by Wendy Vella
“Danderfield lives here.”
Lilly looked at James wide-eyed. “Dear God, are you sure?”
“Yes, I once visited here to view a horse he was selling. The place is etched in my memory.”
Lilly knew by the dark look he threw her that James's memories were not happy ones.
“None of this makes sense,” Cam growled. “Why the twins? What reason could force Danderfield to take them?”
“Tether the horses and we will walk up the drive. Keep to the trees,” Dev said, jumping down and lifting Lilly to stand beside him.
“Do you think Danderfield could somehow be involved in kidnapping the children?” Lilly said as she started to work through things in her head. “I mean, he tried to marry me and I could never quite work out why, and yet perhaps it was to shut me up, as he is behind this thieving ring?”
“It sounds far-fetched, but it could be possible,” James said.
“It matters not why he has taken them, only that he has, and will now pay. After we have them back we will discuss the why.”
“Of course,” Lilly said, touching Devon's arm to let him know she understood. His muscles felt as though they had been forged in iron, each one clenched and rigid.
They walked through the gates and then made for the trees. Running between, they crept to the front of the house, where they could see the carriage.
“They are no longer inside.”
“I hear them, Dev!” Eden whispered. “They just told someone that they would be very sorry they had taken them when their family arrived.”
“Thank God they are all right.”
Lilly moved in front of Devon as he briefly lowered his head.
“It will be all right, my love.” She touched a hand to his chest, and he gripped it hard, pulling her into his body. “I promised her I would keep them all safe, yet I have failed so many times.”
“You are not God, brother.” Cambridge's words were cold and clipped, and a long way from those of the happy man he usually was. “No one could have raised or cared for us better than you, so I will thank you to stop talking in that ridiculous manner.”
No one spoke again as they moved to the next cluster of trees.
“Christ, I'm scared, Lilly. They are so small,” Devon whispered into her ear.
“And strong, Devon. You have taught them well, and they will be safe until we reach them.”
He squeezed her hand but said nothing further.
They got as close as they could without detection. The shadows were beginning to settle, yet if anyone looked they would still notice any movement in the trees. The house was made of dark gray stone. To Lilly, it looked bleak and empty. The windows on all levels were shut, curtains drawn, and not one speck of light could be seen.
“What do you see, Dev?” Essie asked.
“No one is inside.”
“The twins’ voices have faded, almost as if they have moved beyond the house,” Eden said, frowning. “Outbuildings,” she then added softly. “There must be outbuildings, and if Lilly is correct, maybe the other children are being held there also.”
“What reason could Danderfield have to be kidnapping children, sister,” Devon said.
“Then why kidnap the twins?”
“True,” Cam agreed. “We know this is his property, but not that he is involved.”
“James, you take Cam and circle the house from the far side while we take this way,” Devon said, pointing to his right.
Lilly watched James brush Eden's fingers as he and Cam left. Lilly, Eden, and Essex held hands as they followed Devon. He motioned them to hunch over as he did, and keeping parallel with the house, they made their way to the rear. If Devon lifted his hand, they stopped, and restarted only when he lowered it.
Dev wanted to kill someone; he wasn't picky who, just someone who was responsible for the pain that had taken up residence in his chest. It had been bad when Lilly had been taken; he had felt a furious burning rage that someone had dared to harm her, his woman. And now his little sisters had suffered the same fate. Dorrie and Somer, who looked on the world as a vast and entertaining treat, filled with wonderful, exciting experiences. They were not supposed to feel pain or terror. He and his siblings had done their best to ensure this didn't happen to the youngest Sinclairs. Yet now it had, and he would see whomever had done this deed in hell.
Moving to the shelter of a bush, he looked at the long low building still some distance away. They would have very little cover to reach it and to do so with so many of them would be folly.
“We saw nothing on our way,” Cam said, arriving at Dev's side with James on his heels. “In fact, this place looks deserted.”
“There is what we are after.” Dev pointed to where the building lay. “And there are four armed men patrolling the outside. I can see colors inside, multiple colors, all children, therefore your guess, Lilly, appears to be accurate. The twins are now in there too.”
“There is no cover, just that bloody lane in.”
Everyone grew silent as they studied the landscape.
“They won't shoot at women.”
“Definitely not!” James whispered to his wife. “I will not allow you to go up to that—”
“No!” Dev snapped at the same time.
“And yet we have no other choice,” Essie said, removing her bonnet. “This is our only chance. If we can distract them long enough for you, James, and Cam to approach, then well and good. If not, you will have to rush them.”
“Exactly,” Lilly said, removing her bonnet also. She then took Dev's necktie and tied it around her head in a band. Eden quickly did the same.
“This is ridiculous,” Dev hissed, gripping Lilly's wrist. He could not allow something to happen to her.
“Trust us, Dev, and know we will be safe until you reach us.”
He held her eyes, saw the determination, and knew he had to let her do it because he had no other way to get to his sisters.
“I don't want to let you do this, but I can see no other way—”
“We are wasting time,” Lilly said.
