Page 84 of The Viscount of Shadows

“There,” Rett pointed.

Bryan lay on the ground, the sack still on his head.

Looking around and finding no one, Oliver removed his hat, scarf, and mask and handed it to Rett. He crouched down by his brother. “Bryan. You are safe. Come, stand up.” Oliver tore the sack off his head, then took his brother’s arm and assisted him in standing.

Bryan’s eyes squinted as if trying to focus. “Oliver?” he rasped hoarsely. Then Bryan threw his arms around Oliver’s neck and began to cry softly.

Seeing his brother broken like this tore Oliver’s heart in two. “It is all right, Bryan. We have you. All is well.”

A loud crash caught their attention. The Black Moon Pub’s roof caved in from the fire, and billows of black smoke climbed higher in the night sky. The shack next door, where Oliver had hidden, was also aflame.

“Here’s the carriage!” Rett yelled. “We have to get off the street right away.”

“Here, help Bryan.”

Rett took Bryan’s arm just as Claudia jumped down from the carriage. She had removed the beard and wig. She called to Kennedy, the driver, to assist Rett in loading the unconscious Mitchell into the conveyance.

Claudia ran straight to Oliver’s arms, hugging him tight. “I was scared to death,” she whispered. “If I had lost you. Oh, Oliver, never scare me like that again.”

“My love.” He kissed her, took her hand, and ran for the carriage. This was enough adventure for one night.

For a lifetime.