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Chapter 20
Anote came to Blake’s house a few hours after he returned to his townhouse.
The ransom note.
By that time, Blake had worn the floor of his study as he paced around with nothing to do but wait. He’d convinced Ford to send his people to check the docks because that’s where Blake believed he had been kept before. A few men were sent to check the place where Annalise was taken from. Jamison, the man who managed to secure an audience with Hades before, even went back to the hell to try to convince Hades to help.
But Jarvis and Ford kept Blake prowling in the townhouse with nothing to do.
It was a good thing, he supposed, as he read the poorly written note in a barely decipherable scrawl. It had lots of grammatical errors, but the message was clear. The thugs demanded a round sum to leave England, which Blake would be happy to give if only there was a guarantee they’d let Annalise go.
The note said to meet them at the back of the White Stag tavern at dawn, down by the docks. Which meant Blake had been right in his assumptions. Annalise was there by the docks, too.
“Dawn is in a few hours, but we might as well go now and circle the area. Perhaps we can find something suspicious that can help us find the thugs’ hideout,” Ford said.
Finally, something to do and not just sit on our arses.“We need to take a carriage, in case Annalise is… injured or tired. I don’t want her riding on my horse.”
“You’re probably right, if—” Ford got interrupted as the door flew open then, and two of Ford’s men came in, looking winded. One of them had a basket in his hand.
Miss Gale’s basket.
Blake rushed and took it from the man. He opened the lid, and the kitten flew out of it and jumped on Blake’s shoulder. Blake took Miss Gale gently in his hands.
“You are alive, you little spawn of the devil,” he said, gently cradling the kitten to his chest. The kitten struggled, and Blake let her down. Instead of running away, it started circling Blake’s legs, sniffing him as if making sure she was back home.
“What else did you find?” Blake asked the men.
“Nothing, sir. Your servants are taken care of. The doctor arrived in the village just as we were leaving. And we brought back the carriage.”
“Good,” Blake said with a nod. “Take the carriage; you’re coming with us to the docks.”
The men armed themselves with muskets and knives and headed out.
* * *
The moon was hidden behind the clouds, so it was difficult to make out anything in the dark. Blake forced himself to concentrate on the goal—finding Annalise—and tried to ignore the shortness of breath and his perspiring forehead. The darkness had the strangest effect on him.
Blake didn’t want to think about Annalise, scared and alone in the dark dungeon. He didn’t want to think what the thugs would do to her during the night. He just wanted to get to her and take her home.
The journey lasted tortuously long, even though they rode at a breakneck pace. But finally, they reached the White Stag and tied their horses. They left the carriage a few streets north not to draw unwanted attention, with Ford’s associates looking after it.
“Let us disperse,” Jarvis said. “This way, we’ll have a better chance of finding something.”
“Yes, and this is also the best way to get killed around here,” Ford grumbled.
“Just do not go too far and give a long whistle if you’re in peril.”
“Whistle? Right, this is exactly what I am doing if I am being beaten to death.” Ford scoffed and muttered under his breath, “Toff.”
“There’s no time to argue,” Blake growled. “I shall stay in the White Stag and see if I recognize anyone. Ford, you can take the area around the tavern and Jarvis, go wherever you think you need to. But be on the lookout and shoot at any sign of trouble. Whistle if you find anything.”
Jarvis raised a brow toward Ford and walked away.
“He is going to die, you know,” Ford said.
Blake watched Jarvis disappear in silence. “Go watch him,” he told Ford as soon as the door closed behind his friend. Ford raised a brow. “I am not certain I trust him yet.”
Ford gave a nod. “Whistle,” he said with a wink and disappeared after Jarvis.
