by Beers, Laura
Corbyn bobbed his head. “I’ll send agents to monitor the building but will instruct them not to engage with Kerley for any reason.”
“We could just assemble a group of agents and raid the building,” Oliver suggested.
“At what cost?” Corbyn asked. “Kerley may make good on his promise and kill Jane.”
Baldwin’s jaw clenched. “If Kerley even dares to touch Jane, then I will make sure his death is as slow and gruesome as possible.”
“I agree completely,” Oliver said.
Stewart leaned his shoulder against the wall. “What would you have me do?”
“I’m not entirely sure yet, but I should warn you that it could be perilous,” Corbyn warned.
“Perilous?” Stewart asked with a smile on his lips. “That has never scared me off before. In fact, I find it to be rather intriguing.”
“I can’t promise we will all make it out alive, either,” Corbyn said.
“We all understand the risks,” Baldwin responded.
“But—”
Oliver cut him off. “Will you stop trying to talk us out of this?” he asked. “We’re all in.”
Corbyn nodded. “Thank you, especially since I know you all have something to lose.” He turned his attention towards Stewart. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
“Agents aren’t the only ones who get to have fun,” Stewart joked. “Bow Street Runners have been known to be involved in subterfuge.”
Corbyn chuckled. “I imagine so.”
“What do you have in mind?” Baldwin asked.
Corbyn sobered quickly. “I’ll ensure we have enough agents surrounding the building to prevent Kerley from escaping with Jane.”
“That’s wise,” Oliver remarked. “What would you have us do?”
Corbyn smirked. “We’re going to take Kerley by surprise.”
“Isn’t he expecting you?” Stewart asked.
“Yes, at dusk,” Corbyn explained, “but only I will go to meet him.”
“You must use caution,” Baldwin warned. “Kerley wasn’t known for playing by the rules.”
“I am well aware, and I’m expecting it,” Corbyn replied.
Chapter Eighteen
It was nearing dusk as they sat in the cramped coach, and Corbyn felt the tension building as they each retreated into their own thoughts. He knew what was at stake, and he had no intention of failing. He would do whatever it took to keep Jane safe, including risk his own life, as it was meaningless without her. Despite his best efforts to push her aside, he found he couldn’t stand the thought of living without her.
How had this happened? For a man who was determined to avoid complications, he’d sorely miscalculated his feelings for Jane. He loved her, and he always would. But would Jane even entertain a life with him after everything that had happened to her? He wasn’t sure.
Baldwin was the first to speak up as they turned onto Joshua Street. “Are you sure you want to go through with this?”
“I do,” Corbyn replied.
“Your plan is asinine,” Baldwin contended.
Corbyn smirked. “I prefer the term ‘unconventional’.”
Oliver spoke up. “You’re going to get yourself killed.”
“Perhaps, but Jane will be safe, which is all that matters,” Corbyn pressed.
“Don’t you value your life at all?” Stewart asked.
Corbyn shook his head. “I will gladly trade my life for Jane’s, if it comes down to it.”
“To walk right into Kerley’s trap seems foolhardy, even for you,” Oliver said. “There must be another way.”
“There isn’t,” Corbyn replied. “We have gone over every scenario, and this is the best option for her.”
“But not for you,” Baldwin pressed. “This is suicide.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve had the odds stacked against me,” Corbyn said, hoping he sounded more confident than he truly felt.
The coach came to a stop and Corbyn stuck his hand through the window to open the door. He stepped out and saw Sanders approaching him with a determined stride.
“The agents are in position,” Sanders reported, “and they know to wait to enter until the first shot is fired.”
“Thank you for seeing to that,” Corbyn replied.
Sanders tipped his head. “You’re welcome, sir,” he responded. “We’ve watched men going in and out of the building, but we haven’t seen any sign of Lady Jane.”
“I assumed as much.”
“Will there be anything else?”
“That will be all,” Corbyn said.
“Very good,” Sanders remarked before he stepped back.
Corbyn stiffened, took a deep breath, then turned to the others. “It’s time.”
Baldwin placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t get yourself killed.”
“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” Corbyn muttered.
Oliver gave him a pointed look. “What Baldwin is attempting to say is that you should avoid doing anything too stupid.”
“That was much more inspiring,” Corbyn said.
“Do all agents give each other rousing talks before their assignments?” Stewart asked, amused.
Oliver chuckled. “I’m afraid not,” he replied, “but perhaps it’s a tradition we can start.”
“Do you have any questions about your assignments?” Corbyn asked.
All the men shook their heads.
“Good,” Corbyn said, “because we all know the risks involved.”
“We won’t let you down,” Baldwin stated.
“I know you won’t, but I hope we’re all still alive after this.”
“We will be,” Baldwin asserted.
Corbyn tipped his head in acknowledgement, then he started walking purposefully. It wasn’t long before he came to a stop outside the familiar building. His eyes roamed the faded brick, two-level structure, but he didn’t see any movement within.
He approached the main door, lifted his fist and pounded on it.
