Page 83 of The Confessions of a Lady
Liam crossed his arms in front of him, refusing to even glance at Penny. But she watched his face like a hawk. He marked where Lord Gartling’s gun tapped against his trousers. Every time the Snake looked away, Liam inched closer. He was going to try to get Gartling’s weapon. And Liam might very well get shot in the attempt.
Unless Penny could come up with a better plan.
She wiggled her feet, willing the blood back to her toes. Shifting herself, she got her legs beneath her. When an opportunity presented itself, she needed to be ready.
‘I remember, you always had a flair for the dramatic. Where are the other leaders? The Wolf? The Crow? More cronies of my father?’
The Snake tskd and shook his head. ‘Have patience, dear boy. You don’t think we’d all risk being in the same place at the same time, do you? We’re far too careful for that. Before you meet the others, you must prove yourself to me.’
‘How?’ Liam’s deep voice calmed the sparking nerves crackling through Penny like electricity.
The Snake pulled a bottle from his pocket with his free hand. It was about the size of an ale bottle. ‘To prove your loyalty to the Devil’s Sons, you will kill your maid. There’s enough laudanum in here to take down a horse.’
Liam’s face paled slightly. Penny didn’t miss his throat contracting in a hard swallow. But his voice stayed steady as he took another step closer to the Snake. ‘I thought you wanted product. I doubt you’ll make much money on a dead maid.’
The Snake’s smile sent a thrill of pure fear through Penny. ‘You’d be surprised what some men would pay, Renquist. For the use of a newly dead woman.’
Constable Sweet gagged. ‘You never said anything about killing her.’
The Snake swung his pistol toward Constable Sweet. ‘I never said anything about killing you either, but if you don’t shut up, your wife will have to determine how a widow affords fripperies all on her own.’
Sweet dipped his hand into his pocket and fumbled for his pipe. He turned to Penny, his eyes swimming with useless tears. ‘I’m so sorry, dove. I never thought it would come to this.’
No, but you won’t do anything to stop him.
‘I’m not your dove. I’m nothing to you.’ As verbal spars went, her comments were rather dull, but Penny couldn’t waste her focus on Constable Sweet. She returned her attention to Liam.
He took another shuffle-step closer to the Snake. ‘That is why there is such a high demand for girls?’
Lord Gartling shrugged. ‘Very few of our clients have such morbid tastes. But they all want something beyond the pale. Don’t you see? There are prostitutes on every street corner of France. But even those women have their limits. We cater to clientele whose demands are darker than you can even imagine, Renquist. The women we procure have no choice, and that is the point. If you are going to be a member of our brotherhood, we need to know you are willing to cross any boundary for the cause. And once you’ve sampled the kind of pleasure we provide, you’ll find it difficult to return to more pedestrian pursuits.’ The sick bastard winked at Liam.
Penny’s body shook with undiluted hatred. How could such evil live in the hearts of men? She kept her eyes on Liam as he forced his mouth into a brittle smile. ‘Sampling the product? Isn’t that the first step into madness?’
‘Sometimes, madness is the only escape.’ Lord Gartling tapped his pistol against the bottle with a sharp clink. ‘Come on,Liam. Make your father proud. Show us you can make the hard choices.’
Liam choked out a laugh. ‘If you want me to kill her, fine. But why poison? Isn’t that a woman’s weapon? Give me your gun and let me end her life with the tools of my trade. I am a soldier, after all.’
The Snake laughed, a low rumble echoing in the cavernous room. ‘I don’t trust you yet, Liam. And a gun would cause too much damage.’ He tossed the bottle across the space between them and re-aimed his gun at Liam.
Liam caught it easily, pulling the cork and sniffing. He sucked in a breath and shook his head. ‘Bathwater gin and opium?’
Lord Gartling shrugged. ‘Not worth wasting good spirits on guttersnipes too poor to know the difference. Besides, she won’t be alive long enough to taste it. Kill the girl, Liam. Prove to me you are your father’s son. Then we’ll talk about where you might fit in our brotherhood.’
Liam clenched his jaw.
The Snake pulled a cigar from his breast pocket with his free hand. He took his time smelling the thing before walking over to the candle guttering on a wooden table and bending forward to light the end with a series of puffs. Waving his gun in the direction of Penny, he tipped his chin in an impatient gesture. ‘Hurry up, boy. I’ll share one of these with you when you’re done. It’s still early. We can go to White’s and enjoy some of their brandy.’
Penny held her breath as Liam slowly turned toward her. Finally, his gaze met hers. For a moment, time froze.
His eyes communicated everything. Fear, love, grim determination.
He took steady steps closer until she had to tip her head back to keep eye contact as he loomed over her.
In a movement too fast to track, he gripped her arm, hauling her to her feet. His fingers dug into her flesh and Penny cried out. He leaned closer.
‘Fight me,’ he whispered.
She followed his lead, lurching back as his hands reached around her, slipping down her arm to her wrists where ropes bound her captive. She thrashed with her shoulders, blocking his hand from view as he tugged hard on the rope. In their struggle, he dropped the bottle. Constable Sweet chased it across the floor.
