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The sound of a near stampede thundered down the hall, yells and cries filling the small space.
“Fire,” a man’s voice boomed from the gaming room.
Ace turned and wrenched open the door, smoke pouring into the room.
“We’ve got to get out of here,” East yelled, pushing at Ace’s back.
They made a break for the back, joining the mass of people trying to get out the door as several more screams filled the night. The smoke was so thick that they could hardly see the floor in front of them as Ace made his way down the hall, East’s hands on his shoulders. “Don’t let go.” He called behind him, ducking lower to attempt to avoid the smoke.
“I won’t,” East said, tightening his grip.
Suddenly, the other man fell into Ace’s back. “East?” Ace looked over his shoulder again.
“I’ve tripped on something!” East called and Ace spun, squinting into the smoke. Curled on the floor was a person.
Without thought, he pushed East to the side, bending down to lift the body up. Lighter than he’d imagined, he knew instantly it was a woman.
“Arabella?” he asked, even as he turned and started for the door once again. Arabella, a partner at the club was one of the only ladies who might be here.
She was also East’s very good friend.
“Arabella?” East croaked behind him as they reached the door and lurched out into the fresh air of the night.
It was her. Unconscious in his arms.
“Arabella,” East cried, gasping in a breath.
Ace dropped to his knees, and resting Arabella on his thighs, he thumped on her chest several times. Was she breathing?
She let out a coughing, gasping breath, her lungs heaving as her unfocused eyes blinked and her body spasmed.
He held her head up, not knowing what else to do as East dropped down next to him.
“I’m all right,” she croaked out. “Someone knocked me down, I think.” She swiped her strawberry blonde hair back from her sooty face.
“Where is Edge?” East asked, wiping more of the grime from her cheeks and chin.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“We have to find him.” East gently took Arabella into his own arms, standing with her as he did.
Boxby ran up to them. “Bloody hell, is everyone all right?”
But Ace didn’t answer. A movement in the shadows caught his gaze. It looked to be a man. Odd. Why wouldn’t that man be helping as people poured from the club? “Boxby,” he whispered. “Did you see that?”
Boxby followed his gaze. “See what?”
“A man, there,” Ace didn’t point but he gave his chin a quick jerk. “Why is he hiding?”
But it was East who answered. “I don’t know, but go. Follow him.”
Ace gave a quick nod of assent as he melted into the shadows too, Boxby just behind him as he moved into the alley.
He stopped again, searching the night and just caught sight of a man further down the alley slipping to the right.
Holding a finger up to his mouth, he followed, his steps as stealthy as he could make them as they moved down alley after alley.
Boxby didn’t say a word and he kept his steps just as quiet as the two men worked through the shadows, moving deeper into the east end of London until they found themselves at the docks of the Thames.
