Claudia knew she was no beauty. Her strange mixture of coloring, long facial features, and formidable father had warned off any potential suitors when she was younger. And now her shyness and advanced age of thirty two worked to seal her fate. Yet, it would be nice to be desired like other women for one simple moment.
She let out a sigh.
“That’s the last of them.” Micah said coming to stand beside her. Moonlight filled the room, casting shadows from every shelf. “Now, let’s get you home. I don’t want your watchdogs out looking for me.”
“I don’t have any dogs, Micah.”
“I meant Henderson and the boys. Those are very loyal servants you have there, ma’am.” Reaching around her, he opened the door onto the street.
“They’re not servants.” They walked down the street from the library in the direction of her house. She stopped him at the corner. “They are all the family I have.”
“I know that, Claudia. That’s why I want to deliver you safely to them.”
“I am not some package, or child incapable of taking care of myself, Mr. Turner.” Even though he wasn’t touching her, he felt her stiffen. “In fact, this is as far as you need to go with me.”
“Claudia, I know you think you can take care of yourself.” He was no longer interested in acting the gentleman. The lady was behaving like a spoiled brat. “But I’m not about to let you wander the streets alone. These are dangerous people we are dealing with.”
“I will be just fine.” Before he knew it, she bolted down the alley, hopping into the carriage that pulled into the adjoining alley out of nowhere. If he hadn’t been watching, he would’ve thought she disappeared into the night.
“Damn it! Two can play at this game, Miss Davis.” Micah let out a low whistle. A second carriage appeared, this one at the next street corner. Racing to it, he instructed the driver to follow the carriage exiting the next alley. The driver nodded with a semi toothless grin and snapped his reins to set the team of blacks to task.
CHAPTER FIVE
Micah leaned out the carriage window to talk to his driver, his former sergeant. “Keep your distance, Kelly. I don’t want them to see us. Let’s just see what they’re up to.”
“Right, Captain.” The Irishman grinned. Pulling back on the horses’ reins, he allowed the front vehicle to pull ahead.
Micah sat back in the carriage seat, relaxed. The good sergeant would keep Claudia and her helpers within sight until they reached their destination.
When he’d asked Kelly to accompany him tonight, Micah could see the gleam of excitement in his eyes. Kelly was always the adventurer. The gold coins he’d offered the man had secured his aid.
He turned his thoughts to the woman in the carriage in front of him. What was she up to? Keeping her out of trouble wasn’t the only problem he had. No, his reactions to being near the woman were complicating things.
The temptation to kiss the column of her neck while he’d held her had nearly overwhelmed him. His body responded immediately. Usually, he didn’t react so violently to brief encounters such as this. Never had he met anyone like Claudia, either. He’d heard her deep sigh in the library as he uncovered the windows. It had been so hard not to walk back and take her in his arms.
There were many things he didn’t know about her. She kept herself hidden behind so many disguises. He was beginning to wonder if he was ever going to see the real woman. When he held her tonight, her slenderness imprinted itself on his mind. Despite the sweater bulkiness, the gentle swell of her breasts grazed his arm, her scent tantalizing his senses. Underneath her disguise there was definitely a woman.
It wasn’t just her physical appearance that she hid from him, though. Again tonight, she reacted spontaneously to the name Whaler’s Reef. Then tried to cover up her mistake before he could tell she’d had one.
Had she ever been to the Whaler’s Reef? Did she have any more information about Patrice? There were many questions yet to be answered by Miss Claudia Davis. He was going to need those answers soon.
They crossed a bridge into Alexandria, Virginia, a parcel of land that had originally been part of the capital. In 1846, Congress voted to return the land to the commonwealth of Virginia. This was where large, seagoing vessels had to dock when delivering cargo to Washington, since the water basin was deep enough to accommodate their hulls. Baltimore was actually the port to which most ships docked in the area. It served both the capital and the Maryland coastline.
They passed through the dock area itself, headed toward the warehouses. Micah knocked on the carriage roof for Kelly to stop. Alighting on the ground, he motioned for his former sergeant to join him.
“I have a feeling I know where they may be headed. I want you to stay back here, Kelly.” Micah pulled a hat over his blond hair, trying to appear as dark as his surroundings. “But be ready. I may be back with several guests.”
“Yes sir, Captain.” Kelly nearly saluted before climbing back onto his seat.
Micah sprinted down the brick paved street in the direction the first carriage had gone. He moved silently in his old moccasin boots. He’d purposely worn them, knowing they’d absorb the sound of his feet on the cobblestones.
Turning a corner, he ducked into a doorway to see who exited the carriage stopping a few buildings ahead.
As he watched, one of the young boys jumped out of the carriage and held the door. Expecting to see Claudia descend next, Micah was surprised to see the second boy jump out instead. Both lads were dressed completely in black, even the hats on their heads.
Instead of walking in the tavern’s direction, they ducked in behind the building next to the carriage. Micah started out after them, but stopped as Henderson started the team up, leaving the area.
Good. At least that woman had enough sense to not be involved in anything down here.
