Page 85 of Pulled By the Tail
Amateur.
He lined up the scope on the rifle, waiting for a clear shot. At that precise moment, he was upset enough with Quil and all the trouble he brought along, that his finger might slip and hit his brother.
Tempting.
Perhaps too tempting.
He took a deep breath and counted the virtues, forcing himself to be still even as his body screamed to take action. Patience would ensure his mate’s safety.
Patience was difficult to muster.
Music from the ballroom spilled into the spring night. He listened and waited for the assassin to move away from his hostages. Soon he realized that would never happen.
“I’m going to draw the assassin away.” He handed the rifle to Charl. “Try not to murder my brother,” he said.
“You are rusty,” the four-armed mail said, accepting the weapon.
“I’m not rusty. I’m furious.” Quil’s female brought an assassin to their door and now his mate, heavy with kit, sat on a dirty floor with her hands and feet tied like an animal waiting to be slaughtered. Rage pounded in his ears and his top lip curled back with a hiss. “If you must sacrifice Quil, I’ll forgive you.”
While Fiona and Quil squabbled like cranky kits, Georgia grew agitated, shouting at them to be quiet. The assassin said nothing, watching with sharp eyes.
“Get your priorities straight, Fiona,” Georgia said.
“I want to be a duchess, I think my priorities are just fine,” Fiona said.
“A duchess doesn’t steal the silver,” his mate retorted.
“I was short of funds. I merely borrowed the silver. I was going to bring it back.”
“I do not believe you,” Quil said.
Enough of this. He had to draw away the assassin.
“I think stealing the silver was a pretty good indication she never planned to return,” Talen said, pushing open the stable’s doors. “What changed? Your buyer wouldn’t pay for the music box? Where is it, by the way?”
With every question, Talen stepped closer to the assassin.
Fiona sighed. “He said he needed proof and he could pay me a lot of money for the right item. A ridiculous amount of money. But then he changed the deal.” She tossed the assassin a glare. “He said it wasn’t good enough, even though there’s the royal seal on the bottom. Anyone can see that.”
The assassin stood. A slight male of moderate height, Talen had no doubt that the male would prove remarkably strong and agile in a fight. “The heir and the spare,” he said.
“You will divorce your mate,” Talen told Quil. The female brought danger to their home. She only thought of her own greed and selfish wants. She was not family.
“Of course I didn’t sell it,” she said.
“Couldn’t get a fair price, more like,” Talen snapped. “Did the pawnshops turn you away? No one willing to front you the credit for obviously stolen treasure.”
“No, it wasn’t like that,” she protested.
“Enough of the act,” Quil interjected. “It would be more convincing if you didn’t fleece me of every cent I had and if you had spent a little money in your normal haunts. If you did that, I’d believe you if you claimed you went on a gambling binge. That’s how we met, after all.”
“You dumped me for a gambling addict? Unbelievable,” Georgia said.
“Enough,” the assassin said, slamming the mallet into the wall just above Georgia’s head. Talen’s stomach lurched. He wanted this male bleeding out on the floor. When the room quieted, the assassin held out a length of rope. “Kneel.”
Talen did not move.
“Kneel with your back to me, Your Grace, or I’ll make a necklace out of your pretty little mate’s ears.” The assassin produced a knife and held it to Georgia’s throat.
