Ezra’s hands were firm on her arms as he held her away from his torso. His eyes gave a hard glint. “Are you well, Jess?” His rigid mouth barely got the words out. “Did they hurt you?”
“Didn’t get the chance,” she answered. “But they had plans.”
Rough curses erupted from the three men. She hissed when Ezra’s hand clasped her wrist. He looked down, rage twisting across his face.
“They tied me,” she explained. “I got away.”
“Of course you did, Lady Vixen,” he said, admiration in his words. He looked at her closely, and his expression darkened even further. “They did hurt you.”
“Mowbray gave me a slap for my unladylike language.”
“I will gut that fucking bastard and feed him his entrails,” Ezra vowed.
He gathered her close, and his warmth surrounded her, chasing away the chill that congealed on her sweaty skin. With Ezra in front of her, and Rhys and Tej on either side, she was encircled by their heat and solidity.
“Not until I stuff a burning poker down his throat,” Tej added.
“After that, I rip his throat out,” Rhys said. “And set him on fire.”
How could she warm with pleasure at hearing them swear unspeakable violence against the baronet? Yet she did.
“Mowbray’s waiting for you at his estate,” she said. “He’s got at least a dozen armed Guardians with him. Perhaps more, I didn’t see them all.”
“Then,” Ezra said, his voice vibrating through her, “we give those bastards a fight.”
She pulled back and looked up at him. “Four of us?—”
“Three,” Tej corrected.
“Four,” Jessica insisted. “I got myself free, and I have some skill with fighting. I’m not a liability.”
“We can’t risk you,” Rhys insisted.
“That’s not your decision to make,” she answered. “Mowbray and Page threatened me and they threatened you, and sitting back while the three of you are imperiled isn’t something I’m willing to do.”
The men started to speak, but she held up a hand.
“There’s no discussion on this matter. Whatever action is taken against the baronet and the Guardians, I’m part of it.”
There was a long silence, and then Ezra grudgingly rumbled, “As you please, Lady Vixen.”
Sounds of reluctant agreement came from Tej and Rhys.
“We need to be strategic,” she said. “At the least, they outnumber us three to one.”
“We’re armed.” Rhys held up two pistols, and Tej and Ezra did the same.
“Sir Harold has a gun room,” she countered. “I saw it when they were taking me through the house. Even if the Guardians hadn’t supplied themselves with an abundance of firearms, Mowbray can furnish them with scores of pistols and long guns. They’ll mow us down.”
“Fuck.” Ezra swung away from her, frustration and fury vibrating through him. “Letting that bastard live isn’t an option. Him and Page have to pay.”
She took a step toward him, laying her hand on the cuff of his coat. “Mowbray boasted to me about what he did to your pack.”
His nostrils flared, and pain and rage flared in his eyes. “He and Page have to die.”
“I understand. But?—”
The men stiffened, and Ezra shoved Jessica behind him. He pushed a pistol into her hand.
