by Rebecca King
“That’s where we are?”
Callum nodded. He was doing his best to scour the area for Melrose’s men not least because it helped him to keep his eyes off Mallory. It was damned distracting to have her keep staring at him as if he was an oracle she could interrogate at will. While he could understand her curiosity there were some answers that he couldn’t give her because he didn’t know what was likely to happen, and there was only so much he could tell her.
“What are you doing?” she asked when Callum nudged Horace into the main street of the village when they reached it. “Someone will see us.”
Panic began to blossom within her. She clutched Callum’s shirt tighter and huddled closer as her concerned gaze flew up and down the street.
“We need to stop for a while because we need something to eat and Horace needs to rest for a while,” Callum replied. “We will be out of here just as soon as everyone has been fed and watered.”
As if to confirm his idea was a good one, Mallory’s stomach rumbled hungrily. She winced because she suspected Callum had heard it, but he was too much of a gentleman to tease her about it.
“I hope your friends are around here somewhere,” she breathed.
Callum looked down at her as she lay half-nestled in his arms. When he had first met her in the stable yard, his first impressions of her were that she was infinitely fragile and scared witless. Little had he known that she was a curious chatterbox. Not that he minded. Her questions gave him something to think about beyond where in the Hell Melrose might be hiding, and whether he should try to kiss her again.
As they rode into the main street, Callum scoured every nook and cranny for his colleagues. He looked into every market trader’s face, at every street sweeper and cart driver’s eyes, and farmer’s face in the hope that one of them might be Oliver, Phillip, Jasper, or Will. It was disconcerting that none of his colleagues had circled around and stopped in the village to intercept them.
“We are on our own,” Callum whispered, wondering what in the Hell had gone wrong.
Mallory looked around them and realised then that something was horribly wrong.
“It’s market day,” she hissed. “They know we are strangers.”
Indeed, the locals did realise that they had strangers in their midst and were none too pleased about it either. As Callum and Mallory entered the main market square all conversation stopped, transactions were halted, and people turned to stare at the intruders. Strangely, nobody would meet their nods of acknowledgement. Instead, gazes were lowered, and furtive enough to be worrying.
“What’s wrong with them?”
Callum shook his head. All sorts of thoughts were tumbling through his head, but he couldn’t take Mallory into his confidence. It was galling to have to admit it but coming into the village was the very worst thing they could have done, not least because now he suspected they were walking straight into the dragon’s den.
“It is as if they think we are escaped criminals or something.”
“They are scared,” Callum hissed. “Just keep quiet.”
He took a quick look behind them only to find a still and silent watchfulness that was alarming. All about them the town fell silent in a way that made him wonder if he and Mallory had encroached on some special occasion or, worse, a wake. It was only the brilliantly adorned market stalls that assured him that today was just an ordinary day.
“Do you think Melrose is here?”
“I think we have to assume that if he isn’t here right now, he has been here recently. Or, the villagers might suspect we have something to do with him.”
Mallory felt her empty stomach lurch at the thought that Melrose might be lying in wait for her.
“Should I get down? We are riding through the town where anybody can see me. If Melrose has told people that I have escaped, or am a thief or something, we are showing everyone in the town not only where I am but that I am with you.”
“We have to stay on Horace because he is the fastest way out of here if this lot turn aggressive.”
Callum wound his arms tighter around Mallory to make it clear to her that she was going nowhere. His gaze scanned the crowd, looking for furtive movements, or men signalling to each other.
“What do we do?”
“We have to go back,” he corrected.
But when he glanced back over his shoulder again it was to find that the crowd had closed ranks behind them, effectively blocking their escape route. The only way they could go now was forward, through the silently parting throng of unwelcoming strangers.
“If anything happens to me, try to stay on Horace. Kick everyone out of the way who tries to approach you and keep him running for as long as possible. Stay off the roads and go across the fields until you reach Ribberton. Once there, go to the Old Orchard House.”
“I am not leaving you,” Mallory interrupted.
“You have to get out of here, Mallory,” Callum insisted.
When he looked at her, Callum discovered that he was so close their noses almost bumped together. Without hesitation, he gave in to temptation and dropped a gentle kiss onto Mallory’s lips. He didn’t care who was watching, or what they thought of the bold display. Instead, he cuddled her closer and glared defiantly at anyone who dare meet his gaze.
“You are strong. You are brave. You can do this, Mallory. Just don’t let last night come to nothing. Don’t let them recapture you. Get out of here,” he growled under his breath. “No matter what happens to me, fight your way out of here. I am armed and am fully capable of killing them if I need to. You cannot. You must keep going. I will catch you up. Just get to the Old Orchard House. There are men there who will help you. Tell them what has happened, and were I was when you last saw me. They will send out a team to fetch me. You must help me, Mallory. I can do this, but I need you to co-operate. We don’t have time to argue and bicker about who is going to do what.”