“You are to take no chances,” he said, scowling at her. “Any of you,” he added, turning the look on his sisters.
“Take my knife,” Cam said, handing it to Essie who slipped it into her bodice.
“Can you shoot?” Dev said, removing his pistol and handing it to Lilly, who in turn lifted her skirts and put it in her stocking.
“I walk the streets of London at night, Sinclair; of course I can shoot.”
He could lose himself in those eyes, and planned to do so, along with her body, when they were home safe. “Be safe,” he said, running a finger down her nose.
Checking Essie over to make sure she looked more like a village woman and less like a noblewoman, he nodded. “Remember you are just to lure them away from the front of the building so we can get there undetected. Attempt nothing further,” he cautioned.
“Any sign of trouble, you run, but not in a straight line,” James added in a harsh voice. Dev saw the fear he felt in his eyes.
“What do you plan to do?” Cam said, looking worried.
“Flirt.” Eden looked scared but determined.
“I've changed my mind—” But it was too late, they'd left Dev's side and walked out onto the rutted lane that led to the outbuildings.
“Watch carefully, Sinclair, and if you see anything, no matter how small, we run,” James whispered. “Simply put, that is my life walking down that lane, and without her I am nothing.”
Nodding, Dev stayed silent, because he knew he felt something similar for Lilly. His love, his life.
“Dear Christ, are they singing?” Cam hissed.
They were putting on quite a performance, laughing and swinging their skirts. Linking arms, they skipped along, apparently without a care in the world, singing at the tops of their voices.
“I feel as though my lunch is going to make a reappearance,” James whispered. “It should be us out there, not them.”
>
“And yet we would have been shot and be no help to my sisters or whoever else is in those sheds.”
Dev remained silent, letting James and Cam talk. They were close now, and looking at the guards he could see their attention was firmly caught. Lilly rolled her hips in an enticing way, and he watched one of the guards lick his lips and run his eyes over her body.
“I'm killing him first,” Dev snarled.
“What? Tell me what you see?”
“It's best you don't know,” Dev replied. As if he hadn't been angry enough, he felt his spleen begin to boil at the lecherous looks the men were giving his fiancée and sisters.
“Those bastards are comparing the size of our breasts!” Eden hissed, forcing a smile on her face. “So we are going to flirt and then take them around the back so they believe we are going to lift our skirts—”
“Eden!” Essie gasped.
“I'm practicing being bawdy.”
Lilly's snort held little humor.
“Remember, try to speak a little coarser,” Essie whispered.
“Don't come any closer, ladies!”
Lilly sauntered forward, ignoring the gun waving in her face. “We heard in the village that there was some gents here need a bit of fun.” Pushing the barrel of the shotgun aside, she ran one hand up the man's chest and fought a shudder of revulsion as he leered down at her. “Me and my friends is bored,” she added, running one finger down the barrel of his gun, now lowered to his side.
“How much?” one of the other men said, crooking his finger at Essie, who moved slowly forward. Lilly blinked at the sultry look on her face.
“How much you got?” Eden said, moving to the last man.
“Enough for you lovelies,” the man boasted, wrapping an arm around her waist and hauling her close.
“Got anywhere a bit quieter?” Lilly said, placing her arms around the man's neck. Lord, he smelled foul. She could almost feel the heat of Devon's eyes as they watched her.
“We can't leave here; the boss might see.”
“The boss is busy and will be for hours. Come on.”
Essie pressed closer to her man as he appeared to waver. Lilly watched his eyes glaze with lust, and then he tossed aside his gun and followed the man who led Eden.
“Got anything to drink?” Lilly asked as they walked away to a smaller shed.
“I got everything a lady could need,” he said, then laughed, showing yellow teeth. She prayed Dev arrived soon, because she felt ill at the prospect of this man touching her.
They walked into the building and he let her go to light several candles. It was a small, cramped space and obviously used as sleeping quarters, judging by the belongings spread everywhere. Wrinkling her nose as the foul odor reached her, she looked at Eden and Essie. Both had smiles on their faces; their eyes, however, were like their brothers’: cold with rage.
“We'll have an all in,” one of the men said, eyeing Eden's breasts. “I like the look of your one’s titties.”
“Charming,” Eden muttered as her man all but fell into her cleavage.
“Perhaps you gentlemen should make yourselves comfortable while we put on a little show for you,” Lilly said, pushing her man in the chest and sending him sprawling backward. She toyed with her bodice as he tried to rise.
“Get down here, boys!” he said, licking his lips as she ran one finger down her chest.
Lifting her skirts slowly, Lilly slipped her hands beneath and pretended to fiddle with her stockings, and then pulled the pistol free.
“Hands in the air, please, gentlemen,” Lilly said. “And I use the term loosely, I assure you.”
“Don't speak if you want to live,” Essie said, drawing her knife and waving it before the now wide-eyed men.
“Lie on your stomachs and put your hands on your lower back!” Eden demanded. Once this was done, she and Essie began to bind their hands with the neckties and scarves. Lilly stood over them, pistol at the ready.
