Sebastian's Lady Spy (14 page)

“Don't you want to know what I've been doing all these years?” she asked.

“I already know.” But there was doubt in his eyes as he took in her clothing. He was wondering, questioning. This was far better revenge than just killing him; she was enjoying herself immensely. But she needed to keep focused. She needed to find Sebastian.

“I've spent my time away from Seven Dials wisely.” She threw him a slant-eyed look. “I've learned quite a few things that would make your bollocks shrivel in terror.”

He scoffed, but without force. His gaze moved to the closed door behind her. She could see that normally he was well protected and rarely conducted business without a bodyguard. She'd caught him unprepared. Good.

She moved around the dining table, forcing him to turn to keep her in his sights. There were weapons secured around the room, she had no doubt. Her mission was to separate him from the weapons.

“I took money for you, then you disappeared and made me look a fool.” He was working up to anger, but she wasn't concerned. For the first time she felt in control when it came to Cutthroat. She had the upper hand, and he was beginning to realize that.

“I disappeared because I was taken off the street. Thrown over a stranger's shoulder and tossed into a carriage.”

His eyes widened in true surprise. She leaned close. He smelled of musky cologne and the eggs and bacon he'd been eating.

“I became a weapon. A very good weapon.” Her dagger slipped into her palm from the sheath secured to her arm.

Cutthroat looked down on it wide-eyed, and he swallowed. “Kevin was not supposed to let you in with that.”

“Kevin had no choice.”

He realized that she had effectively cornered him and he was defenseless. An old man against a trained killer. He seemed to sag a little, fear creeping into his eyes. It had been frightfully simple to overtake him. He'd become accustomed to people fearing him, and because of that he'd become complacent. His mistake.

She pressed the point of her very sharp dagger against the flesh of his belly. He stilled.

“I've killed a lot of men in my life,” she said softly. “I know how to kill in so many different ways, it would amaze you.”

He licked his suddenly bloodless lips.

“I need to know where I might find Grant McFadden.”

Cutthroat blinked. “I have no idea who he is.”

“Come now, Cutthroat. I don't like it when people lie to me.”

It was as if she'd entered an alternate level of consciousness. She was saying these words, and yet she wasn't. She'd never threatened anyone in this way. Yes, she'd killed men, but always at the order of the crown, never on her own. Could she kill Cutthroat? She wasn't sure, and she didn't like what had overtaken her.

“You know everything that happens in this city. You collect information like a lady collects hats. Where is he?” She pressed her dagger into his belly with a bit more force, and he winced. A glance down confirmed that she'd drawn blood. Not enough to cause serious damage. Yet.

“I don't know where he is. I heard tell he stays in different locations. He moves around frequently.”

“Not good enough.”

He flinched. “All I know is that he has a ship named
Aileen.
”

She moved her knife, easily slicing off a button from his waistcoat. It dropped to the ground with a
plink
and rolled away, the only sound in the room besides Cutthroat's labored breaths.

“Where is this ship?” Damnation, if McFadden had sailed away with Sebastian, she would have the devil of a time finding him. She needed Lockwood. The pirate would know where to find a ship that didn't want to be found.

“I swear to you, I do not know. McFadden's business is of no use to me here.”

She popped another button and it clinked to the ground. Cutthroat drew a deep breath, sucking in his stomach to avoid the tip of her knife. “You cannot kill me,” he said, but it was almost a question rather than a statement.

“Can't I?”

“People will know. Kevin will know.”

“I do not fear Kevin.” She leaned closer so that their lips were almost touching. The move was meant to intimidate, and it worked well: Cutthroat blanched. “My dream has always been to kill you. Did you know that?”

He paused before shaking his head.

Gabrielle drew back and looked him over. “You are old, Cutthroat. Your time here is almost over. Someone younger and wiser and stronger will come along and unseat you soon.”

Anger flashed in his eyes, but behind it was an acknowledgment of the truth.

“I have decided to let you live.”

He frowned.

“I have a feeling you can be useful to me someday.” She took another step back and another. She would not turn her back on him quite yet. “What does it feel like, knowing that you're now working for me, when for so many years you wanted me to work for you?”

