The Final Storm

29. Dalgliesh's Plan

"Explain."

Mr Ambrose's iron command could not be challenged.

The masked man swallowed. "There...there are secret depots hidden throughout the city. Coal. Gunpowder. God only knows what else. They were originally supposed to serve as war supplies in case of an attack on the city. But now that the city itself has rebelled..."

The man's voice trailed off meaningfully.

That didn't fly with Mr Rikkard Ambrose.

"Now what?"

"It's all going up in flames." A shudder went through the man's body. "He never said explicitly what he was planning, but he was muttering the entire time. Muttering about fire and destruction, and showing the savages who was in charge here. Muttering about ending it all in one big, fiery explosion."

Lifting his gaze, he met my husband's eyes. "He's going to detonate the central gunpowder depot of the East India Company. That place is hidden right underneath the poorest areas of the city, where all the buildings are made of wood. If it explodes, the whole city will be turned into a fiery hell."

For a long moment, only the dripping and gurgling of dirty water could be heard in the tunnel. The silence ended abruptly when Mr Rikkard Ambrose lashed out, slamming his fist into the masked man's face. The man's head was rammed into the wall behind him, and he slumped forward, unconscious.

Rising to his feet, Mr Ambrose swept his gaze over all of us

"Let's go."

"Are...are we just going to leave him here?" Adaira asked hesitantly. "He told us everything like you wanted."

Mr Ambrose cocked his head. "Did I promise to rescue him if he talked?"

Adaira's mouth opened slightly, as if she were about to say something—then, after a moment, it closed again.

"We've wasted enough time, everybody. Move!"

And he headed down the tunnel the masked men had come from.

"Wait...wait just a minute." This time, it was I who was left with my mouth agape in astonishment as I stared at my husband. "You are going to rescue a city? Without charging for it?"

"Has it escaped your notice, Mrs Ambrose, that we are still within the limits of said city? How do you know we will be able to leave this place before it goes up in flames?"

I swallowed. "I...I don't."

"Indeed. Neither do I. Besides..." Over his shoulder, he glanced straight at me, and his eyes abruptly turned as cold as cold as the very heart of the arctic. "Dalgliesh."

My fists clenched. He was right. Dalgliesh. That one word explained it all. I would be damned if I let that man succeed in anything—let alone burning an entire city full of people alive, us possibly included.

So I nodded. "I'm on board."

"Karim?" Mr Ambrose enquired.

He didn't have to explain what he was asking.

Without hesitation, the big bodyguard placed his hand on the butt of his sabre. "As ever at your command, Sahib."

"Adaira?"

"Well, I sure as heck won't let you risk your neck alone." Grim-faced, Adaira tightened the grip on her revolver. "Let's do this!"

"Then it's decided." Gesturing to us to get moving, my husband once more started down the tunnel. "Let's go!"

"Err..." came a certain captain's voice from beside Adaira. "Is nobody going to ask my opinion?"

"No!"