”
“Your husband has taken my daughter in exchange for his friend’s wife.”
“Your daughter?” Lily closed her eyes, the words affecting her like a blow.
“Yes. He’s been hiding her from me for weeks. I can see you were unaware of that fact.”
While Lee could very well be lying,
Lily doubted it. Newport . . . Tom’s sudden appearance. Somehow, Calvin had located both Tom and Lee’s daughter in Newport and no one had bothered to tell Lily. Weeks had gone by and Calvin hadn’t offered up that information. I need you to always trust me, to be honest with me, she’d said, and he still hadn’t mentioned anything about this.
Tom must know as well, helping Calvin to keep Lily in the dark. Where was this girl? No wonder Lee had sent a man after Lily. He’d been trying to force Calvin to give back Ming Zhu. Lily’s life had been threatened—and Calvin still hadn’t been truthful with her. The man spins lies for a living. Did you honestly think you could change him?
A terrible crushing weight pushed on her chest, so hard that she feared it would split in two. She would never forgive Calvin for this.
“If Mr. Cabot does not return my daughter before tomorrow, we shall see what sort of price you and your cousin fetch from my customers.”
Cora let out a tiny gasp, but Lily ignored her. “Let my cousin go. She has nothing to do with any of this.”
“I am afraid not. I plan to keep you both until I have what I want.” He motioned for his men to leave and started toward the door. “Oh, and should you break this lamp, I won’t bring a new one. You’ll be kept in the dark . . . until we have a need for you.”
* * *
Calvin paced the length of Kwan’s tiny kitchen, the constant motion the only thing keeping him sane at the moment.
Lee had taken Lily over two hours ago. After restraining the Pinkerton, Lee’s men had dragged Lily and Cora from the carriage and drugged them. The last thing the Pinkerton remembered was the sharp blow to his head, which knocked him out for a few moments, long enough for Lee’s men to get away with the ladies.
Calvin clenched his jaw, his hands tightly fisted at his sides. He would kill Lee for this—and not a quick, painless death either. Yes, Calvin had taken Lee’s daughter, but Ming Zhu had been complicit in the kidnapping, eager to escape her father’s keeping. Taking Lily hardly compared at all.
“You should sit. Eat something,” Kwan told Calvin. His friend stood at the counter, calmly pulling bones out of a filleted fish. The only other person in the room was Hugo, who sat perched on a stool at the far end of the room, a worried pinch to his brows.
“I can’t. When will your son’s friend return?”
“Any minute,” Kwan replied. “You watching the door will not cause him to appear any sooner.”
Calvin muttered a few select Cantonese words at his friend, ones having to do with a pig and the male anatomy, and kept pacing. He didn’t want to wait. He wanted to tear apart New York City, smash down every door and wall until he found her. Sweat prickled the back of his neck, his skin crawling with fear and fury. He hadn’t drawn a full breath since learning of what had happened.
Fuck, what if something happened to her?
He clutched his head, fingers yanking at the roots of his hair. “Tell me why I agreed to let this boy go over to Lee’s instead of ripping down every brick myself?”
“Because you’ll get yourself killed, that’s why,” Hugo said. “This boy knows the building. He’ll pretend to want a pipe but will search for Lily instead. We have to know if Lee is keeping her there. Have some patience, Calvin.”
“You should be more concerned with what you will do once he returns.” Kwan smoothed his hand down the meat of the fish, searching for more bones. “And how you will get them out of Lee’s without being seen.”
Kwan had a point. They needed a rescue plan, one that would not risk their lives. Calvin had thought to confront Lee while Hugo squired Lily and Cora to safety, but Hugo might need help. Taking on Lee’s men would not be easy.
“Who owes us favors?” Calvin asked, and Hugo’s brows lifted. Calvin held up a hand. “Fair enough. Nearly everyone in the damn city owes me. But we need . . . muscle for this job. Men who can take care of themselves in a fight—”
A sound caught his attention and he spun to find a young Chinese boy stepping through the back door. “Tell me what you found out,” he barked in Cantonese with no preamble whatsoever.
Kwan made a disapproving sound and traveled around the counter to offer the boy a chair. “Sit,” he said to the boy and held out a cup of tea to ward off the late-night chill. Calvin gritted his teeth and waited for Kwan to finish playing mother hen.
When the boy was settled, Calvin asked in Cantonese, “Is she there?”
The boy nodded. “Two American women are being kept on the top floor, south side. Room locked, no windows. They tried to escape by smashing a lamp over a guard’s head, but it did not work.”
Calvin closed his eyes briefly. Stupid, foolish woman. Why would she try something so dangerous? “Have they been harmed?”
“I could not say.”