Micah ran between the buildings, coming up on the one the boys had darted behind. He looked down the alley and couldn’t see either one of them. He crept down the alley cautiously. A window stood half-open above Micah’s head on the building on his left.
He smiled. Got you.
The boys had used several wooden crates to make a ladder to reach the bottom of the window. Standing underneath, Micah listened for sounds of the boys in the warehouse. There was a rustling sound, like papers being shuffled.
A scratch of wood.
A drawer being closed.
Two voices in quiet whisper.
Footsteps approaching the window.
A louder voice on the outside of the building, near the front, drew Micah’s attention away from the window. Moving flat against the brick wall, he headed to the front of the warehouse and peeked around the corner.
Two men—one tall and thin, the other, more stocky—were opening the door. Moonlight spilled from the clouds above, illuminating the thin man’s face.
Gibson.
Damn it. The boys were going to get caught in there.
Micah sprinted back to the window. He had to get those boys out before they were discovered.
Just as he reached the window, a foot lowered to the first crate. They must have heard the men in the front, too. Micah waited for the first boy to get to the ground, then pulled him against his body, locking his arm into the boy’s rib cage at the same time he clamped his hand over his mouth. Micah held the kicking body, silently waiting for the second boy to emerge.
First, a foot came through the window, then a slender leg. As Micah watched, he was greeted by a familiar derriere clad in boys’ black trousers. Next came a torso clad in a thick, black sweater, and finally a black hat.
Releasing the first boy’s mouth, he hauled the second body against his in the same fashion as the first. Bourbon smooth eyes, round in surprise, turned to look into his. He hauled both of his captives up under his arms, like two bundles of rags, whispering as he walked back to the street.
“Not one word. Do you understand?”
The larger bundle nodded. Then more hesitantly, so did th
e smaller one.
When he reached the street, Micah began limping, dragging one leg behind him.
“Told ya two street rats, if’n I ever caught ya near me boat agin’ I’d tan yer hides,” Micah loudly drawled in a deep, Kentucky-hill accent he’d learned during the war. He continued to limp back to where he’d left Kelly. “An that’s just what yer gonna git. Then I may just turn ya over to the law.”
Behind him, Micah could hear laughter from the taverns, but no one pursued him and his prisoners. Around the last corner, he found Kelly holding the door to the carriage open. Micah heaved up the first bundle, then the second. Two loud humphs escaped as they landed on top of each other.
“Get us out of here, Kelly,” Micah instructed his man as he jumped in and closed the door. He settled in his seat, waiting for the forms across from him to untangle themselves and sit in the opposite seat.
“Hello, Claudia.”
“Hello, Micah.” She pulled the black hat off of her head, shaking out the thick waves of her dark-red hair. Then she turned a grinning face to her partner. “Well done, Adam.”
Lamplight flashed through the cab’s interior as they raced through the city streets. Micah never took his gaze off the creature in front of him. The pleasure of her adventure was written all over her face, which was smudged with dirt. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and her hair framed her face for the first time. Now he knew the woman before him. This woman touched him to the core.
She was the woman in his dreams.
“What the hell were you doing in that warehouse?” he nearly growled at her.
Claudia took out her handkerchief and began wiping the dirt off of her face. “If you really must know, we were following up on a clue, sir. Weren’t we, Adam?” She grinned at her accomplice.
“How could you take this boy into such a dangerous situation?”
She had the audacity to give him a disdainful look. “We were very careful, there is no need to make more out of it than necessary.”
Micah sat back, fighting the anger that surged through him. “I have been considering this situation from your point of view, madam. You obviously don’t want to give up your participation in this investigation. I thought to humor you.” He nailed her to the carriage with his gaze. “But after your escapade tonight, I don’t see how I can allow you to take such chances.”
“Allow me? Humor me?” Claudia’s sat straighter. “How dare you act as if you have any control over me, Mr. Turner. You are neither my legal guardian, nor a relative to decide for me in what I may or may not be involved. I have been taking care of myself for quite some time, and do not require your assistance in any form.”
“Lady, I don’t believe you know exactly what you’re involved in.” Micah’s voice was deadly cold. “There is more at stake here than your precious independence.”
“I believe I know what is at stake here. Laura is my closest friend. I want to be sure this evil is stopped before it can hurt her anymore.”
The carriage pulled up at the back of her town house. Micah opened the door, jumping down to help his passengers.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Kelly.” He dismissed his driver, then turned to follow Claudia and Adam into the house.
Claudia stood in the doorway, trying to block his admittance. “I thank you for the lift home, but I must insist that you not come in tonight.”
“You and I have a few things to discuss.” Micah grabbed her by the waist, setting her out of his way. He entered the house, only to be soundly attacked by both boys.
“You can’t treat Miss Claudia that way.”
“We don’t let no crums in here.”
He lifted a boy under each arm, trapping their flailing arms with one of his own. He motioned Claudia to follow him, marching past Henderson to the front parlor. He set each boy on the settee.
“You will both sit there quietly while I talk with Claudia and Henderson.” The threatening look he gave the boys brooked no disobedience on their part. Joey and Adam exchanged looks, but clamped their lips together.