In the uncomfortable atmosphere of the town it was difficult for even Mallory to not look at Callum suspiciously. She almost wished they could stop so she could ask one of the villagers what the problem was. Before she could, an elderly man caught their attention.
“Do you know him?” Mallory breathed into Callum’s ear when the aged man slowly shook his head, as if warning them against the wisdom of continuing down the road they were on.
The crowd who had parted to make way for them to pass through suddenly closed ranks effectively blocking their escape once more.
Mallory and Callum shared a worried look.
When Callum looked at the old man again, he saw that the elderly gentleman was looking pointedly at the milling throng to their right. With a scowl, Callum followed the direction of the man’s pointed stare.
“Something is there we need to be wary of,” he breathed.
He had no idea how he knew because not a word had been said, but Callum had no doubt in his mind he was right, especially when he turned to look at the old man once more only to find that he had vanished.
“Over there,” Mallory gasped.
When Callum looked at her, she pointed to a handful of men who were rapidly forging a way through crowd who appeared reluctant to part for them.
A deathly silence settled over everyone as they waited to see what would happen.
“Get down.”
Callum slid down and lifted Mallory down before leading Horace behind a stall. In that moment, one of two large doors leading to a courtyard beside them opened.
“In here.”
An elderly woman was waving frantically at them. Callum studied the large and empty yard behind the doors but could see no reason not to trust the woman, especially when he could see another door at the rear of the yard.
“Quickly.”
Mallory opened her mouth to ask Callum if he knew what he was doing only to find herself propelled forward by the old man, who threw her a dark look of warning. The crowd suddenly burst into life again. To her amazement, the sound of their lively chatter blocked ou
t the noise that came from Horace’s hooves as he wandered into the stable yard behind the doors.
No sooner had Horace stepped inside, the old woman closed the large doors and dropped an iron bar into place to secure them.
“Go through the door out back and you will come to another lane. Take a left at the end of the alley and you will find yourself on the outskirts of town again, duckie,” the old woman began without preamble. “They are waiting for you up ahead. You would be a damned fool if you carried on with that journey.”
“Who is waiting for us up ahead?”
“Melrose, of course.”
Rather than leave, Callum squinted at the woman, who seemed to know all about Melrose’s criminality.
“What do you know about him?”
“That he has this village in the grip of fear and has for many years. People tend to disappear whenever he has been here, you see? He is a nasty man, that one, and it is a damned fool who crosses him. The people who do invariably find their livelihoods are smashed, and their families disappear, all because that thug, Melrose, thinks someone has wronged him. Don’t challenge him. He will kill you if you do.”
“How long has Melrose been waiting for us?” Callum asked her.
“About half an hour, I should say. They – Melrose – has been asking if anyone has seen her,” the woman replied simply with a nod at Mallory.
“What about you?” Callum asked, raking the elderly woman with an askance look. “Will you face ruination for talking to me and helping us?”
The woman threw him a sad smile. “I have had my day. That blackguard can do what he likes. I have no family anymore. I am the last of them. I don’t have anything worth taking except my life, dearie. If that fiend wants to take that, well, I will damned well haunt him until he joins me.”
Callum nodded. “We are going to stop him.”
The woman looked doubtfully at him. “There are them who have tried.”
“Stay safe,” Mallory whispered with a smile she truly didn’t feel.
“Aye. You go on now and stay away from him.”
“How many of them are there?” Callum asked.
“He has a lot of men working for him,” the woman replied.
Callum didn’t press her. He wondered if she was educated enough to be able to count them anyway. She didn’t seem to be the kind of woman who would withhold valuable information like opponent numbers. If she wasn’t inclined to tell him it meant that she probably didn’t know.
Callum paused in the process of opening the gate. “Are all of Melrose’s men from the village?”
The old woman shook her head. “Anyone who tried to join that man would be drummed out of the village with their families faster than you could blink.”
To prove just how much danger the old woman had put herself in by opening the doors, loud banging on them began.
“Don’t answer that. We will divert them,” Callum whispered.
“Aye.” The old woman turned away before Callum could thank her.
“You do know that Melrose House has been raised to the ground, don’t you, and half of Melrose’s thugs cut down?” Callum called after her.
The old woman paused. For the first time, she looked at them with light in her eyes.
“Then there is a God,” was all she said before she resumed her journey into the building that circled the courtyard.
Before Callum led the way out of the yard, he waited until the woman was safely inside the building. Only when he heard the dull thud of the bolt being slid across the door did he then lead Mallory out of the yard. He knew they didn’t have much time before Melrose’s men would venture around the back and would stumble across him leading Mallory to safety.
“Lead Horace,” Callum ordered, handing Mallory the reins.
Mallory dutifully took the reins and shivered when Callum removed his gun and checked it for shot.
“We have to go,” she whispered, growing more and more uneasy by the second.
The cause of that growing uneasiness became evident when they approached the end of the small lane to find Melrose’s men waiting for them. The loud clicks of their guns being cocked brought Callum and Mallory to an immediate stop.
