Page 87 of Broken

The last time he had seen this man, he’d desired to have a dueling pistol near. He wished he had one now. His aim would be pretty good, given his motivation tonight.

“Stay back,” Barrette warned.

Lilly wrapped her arms around her father. Covered in soot from head to toe, her white hair dull in the limited light, Lilly thankfully did not look hurt.

Giles took two steps back as the sound of more footsteps could be heard coming up behind him. The pistol swung to Lilly, and then back to him.

“Put the gun down, Barrette,” Giles ordered, using false bravado to intimidate the man.

Barrette curled his lips into a sneer. “This has nothing to do with you. I suggest you go take care of your own affairs.”

“Lilly is my affair. I’ll not leave her.”

Barrette laughed. “Then I shall have to make sure I do a better job of helping her leave you.” He waved the pistol at Lilly. “Get back on your feet, wench.”

Giles held his breath as she complied. He was afraid for her. Terrified to lose her. But he had no gun or weapon on him to fight with. He’d have to be cunning—and damned fast about it. He could attempt to tackle Barrette, but the gun might just go off and hit one of them.

“I’m not going anywhere with you again,” Lilly began. “I’ll not be a fool like last time. Put the gun down. What can you hope to gain from this?”

“Dumas, you idiot.”

“I’ve never wanted Dumas!”

Barrette growled. “You still don’t understand. The interest from your dowry sustains Dumas. The estate will be as crippled as you.”

Lilly looked at Giles. She sought confirmation in his gaze and he let his head nod infinitesimally. The loss of her original dowry would do what Barrette feared, and leave the property in dire straights. But Giles had negotiated, settling for a lower sum. “The amount has changed. There will be no danger to the estate now.”

“I need it all,” Barrette insisted.

More footsteps sounded behind him, and Giles spread his arms wide to warn them back. “You cannot hope to harm Lilly and get away with it. There are too many witnesses now.”

Barrette pointed the pistol at him instead. “She was supposed to die. But if you want something done, you just have to do it yourself. It should have worked the first time!” Barrette complained, adjusting his grip on the weapon.

“The first time was when you threw her off the bridge, wasn’t it?” Giles asked conversationally, unsure where he was going to go with this, but anxious to draw out the exchange.

“Damned dog. Should have known she would have spoiled the brute.” He waved the gun towards Atticus, and Atticus growled until Lilly laid a restraining hand on him. “She quite ruined that hunting dog of mine before I got him. Had to starve and beat the beast before he would behave like a proper dog.” Barrette laughed, a cruel smile tugging his lips upward.

Lilly scowled, her tiny fists clenched.

All he needed was for her to fly into a temper over a long-dead dog to provoke Barrette into doing something foolish. Like shoot the pistol at her.

Winter chose that moment to groan, and his eyes fluttered open. But he did not see the situation before him. Barrette waved the pistol erratically, and Giles prayed the weapon would not fire accidentally.

“Just lay there, old man, and die! You should have brought her to me when you wanted to be rid of her. I would have done the deed myself. Did you know the cork-brain was planning on packing you off to some pissing little estate in the wilds of Scotland?” Barrette hissed. “A waste of effort I must say. All that was needed was a shovel and a ditch full of dirt. No one would have missed you. They all think you’re dead anyway thanks to your mother.”

Lilly flinched and clutched her father’s hand. “I know what Papa planned, Barty. It is not news,” she told her cousin in a strong voice.

Giles inched closer to Lilly. Barrette swung the pistol back to him, and he lost the ground he had gained.

“You don’t want to do this, Barrette. Consider what the consequences will be. There’s a dozen or more people on this estate, and every single one is watching you.”

“She promised it would be all mine. She never lies. A cripple doesn’t deserve to be a Winter!”

Barrette renewed his grip on the pistol and aimed at Lilly.

Giles threw himself forward as a pistol shot rang out. He landed hard on top of Barrette.

When he rolled off the man but Barrette lay still, eyes wide, a gaping hole oozing blood from his forehead.