She smiled as he sagged against the wall, drawing deep breaths and placing a hand to his heart. No. He would not last long here in the jungle of Seven Dials. The weak and infirm never did.

“He could be in any number of inlets along the Thames,” Lockwood said after listening to Gabrielle explain the situation. He didn't ask how she'd come by her information, and neither did she volunteer to tell him.

“We may be too late,” she said, voicing the fear that had been gnawing at her since she left Seven Dials. “McFadden may have already left London.”

“I don't think so,” Phin said. They were seated at a back table at The Coxswain. She had received a few odd looks when she'd walked in, but none since she'd sat down with Lockwood. People steered clear of their table, so they were free to converse, albeit softly. “I think he's still here,” Phin added. “What purpose does he have in taking Claybrook?”

Gabrielle had no idea how much Sebastian had told Lockwood of their mission or why they were looking for McFadden. But she remembered the night in the carriage when Lockwood had joined them in such a spectacularly dramatic way. The two men had seemed close, closer than an informant and agent would. She remembered that Sebastian had said Lockwood was a friend of the family. Sebastian had seemed to trust him, and Gabrielle trusted Sebastian. “McFadden must have known we were searching for him. He didn't want to be found.”

“So he takes Claybrook? It makes no sense. Why not just kill him?”

A cold shiver raced up Gabrielle's spine. Lockwood had just touched on her biggest fear. What if Sebastian were already dead? She knew she could not think like that, for it would interfere with her search, but it was difficult not to think that way. Why would McFadden kidnap and keep Sebastian alive? There was no good reason she could think of.

“My crew is out searching the waters,” Lockwood said. “We have a few hours left before nightfall. Hopefully we will find the
Aileen
before then.”

Frustration ate at Gabrielle. She didn't want to sit in some disgusting dockside inn and wait for someone else to find Sebastian. It was
her
job to find him. She was his partner. And yet she had to be patient, had to rely on people who were far better at searching the waters than she would be.

The constant sway of the ship was nauseating Sebastian. He faded in and out of consciousness to the point where he had no idea how long he had been here. No one came to check on him. No food arrived. No drink. Not even someone to beat him occasionally.

He was in so much pain that it robbed him of thought. He knew McFadden was waiting for Gabrielle to appear, and Sebastian could only pray that she would not. But in his heart, he knew she would. They were partners, and she would think it her duty to save him. Hell and damnation, but he wished she would just stay away. He could not stand the thought of her walking into this trap and dying because of some misguided notion that she needed to save him. If he happened to survive this he didn't want the guilt of that on his soul for the rest of eternity.

But he could lie to himself no longer. It wasn't the guilt of her death that would haunt him. It was the thought of living the rest of his life without her. Once again she had wormed her way into his heart until she was all he thought about, dreamed about, wanted, and cared for.

He didn't want her hurt—worse, he didn't want her risking her life to save him when he didn't deserve to be saved. He'd allowed himself to be kidnapped. He'd allowed her to become vulnerable, and more important he'd hurt her so many times that he didn't deserve her at all.

Despite all of that, he wanted her. He wanted her by his side forever. He didn't care about her pedigree. Damn that. There were women with the bluest blood who were not half the woman Gabrielle was.

Besides, to the aristocracy
,
she was a contessa—Italian nobility. If that wasn't enough, then damn them all to hell. He couldn't care less.

All of this was a moot point because Gabrielle was going to walk onto this ship and be taken hostage and they were both going to die.

He closed his eyes and winced at the broken rib that prodded his inner organs. This was one of the worst beatings he'd ever endured. His hands and feet were numb and his right eye was swollen shut. Even if she realized this was a trap and came prepared, he couldn't help her.

Gabrielle pulled herself up the rope ladder attached to the side of the
Aileen.
Below her, Phin stood in the small boat and watched silently. She threw one leg over the railing, then hoisted herself onto the deck, landing on her feet and looking around. Lanterns were lit at various intervals. The rigging clanged softly with each sway of the ship. It was peaceful here, but she couldn't allow the peace to lull her. Somewhere on this ship was Sebastian, and she was determined to find him. God help her, but she had better not be too late.

