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That made the man laugh. “Scream all you want, lassie. Doesn’t matter to me.”
His finger trailed away from her cheek to the collar of her gown. Elizabeth couldn’t move. Like that day, she was frozen, her words stuck in her throat. She could only watch in horror as he dipped his fingers under the collar of her gown and tugged hard. The fabric tore easily under the force and cold air shocked her body.
“P-please,” she begged, but the man before her hand transformed. The concern he’d had before, the gentleness, the kindness he’d shown her—it all fell away to reveal the monster underneath. The monster who pressed his lips against her neck, grinding himself against her leg as a hand sought her bosom.
Elizabeth couldn’t find the power to push him away. She was weak. She was a coward. She hated that about herself, but she couldn’t do anything to stop it. She was useless, unable to find William, unable to protect Gemma, unable to do anything—
“She said to leave her be.”
The voice that cut through was cold and authoritative, sending a chill through Elizabeth. She looked over at the sound of it, spotting a man standing in the darkness. She couldn’t see anything but his tall silhouette and his broad shoulders.
“Leave,” the man ordered. “Or else you’ll find yourself lying amongst that heap of garbage.”
Her assaulter turned to face the newcomer, pulling his shoulders up as if he was facing a bear. “Who do you think you are comin’ around here and makin’ demands? Don’t ya’ see we’re busy?”
“It looks to me like the lady does not want to be touched by you,” the man stated simply. He sounded unintimidated, though Elizabeth couldn’t fathom why. Her assailant had somehow grown even more terrifying, looking outraged at the interruption.
He flexed his hands, then curled them into tight fists. His thin lip curled as he growled, “Ya really hopin’ I bury me fist in ya face, aren’t ya?”
The only response to that was a single clicking sound. The man froze. Elizabeth trembled. She didn’t know how she recognized the sound. She’d never heard a pistol being fired before but somehow she knew this man possessed one.
“Leave,” he said once again, the chill in his voice enough to frost the streets over.
To Elizabeth’s surprise, the man accosting her gritted his teeth and pulled away. He glared at the man in the shadows but he said nothing, didn’t even look back at her, as he stalked away.
Elizabeth’s knees buckled under her. She held a hand to her chest as she tried to catch her breath, the relief so sharp she could taste it.
“Thank you,” she breathed. “I…I don’t know how to show my gratitude.”
She received no response. Elizabeth looked up to see that the man was no longer standing there. Without thinking, she rushed out of the alley, spotting him making his way back the way she’d come.
“Wait!” she cried out and chased after him. She grabbed the sleeve of his greatcoat and instantly realized it was of magnificent quality. Before she could question it, the man spoke.
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“If you will not take my gratitude then at least allow me to see the face of the man who has helped me. Please.”
The man didn’t move for a moment. Elizabeth stubbornly held on to his coat, preparing to be insistent if he tried to leave again. But he didn’t. Slowly, he began to turn and for some reason, Elizabeth’s heart began beating madly in her chest.
Above their heads, the moonlight shone down on them. The silvery light was enough to make her see the deep blackness of his hair, the sharp, clean-shaven outline of his jaw, the hard mouth, and those deep-set green eyes.
Elizabeth nearly lost her breath. Her jaw fell, shock rocking her body. She couldn’t believe it and yet, there was no denying it. The man from her past, the love she’d never been able to let go of, the very reason she would venture out to this area at night.
Her savior was William.
Chapter 4
William couldn’t believe his eyes.
It didn’t make sense, he knew. This person standing before him…it couldn’t possibly be who he thought it was. But as he took in the same silvery-blonde hair he remembered so vividly, the big, brown eyes that always stared up at him with such innocence, the small, rosy lips he’d one day hoped to kiss, he couldn’t deny what was right before his eyes.
“Beth?”
She jerked back, letting go of his sleeve as her hand flew to her mouth. “It can’t be…”
The emotions rushing through him were ones he hadn’t felt in a while, ones that felt out of place considering the dark, brooding state he’d been in just a moment ago. His finger twitched with the urge to touch her, to make sure she was real, but he held it stiffly by his side.
