Page 85 of How to Capture a Duke

She scanned the warehouse floor for something she could use as a weapon. A broken crate with straw stuffing spilling out was pressed against the wall. Grasping a piece of wood with a jagged end, she crept on hands and knees to peek around the corner. If she had any chance of making it to the large doors of the warehouse, she’d have to sneak past them. But how? She didn’t think she could make a run for it. Her only hope was to make use of the dim lighting to creep along, hiding behind crates, and then sprint for the front doors.

Heart pounding so loudly in her chest she feared they could hear, she made her way toward a stack of crates.

“The body must not be found for at least two days,” Spencer insisted. “I want them searching for her elsewhere.”

“How do ye expect me to do that?”

“I don’t care how you do it. I’m paying you good coin to see to the details. Weight her body down if you have to.”

Oh God. So far, they hadn’t noticed her. If she could just make it to the next stack of crates… She moved forward, then her skirt snagged on one of the jagged ends and the top crate shifted then crashed to the floor. The noise was as loud as a trumpet blast in her ears, and she froze.

“Shit! She’s escaping!” Spencer cried out.

She sprang to her feet and sprinted toward the door. Heavy footfalls sounded behind her. She didn’t dare glance back, and her heart hammered in her chest as she ran.

The light was dim, and she jabbed her hip against the corner of a crate and stumbled. Pain shot down her leg. She ignored it, recovered herself, and kept running. Spencer had left a low-burning lamp by the front door, and she ran for it with all her speed.

Close. She was so close when a hand grasped her by her hair and cruelly yanked. Her head snapped back. She screamed and fell to her knees.

“Bitch! You’ll not escape. I was paid good gold to see you dead.”

Robby.

Her eyes teared from the pain. Her hands searched the floor wildly for something to use and landed on one of the open crates. Reaching in the straw, she withdrew a metal object and reached back to strike the man full in the face with all her might.

He howled in pain and released his merciless grip on her hair. Stumbling forward on hands and knees, she rose to her feet and continued her mad dash for the front doors. Robby’s heavy breathing let her know he was hot on her heels, and she feared she wouldn’t make it. A terrified scream built in her lungs, just as a dark figure emerged from the doorway and, with a guttural bellow, struck Robby in the face. The criminal crashed against a pile of crates and remained down.

Shouts sounded. Male voices. Then a firm hand reached for her.

“Olivia!” Tristan’s voice. “Are you all right?”

Strong arms engulfed her, and she breathed in the comforting scent of her husband.

She held onto him tightly and nodded. “Yes, but Spencer is still inside.”

“Don’t worry about him, love. He won’t get away.”

Seconds later, Ian and Hugh tore into the warehouse.

“Olivia!” Ian looked down at her with fearful concern. “Thank God! Take her to safety,” Ian said to Tristan. “We will handle Jeffries and his man.”

Tristan swept Olivia off her feet and carried her outside to his waiting carriage. He took off his coat and wrapped it around her and cradled her on his lap. “You’re wet and freezing. Are you certain you are not injured anywhere else?”

“I’m fine now.”

His dark gaze traveled down her form, and he frowned when he noticed her bloodied wrists. “You escaped your bindings. My smart and resourceful duchess. My heart stopped when I learned you were in danger. If anything h…h-appened to you, I’d never survive it.”

“Spencer was responsible for the gossip rag.”

“I promise that Spencer will never harm you again. He will be sent away to the Continent. Please forgive me for blaming you and your sister. It doesn’t matter to me if the world knows. Maybe it will help others like me to seek out Higgins for treatment. Nothing matters but you.”

“Tristan, I feared the worst,” she said.

“That he would kill you?” His voice shook, and he held her tightly.

She shook her head. “No, that he would return to kill you. Spencer was in debt, and he needed to be your heir. But to have what he needed, you would have to die.”

“You worried about me?” he asked, his expression incredulous as he held her. “Tonight has made everything clear. I love you, Olivia. I’ve loved you for some time now, but my stubbornness prevented me from acknowledging it.” He brushed his lips tenderly against hers.