AllFreeNovel
Share Us
With a few quick strides, Logan reached them, plucking an attacker from the writhing pile of bodies and heaving him over the side of the bridge. With a snarl, the mounted man leveled his pistol. Logan pulled a blade from his boot and threw just as the man fired his weapon. Shards of stone exploded from the wall behind him. The ball missed Logan only by inches.
His assailant screeched and clutched at the knife buried in his shoulder. He jerked halfway out of his saddle, accidentally pulling his horse around in the opposite direction. The animal bolted down the road, with his rider flopping like a fish on a riverbank. One of the other horses, spooked by the commotion, bolted and raced off down the road as well.
Trusting Davey to handle his remaining assailant, Logan turned back toward the front of the carriage. Foster was lashing his whip at one of the remaining riders, keeping the man well occupied in trying to prevent his mount from rearing out of control.
The fourth rider, however, was off his horse and at the carriage door. A brute of a man, he’d clamped a hand around Donella’s calf and was dragging her toward him. The lass put up a mighty struggle. Her skirts were rucked up as she tried to kick him off, all while desperately grabbing on to the doorframe.
A pulse of fury shimmered through Logan, a white-hot bolt that seemed to light up the sky. He charged forward, hell-bent on throttling the bastard for daring to lay hands on her.
As he clamped a hand on the brute’s shoulder, Donella lashed out with her other foot, connecting solidly with her attacker’s groin. The man jerked upright with a strangled shriek. Logan yanked him off the carriage step and threw him down to the roadbed. He hit the paving stones and curled into a ball, hands clapped between his legs as he loudly moaned.
Logan reached for Donella and helped her sit up. “Are ye all right, lass?”
“I . . . I’m fine.”
With shaking hands, she struggled to rearrange her clothing. One of her stockings had come undone, exposing her pale skin and fine-boned ankle. Logan pulled down her skirts and then helped her climb back onto the seat of the carriage.
“That was a grand hit, Donella,” he said gruffly. “Well done.”
Her lips trembled into an uncertain smile. “I was trying to stab him, but I dropped my hatpin.”
Logan glanced at the man in the road, still a whimpering ball. “Trust me, that was considerably more effective.”
“You were very impressive, too,” she earnestly said. “You tossed that man over the side of the bridge like a sack of potatoes.” Then she frowned. “I do hope you didn’t kill him.”
“I doubt it, but I’m not wasting any tears over the idiot.”
Her gaze slid away as she reached for her bonnet. “I’m fairly certain they didn’t wish to hurt me, despite their rough handling.”
At the sound of clattering hooves, Logan glanced forward. The man who’d attacked Foster had retreated, and Red Scarf had obviously helped the leader back onto his horse. Without a backward glance, the three riders took off in the direction of Perth, leaving their injured compatriots behind.
“And I’m fairly certain theydidwish to hurt Davey and Foster, and me,” he said.
She flashed him a troubled glance. “Yes, that was very bad.”
There was something she wasn’t telling him, but now was not the time for an interrogation.
Donella put on her bonnet. “What next, sir?”
“We get out of here before the bastards have a chance to regroup.”
“Although I don’t approve of your language, Mr. Kendrick, I do approve of that course of action.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said dryly.
He stepped down and closed the door of the carriage. The man in the road was starting to show signs of rousing himself, so Logan grabbed him by the collar, dragged him to the side of the bridge, and dumped him over. A yell and a loud splash followed.
Donella opened her window and leaned out with a scowl. “Was that really necessary?”
“Yes.” He glanced at Davey, still rolling about on the ground with his attacker. “Davey, stop larking about and put an end to it.”
“I’m trying, sir,” the groom exclaimed in a strangled tone. “But he ain’t fightin’ fair.”
Logan plucked the man off Davey and tossed him headfirst into the stone guardrail of the bridge. The fellow collapsed into a sad heap on the cobblestones.
Davey clambered to his feet, glancing first at his opponent and then at Logan.
“I reckon he won’t be gettin’ up for a while,” the groom said, sounding a bit awestruck.