She prowled the deck. Phin had given her a crash course on the
Aileen.
A sloop, built for maneuverability in the shallow waters and small enough to hide in the myriad inlets off England's coast. Having been on few ships, Gabrielle wasn't well enough versed to know the difference. All she knew was that it was small enough for her to find Sebastian quickly.

But finding him wasn't her first mission, as much as she wanted it to be. Atwater had caught up to her, only to remind her that her mission was to capture McFadden. In her mind she had railed against it, fought the impulse to defy Atwater and go rogue. For Sebastian she would do it. For Sebastian she would do anything.

However, the mission came first. It was a motto that had been drilled into her since she was a twelve-year-old urchin, and it was not something she could go against all these years later. But Gabrielle had figured out a compromise. She would save Sebastian and capture McFadden at the same time.

When she heard someone approaching, she slid into the shadows but allowed herself to be glimpsed. The man stopped, his hand on the butt of his pistol. “Who's there?” he demanded. He took a few steps toward her, staring intently into the shadows. Gabrielle held her breath.
Closer. Closer.
He was so close, and yet the idiot did not see her. Must she step forward and wave her arms in the air?

Like a striking snake, he snagged her by the shirt, yanking her forward with such force that the breath whooshed out of her and her head jerked back. He pulled her so close that his nose was inches from hers. The scent of body odor and cooked onions assailed her and she wrinkled her nose.

“Gotcha,” he snarled. “We been waitin' fer ya.”

She pressed her lips together while he chuckled, apparently delighted that he'd been the one to snag her. Still clutching her shirt, he turned on his heel and dragged her away. She didn't fight him.

Thankfully she didn't have to be dragged all that far to McFadden, who was on the orlop deck, speaking to another sailor. When McFadden saw her, his eyes widened and he stopped in midsentence.

“Found her,” her captor crowed.

“Yes, you did, Archie. Good job, mate.”

Archie shoved her forward, causing Gabrielle to stumble.

McFadden raised a brow. “You didn't tie her hands, Archie?”

“Uh…”

“Did you search her for weapons?”

“Uh…”

Gabrielle suppressed a smile and allowed Archie's trembling hands to roam over her body. She didn't take her eyes off McFadden as Archie removed a dagger from her boot and another from a sheath tucked into her waistband.

“Only two small daggers?” McFadden asked. “I'm surprised.”

She shrugged.

McFadden's eyes narrowed. “Do you think to give yourself up to save your lover?”

She schooled her features to avoid showing her surprise. Of course, if he had been watching her all these weeks, he would know that Sebastian had spent some time with her. She shouldn't be surprised.

“It won't work,” McFadden said.

Her arms were jerked behind her and tied tightly with a rough rope that dug into her wrists.

“You will both die,” McFadden said.

She raised her chin and let the silence speak for itself. Archie stepped back quickly, as if afraid she would somehow escape her bonds and come after him. The sailor McFadden had been talking to watched warily.

Anger sparked in McFadden's eyes as he approached her. “I'm disappointed in the king. Two meager spies to search for me?”

“Perhaps that is all he thought he needed.”

He smiled. “You mock our mission, but you will not mock me as I'm slowly killing you.”

She pressed her lips together. The lack of response apparently infuriated McFadden. He smacked her on the cheek. Her head snapped sideways, and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out. Behind her, Archie chuckled, and the other man's eyes slid away.

“England will rue the day they took the Scots' freedom,” McFadden snarled. His eyes burned with passion and anger, and Gabrielle remembered that his fiancée had been murdered by English soldiers. How much of this was revenge for his Aileen and how much true belief in Scotland?

“You won't succeed,” she said. “England is too powerful.”

He smirked. “You English. You are all so arrogant, blindly following your king, believing everything he says.”

“He's your king, too.”

His face twisted into something grotesque. “I will never bow to him.”

“You cannot succeed in this.”

