Page 87 of The Duchess He Couldn’t Resist

“My little rabbit became a duchess and thinks she can order me around.” Donny’s face contorted into something harsh and foul.

“I am a duchess, and you had better remember that. Now let me pass.”

“I don’t think so. You see,” Donny pulled closer, “there is a game being played. And you, little rabbit, are our precious pawn.”

Marigold knew exactly what Donny was hinting at, and she didn’t stay to argue anymore. She turned to run. He grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and dragging her away into a black, unmarked carriage waiting.

She had one thought as she was being driven away. Brandon. She should never have left him.

CHAPTER 26

MISPLACED

“Index,” Duncan forced Brandon to focus on the conversation going on.

But Brandon had a hard time giving full attention to the urgent matter that occupied everybody’s mind. He had been staring at the map on the table for quite some time now without actually seeing it.

He had woken up that morning with every intention to talk to Marigold. He couldn’t help but shake the impression that something was completely wrong and that he needed to clear the air with her. But then the message from Duncan came. It was urgent and immediate and non-negotiable.

Brandon realized that he had to finish this and put it behind them. After all, it would be so much easier for him to convince her that she was not just an informant for him anymore when this whole deal was over.

“The pressure we put on the gang has brought the results we were anticipating,” Duncan was explaining. “That means we have them cornered. But we all know that this can be both a blessing and a curse.”

“In my experience,” Owen said, “when you have somebody cornered, it usually yields the results you’re looking for.”

“This is not some fragile lady you have cornered to gain access to information. This is serious.”

Duncan turned his strict eye on him. It was a cold, calculated thing to see the Thumb of the Dark Hand turn his displeasure on you. Brandon couldn’t tell if Owen was shaken, but he certainly didn’t make any more comments.

“It is true. When the target is cornered, it turns them desperate,” Duncan moved on. “A desperate man makes mistakes. That is the blessing we can exploit. Those mistakes. We have a small window till they gather their senses. But don’t forget also, desperate men get daring and aggressive. They have nothing to lose, so they fight for everything. We should be mindful.”

The five men nodded in understanding. They had been through a lot and knew that mistakes can cost lives. Brandon had never thought that he would die in the line of duty, but it was terrifyingly clear now the complete disregard he had for his own safety before he met Marigold. He was like this cornered man that Duncan was talking about. Someone with nothing to lose.

For years, he felt that this was exactly what made him dangerous. No leverage, no fear. He cultivated that loneliness very carefully, thinking that any attachment would only be a target and something in the hands of his enemies. And then she came into his life.

Yes, he had more fear now, and the thought of anything happening to Marigold made him lose focus. If he didn’t know that she was safe back in their house, he wouldn’t even be here. But then again, that didn’t make him weaker. Now, he wanted to stay safe. He was thinking more clearly, more cleverly, more dangerously, just to be sure that he was going to come back to her. He pitied the man that would dare use her as leverage.

“Thanks to Index’s hard work,” Duncan kept explaining, “they believe there is a group of smugglers moving into their territory. They don’t like that, but they don’t even know what to make of this new threat, so they have agreed to a meeting.”

“Trap,” Middle said, rarely using full sentences when he talked.

“It goes without saying that they have set the trap.” Duncan smiled that icy, emotionless smile of his.

“And we’re walking into it?” Little demanded.

“Not only that.” Duncan turned stony. “We are setting it off.”

“Because we have some death wish, obviously,” Owen said, drinking from his glass. “I didn’t get that particular addendum to our agreement.”

“The agreement we had was to use everything in our power to make the streets safer and clean the dirt,” Duncan reminded them of their goals.

The men nodded. So far, the Thumb of the Dark Hand had not led them astray.

“We will be prepared,” Duncan continued. “We will handle the outburst. The authorities have been notified, despite the corruption that goes deep within their ranks. We have people standing by.”

The men looked at each other, and Brandon saw with satisfaction that everybody was ready to wage this war. He was lucky enough to stumble upon this organization; he couldn’t have made it alone. Tearing down Johnny’s operation took a group effort, and he had found just the people for this, strong lords that had his back.

“We only get one chance to do this,” Duncan said, making sure that everybody understood the seriousness of this mission.