clatter of barrels echoing from the back alley. Straightening, he glanced out the window.
“Rose!” Nathan hadn’t realized he’d screamed her name until she looked up at him.
Unfortunately, the thugs dragging her along between them did the same thing.
Nathan shoved open the window. No time to go back through the house. He’d lose sight of them, and lose Rose.
The wooden fire exit hung precariously at the side of the building. Not hesitating, he jumped out onto the platform.
“Nathan! Nathan!”
Rose’s screams scratched at his chest, her desperation eating into his soul. He bounded down the stairs, aware only of the clatter of several rungs smashing to the ground the moment his foot lifted off them.
A cart drew up at the end of the alley, and one of the attackers tossed Rose onto it. Her wrists were bound, and as soon as she hit the cart floor, one of them yanked her feet together and roped them as well. She kicked out, writhed, but to no avail.
Nathan scrambled to the cobbles and charged down the alley. “You bloody bastards, let her go.” He aimed his pistol while still in pursuit and let off a shot.
It whizzed past the brute manhandling Rose, his hat tumbling beneath the cart’s wheels as they began moving.
A second shot hit his comrade in the shoulder, and the man fell.
Nathan latched on to the cart just as it rattled from the lane to the street. Then something hit him. Something vicious and brutal, and he crumpled onto the cart, Rose beneath him.
“Get off me, you fool, or I’ll kick that other shin.”
His face seemed to contort, every action excruciating and extended as if on a time warp. “Squirt.”
And then everything went blank.
Chapter Five
Nathan ventured to open one eye, slowly, then the other. Pain speared through his brain. “Bloody hell, my head.”
“You’re lucky it’s still attached.”
“Rosie.” Nathan tried to turn to see her, only to fall back down. His rubbed a hand across his eyes, fingers massaging his temples. “What the hell did you hit me with?”
“It wasn’t me, it was those two bullies.”
“From Zarrenburg?”
“You know?”
“Hard not to when they sound like Alex.”
“Well, if you hadn’t come along, everything would have been fine.”
“Fine!” He shuffled upright, leaning against the brick wall at his back, legs straight out in front of him. Rosie stood across from him, bedraggled and glaring but otherwise none the worse for wear. “I feel like I’ve been run over by stampeding horses.”
“You look like it, but you’ll get no sympathy from me, Nathan Hawk.”
“Gee, thanks for nothing. If I remember rightly, you were being carted off by those bruisers.”
“Only because they heard you stomping up the stairs.”
“I was not stomping.”
She scoffed. “Could have fooled me.”
“So where the hell are we?”
“I…don’t know. We traveled for hours on the back of that cart.”
“Hours? I didn’t wake up?”
“Slept like a baby.”
“Bloody hell.” He cupped his head in his hands. “It pounds like the devil and everything is zigzagging in front of me.” He sank back against the wall. “Don’t think much of this hotel.” Eyes now fully opened, Nathan scanned their accommodation. A cell more like. Brick walls and floor, a tiny window high up on one wall. “Well that rules out escape,” he grumbled.
“We’ve everything we need. Even water to wash with.” She pointed to the trail of slimy green water dripping down the stone wall opposite.
“Do we get anything to drink?”
“Nothing, and if you need to…well, there’s a bucket in the corner.”
“I see you’ve done a thorough inventory.”
“What else was I to do while you slept?”
“And the years haven’t eased your temper either.”
“Which is all your fault.”
“So you always said.”
“Well, you needle me.”
“You were always hanging around, as I remember.”
“I was not.”
“Were too.”
“Oooh… Nathaniel Hawk you are
“Rose!” Nathan hadn’t realized he’d screamed her name until she looked up at him.
Unfortunately, the thugs dragging her along between them did the same thing.
Nathan shoved open the window. No time to go back through the house. He’d lose sight of them, and lose Rose.
The wooden fire exit hung precariously at the side of the building. Not hesitating, he jumped out onto the platform.
“Nathan! Nathan!”
Rose’s screams scratched at his chest, her desperation eating into his soul. He bounded down the stairs, aware only of the clatter of several rungs smashing to the ground the moment his foot lifted off them.
A cart drew up at the end of the alley, and one of the attackers tossed Rose onto it. Her wrists were bound, and as soon as she hit the cart floor, one of them yanked her feet together and roped them as well. She kicked out, writhed, but to no avail.
Nathan scrambled to the cobbles and charged down the alley. “You bloody bastards, let her go.” He aimed his pistol while still in pursuit and let off a shot.
It whizzed past the brute manhandling Rose, his hat tumbling beneath the cart’s wheels as they began moving.
A second shot hit his comrade in the shoulder, and the man fell.
Nathan latched on to the cart just as it rattled from the lane to the street. Then something hit him. Something vicious and brutal, and he crumpled onto the cart, Rose beneath him.
“Get off me, you fool, or I’ll kick that other shin.”
His face seemed to contort, every action excruciating and extended as if on a time warp. “Squirt.”
And then everything went blank.
Chapter Five
Nathan ventured to open one eye, slowly, then the other. Pain speared through his brain. “Bloody hell, my head.”
“You’re lucky it’s still attached.”
“Rosie.” Nathan tried to turn to see her, only to fall back down. His rubbed a hand across his eyes, fingers massaging his temples. “What the hell did you hit me with?”
“It wasn’t me, it was those two bullies.”
“From Zarrenburg?”
“You know?”
“Hard not to when they sound like Alex.”
“Well, if you hadn’t come along, everything would have been fine.”
“Fine!” He shuffled upright, leaning against the brick wall at his back, legs straight out in front of him. Rosie stood across from him, bedraggled and glaring but otherwise none the worse for wear. “I feel like I’ve been run over by stampeding horses.”
“You look like it, but you’ll get no sympathy from me, Nathan Hawk.”
“Gee, thanks for nothing. If I remember rightly, you were being carted off by those bruisers.”
“Only because they heard you stomping up the stairs.”
“I was not stomping.”
She scoffed. “Could have fooled me.”
“So where the hell are we?”
“I…don’t know. We traveled for hours on the back of that cart.”
“Hours? I didn’t wake up?”
“Slept like a baby.”
“Bloody hell.” He cupped his head in his hands. “It pounds like the devil and everything is zigzagging in front of me.” He sank back against the wall. “Don’t think much of this hotel.” Eyes now fully opened, Nathan scanned their accommodation. A cell more like. Brick walls and floor, a tiny window high up on one wall. “Well that rules out escape,” he grumbled.
“We’ve everything we need. Even water to wash with.” She pointed to the trail of slimy green water dripping down the stone wall opposite.
“Do we get anything to drink?”
“Nothing, and if you need to…well, there’s a bucket in the corner.”
“I see you’ve done a thorough inventory.”
“What else was I to do while you slept?”
“And the years haven’t eased your temper either.”
“Which is all your fault.”
“So you always said.”
“Well, you needle me.”
“You were always hanging around, as I remember.”
“I was not.”
“Were too.”
“Oooh… Nathaniel Hawk you are
Similar Books
