by Rebecca King
“They aren’t giving up,” she whispered when Callum stopped to take aim at the guards’ new leader.
Mallory flinched and looked away the second Callum fired, not least because she didn’t want to witness any more death and destruction. Unfortunately, her gaze landed on Melrose House. Although it was now blessedly on the horizon, its orange flames still stood in bold contrast to the blackness of the night.
“It looks like the whole house has been engulfed,” she murmured, although could find no remorse for the loss of the large building.
“That is because most of it was built out of wood. That house is going to be derelict by the time the fire is extinguished.”
“It’s eerie.”
“What?”
“Seeing that. Even from this far away we can see the timbers. They look like bones, don’t they? The skeleton of the house.”
As they watched, some of those ‘bones’ creaked and began to sway before a low rumbling noise began. Within seconds, the bones disappeared into the hungry flames, which surged to life.
“There isn’t a sound to be heard except for that rumbling noise,” Mallory whispered. “Although we can see it, we cannot even hear the popping of wood being burnt, or the people. There are guards rushing everywhere still.”
“We cannot hear anything because we are so far away. What we should remember is that as soon as the fire is extinguished, Melrose’s guards will be even more vengeful.”
“Melrose. I haven’t heard of him before.”
“No?” Callum lifted his brows at her. “Didn’t you meet him while you were there?”
“No. He was always the master upstairs who everyone was fearful of.”
Callum didn’t doubt that.
“Do you think that they – this Melrose person - set fire to the house? Maybe he set fire to it to burn the evidence?”
“Of what?”
“Pardon?” Mallory blinked at him.
“What evidence is there for him to burn? What have you left behind in there that he might wish to destroy?”
“Well, nothing.”
“Did you scrawl your name on the walls?”
“No. They would have beaten me if I had.”
“Have you left any personal affects behind?”
“No.”
“Then he is unlikely to burn himself out of his own home, isn’t he?”
“I suppose.”
“Believe me when I tell you that you have to understand your friend a little better. He works in strange ways sometimes, but always gets results. Your friend was the one who made that house explode. He gave you the chance to escape.”
Mallory was so engrossed in her thoughts that she followed him without really thinking about the toll it was taking on her body. Until about an hour after the house disappeared from view, and Mallory saw where Callum had taken them.
“It’s a horse,” she said blankly, as if Callum couldn’t see that for herself.
“So it is,” Callum grinned.
It wasn’t just any horse. This horse was neatly saddled, and blithely munching grass while waiting for his owner – Callum – to fetch him. The horse recognised him the second he looked up. With a low whinny, Horace ambled over to Callum, but only so he could nuzzle Callum’s pockets for treats.
“I am not getting on that thing,” Mallory protested loudly. “I cannot ride.”
“You are going to ride on my horse with me,” Callum informed her firmly. “Now hurry up and come over here. Horace won’t bite you.”
“Horace?”
Mallory scowled at the horse. It didn’t look like a Horace.
“It’s huge,” she whispered.
“He is going to get us out of here a lot faster, that is what he is,” Callum replied bluntly. “Now come on over and say ‘hello’. We must keep moving.”
While he couldn’t see the guards now, he knew he couldn’t rest easy yet.
Reluctantly, Mallory did as Callum instructed.
“Put your foot in the stirrup,” Callum ordered gently.
Before Mallory could lift a foot off the ground, Callum lifted her effortlessly into his arms and swung her onto the huge beast. Mallory tensed and clung to the saddle. Before she could slither off and land in an undignified heap on the floor, Callum settled himself behind her.
The feel of him sitting so scandalously close was enough to make Mallory blush. At first, she tensed. She didn’t want to relax against him. It wasn’t the proper thing for any respectable lady to do. It was only when her muscles began to ache at being forced to hold herself rigidly upright while trying to balance on a moving horse that eventually compelled her to relax a little. As she did, Mallory settled against him into a far more comfortable position.
Callum wrapped his arms around her narrow waist and picked up the reins. Wheeling the horse around he nudged it into motion.
“Sit still, and hold on to me,” he urged gently. “Don’t sit tense or you are likely to fall off.”
Mallory did as instructed but was left clinging to him with a familiarity that made her cheeks blush even more fiercely.
“Hold on,” Callum grinned only for that smile to fall instantly when another loud boom of gunshot shattered the silence.
The bullet whooshed past Callum’s ear so shockingly close Callum stared in amazement at the trees. He knew exactly where the gunman was hiding; in the trees right beside them. Determined not to be hit, Callum dug his heels into Horace’s sides and ducked low over the saddle, effectively hunching over Mallory to protect her. He had ridden many miles on Horace, and knew the horse was used to racing through the night. He could pick a path better than Callum himself and so Callum made no attempt to slow him when Horace dropped his head and cantered even faster.
“Callum,” Mallory moaned as she was jostled about.
“Sit tight and hold on,” Callum growled.