Callum mentally cursed because he knew that he would be riddled with shot within seconds if he took one wrong step or tried to speak. He didn’t even look at Mallory, who had become equally still beside him.
It wasn’t lost on Mallory that they too were now like the townsfolk had been moments earlier, perfectly still and sullenly watchful.
And all because of Melrose and his men.
“Get away from her,” one of the guards growled.
“She isn’t yours,” Callum replied, doing his best to keep his voice low and non-threatening.
“She isn’t yours neither,” the man replied.
He waved his gun to show Callum which way he should step to get away from Mallory.
“They are going to hunt you down and kill you all,” Callum informed the men, even though he knew they wouldn’t listen. “Do you think that anybody who can level a building like Melrose House with an explosion like that is ever going to allow any of you to sleep in your beds at night?”
“Who are you?”
“We work for the War Office. You are a fool if you think you can challenge the might of the War Office and succeed. The men who run the War Office have entire armies at their disposal; Armies who have just returned to England having fought the French and won. Do you really think those Armies are going to be thwarted by a gang of ill-trained men like you? Or do you think you should get running now while you still have a chance of keeping your life? I am one of them, you see. If I disappear or are killed while on duty, my death must be avenged. As does Mallory’s. She is one of us, you see, so if she belongs anywhere it is with me.”
“She is War Office?” The man, clearly a little lacking in intellect, scowled and scratched his head.
He looked at his colleagues who appeared equally nonplussed.
Mallory suspected the men had been hired purely because they were uneducated as well, and less likely to ask Melrose questions he wouldn’t answer. The thugs were being paid, poorly, but more than they would earn doing anything else.
“The boss wants her back.”
“But the boss kidnapped her,” Callum challenged. “Do you really you want to take on the might of the Army to recover someone you have previously stolen?”
The thugs scowled at that.
“Do you really expect the Army to simply step back and let you kidnap someone for a second time?”
Callum folded his arms, aware that the man would have to take another moment to think about that.
Suddenly, a long whistle drew everyone’s attention to the fact they were no longer alone. The men scowled and looked around for the source of that noise. That temporary distraction was all Callum needed. Darting behind Horace, he slapped the horse on the rump. Horace lunged into motion, snatching the reins out of a startled Mallory’s hands. Seconds later, he was charging through the men toward the market square.
The men scrambled to get out of the way, but they paid the horse little attention. Instead, they tried to keep their wary gazes on Callum.
Then, all Hell broke loose again.
Callum snatched Mallory off her feet by curling one long arm around her waist while bullets rained down on the men in the street. Bricks exploded beside the entrance of the alley Callum dragged Mallory into, but it was the only hiding place they had.
Mallory, who slammed her fists into her mouth to stifle her terrified screams, slid silently down the wall until she was curled into a tiny ball. She was only partly aware of Callum positioning himself next to the wall before taking aim at anybody still standing in the street. Together with his colleagues, Callum set about defeating the enemy until there were no men standing; just a pile of bodies the villagers would have to clear away.
Only once the guns had fallen silent, and the last to fall had stopped writhing, did
the men from the Star Elite start to make their positions known.
“Clear.”
“Clear.”
“Clear.”
Callum puffed out his cheeks. Before he stood up, he took a moment to look down at the hand curled around his gun. It trembled ever so slightly and was so uncharacteristic of him that he realised then just how much Mallory had started to mean to him. He was shaken by just how close he had come to losing her. If his colleagues hadn’t arrived in time, God only knows if he would be alive still, despite the villagers hating Melrose as well.
Callum had no idea what that his deep connection to her meant yet; what he was supposed to do about it; but one thing he did know was that this battle had become personal.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Callum.”
Callum forced himself to his feet when he heard Will.
“What?”
The men: Niall, Phillip, Jasper, Harry, and Rhys, began to pick their way through the fallen men, checking each of the deceased to make sure they were beyond hurting anybody else. Guns were collected. Pockets were patted for knifes or any other weapon the fallen might use even while lying on the floor. Eventually, everyone gathered beside the last man but then turned to watch Callum gently help a terrified looking young woman to her feet. Even scared she was utterly beautiful with wide green eyes and a long main of flowing black hair.
“There goes another one,” Rhys murmured out of the corner of his mouth when he watched Callum tenderly capture Mallory’s hand in his and tug her out of the alley toward his colleagues.
Oliver threw him a grin before stepping forward and bowing.
“Miss? I apologise for the carnage, and our tardiness. We had a little problem in the woods that had to be cleared up before we could leave.”
Mallory, stunned that the man could be so polite amid so much bloody carnage, could do nothing more than nod. It was such a surreal situation to be in that words failed her. She wasn’t at all sure that any words seemed appropriate right now anyway.
“What about Melrose? Has anyone seen him?” Callum asked.
Rhys shook his head before stepping forward to introduce himself to Mallory.