Page 2 of The Duchess He Couldn’t Resist

The man pinned him with a dark look, and Owen closed his mouth.

“We did what we had to do,” Brandon said and wiped his bloodied lips.

“You did what amateurs do.” The man’s voice was calm. “You walked into a fight that you could not win.”

“Winning was not the goal,” Brandon hissed. “Extracting information was.”

“And how did that work out for you?” the man demanded, his tone still flat.

Brandon looked down. The stranger was not wrong. It had been years that Brandon had been trying to get inside the workings of the docks and uncover that wretched gang and get to their leader, but it proved more difficult than he had originally realized.

“You think you can do better?” Owen demanded.

“I know I can do better,” the man said. “If you were to hear me out, I would get the chance to prove it to you.”

He moved forward, strong and authoritative. He took out, with a flair, a small white card with a black hand printed on it. Behind it, in handwritten letters, were the coordinates for a gentleman’s club.

“I would strongly suggest you join me, so I can show you how to do this properly.”

“What is this?” Brandon looked at the card with disbelief.

“The path to victory.”

That was all the man said then he walked away, getting swallowed by the shadows.

“That was a fine trick,” Owen said, impressed.

“That was stupid theatrics,” Brandon growled.

And yet he held onto the card and fixed his eyes on where the man had vanished.

* * *

A few years later…

Brandon was sitting in a smoky room in the back of the gentleman’s club, surrounded by smoke from the cigar that the man behind the big desk had lit. Duncan rarely had any indulgences, but he had that habit, especially when he was deep in plotting.

Brandon studied the leader of their order. Not much had changed in him since the first time they met in that dark alley.

Brandon turned and looked at Owen, sprawled on the luscious sofa, as if he owned the place. After that night, they both became part of the Dark Hand, a secret society that had the goal of making the world better.

Five members, like the five fingers of a hand. Duncan was the Thumb, their cautious leader, which was another way to say that he practiced paranoia more often than not. But Brandon had to admit that it was his caution and well-thought-out planning that had saved all of their lives more than once.

Brandon himself was Index. He joined the order with the sole purpose of using the resources and getting rid of Johnny’s gang. He had found much more.

Owen followed because to him, being part of an order seemed like extreme fun, and for some reason, he and Brandon could not stay separated for too long. It was like this ever since Eton.

Each one of the Fingers had their own reasons for joining such a dark organization, but no one pried more. Brandon had stated that he needed Johnny’s gang behind bars, and the rest of them simply worked to assist him.

And it was the same for every other member. If Brandon were honest, he was rather content with the arrangement. Each one of the Fingers was a powerful duke; even just one of them was a formidable ally.

Brandon couldn’t help but notice Victor’s presence. The Middle of the Dark Hand was a man who had obviously served in the military—and not in the way that most nobles stated, just claiming the title and never seeing the battle in their life. The scars on Victor’s body spoke of a story filled with pain and suffering. Victor himself rarely spoke of his experiences. In fact, Victor rarely spoke at all. The good thing was that silence added to his dangerous allure. Most of the time, all they had to do was appear with Victor by their side, and everyone started talking.

The least assuming of them all was the Little. Not that he was less striking than the rest of the dangerous club, but he had that strange glint in his eye that made Brandon uneasy. If he were to be honest, Brandon often forgot the man was present in the room, and yet, there was a lingering presence, like the darkness lurking.

Duncan put his cigar away and looked at each one of the members of the Dark Hand in the eyes.

“Gentlemen,” he said in that dark voice of his, “I believe we all know why we are gathered here today.”