It wasn’t long before it was opened by a burly man with dark hair. He didn’t say anything as he opened the door wide, indicating that Corbyn should step inside.
Corbyn stepped into the building, and he didn’t react when the man slammed the door shut behind him.
“Give me your weapons,” the man ordered.
“I think not.”
The man stepped closer to him. “I have been ordered to collect your weapons before you can proceed any further.”
“And I respectfully decline your request.”
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“Fine.” Corbyn retrieved his pistol from the waistband of his trousers and extended it towards the man. “Will that be all?”
The man glanced down at his right boot. “And the one in your boot, if you don’t mind.”
Corbyn reached down and pulled out one of the muff pistols from his boot. He held it out to the man. “I believe this should be sufficient.”
The man accepted the pistols. “Follow me.”
Corbyn followed the man down a narrow passage towards the main hall. As they stepped in, he saw two chairs sitting in the middle of the room, facing one another. The only light came from two broken windows along the far wall.
The man gestured towards the chairs. “Take a seat. Kerley will be with you in a moment.”
Corbyn sat down. He counted three armed men standing guard.
A door opened and Jane walked into the room. Her hair was disheveled, her white gown was horribly wrinkled, and she had dirt smeared on her face, but to him, she had never looked more lovely.
Corbyn rose from his seat as she approached him. “Are you all right?”
“You should never have come,” she said in a low, hushed voice.
“I had to.”
“You have to leave.” Jane glanced over her shoulder before revealing, “This man intends to kill you.”
“I am well aware of that fact.”
He gave her a reassuring smile. “Do you even have to ask?”
Jane met his gaze, and he found himself transfixed as he stared deep into her green eyes. But the moment passed when he heard Kerley’s voice.
“Isn’t it wonderful when two people find each other, despite such great odds?” Kerley mocked as he stepped into the room.
Corbyn put his hand out and ushered Jane behind him. “Let Lady Jane go free,” he said. “This is between you and me. She is an innocent in all of this.”
“You are not in a position to give any orders, Corbyn.” Kerley chuckled dryly. “Isn’t that ironic, considering you spend your days giving orders?”
“I’m appealing to your sense of honor,” Corbyn remarked. “Jane doesn’t deserve this horrific treatment.”
Kerley slowly walked towards him, his heels clipping on the tile. “I’m afraid you made Jane a part of this already.”
“Jane knows nothing of me or my past.”
“Then it should come as a relief that I told her everything about you. Frankly, I was appalled at how you kept her in the dark. That was poorly done on your part.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“I informed your precious Jane that you are a spy and responsible for all the agents of the Crown.”
Corbyn glanced anxiously over his shoulder at Jane but didn’t say anything in response.
“I must admit that she was rather surprised to hear that her two brothers were spies, as well, but it was only a matter of time before she discovered that on her own.” Kerley came to a stop behind one of the chairs. “After all, there should be no secrets between lovers.”
“We’re not lovers,” Corbyn said.
“And why is that?” Kerley asked. “Could it be that you refuse to acknowledge your feelings towards her because she could prove to be a distraction?”
“I have my reasons.”
Kerley chuckled. “You always preached that we should avoid anyone who could be a liability. I’m beginning to think that you prefer to be alone.”
“It is much simpler that way.”
“I would agree with you there.” Kerley placed his hands on the back of the chair. “Do you remember my Betty?”
“I do.”
A faraway look crossed Kerley’s face. “When I finally came home, I discovered that she had married another,” he shared. “I suppose three years is too long to wait for someone. I believe I expected too much from her.”
“She thought you were dead, as we all did. I am sorry, but you can’t blame her.”
“No,” Kerley said, his eyes growing hard. “After all, it is entirely your fault.”
“I don’t contest that.”
Kerley waved his hand in front of him. “It matters not,” he replied. “I killed her husband. I wanted to watch her suffer, like she made me suffer.”
“For what purpose?”
“While I was rotting in that French prison, the thought of her was the only thing that kept me going,” Kerley revealed. “Betty is mine, and I will let no dalliance stop me from having her.”
“It wasn’t a dalliance if she wed the man,” Corbyn argued.
“If Betty had known I was still alive, she would have waited,” Kerley said matter-of-factly. “Now that I’ve returned, it will only be a matter of time before she will be my wife again.”
“You are mad.”
Kerley’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps, but you were the one who left me to rot in a French prison. This is all your doing.”
Corbyn pressed his lips together. “I thought you were dead, or I would have never left you.”
“But you did,” Kerley asserted. “You left me bleeding on the street.”
“There is not a day that I don’t regret that decision,” Corbyn admitted.
Kerley lifted his brow. “Is that supposed to make it right between us?” he asked in disbelief. “You ruined my life.”
“I am terribly sorry—”
Kerley cut him off. “I don’t want your apology, not anymore. It’s too late for that.”
“Then what do you want?”