A loud crash erupted in the front of the restaurant—the shattering of glass. Calvin sprang into motion, bolting for the source of the sound as fast as he could, Hugo and Kwan following directly behind. When they arrived they found a hole in the front window, broken bits of glass on the floor. A rock rested amid the glass, a piece of paper tied around it with a string. Calvin picked it up and loosened the string to free the note. Unfolding the paper, he quickly read the words written inside.
I have your wife. Come alone or I will find a new use for her presence here.
Calvin rocked back on his heels, the words hitting him square in the chest. “Jesus Christ.” Would Lee dare to do something so terrible, so cruel, when Calvin held Lee’s daughter? There was no way to know if the threat was legitimate—and Calvin wasn’t willing to gamble with Lily’s life.
Standing taller, he arrived at a swift decision. He had to get Lily and Cora out of there. Now. “I’ll go. Tonight. Before dawn breaks.”
Hugo nodded. “We’ll need a plan. Lee’s men will recognize both of us on sight. No way we’ll get in unnoticed.”
“There’s no we in this. I’ll see him alone. I can persuade Lee to release Lily and Cora.”
“You can’t go in by yourself. He’ll kill you.”
“I agree, Cabot.” Kwan flanked Hugo, his face lined with concern. “That will only end badly for you. At least let us help—”
“No!” Calvin shouted, slapping a table with his palm. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath. “I can’t risk someone else getting hurt. All of this is my fault and I will not put anyone else in jeopardy.” He held Hugo’s stare. “And it’s Lily.”
“Cabot, you’re not thinking clearly. I know you love her,” Hugo said, “but this is a trap. He means you harm.”
Better him than Lily or Cora. If something happened to Lily, Calvin couldn’t bear it. “You saw the note. He wants me alone. Don’t worry. I can handle myself. And the longer we stand here arguing about it, the longer she’s over there suffering God knows what.” He snatched up his overcoat, which he’d thrown over a chair back earlier, and shrugged into it.
“But there has to be a way,” Kwan said. “Friends of yours in the police who can help.”
Calvin put a hand on Hugo’s shoulder. “Have a carriage waiting to get her out of there. Take care of her for me.” He didn’t need to spell it out for Hugo.
His friend nodded, understanding. “I will. But don’t you dare die in there.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Never had he been less certain of a statement but there was no hope for it. Lily needed him.
* * *
Lily stared at the wall, trying to wrap her mind around what she’d learned. Calvin had taken Lee’s daughter. He’d lied. Again.
Shadows and evasions. Half-truths and hidden agendas. Even after all that had happened between them, he still could not be honest with her. How had she not seen this coming? Hadn’t she always felt one step behind, wondering about the man’s true motives?
One thing was for certain: They were done. She never, ever wanted to see Calvin Cabot again.
“So you and Calvin . . .”
She swiveled to where Cora sat stiffly on the room’
s single chair. “You certainly held off on that question longer than I assumed you would.” They had been mostly silent in the minutes since Lee left, both women lost in her own thoughts about the evening’s events. “And if you are going to lecture me about him, you may save yourself the trouble.”
“I didn’t realize you two had grown close recently.”
Lily’s foot tapped the floor. “Yes, but I don’t plan to see him ever again, so not to worry.”
Cora’s expression turned thoughtful, as if she were trying to see into Lily’s brain. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“You should because I mean it. He’s . . .”
“A fantastic kisser?”
Lily strangled a laugh, amused despite the dark cloud covering her heart. “You should not know about those things yet.”
Cora picked at a loose thread on her skirt. “I don’t, not really.”
“Not really implies some experience.” Her cousin didn’t answer and Lily pointed a finger at Cora. “When this is all over, you are going to tell me what is going on, Miss Cora Kathleen Hampton.”
Cora chuckled. “My full name. You must be serious.”
Lily reached into her hair and began removing a pin. “I’m surprised; you are strangely good-tempered about this entire kidnapping situation.”
“I’m a bit surprised myself, actually. But I’m always saying that you have adventures without me, so it seems churlish to complain the first time I’m involved in one.”
Holding the pin in her teeth, Lily began removing another. When she had both pins, Cora lowered her voice and asked, “Are you going to pick the lock? Do you know how?”
“I thought I would try. Otherwise we’re merely waiting here for something terrible to happen. I cannot do that.”
“So instead you go out searching for something terrible to happen?” Cora came closer, her feet silent on the wooden floor, and grabbed Lily’s arm. “Lily, this is a mistake. We have no idea what’s on the other side of that door. There could be guards. With pistols.”
“Or we could find a way out. I cannot stay here, biding my time, until I’m forced into prostitution.”