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“I think I hear voices,” Braden finally murmured.
“I can’t hear anything,” she whispered back. “Are you sure?”
By now, her eyes had adjusted to the dark, and she could see him nod.
“Yes, but we need to get closer.”
He took her hand and led her forward, while the others fell in silent step behind them. For such big men, they moved like the ghosts that supposedly haunted the vaults beneath the bridge.
As they came to the curve in the tunnel, Braden held up a hand to bring them to a halt.
“I definitely hear voices,” he whispered. “Three, possibly four. They’re arguing.”
Samantha again strained to hear, but heard nothing but low, indistinct sounds. “Are you sure?”
Logan leaned in close. “Braden has ears like a bat. He was always able to overhear whatever insane plot the rest of us were cooking up, without even trying.”
“Unfortunately,” Braden absently replied, as he cocked his head, listening.
“That squares with what that whiny little bastard told us before Mr. Logan knocked him out,” Donny muttered. “Baines, MacGowan, Girvin, and two or three men to stand guard over the bairns.”
The thug—if he was to be believed—hadn’t been sure about who else might be with MacGowan. Samantha prayed that the numbers would be on their side, since they could hardly charge in, pistols blazing, until they knew exactly where the children were located.
Braden inched forward and took a quick glance around the bend.
“Can you see anything?” Samantha whispered.
“More tunnel up ahead, with what looks like a big chamber off it. One well lit.”
“They’d need a larger room to hold the children and store all their goods,” Logan said.
Braden glanced up. The tunnel had widened in the last few hundred feet or so. It now arched over their heads in a high stone vault, the top of which disappeared into inky blackness.
“We’re about a third of the way under South Bridge, where the large chambers are,” he said. “So that squares, too.”
Logan set down his lantern. “Final check of your weapons, lads and lady.”
They were, in fact, bristling with weaponry. Logan had insisted they be well prepared, with knives in boots, a cudgel for Stevens, and pistols for all of them. Samantha intended to rely mostly on her blade. In her hands, it was both lethal and accurate, and much less risky for bystanders.
Braden put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her in.
“Ready?” he whispered.
“Absolutely.”
“Just get a fast look, and then pull back as quick as you can.”
She craned up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”
“I trust you, sweet lass.”
Since they had no idea what they might be facing, they needed to know the layout of the chamber, the numbers of men, and where, exactly, the children were stowed. It was the only way to proceed with any confidence that the bairns wouldn’t be harmed or grabbed as hostages during a fight. Samantha had argued that it made sense for her to conduct the initial reconnaissance. If, by chance, she could catch Felicity’s eye, she could sign for her to try to keep the children out of the way. Samantha was also quicker and smaller, and thus less likely to be spotted than one of the men.
Braden had struggled with the idea, knowing how dangerous it was for her, but he’d finally agreed. And that simple act of trust meant more to Samantha than he would ever know.
They ghosted forward around the curve in the tunnel. The chamber was about thirty feet ahead, light streaming out from its wide entrance. Once she stepped out from the shelter of the tunnel wall, she’d be fully visible if anyone glanced her way. All Samantha could do at this point was hope that luck was on her side.
She and Braden advanced to the edge of the opening.