“I want you to suffer like I suffered!” Kerley exclaimed. “I want you to watch everything that you love be taken away from you. That’s why I killed Hannity and Miss Polly, because I knew they meant something to you. I knew it would cause you pain.” His lips formed a sneer as his eyes turned cold. “I intended to kill Baldwin, as well, but I never found the right opportunity. I will correct that most heinous error after I am done with you.”
“You will never be able to kill Baldwin,” Corbyn stated. “You are half the agent he is.”
Kerley scoffed. “We’ll see, won’t we?”
“Regardless, killing Jane won’t solve anything.”
“I’m afraid you have no say in the matter, not anymore,” Kerley declared as he retrieved a pistol from the waistband of his trousers. “But if it provides you any comfort, her death will be quick.”
“Wait!” Corbyn shouted. “You don’t have to kill her. Just kill me instead.”
“Oh, believe me, I will,” Kerley sneered as he brought his pistol up and took aim.
Jane ducked behind Lord Evan as Kerley cocked the pistol. As she waited for the pistol to discharge, she heard Lord Evan say, “Before you kill us, I was hoping you could answer a few questions.”
“Such as?” Kerley asked.
“Why did you start counterfeiting?”
Jane glanced over Lord Evan’s shoulder to see Kerley lowering his pistol. “That was an easy feat,” Kerley replied. “After I escaped from the French prison, I boarded a merchant vessel bound for England and worked for my keep.”
Kerley started pacing. “Not only did I want to seek revenge on you, but I also wanted to make England suffer. I knew that by forging banknotes I could weaken the pound, which could potentially cripple the economy,” he explained. “Do you know how easy it is to forge a two-pound banknote?”
Chuckling, Kerley continued. “The shop keepers had no idea they were in possession of forged banknotes. It took months before it started to pay off on a large scale. The more notes we received, the more people I could hire.” He put his hands up. “It has been the easiest money I have ever made.”
“You should know that your forged banknotes made their way into The Bank of England, and they hired us to track you down.”
“I know all about that investigation.”
“You do?”
Kerley nodded. “I have been one step ahead of you since the beginning, Corbyn,” he said. “Just face it, you will always be second best.”
“And why is that?”
“You may have been a good spy, but you are lousy at knowing your agents.”
Lord Evan tensed. “I beg your pardon?”
Kerley smirked. “Sanders has been working for me the entire time,” he revealed.
Lord Evan hesitated a moment. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not,” Kerley responded smugly. “He intercepted Hannity’s missives to you, including the ones that revealed he was investigating a counterfeiting ring.”
“I don’t believe you.”
A man’s voice came from the doorway. “He’s telling the truth, Boss,” a stocky man said as he walked further into the room. “Hannity stumbled upon Kerley’s operation by accident, which is why he had to be disposed of earlier than planned.”
“You have been working for Kerley?” Lord Evan asked in disbelief. “Why, Sanders?”
“He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Which was?”
“More money than I could spend in a lifetime,” Sanders replied.
Lord Evan shook his head. “Kerley will betray you.”
“As you did him,” Sanders spat back. “If I recall, you were the one who left him in France, not the other way around.”
Lord Evan grew silent, but Jane saw him clench his fists into tight balls.
San
ders stepped closer to him. “I was tired of working under you, all the late nights and early mornings. It was exhausting.”
“I’m sorry I made you do your job,” Lord Evan remarked dryly.
Kerley put his hand on Sanders’ chest. “Don’t get too close to him,” he warned. “We both know what he is capable of.”
Lord Evan scoffed at Sanders. “Once a pistol is discharged, the agents will still raid this building, and they will learn of your deceit.”
Sanders shook his head. “We have already thought about that. We dug a hole in the basement leading to the building I am supposedly watching,” he explained. “We will be free and clear once the explosives go off.”
“Explosives?”
“We can’t take the risk of having anyone follow us,” Kerley said. “But you don’t need to worry about that, because you’ll already be dead.”
“I see you have it all planned out,” Lord Evan commented.
Sanders gave him a smug look. “We do,” he replied. “You always did underestimate me.”
Lord Evan shook his head. “I don’t think I did,” he remarked. “You might have had a shot at running the agency one day, if you weren’t so incompetent at your job.”
“I beg your pardon?” Sanders asked in a gruff tone.
“There was a reason I left you to handle all the paperwork,” Lord Evan said. “After you broke your arm, I knew you couldn’t hack it in the field.”
“That isn’t true!” Sanders exclaimed.
“I’m afraid it is.”
Sanders took a commanding step towards Lord Evan. “I am a better agent than you are!” he shouted.
“Sanders…” Kerley warned.
Lord Evan swiftly jabbed a crippling blow into Sanders’ throat and retrieved the pistol tucked into his waistband. Sanders dropped to the ground, gasping for air, and Corbyn pointed the pistol at Kerley.
“It’s over,” Lord Evan declared. “You have lost.”
“Have I?” Kerley asked as he held his hands up. “There are three guards pointing their pistols at you and they were all instructed not to let you leave here alive.”
Jane watched as the guards approached them.
Lord Evan’s pistol didn’t waver. “The odds are still in my favor.”
Kerley gave him an amused look. “In what way?”