She prised one eye open and peered at the ground only to start to pray at what she saw. She cowered like a frightened animal when another loud boom of gunshot shattered the silence. Suddenly, the horse swerved to one side and changed direction. He didn’t once falter over the freshly ploughed field.
“What do we do?”
“Keep going. It is all we can do.”
But they couldn’t keep going because the guards knew the area better than Callum and Mallory. When they crested the brow of the next hill, they found several guards charging toward them, trying to head them off.
“They were waiting for us, weren’t they?” Mallory groaned.
Once again, it was on the tip of her tongue to tell Callum to go on without her. It was only the fear of facing the guards alone that compelled her to keep quiet – for now at least.
“You are putting your life in danger to help me.”
“We knew that Melrose would give the order for you to be recaptured at any cost,” Callum replied. “This was expected.”
“Not by me,” she huffed. “I don’t know anything.”
“You know enough to ensure they are convicted for their crimes,” Callum said. “That’s enough.”
Tears stung her eyes. She understood why Callum had pestered her to maintain her pace now. She had wasted so much time pummelling him with questions they were now no closer to escaping than they had been when they had left the sheltered protection of the barn.
“Who are you? Am I to at least know who I am going to die with?”
Callum scowled at her. “You really do seem to have a horrid fixation on dying, don’t you?”
“I am just being honest, or have you not noticed the gangs of heavily armed men trying to capture us. You didn’t hear what they did to the last girl they decided to murder,” Mallory whispered.
Callum didn’t tell her that he was the one who had found the young woman’s corpse. He knew exactly what Melrose and his men had done to her.
At least I know now why Sir Hugo sent me to find her. He knew that once I had seen the state of Jemima, I would do everything possible to stop the sam
e thing happening to Mallory.
“I won’t allow them to do to me what they did to Jemima,” Mallory whispered, more to herself than to Callum.
She wasn’t at all sure he understood until she watched him dig around in his pocket.
“What’s that?”
Silently, Callum opened his palm.
Mallory went still when she saw two bullets in his hand.
“I don’t intend to be tortured to death or swept out of my life and held hostage either,” he replied honestly. “I would rather die. There are contingency plans should our backs ever be to the wall, but neither of us are going to die today.”
“How can you be so sure?” Mallory asked as she watched him tuck both bullets carefully back into his pocket.
Callum looked at her. There was a hint of arrogant scorn in his eyes that was as alarming as it was reassuring.
“Because I don’t want to die today,” he replied calmly but firmly.
Without saying another word, he nudged Horace into a full gallop and focused on keeping Mallory in the saddle before him as he guided the horse through the muddy fields.
“What do we do if there are more of them waiting for us through the next woods, or over the brow of the next hill?”
“We are going to do everything possible to avoid them. I don’t care where we go or what we need to do, we are not going to stop. What we must do is get out of this field. Horace is going to get hurt if he keeps charging through the mud at this speed.”
“I have never felt so useless in my entire life,” Mallory whispered.
She wanted to help but knew there was nothing she could do. All she could do was cling uselessly to Callum and try not to hinder his ability to race for freedom. She knew the horse would run faster if he was carrying just one rider, but Callum’s hold was tight around her waist. She couldn’t slither free even if she wanted to. In a way, she felt protected, cared for. It was a heady experience and something she had never felt before. Mallory was used to standing on her own two feet and fending for herself. It was – odd – to have to sit back and allow someone else to take charge of her life like Callum was. But she did because there was nothing else she could do.
CHAPTER FIVE
“What’s that?” Mallory asked several miles later.
Callum didn’t take his eyes off the ploughed field. “I don’t hear anything.”
All he could hear was the thundering of Horace’s hooves and the occasional blast of gunfire from the guards behind them.
“Listen. That strange whistle,” Mallory persisted. “They are calling to each other. Is that what that noise is?”
Callum tipped his head and heard three short owl-like hoots followed by what sounded like a skylark. It was then that he grinned and winked broadly at her.
“What?” Mallory blinked at him.
“Do you see him? Your friend from the garden?” Callum asked.
“Is that him?” Mallory squinted at the shadows to their right and pointed at a solitary figure standing just a few feet to one side of a thick oak tree.
Again, several short whistles broke the silence.
“Look! There is someone else over there.” She pointed at a solitary man astride a horse as big as Horace.
Callum didn’t hesitate to head toward them.
“What are you doing?” Mallory cried. “How do you know they aren’t Melrose’s guards?”
“They aren’t,” Callum replied with absolute certainty. “I know them.”
Mallory couldn’t see how he could be so positive about that. All she could see were the distinctive shapes of people.
“You aren’t so sure, are you?” Mallory murmured, trying her best not to sound accusing. “I hope you know what you are doing.”
“Hold on,” Callum ordered, as if she had any choice.
To Mallory’s amazement, Callum nudged is horse to go faster. Horace dutifully raced faster and faster toward a low stone wall, and crouched seconds before flying high into the air. Within seconds, they were all crashing to the ground again, this time on the same side of the field as the shadows Callum felt he recognised.
