The Final Storm

23. Capturing the Spy

They pulled open the door.

Only...not the secret door, but one of the doors of the cabinet, judging by the sound. A moment later, Adaira heard the tinkling of coins.

"Oy, come down here!" the rebel right outside shouted in English, presumably so all his companions could understand him. "There's silver down here!"

Those words had an immediate effect. What sounded like a stampede of elephants headed down the stairs, and, the very next moment, the cellar was filled with a cacophony of noise: exuberant shouts, raucous laughter and more sounds of tinkling metal. Finally, the noise was silenced when the rebel leader cleared his throat.

"Ehem. Quiet down, men, quiet down. We're here to search for spies, remember?"

Those words were met with groans and grumbles. However, that soon changed when the owner of the house spoke up.

"I am a patriot, Sir. If the new military requires a donation, I would be happy to oblige."

"Really?"

"Absolutely, Sir."

Cheers erupted from the men beyond the secret door, and soon, there was no holding them back. In an instant, they had cleared the cabinet of anything valuable and lost interest in anything else. Which, Adaira realised, had probably been the entire idea. After all, with the whole cellar being almost completely empty, why would her new merchant friend leave silver lying around, if not to serve a special purpose?

"Come on, everybody!" a boisterous voice came through the hidden door. "Let's go upstairs and divide the loo—ehem, I mean, let's find appropriate uses for this generous donation."

"Feel free to use the dining room, gentlemen," the portly little merchant's voice sounded. "Meanwhile, let me check with the kitchen staff. I'm sure we could find something good to eat for our country's heroes."

Once again, cheers exploded in the store room, and the rebel soldiers immediately started moving. It didn't take long before the cellar fell quiet, and only muffled noises could be heard from above.

"Do you...do you think they're gone?" Adaira whispered.

"Not completely," the captain's deep voice entered her ears, his breath tickling her skin. "They're probably enjoying themselves upstairs."

"So...we're stuck here?"

"Seems like it." She practically heard the corners of his mouth crook upwards. "Why? Are you bored by my company?"

Adaira felt her face flush. "N-no! Of course not! It's just...we're stuck here in the dark for God only knows how long. What are we supposed to do?"

"Oh..." The deep voice next to her ear sent a shiver down her spine and reverberated deep in her very soul. "I can think of a thing or two."

"You despicable rogue! This is not the time or place for—"

Her words were abruptly cut off by a gentle pair of lips. She didn't have to guess to know who they belonged to.

"You..." An almost ravenous growl erupted from the back of Captain Carter's throat. "Do you have any idea how much I missed you?"

"I think so, yes." Her words were hardly more than a whisper, the fact that she was supposed to be outraged long forgotten. "Because I missed you just as much."

"Did you, now?"

They might have sounded teasing on the surface, but there was an unexpected vulnerability in those words. Adaira felt something prick her heart, and she felt the sudden urge to throw her arms around his neck and hug him close.