Page 93 of A Rogue to Watch Over Me
Murray leaned closer. “What are ye saying?”
“The cur pretends he’s a bloody aristocrat, but he’s worse than a common thief,” Finn said. “For years, Mansfield has honed his talent for deceit. He peddles forgeries to gullible collectors. But he’s moved on to more lucrative and violent ventures. Word on the street is that he deals in stolen gems, jewels taken from the people he’s swindled.”
A dire suspicion kindled in Logan’s brain. “Stolen gems, eh?”
“It’s said he leads a gang of thieves. In bloody Paris, if ye can believe it,” Finn went on. “Diamonds, rubies, a king’s ransom in gems has been taken.”
An unseen fist plowed into Logan’s gut. Paul’s mistress had claimed a robbery had gone wrong. She’d spoken of a murdered man. And a bribe intended to buy Paul’s silence.
A king’s ransom in gems.
The intruder in Amelia’s library had been hunting a diamond, a stone he thought she possessed.
Bloody hell.
The door creaked open. Tilly stood in the entryway, her features pale and drawn. “I don’t mean to interrupt ye, but I’m afraid this cannot wait.”
The worry on the barmaid’s features drove the fist deeper into his stomach. “What is it, Tilly?”
“I left the boarding house early today. Mrs. Langford had asked if I might stop by the library on my way to the pub to lend a hand. But when I arrived, the door would not open. I knocked, but no one answered. Then, I heard Amelia’s voice. And a cry.”
Good God.
A fear unlike any Logan had ever felt coursed through him.
Amelia was in danger.
He couldn’t lose her.
When he bolted to the door, Finn followed close behind.
“Stay here with Tilly,” he called back to Murray.
Lord, let me get to Amelia in time.
*
Fighting terror thatthreatened to paralyze her, Amelia met Cecil Mansfield’s cold gaze. The bastard pressed his pistol to Mrs. Langford’s jaw, relishing their fear. One wrong move, and the dear woman would die.
A terrible understanding filled her. “You’re the one they call Hawk.”
“A fitting name, indeed.” Icy pride glimmered in his eyes. “Now, give me what I want, and that will be the end of it.”
A chill grazed Amelia’s nape.The end of me.
“I’ve no patience for further delays,” he went on. “I know the Caravelli sketch is here. If you lie to me, I will kill the lot of you and tear this place apart until I find it.”
You will kill us in any case.The predatory glint in his gaze betrayed the truth. He had no intention of letting them live. Her mind raced. If she could get to her gun, she could disable the cur.
But first, she would have to convince him to release his hostage.
“I will give you the drawing,” she choked out the words. “But only after you’ve let her go.”
“Setting terms? Rather bold, I’d say.” He eyed her with contempt. “I must say, you’ve shown more backbone than your brother did.”
Bastard.Amelia bit back the ugly retort. She couldn’t take the bait. She would not give him an excuse to hurt Mrs. Langford. “You’re the one—the one who murdered Paul.”
“I did not send him to his grave. But I am the one who ordered him dead. He knew too much. And the fool had a conscience. Quite a troublesome combination.”