Micah sat in the large, wingback chair he’d sat in on the previous night. Regarding the room’s other occupants from under veiled lids, he locked his gaze on each, one at a time. Claudia appeared decidedly belligerent. Henderson, as always, resembled the proper servant. Adam and Joey looked mutinous.
“Do you know what almost happened tonight?” He looked at the group in a sweeping glance. No one answered. “Let me fill you in. While you and your young accomplice were inside the warehouse, Claudia, Gibson and another man entered the front of the building. If I hadn’t been there to see that you got out in one piece, I don’t think you would be sitting here safe and sound.”
“I beg to differ with you, Mr. Turner.” Claudia’s hand swept the hair back from her face. Her cheeks were flushed red with anger. “We were in no danger of being found out. Furthermore, you did nothing to bring us out of the situation.”
“That’s right.” Adam jumped up to defend her, both hands balled up in fists. “We was just leavin’ when they was comin’ in.”
“Sit.” Micah kept his voice deadly calm.
Adam remained standing, staring angrily at Micah. Finally, the boy decided to obey the one-word command.
“Do you happen to know what kind of man Jonathan Gibson is?” Micah addressed Claudia. She set her lips and didn’t answer. “No? Allow me to fill you in. During the war he spent his time running supplies through the blockades. He also spent part of that time selling out soldiers on both sides just to make a profit. The man has no soul, and would just as soon slit your pretty little throat as look at you. Not to mention what he would do to a mere boy.”
Micah paused to let his words sink in, then continued, “The other man is his brother, David Gibson. I’m not as familiar with the man, except to know he is using a woman and her family to further his own means. That makes him as evil as his brother in my book. Now, tell me what you were doing in the warehouse tonight.”
“We’ve been watching that building for some time now,” Claudia finally said. “It was where I followed Gibson to, yesterday. We were in there last night too.”
“When I was waiting here for you?”
“Yes. There was a large shipment delivered there yesterday. The boxes are marked with Chinese symbols. Adam and I managed to get a sample of it.” Her gaze met his. “Do you know what it was?”
“Opium.”
Astonishment, followed quickly by suspicion crossed her features. “How did you know that?”
“It would be a good guess on anyone’s part, madam, given Gibson’s penchant for dealing in illegal trade and the Chinese symbols on the crates.”
“Oh.”
“Go on.”
Claudia’s eyes narrowed a moment before she continued. “We’ve also determined that the warehouse is where they are keeping all their records. So tonight Adam and I went through their files to see if we could find out who was making it easy for them to ship it in illegally. Are you aware that opium, while legal in this country, is shipped under the strongest codes and quotas this government has? Even though it is too lenient by far?”
“Yes.”
“Somehow, these people are bypassing the shipping codes and bringing in large quantities of the powder. We know Gibson is handling the distribution to the secret opium dens around town. We were hoping to find out where they were located. I do believe we found some clues tonight.” She took a breath, looking at her partners for approval before adding a last piece of information.
“Micah, they aren’t just importing large quantities of opium.” Claudia looked him straight in the eyes, watching him closely. “Those women who have been disappearing around town, also have no family to hunt for them. It’s always a neighbor or employer who reports them missing. It is our belief that the Gibsons and their people are kidnapping them or killing them.”
“I’ve suspected as much.” Micah let out long sigh. “I have a sister out there who needs my help. I can’t afford
to let you cost Patrice her life, Claudia. I know this is asking a great deal of all of you, but I have to ask that you give up your investigation. Allow me to use all your hard work to find out where my sister is, before it’s too late.”
For a long few moments she appeared to consider his words. With a shrug of her shoulders, she stood.
“Obviously, you have more at stake here than we do, Micah. I guess we’ll just have to bow out and let you finish finding answers for us.”
Signaling the boys to follow, Claudia marched from the room.
Micah watched her leave the room. That act wasn’t fooling him for a minute. He knew she was up to something. Only time would tell him what it was. In the meanwhile, he had something else to handle.
“Henderson,” he called the older man over, looking him directly in the eye. “You are never to let that woman off in a place like the warehouse district again without some means of protecting her. Do you understand me?”
The servant had the grace to look chagrined. “I protested with her for two hours before we left, sir. For one so small, she can be quite formidable.”
“I don’t care if you have to tie her down. This isn’t a game. She could get hurt.”
“I’ll do my best, sir.”
“Good. I guess I can’t ask for better than that.” Micah walked to the door, the servant following behind.
“Sir.” Henderson stopped him just outside the front door.
“Yes?”
“It’s good to have someone care enough about Miss Claudia to want to protect her.”
“What about her parents? Didn’t they want to protect her?”
“She never really knew her mother.”
“And her father?”
“For years the old bastard beat the hell out of her.”
CHAPTER SIX
The next evening, Micah sat hidden in the shadows at a table in the corner of the Whaler’s Reef. He’d spent the day putting together a disguise that would help hide his identity during tonight’s meeting. The clothes, purchased from a wharf rat, also reeked of body odor and fish. He’d poured enough whiskey on his clothes to give off the impression he’d been drinking for some days. The combined smell alone should keep anyone from coming too close.
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