Lord Day and Lady Night

18. A Dangerous Game

Be careful?

Just be careful?

Lord Patrick Day clenched his fists.

Why had he said that? Had he gone insane? It would make it seem as if...as if he and she...

As if you cared what happened to her, right?

Damnation! He couldn't...they couldn't possibly...!

Could they?

The sounds of voices from up ahead cut his dangerous thoughts short.

"Shh!"

Raising a finger to his lips, Lord Patrick halted.

"What is it?" Amy whispered from behind. Lord Patrick did his best to think of his potential bride shortlist and ignore the way her breath tickled the back of his neck.

"Listen! Don't you hear?"

They stopped and listened. Soon, everyone seemed to hear what he had heard.

"Show us yer cards, ye old bastard!"

"All right, all right. 'ere ye go..."

"Ha! I knew ye'd lose!"

"Cards?" Patrick frowned. "They're playing cards?"

Amy's face was grim beside him. "Apparently, kidnapping children can get borin'."

"So da two of us will get da first go at 'er?"

"Aye! I'm lookin' forward to getting' to know that little minx..."

"Or maybe not." Amy's jaw tightened. "Looks like playing cards isn't all they're planning on doing."

Lord Patrick felt his heart grow cold. Cold as ice. They couldn't...they wouldn't really...

Maybe it was foolish but, after all he'd heard, after all he'd seen at Amy's side, he still couldn't quite believe what was going on in the depths of London's shadows. This was England, for God's sake! England!

"Well, den, what are we waitin' for?" Chairs scraped across the ground, and footsteps could be heard shuffling off. "Let's get to it!"

Lord Patrick stood there for a moment, frozen, and then—

And then a figure dashed past him.

"Bloody stinking hell!"

He didn't waste even a single thought on the vile curse that had just escaped his mouth. All he did was lunge forward, trying to grab hold of Amy, before—

"Oy! Fart face!"

Too late.

Frowning, one of the men turned around. "Who the 'ell are y—"

Bam!

In a blink, Amy lowered her pistol, slid another bullet in and raised it up again.

"Damn single shots! So—"

Bam!

"—inconvenient!"

"Dratted female!" Growling, Patrick rushed into the guard room. All he saw was a flash of bare brick walls, an overturned crate and cards scattered on the ground, before his eyes zeroed in on the four men. One was already down, one was slumped against the wall, bleeding. But the other two...

Bam!

His Lordship aimed and shot before he knew what he was doing. The sneering gangster who had just been about to take aim at Amy flew backwards, crashing against the wall. His last compatriot was faster and smarter.