Page 51 of Laird of Smoke
Then the man bellowed, “Tom!John!Help!”
The riders.She’d forgotten about the riders.
Adam wrenched the man around, choking off his cries, and set the dagger at his throat.But it was too late.The horses were already thundering back.
Now they’d lost the element of surprise.And the only leverage they had was one man.She only hoped he wasn’t the least favorite member of their band.
“What the Devil?”the first rider said, perusing the carnage around them.
“Dick!”the second man cried.“What did ye do to Dick?”
He dismounted and would have run to the dead man, but the first rider thrust out a boot to stop him.“Nay!He’s got Roger.”
Apparently Rogerwasimportant enough to warrant a hostage negotiation.
“That’s right,” Adam said.“I’ve got Roger.So don’t make any fast moves unless ye want to see him join Dick in hell.”
The first rider worked his mouth, taking time to consider his options.
The second rider looked aghast at the first.“Ye’re not goin’ to let him have Roger.”
“How much have they got?”the first rider asked Roger, nodding to the satchels.
Eve blinked.Were they actually weighing the worth of the man’s life?
Roger squealed in his throat, as appalled as she was.
“I’ll make a bargain with ye,” Adam said.
The first rider’s eyes glittered.“What kind o’ bargain?”
“Give us your horses, and I won’t kill the three o’ ye.”
The rider smirked.“Kill us?By yourself?”
“Ye can see what I did with your other five,” he said.“Oh, and by the way, this wasn’t all my doin’.The lady here’s the one who sent Dick to the Devil.”
Eve froze in disbelief at the lie, as astonished as the second rider, whose eyes rounded in horror.
Adam’s hostage knew it wasn’t true.But he certainly wasn’t going to argue with Adam’s version of the story, not with a blade at his throat.
Which meant she had to play along with whatever tale Adam invented.So as gruesome as it was, she swallowed hard, marched over to the deceased outlaw, and pulled the dagger from his throat with a bravado she didn’t feel.The sound of the blade leaving his flesh would haunt her forever, and the trickle of blood made her stomach roil.But in the moment, she had to steel herself and feign to be Lady Aillenn, ruthless murderer.
“So what’ll it be?”Adam asked.
The first rider scowled at her, as if measuring her ability to kill him.“One horse.”
“Both,” he countered.“I don’t want ye followin’ us.”
She could see hesitation in the rider’s eyes.He wouldn’t agree to that.If they took his horses, his outlaw operation would be crippled.He’d have no scouting ability.No fast escape in the event things went badly.
“Leave us both horses,” she offered, much to everyone’s surprise, “and I’ll give ye coin enough to buy two more.”
“What!”Adam clearly disapproved.
“’Tis the least we can do,” she explained, adding pointedly, “after I killed poor Dick.”
“Fine.Done,” the first rider said, dismounting before Adam could alter the terms.
