REGENCY: Loved by the Duke (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Short Stories) by Serena Vale, Tencia Winters
Authors: Serena Vale, Tencia Winters
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clear her head. She saw the red sign proclaiming an exit toward the back and headed towards it.
That…man! Hope fumed as she flew through the back exit of the club. On one hand she knew she wasn’t really in any position to be angry at him, but that didn’t stop the vicious stab of pain at the realization that he was just using her to get the manuscript back. That was the real reason he was there. Not because he cared about her.
It was so dumb. She had stolen from him, lied to him. Hope knew that she had even hurt him, but it didn’t change the fact that it had torn her apart to do it. She had let herself get in way too deep, and had almost lost everything. Her job, her home, her brother’s life and security.
It turns out that losing Valentine had hurt her just as much, maybe more. And that realization terrified Hope. She cared about him, deeply, more than she could ever have imagined.
There a scrape of a boot behind her, and that was the only warning Hope had as she was dragged behind the building, the large parking lot deserted at the late hour. She struggled wildly as panic crashed through her, wiping out reason, thought, logic. Only pure instinct was left, and she used it, simultaneously bringing her elbow back sharply and the tip of her heel down on the top of her attacker’s foot.
“You bitch.”
The muffled swear had fear spiking as he grabbed her by both arms, his hands digging viciously into the tender flesh as he dragged her further into the shadows.
“Help! Someone…Help me!”
Her words were cut off as he smashed a foul smelling rag into her mouth.
“Shut up!” He shoved her face first into the rough brick wall of the back of the club. Tears threatened as she heard the distant sounding thud of the music, so close to safety and yet so far away.
“Tell me where the book is!” Shock slowed her mind, making thought all but impossible.
“Wha…What?”
“The book! You know what I’m talking about, the manuscript. The one you stole.”
“How could you possibly…?”
“The people I work for know a lot of things, sweetheart.” The sneer in his voice as he said the endearment made her skin crawl. “A lot of dangerous things. They’re dangerous people.”
“I don’t know, I swear. I met with a man today at the Café du Monde” She said, thinking as fast as she could. “He, uh…he bought the manuscript. He took it with him. That’s all I know, I swear.”
“Well, I don’t believe you.” He emphasized his words with a rough shove, scraping her cheek against the brick. “and the people I work for really aren’t the kind you disappoint, so…Agh!”
Suddenly, the pressure holding her against the wall was gone. All it took was a single punch from Valentine to send her assailant to the grimy ground, but he was up quickly, replaced his thick-framed glasses, and running into the shadows before Valentine could catch him.
He rushed over to her. “Her, are you okay?” He tried to examine her, but it was too dark. “Come on, I’m taking you back to my hotel.”
“No, Valentine, I really don’t think–.”
“No arguments, Hope.” She looked up into his serious blue eyes, and knew he was a second away from just throwing her over his shoulders and carrying her all the way there. She sighed in resignation, secretly glad not to have to return to her apartment alone.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Chapter 5
“I just don’t understand, Valentine. How did they know about the manuscript? How did they know about me? And why would they want it so bad they would be willing to hurt me for it? Something’s not adding up.” Hope continued to pace in main room of Valentine’s penthouse suite, not even noticing the expensive décor.
She looked at him, her dark brown eyes wide with fear. “He told me they would come after me. That the people he worked for were dangerous.”
“I have to tell you something, Hope. Something I’m not supposed too.”
Hope just stared at him quizzically,
That…man! Hope fumed as she flew through the back exit of the club. On one hand she knew she wasn’t really in any position to be angry at him, but that didn’t stop the vicious stab of pain at the realization that he was just using her to get the manuscript back. That was the real reason he was there. Not because he cared about her.
It was so dumb. She had stolen from him, lied to him. Hope knew that she had even hurt him, but it didn’t change the fact that it had torn her apart to do it. She had let herself get in way too deep, and had almost lost everything. Her job, her home, her brother’s life and security.
It turns out that losing Valentine had hurt her just as much, maybe more. And that realization terrified Hope. She cared about him, deeply, more than she could ever have imagined.
There a scrape of a boot behind her, and that was the only warning Hope had as she was dragged behind the building, the large parking lot deserted at the late hour. She struggled wildly as panic crashed through her, wiping out reason, thought, logic. Only pure instinct was left, and she used it, simultaneously bringing her elbow back sharply and the tip of her heel down on the top of her attacker’s foot.
“You bitch.”
The muffled swear had fear spiking as he grabbed her by both arms, his hands digging viciously into the tender flesh as he dragged her further into the shadows.
“Help! Someone…Help me!”
Her words were cut off as he smashed a foul smelling rag into her mouth.
“Shut up!” He shoved her face first into the rough brick wall of the back of the club. Tears threatened as she heard the distant sounding thud of the music, so close to safety and yet so far away.
“Tell me where the book is!” Shock slowed her mind, making thought all but impossible.
“Wha…What?”
“The book! You know what I’m talking about, the manuscript. The one you stole.”
“How could you possibly…?”
“The people I work for know a lot of things, sweetheart.” The sneer in his voice as he said the endearment made her skin crawl. “A lot of dangerous things. They’re dangerous people.”
“I don’t know, I swear. I met with a man today at the Café du Monde” She said, thinking as fast as she could. “He, uh…he bought the manuscript. He took it with him. That’s all I know, I swear.”
“Well, I don’t believe you.” He emphasized his words with a rough shove, scraping her cheek against the brick. “and the people I work for really aren’t the kind you disappoint, so…Agh!”
Suddenly, the pressure holding her against the wall was gone. All it took was a single punch from Valentine to send her assailant to the grimy ground, but he was up quickly, replaced his thick-framed glasses, and running into the shadows before Valentine could catch him.
He rushed over to her. “Her, are you okay?” He tried to examine her, but it was too dark. “Come on, I’m taking you back to my hotel.”
“No, Valentine, I really don’t think–.”
“No arguments, Hope.” She looked up into his serious blue eyes, and knew he was a second away from just throwing her over his shoulders and carrying her all the way there. She sighed in resignation, secretly glad not to have to return to her apartment alone.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Chapter 5
“I just don’t understand, Valentine. How did they know about the manuscript? How did they know about me? And why would they want it so bad they would be willing to hurt me for it? Something’s not adding up.” Hope continued to pace in main room of Valentine’s penthouse suite, not even noticing the expensive décor.
She looked at him, her dark brown eyes wide with fear. “He told me they would come after me. That the people he worked for were dangerous.”
“I have to tell you something, Hope. Something I’m not supposed too.”
Hope just stared at him quizzically,
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