“And here comes the cavalry,” she muttered as the door burst open.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“Thank God!” Dev found Lilly and his sisters standing over the men. He took the pistol from her as he reached her side. “Did they harm you?”
“No.”
Kneeling beside one of the men, Dev pushed the gun into his side. “Are there more men inside that building you were guarding?”
“No, just Finnegan, the man who is training them.”
“If you've lied to me I'll come back and put a hole in you.”
“I'm not lying!” the man squealed.
“Let's go,” Cam said from the doorway. “We need to find the twins.”
They shut and locked the building and then ran back to the front. Lifting the heavy wooden bar, they pulled the door open and slipped inside.
Dev raised a hand as he heard voices.
“My brothers are going to make you very sorry you ever took us.”
“I'm already sorry,” a male voice muttered.
A partition half obscured what was going on in the rest of the building, yet Dev had heard Somer's voice clearly and knew she was close.
“Yes, and our sister Essex knows how to make you sick with herbs, and Eden, our other sister, will probably shoot you with her gun.”
This time Dorrie was speaking and he couldn't help but smile. They were, it seemed, in one piece and tormenting someone.
“Be quiet and get down here so I can put you to work!”
“We already know how to pick a lock!”
“I ain’t teaching you ’ow to pick locks. I'm teaching you to go into houses and steal fine things.”
Rounding the partition, Dev saw the twins sitting on a tall cabinet, swinging their legs while a man stood below them wringing his hands.
“Look.”
Following Lilly's finger, Dev noted a group of children standing at the rear of the room bending over a table. They were shackled together by metal cuffs and long chains. They had found the missing children, it seemed, but before he dealt with them, he would deal with the man before him.
“My brothers are big and mean with no front teeth and hands as big as a cow pat.”
“Dev!”
Holding up his hands as the twins saw him, he stalled them as they stood up and prepared to launch themselves off the cabinet. He waited for the man to turn, and then planted his fist in his face. “Now you can jump,” he said, holding out his arms.
He heard Lilly's sweet laughter as they flew through the air at him, their faces alight with excitement.
“We've had an adventure!”
“Weren't you afraid?” Dev's words were muffled as he kissed and cuddled them.
“At first, and then we knew you'd come for us so we turned it into an adventure!”
Cam took Dorrie and tossed her into the air, then gave her a hug. Dev watched his eyes close briefly as the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck, and knew that like he, the tension inside him had finally eased.
He turned to find Lilly, but she had left his side to go to the other children. He followed after he had found the key to their chains on the man, who was just coming out of the stupor Dev had put him.
“’Ello, Lilly.”
He watched the children smile at her, and she back at them.
“I'm very pleased to see you, Timmy,” she said, patting the head of a little boy. “Is everyone well?”
“Fink so. Finnegan ain't a bad man, just got caught up with him.”
“Who's him?”
Lilly kept the children talking while Dev released the chains around their ankles.
“Dominus. Heard tell he's nasty piece, so I heard Finnegan say, but we ain’t never seen him.”
“Go and question the man now, Devon. We need to learn all we can about who is behind this business. If it is Danderfield, then he must be stopped.”
He ran a finger down her cheek and then went to do as she asked.
“What's your name?” Cam was pulling the man to his fe
et when he arrived.
“Finnegan.”
His chin was starting to swell from the knock Dev had given him.
“You took something that was very dear to us, Mr. Finnegan. To realize that your little sisters were kidnapped by God knows who and taken to God knows where was a torture that I assure you I have no wish to ever repeat!”
Dev felt the bite of anger return as he said the words out loud.
“I-I… They were not meant to belong to anyone.”
“Pardon?” Dev lifted one eyebrow at the stuttered words.
“He said—”
“Yes, Dorrie, I heard thank you, love. Perhaps you and Somer could now go and help the others to release the children.” Dev gave Essie a look, and she quickly took her little sisters in hand.
“Let me get this straight, Mr. Finnegan,” Dev said, his eyes once again steady on the man quivering on the seat before him. He knew Cam's expression was equally as fierce as his, because Finnegan's eyes were darting between them. “You were taking only children with no family ties for your endeavors. Whatever those endeavors are.”
“Y-yes.” He nodded rapidly, looking like he was bobbing for apples.
“Then why were our sisters taken!” Cam snapped.
“Th-the men who took them found them alone, and as we needed only two more, he took your sisters.”
“For what purpose?” Dev questioned.
Finnegan looked from him to Cam, then dropped his eyes to his hands, which were twisted together so tight that his knuckles were white.
“Dominus wants to start a thieving gang and take out any opposition, so that he runs all the children on the streets of London. But these children were for more specialized work. Breaking into the houses of the gentry and stealing things.”
“Dominus?”
“That's the name he calls himself.”
“Master,” Dev said softly. “Dominus means master.”
“Danderfield would be just the sort of man to do something like this to my mind.”
“He's a nobleman, this man who calls himself Dominus. But I don't know his real name, only followed the instructions he gave me.”