Page 123 of Ruthless with a Rogue
“This rum is surprisingly good,” Derek murmured.
Wentworth chuckled.“Not a rum drinker, eh?”
“Whisky’s my drink of choice, but I’ll never say no to a free drink.”Especially when he’d needed the opportunity to slip the hemlock tincture to Wentworth.Ryker said it’d need twenty to thirty minutes before the effects would start to show.
“This is extremely impressive,” Derek said.Everything was meticulously organized.Wentworth was clearly a shrewd businessman; someone Derek could have seen himself partnering with.Unfortunately, he also kept trying to murder the people Derek loved.So, it was time for him to go.
“Thank you, thank you!I knew you’d be impressed.The offices are just up this way.”A few straggling workers were finishing up in the warehouse as they mounted the stairs to the offices.
“Do you have precautions in place in case of fire?”
Lord Wentworth’s head snapped toward Derek, brows pinched.
“Apologies.I might be a bit jumpy after the event at the sponsorship auction.”
Concern glinted in the man’s eyes, and he nodded solemnly.“Of course.”Bloody hell, the man was a superb actor.He was so bloody sincere.And not a shred was true.“And yes, we do.The building is insured, and the goods are organized so those that are the most likely to strengthen a fire are kept apart from others in a designated area.The offices are behind a thick wall, designed to slow the spread of fire.”
Well, that was fortuitous.“Very smart.”
They approached a metal door.“I’d like to think so.”Wentworth chuckled and unlocked the door.He led them down a short hall of small rooms.“And here is my office.”
“Excellent.”Derek grinned at the man and lowered into the chair in front of Wentworth’s desk.“Now, for the truly enjoyable matter.”
Wentworth lifted his glass, and it shook slightly.“Yes, let’s discuss finances.”
Derek toasted the man and took a sip of his rum.Not at all the enjoyable matter he was thinking of.
Wentworth pulled open a drawer and fumbled a few times with some ledgers before settling them on the desk.He stared blankly at them for a moment before shaking his head and smiling up at Derek.“These here have the figures for the last few months.”
Derek picked one up and fanned through the pages.He didn’t take his eyes off Wentworth, though.The man lifted his rum to his lips, but his fingers twitched, and the glass slipped from his hand.
“Bugger.I’m clum-clum—” He frowned.
“Clumsy?”Derek offered helpfully.
The man laughed, but it was uneasy.“Yes, that.”
Derek tossed the ledger on the desk and stood.“Question for you, Wentworth.”The man looked up at him, blinking rapidly like he had to work to concentrate on Derek.“Did you really think you could get away with it?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“They were locked in.The only two people in the building, yet somehow, they were locked in.I know it wasn’t an accident.And I know you meant for Miss Forester and Lady Elliot to perish in that fire.”
Wentworth jerked in his seat as if he meant to stand.His eyes widened.He pushed on the arms of the chair, but his struggle was futile.Derek grinned.
“What is happening?”All traces of meekness disappeared, and the man glared at Derek.His voice turned hard.“What have you done?”
“Attempting to murder a duke?You must have ballocks of iron, Wentworth.”
The man’s eyes widened briefly, but he quickly schooled his features.His nostrils flared, his fingers fidgeting on the arms of his chair.Looked as though the man couldn’t lift his arms any longer.Derek needed to speed this up.
There wasn’t a way of knowing exactly how much hemlock to dose a person with.Derek had left that up to Ryker, but Ryker had made it clear there was a good chance it’d kill Wentworth given enough time.That wasn’t how this man was going to go.That was too easy.
“I have no idea what you’re spa-spa-speaking of.”
Derek walked over to the sideboard and slowly wiped his glass clean before placing it with the others.Then he picked up the decanter of liquor.
“So, you didn’t start a fire in the storage room, then lock Miss Forester and Lady Elliot inside?”He lifted the decanter.“Refill?Excellent.”He filled Wentworth’s glass to the brim and then kept pouring, rum pooling on the desk and dripping onto Wentworth’s lap.
