Page 69 of Her Runaway Duke
“Where. Is. She.” Levi’s patience had run thin, and he was ready to show this man what it meant to cross him, consequences be damned.
“She’s not here,” the viscount said with a sigh. “But I have an idea of where she is. I will take you to her.”
Levi narrowed his eyes, immediately suspicious. “What is your plan here?”
“I have no plan,” the viscount said, shrugging his shoulders. “She came with me willingly. In fact, when I returned for her, she practically begged me to take her with me. Said that she had made a huge mistake, that she could not imagine herself tied to such a man for the rest of her life. I promised her that I would have the marriage annulled, and she could be free to live the life she wished.”
“With Lord Mulberry?”
“Why yes, as it happens, Siena did come to her senses and agree to marry him. Once she is done with you, of course.”
“Oh, thank heaven,” Lady Sterling said, placing a hand over her heart. “I have barely been able to show my face in society ever since that debacle.”
“You both disgust me,” Levi bit out, understanding now why his scars had never bothered Siena.
It was because she had grown up with true beasts who had nothing on his scars.
“You are lying. And I am going to prove it.”
He pushed past the viscount, ignoring his shocked outcry and his wife’s call for the servants. Instead, Levi stalked throughthe house, pushing open every door, questioning every servant. “Siena!” he called out. “Siena, where are you?”
“There is no one here,” the viscount said smugly, filling the doorway behind him. “I will, however, tell you that she is in a building near the Thames. It should not take you long to find her, if you ride as fast as you did here.”
Lord Sterling held out a small piece of paper, which Levi snatched from him to read the address upon it.
He knew that this was far too easy, that this was most certainly a trap of some sort. He wasn’t stupid. The viscount would probably be happy to see him dead so that Siena was no longer tied to a marriage with him.
But he would have to take the chance.
For he would do anything to save his bride.
CHAPTER 26
Siena had nearly fallen asleep, so exhausted was she after her ordeal, but every time her eyes closed, the ropes would cut into her wrists and she would be startled back awake. McGregor had, at this point, nodded off himself, but when she heard the shouts coming from outside the door, she hoped he would stay sleeping.
“Siena!”
Levi. He was here.
She strained to catch a glimpse of him through the windows, but she couldn’t see anything through the filth.
McGregor rose, sputtering, to attention – apparently, he had picked up a few skills during wartime – and snapped up the gun sitting beside him.
“Time to say farewell to your darling husband,” he said with an evil grin, opening the door to peek out around it. Siena’s heart jumped in hope when he cursed.
“Stay here!” he ordered as if she had any choice in the matter.
Her heart pounded as she wished with all of her might that the only person she would see walk through that door was Levi. As for McGregor or her father, she would be perfectly happy if she never saw either of them again.
“Levi!” she called out, trying to stand, but it was no use – she was tied to the chair too tightly. She looked around her for anything that she might be able to use to free herself, but the room was empty.
Although some of the splinters of wood might be worth a shot.
She used all of her might to inch her chair forward, her eyes focused and determined as she tried to imagine that she was a heroine in one of the books she read, only she refused to be one that walked stupidly into danger and then sat and waited for her prince to rescue her. She had every belief that Levi could and would save her, but she was equally intent on doing all she could to make it as easy for him as possible.
Angling the chair over, she lifted her wrists and scraped them against the splintered wood, although just as she did, she heard shouting from outside. Knowing that she might have precious little time, she lifted her hands up and down, harder, faster, hoping the rope would rip sooner rather than later.
Her heart was in her throat when she heard the commotion from beyond the door, and she urged herself on faster. That, however, did nothing to help her as the chair tipped over with her momentum and she went flying forward, unable to catch herself as she landed on her side with a painful “oof.”
