She shook her head.“How do I know I can trust you?”
“You don’t, but it’s either me or the men out there.”
As though his words unlocked the door to the room, it burst open, admitting not only the man who’d stood guard, but also numerous guests.
17
Edwina wasn’t sure what to think, never mind what to do.Her hands shook, and the rest of her body felt like it might never move again.The last few moments remained a blur of incomprehensible actions.She still couldn’t fathom what had occurred.It had all happened so fast, and now…
“Bloody hell,” someone muttered, though she knew not who, besides the fact that it came from the group who’d just entered the room.
Another concern to be faced, yet she couldn’t quite seem to focus on that when…
She’d killed a man.
A horrible, awful man to be sure, but did that make it justifiable?
No.Yes.Maybe.
Sending awareness into the hand that had grabbed the dagger protruding from him and shoved it back in, she realized it was wet.The blood registered for the first time and her stomach drew back up against her spine.
Oh God.
This couldn’t be real.
Her heart began drumming with choppy beats, and her breath came in rapid bursts.She started wiping her hand on her skirt, desperate to clean away every trace of Mr.Grover from her skin.
He’d wanted to sell her.And who would have walked away with her but a monster?
“Stop right there,” said the man who’d sent the dagger flying.
Edwina froze in response to his lethal tone and shifted her gaze.He still held one hand toward her, beckoning her to accompany him.In his other hand was a pistol, which he pointed at those who’d forced their way into the room.
“What have you done?”one of the men demanded to know.
“What any of you would likely have done, had you discovered the truth about Mr.Grover’s intentions.”Edwina’s would-be savior flexed his fingers, encouraging her to grasp his hand with increased urgency.
But he’d bid on her and won.Who was to say he wasn’t as bad as the rest?Or worse.How could she be certain that she would not become his prisoner if she went with him?
There was no guarantee, but if she refused to go with him, her fate would likely be worse.To try to escape on her own would be impossible.She’d not even get through the door.
“Turns out, Mr.Grover was going to rob us all blind.”The masked man glanced at Edwina and jerked his head to one side.Come on.Let’s go.To the room at large, he added, “He was planning to vanish with all the items we’d bid on, along with our bearer bonds, which he would have cashed at the banks while we stupidly waited for his return.That man there was his accomplice.”
One of the other masked men stepped forward, dropped to a crouch, and snatched the mask from the man who lay near the entrance.“Christ.This is Henshaw.”
“I’m not surprised,” said the man who still extended his hand in Edwina’s direction.“Never struck me as the honorable sort.Turns out I was correct.When I demanded the right to examine my master’s prize — a privilege one would think a hundred thousand pounds might grant me – and I ignored Mr.Grover’s opposition, Henshaw tried to kill me.”
“What?”Shock imbued the singular word, which was spoken by more than one person.
Edwina hedged her bets.The man who’d killed Henshaw made a good argument.She could either trust him or the rest of the men; a larger group she had no chance of fighting alone.
Decided, she grabbed the hand of the man who’d asked her to trust him, and allowed his strength to help her rise.
“Now, if you don’t mind,” he said, addressing the others, “I mean to leave with my winnings and vanish before the hotel staff learns of what has occurred.Anyone trying to stop me will get a lead ball between the eyes.”
He moved his hand from Edwina’s, grasping her by her upper arm instead, and yanked her with him as he proceeded toward the exit.Her heart stuttered, and she suddenly wondered if she’d been mistaken in her decision to accompany him so willingly.Maybe she should have fought harder.Perhaps the death such an effort would lead to would be preferred to whatever else waited for her.
They reached the other men, and his hold on her arm tightened as he drew her close to his side.
