Warwicke stood. “Fine. I’ll go with you. But you must promise you won’t do anything reckless.”
“I won’t make promises I don’t intend to keep,” Evander said. “Not when Olivia’s life might depend on it.”
“I can respect that,” Warwicke muttered. “For now.”
As they stepped outside, the brisk air hit Evander like a wave. And then the memories came flooding back to him.
The coach.
A man stepping from the shadows.
Olivia crying out—then crumpling to the ground.
His own shout of horror.
Then the pain.
He closed his eyes, cursing himself silently.I was careless. I let my guard down. She paid the price.
“Westmere?” Warwicke’s voice broke through his spiraling thoughts.
“I’m fine,” Evander replied tersely.
Wilton lingered at the doorway. “I’ll remain here, in case the abductors make contact.”
Evander nodded faintly, barely hearing him. He stepped into the fully manned coach, staring blankly out the window as it pulled into traffic. He could feel Warwicke watching him, waiting for him to break. But he would be disappointed. He had a purpose now.
“She means everything to you,” Warwicke said after a long moment. “I can see it in your eyes. You’d die for her.”
“I would,” Evander answered quickly.
“Then stay alive,” Warwicke said. “You dying doesn’t save her. It only makes it harder for the rest of us.”
Evander turned to meet his friend’s gaze. “Then what do I do? Just wait? Hope for the best?”
“No,” Warwicke said, his eyes steely. “You fight.But you fight smart.”
Evander nodded slowly. “Do you have an extra pistol?”
Warwicke shifted his coat, revealing the one tucked at his waist. “No. And I’m not giving you this one.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’llbe the one to threaten Lord Luca, if it comes to that.”
Evander didn’t argue. Truth be told, he’d never liked pistols. He used them on hunts but hated the recoil, the way they shattered silence—and lives.
“We don’t know Lord Luca is responsible,” Warwicke said. “Don’t let desperation cloud your judgment.”
“He was at the reformers’ meeting. That’s enough for me.”
Warwicke’s brows pulled together. “Westmere…”
He cut Warwicke off with a raised hand. “Don’t lecture me. Tell me honestly—what would you do if someone tried to kill Dorothea?”
Warwicke looked away, a shadow passing over his features. “They didtry, and it nearly destroyed me. But I had to keep my mind clear until I knew the truth.”
“I don’t think I have that kind of patience.”