“What’s his name?” Mallory asked as they approached the shadow closest to them, but Callum didn’t answer.
“Who’s that?”
When he reached his boss, Callum nodded to the spot where he had seen the second shadow on horseback only to find it empty.
Sir Hugo shook his head. “I have no idea. He wasn’t there when I arrived.”
Callum mentally cursed. He didn’t need to go and investigate to know that the second figure had been one of Melrose’s men, if not Melrose himself.
“We don’t have long,” Sir Hugo warned.
He looked around the huge horse and cursed when he saw several men on horseback charging closer. Callum had done a stupendous job getting Mallory out of the house and keeping her away from the guards. Given their closeness on the horse, it was clear that they had stuck up a rapport. Callum had done his best, as requested, to get the woman to trust him and she did. That, as far as Sir Hugo was concerned, was a successful mission. But it wasn’t over yet, though. There was more work to do, especially now that Melrose’s men had managed to intercept them and were now trying to surround them.
“We have to go into phase two of our operation now, Callum,” Sir Hugo announced. “We have been surrounded. Melrose’s men are all over this area. When they realised that they couldn’t save the house, or the people inside, everyone turned their attention to recapturing Mallory. I don’t doubt Melrose is around here somewhere.”
“Have you seen him?”
Sir Hugo shook his head. “He was in that house but escaped out of the front door. With all the noise, chaos, and confusion, I lost him. His carriage is still in the barn, but Melrose does ride. He might have decided to come after you himself.”
“I can get her to the safe house if you can distract them,” Callum suggested.
“You have to go through Little Laghorn. It is a small village about half a mile away from here. Beyond it are woods which will take you on a short-cut to the main road leading to Ribbleton.”
Ribbleton was where the Star Elite’s safe house was located.
Callum opened his mouth to ask Sir Hugo if he felt it was the right place to take her only to watch his boss mount his horse having seemingly decided to end the conversation. Before he left, Sir Hugo wheeled his horse around to face them.
“Go to Ribbleton,” Sir Hugo whispered. “No matter what it takes. You know what to do, Callum.”
Mallory stared at the man she knew as the stranger in the garden. Seeing him thus, encased in the shadows of the night, he wasn’t gentle and friendly. The stranger was tall, dark, and wickedly sinister. She was glad she hadn’t met him in the garden looking like he did now, or she wouldn’t have spoken to him at all. In fact, she would have run inside and locked the door because facing Hell was better than challenging this man.
“Are you not coming?” Callum asked, wheeling Horace around in the direction of the village.
“Not yet. I have to put another diversion in place but will catch you up.”
Callum rolled his eyes but before he could say anything, Sir Hugo disappeared into the trees.
“Keep looking over my shoulder. Tell me if you see any of the guards,” Callum whispered.
Mallory shivered when his warm breath brushed teasingly over her cheek. It created an awareness that was unlike anything she had ever experienced. Purely personal in nature, it had nothing to do with fear but everything to do with the wild fluttering of her betraying heart. She didn’t want to feel anything for this man, or any other for that matter. Mallory wanted her freedom. A man would only take that away. If she dallied, even with someone like Callum who was apt to move on, she would not only risk ruining her self-respect, but she might end up jumping from one problem to another.
I need to sort my life out first and decide whether I wish to marry before I contemplate any emotion that I might feel toward him.
That was easier said than done, though, when she was pressed as intimately against him as she was. He was a stranger, yes, but he had already done more for her than anybody had in her life. He had saved her from her kidnapping tormentors, and kept her safe while being shot at and threatened. Now, he was doing everything possible to find her somewhere safe to stay. Nobody had ever done more.
That is still no reason why I should feel any hint of attraction toward him.
Callum was, after all, a total stranger to her. Until a few hours ago she hadn’t even known he had existed.
He might have a wife and several children waiting for him at home.
That thought was a stark reminder that she had to control her emotions, and not allow appreciation to be misconstrued as anything more.
“Do you see anyone?”
Mallory shook her head. “Everything has gone quiet.”
“Too quiet,” Callum conceded.
“I wonder if your friend has diverted their attention already,” Mallory murmured.
“I don’t see how he could have without us hearing it.”
Callum risked a glance back at the woods where they had met Sir Hugo but couldn’t see or hear anything. The entire area was deathly quiet.
“What do we do? We cannot just leave him.”
“He has told us to,” Callum bit out.
“He cannot face those guards on his own. They will kill him.”
“We have been told to go to the village and that is what we are going to do,” Callum replied bluntly. “We are not going back for him. He knows what he is doing.”
“But-”
“No ‘buts’, Mallory. We are not going back for him and that’s final,” Callum growled.
Mallory glared at him, but Callum didn’t even bother to look at her. Without jumping down there was little she could do except sit in disgruntled silence.
“We cannot go through that village,” Mallory protested when a small group of houses came into view.
“It is where he has told us to go.”
“Do you do everything he tells you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“It’s my job.”
“If he told you to jump off a cliff, you would go and do it, would you?”