He seemed to consider her as he stepped closer. She stared up into dead eyes that turned her insides cold.

“I have two of England's spies in my possession,” he said. “What do
you
think I should do about this predicament?” He snatched the braid that hung over her shoulder. Gabrielle bit back her cry of surprise as he yanked hard, causing her neck to bend else he tear the hair from her head. “Follow me,” he said, as if she had a choice in the matter. He dragged her with him, her head bent as he used her hair to yank her about. “You, too, Archie,” he called over his shoulder.

Gabrielle frantically searched the waters beyond the ship, but it was difficult to see with her head bent. McFadden was walking quickly. His fury rose off him, chilling her with its ferocity. She did not know what she'd said to cause it, but she dearly hoped that Atwater and his men were getting close, because the entire situation had escalated far too suddenly for her liking.

Before they entered the lower portion of the ship, McFadden grabbed a lantern hanging on a wall. He pulled her behind him to a closed door, opened it, and set the lantern on the floor before swinging her around until she was in front of him, her hair still wrapped around his fist. It took a moment for her to recognize what she was seeing, and when she did, she was helpless to keep from crying out.

Tied to a chair in the middle of the empty room was a beaten and bloody Sebastian. His head was bent between bowed shoulders. His shirt, once a snowy white, was flecked with bright red specks of blood. His hair was matted with blood. Blood dripped off fingers curled around the end of the armrest. His ankles were tied to the chair legs.

Slowly he lifted his head. Both eyes were nearly swollen shut. Blood dribbled from the corners of his lips. There was not a spot on his face that was not bruised or bleeding.

McFadden released her and barked to Archie, who stood in the doorway: “Hold her.”

Gabrielle could only stare at Sebastian, her heart pounding. She had been through much training on what to do in situations such as this, but reality was far worse. She was an orphan. She had no one she cared for. Frightening scenarios of family members being used against her had meant little to her, which was one reason she'd been such a good operative. She'd had nothing to lose.

But now she did. Now she had Sebastian, and her fear was tenfold, a hundredfold, since she knew exactly what McFadden had planned for them.

McFadden was standing behind Sebastian, a long sharp knife in his hand. He grabbed a handful of Sebastian's hair and yanked his head back, exposing his throat.

“No,” Sebastian whispered between swollen lips, but he wasn't speaking to McFadden. He was speaking to Gabrielle. He knew. He knew what fate awaited him, and he was telling her what to do. Even in this he had to be in charge.

“Tell me what the crown knows,” McFadden demanded of her.

Gabrielle tore her gaze from Sebastian to look in horror at McFadden. “Don't do this.”

“England took my beloved. Raped her and threw her used body in the weeds for my sister to find. Do you think I care about you and your feelings?”

She was breathing rapidly, fear a living thing inside her. She had known fear but not like this. Not this numbing terror that weakened her knees.

“Don't, Gabby.”

She caught a glimmer of Sebastian's eyes through the swelling.
Don't tell him,
he seemed to be saying.

“Tell me.” McFadden placed the sharp edge of the knife right beneath Sebastian's Adam's apple. Gabrielle's gaze was riveted to the thin line of blood that welled there.

“Don't,” Sebastian bit out in a gravelly voice. “Don't do this, Gabrielle.”

Her stomach lurched. She knew her duty to her country. She knew what she must do. Sacrifice one to save many. But didn't she also have a duty to her heart? She'd given up so much for this country, all willingly, and she'd been grateful for the opportunity, but when was enough?

And where the hell were Atwater and his men? They'd promised that they would be minutes behind her. All she had to do was distract McFadden, lull him into a false sense of security as they boarded the ship. They should have been here by now.

“I…” She licked her lips.

“Tell me or he dies,” McFadden said. “Or do you not love him enough to save his life?”

Her gaze flew to McFadden before sliding back to Sebastian. “I love you,” she said to Sebastian, because she hadn't had a chance to tell him before. Because both of them had been thick-skulled and stubborn and proud, and they'd lost the chance to tell each other what they felt. Because things weren't going as planned, and she was damned if Sebastian would die without knowing her true feelings.