The next morning, Preston gathered his men and prepared them to march to Lexington. He could only hope that Warren had heeded his warnings and that Hancock and Adams were somewhere else. He mounted his black horse and turned to face his troops. "Today we are marching to Lexington to find and arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. Move out." Preston flicked the reins on his horse and he led the soldiers out of Boston and towards Lexington.
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Hours later, the unit marched through Lexington's borders and into the town. Colonists saw the red-coated soldiers and ran left and right to get out of the way and to hide. The soldiers came upon a wooden house. Preston dismounted and approached the door along with five other soldiers. He held his breath and prayed that no one was home. Preston banged on the door. "His Majesty's soldiers order you to open this door!" he shouted. He tried not to get his hopes up when nobody answered.
The soldiers knocked down the door and entered. Preston went in last as the soldiers searched for the two rebel leaders. Ten minutes had passed when one soldier returned to Preston. He saluted and spoke. "There's no one here sir."
Preston's straight face did not change, but inside he sighed and felt relief flow through him. The rebels were gone, but what shocked Preston more than anything was that Warren had listened to him. One thing remained in his mind as they rode back to Boston: what would he tell Gage?
YOU ARE READING
Traitor
Historical FictionThomas Preston, General Gage's right hand man, has turned traitor and joined the rebels. A spy then turns up and everyone starts accusing Preston of leaking intelligence. Preston must find the culprit and clear his name before it is too late.
