Elizabeth Thornton - [Special Branch 02] by Princess Charming

Barrie. He should have done right by him long before now. But it wasn’t too late. He was Gwyn’s trustee. He would play a part in their lives whether she liked it or not, even if he had to shake some sense into her.
    Why was he always thinking of shaking her? He didn’t want to hurt Gwyn, he just wanted to make sure she was all right.
    His cheroot had gone out. After lighting it again, he inhaled slowly and watched the smoke spiral in front of his face. When he’d caught sight of her on the stairs, he’d been shocked. His first thought was that Bertie Sackville had lured her here under false pretenses. His next thought was that she should have known better. But he wanted only to protect her.
    He’d seen her enter the servants’ staircase and had known at once that she would make for the ground floor, so he’d turned himself around and fought his way clear of the crush till he came to the green baize door to the servants’ quarters. When he walked into that room, he was on edge, afraid of what might have happened to her. Then he’d seen her safe and sound, and all he’d wanted was to lay his hands on her and shake her for the terrors she’d made him suffer. So he’d laid his hands on her and …
    Now he knew his drink had been doctored, because he was beginning to feel sorry for himself.
    He was exhaling another stream of smoke when the house erupted with sound: a whistle going off, glass breaking, shouts, shrieks, and screams. He stared at the ceiling. It sounded as though an armywas on the move, or the house was on fire. Maybe excitement was just around the corner. He inhaled another draw on his cheroot and threw the stub into the grate.
    The door suddenly burst open.
    “Brandon?”
    It wasn’t Brandon who entered but somebody else, someone Jason recognized. “Officer Rankin.” He smiled with genuine warmth. “What brings you here? Uh-oh, don’t tell me this is a raid?”
    Officer Rankin lowered the truncheon he was waving about. He took a few steps into the room and squinted up at Jason. “Well, well, well,” he said. “This is just like old times. I thought you’d outgrown these capers, Mr. Radley, sir.”
    “And I thought you’d be retired by now.”
    Rankin chuckled. “Seems we was both wrong.”
    Two other men whom Jason had never seen before crowded into the room. They were young, in their early twenties, and looked as friendly as marauding Huns. They, too, were carrying truncheons.
    “Me mates,” said Officer Rankin by way of introduction. “I’m showing them the ropes.”
    “They’re Bow Street runners?” Jason’s tone was incredulous. “Where did you find them? Newgate?”
    “You better watch your mouth,” said one.
    “Or we’ll shut it for you,” said the other.
    “It’s all right, lads. Me and Mr. Radley goes back a long ways. You see—Bloody hell!”
    Jason had just made a rude gesture, and before Rankin could prevent it, his men charged. A kick in the groin downed one, but the other checked Jason with a blow that missed his head by inches and landed on his shoulder. Jason recoiled, then sprang at him, and they both went rolling on the floor.
    Jason came out on top. He felt the blood thundering in his ears; he could taste the thrill of the fight inhis mouth. And all the anger that was bottled inside him had, at last, found a worthy object.
    He pulled back his arm to deliver a punch, but before he could complete the movement, pain exploded across his back and he slumped forward in a daze.
    “Sorry, Mr. Radley, sir.” Officer Rankin shoved the truncheon into his waistband. “You always was a wild one when the drink was on you. ’Ere, what do you thinks you’re doing? Put that truncheon down!” This aside was addressed to the runner who had just pulled himself from under Jason.
    “He elbowed me in the stomach.” He clutched his stomach and groaned to prove his point. “He deserves everything he gets.”
    “Just be thankful he’s out of practice or it’s you