Page 119 of The Lady Needs a Rogue
Aylesworth was right. It was high time he ended it.
Finn jerked the cur up by the collar and slammed a fist into his jaw. Thecrackof bone against bone sounded in his senses.
Aylesworth’s groaned. But still, he stood.
Finn aimed his next blow directly to the chin. His knuckles connected with such force he heard the bastard’s teeth rattle.
Aylesworth’s head slumped forward.
He collapsed.
Finn shook out his hand, easing the stinging throb in his split knuckles. He glanced down at the rug, confirming to himself the bastard was out cold. Aylesworth would never hurt Macie. Not as long as Finn had breath in his body.
He heard her cry as she ran from the spot where she’d waited on the stairs. “Finn!” she called. “Dear God, Finn!”
She stood before him, her eyes wide with shock as her attention fell to the knife still lodged in his leg.
“Good God,” she murmured.
“I’ve had worse.”
She looked like she gulped. “You have?”
“Ah, ye always can spot a lie, can’t ye, lass?” He pulled in a breath. Was the room beginning a slow spin? “Macie, I need ye to get something... anything... we can use to restrain this bastard.” He had to work harder for each word.
She rushed to the window and untied the braided cord holding back the drapes. “Will this do?”
“Aye.”
She gathered several of the ties and rushed to Aylesworth to secure his wrists. Finn stopped her.
“Give them to me. I won’t have ye within the bastard’s reach.”
Fighting the dizziness in his head, he crouched at the bastard’s side and bound him hand and foot. Blast it to Hades, his leg throbbed like a thousand banshees prodded him. But he knew better than to remove the blade. It was all that stood between him and a dangerous loss of blood.
Finn heard Logan’s voice before he saw him. “Finn, what the hell happened?” he called as he mounted the stairs.
“Go, Macie. Tell Logan we’re in here.” His voice was getting weak. Too weak to bellow a reply.
As she nodded her response, her mouth pulled tight with concern. “Finn, we’ve got to summon a physician.”
“In due time. Get Logan.”
She hurried away. Moments later, the pounding of Logan’s boots and a woman’s shoes on the wooden floor drifted to Finn’s ears.
Logan rushed in with Mrs. Johnstone close behind. Their gazes landed first on the unconscious man on the floor before pivoting to Finn’s upper leg.
Logan’s brow furrowed. “Well, ye don’t see that every day, do ye?”
Finn threw him a scowl. “Watch over Macie, will ye?”
“I don’t believe that will be necessary.” Mrs. Johnstone crouched to examine the wound. “This doesn’t look like anything that’s going to be the end of ye.”
“Blasted reassurance, if ever I heard it.” Finn forced out the words. There seemed to be two of her, each watching him with a clear look of concern.Bloody peculiar.
Finn felt the room sinking beneath him.
Bollocks.It wasn’t the room.
