Kane, Samantha - Brothers In Arms 4 (42 page)

Thank God Aunt Kate stayed back! They knew Sophie, Derek. They called her by name.

Well, they called her Miss Middleton. The big one, he threw her over his shoulder and ran down an alley out of sight, I could hear her screaming! I tried to follow and that’s when the little one hit me. It knocked me down and he ran off too, and I lost them! I lost them!” She was on the verge of hysteria again and Derek shook her, more gently this time. She calmed down. “I rushed Aunt Kate to the carriage and we drove up and down the street several times but saw nothing. We decided to come here first. Aunt Kate dropped me here and now she’s going home to tell Jason and Tony.” Very started to cry and shake. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I should have stopped them.”

Derek pulled her against his chest and hugged her desperately. Very clung to him as she cried. “It’s not your fault, Very,” Derek told her, numb with disbelief. He looked at Ian and the other man was white as a ghost, pale and drawn.

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“What street, Very? Could you show us?” Ian spoke faster than he normally did, his words slurred with a fear Derek could see reflected in his eyes.

Very nodded against Derek’s chest. “Yes, yes, I’ll take you there.”

Ian turned, but Montague was signaling a footman already. “Get Mr. Witherspoon’s carriage immediately!” He turned back to Ian. “Is there anything else? Shall I send several of the footmen with you?”

“Yes,” Ian nodded, sounding once more in control. He strode through the study,

calling behind him. “Come on, Derek, and bring Very. We’ll search high and low.

Someone certainly saw something.”

Derek followed, practically dragging Very in his haste. They had to find Sophie.

They had to. He couldn’t lose her. He knew that now. It was already too late for him.

He was in love, and he would search heaven and hell to find the girl that was his heart as surely as Ian was his soul.

They wasted precious time combing the streets near the point of Sophie’s

abduction. By the time they admitted defeat, the sun was setting. Very was beside herself with guilt and grief. Ian was stoic, but his fear and frustration rolled off him in waves. Derek was drowning in his own guilt and regret and fear. If only he’d just admitted he loved her. If only he hadn’t run yesterday, he might have been with her today to stop the kidnapping. If only she were still a timid little mouse afraid to leave the house instead of a newly self-confident and independent young woman, for which he could also share some of the blame. His head was awhirl with horrific scenarios whose end results were all the same—Sophie, dead. He was making himself sick with dread, but he couldn’t stop.

They arrived at home with the intention of sending the carriage on with Very to Jason’s. It was clear when they arrived, however, that Jason and Tony and quite a few others were already there waiting for them.

“Did you find her?” Jason demanded as he bounded down the steps to the carriage as a footman opened the door. Derek saw Ian shake his head as he climbed out.

“No. There’s no sign of her or the men who took her. No one saw a thing. It’s

impossible! How could a woman be kidnapped in the bright light of day without a single soul as witness, except Very?”

Jason pushed Ian out of the way and Very fell out of the carriage into his waiting arms, bursting into tears again. Tony came rushing down the stairs to their side.

“Very, sweetheart, are you all right?” Tony ran his hand down the back of her head soothingly, speaking to her like a child, and for once Very didn’t object. She hiccupped miserably as she clung to Jason and nodded dejectedly.

“We…we didn’t find her,” Very stuttered through her tears. “I was useless! I can’t tell them anything! One big and one small, that’s all I remember! Why can’t I remember anything more?”

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Very’s tears tore at Derek’s conscience. They shouldn’t have pushed her, shouldn’t have dragged her with them to search for Sophie. It was too much for her. She was still so young. He still sat on the carriage seat, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped.

He looked up and met Jason’s eyes over Very’s head.

“I’m sorry, Jase. We shouldn’t have brought her with us. We weren’t thinking. We were just so worried…I’m sorry.” His voice broke and he had to look away.

“Come out, Derek. It’s all right. Knowing Very, she would have insisted on going anyway.” Derek turned back to Jason and realized he meant what he said. Beyond his shoulder he saw Ian looking at him, riding the edge of panic, trying to stay in control but Derek could see his fear. Ian needed him. Sophie needed him. He pushed out of the carriage.

The drawing room was filled with their friends. Christ, Derek had taken the

friendship of these men for granted. He would never do so again. They were here when they needed them. Hadn’t they always been? Kate and Kitty were in the center of the room on the sofa. Kate held out her hand to them and Ian and Derek went to her.

“I’m so sorry.” Kate’s voice was rough with tears, her eyes red-rimmed from crying.

“I couldn’t stop them. I was worried about the baby. I couldn’t do anything. I’m so sorry.”

Ian sat next to her as Derek went to one knee before her. Derek took her hand.

“Don’t Kate, don’t blame yourself. You know Sophie won’t like it. She’d have wanted you to protect the baby at all costs.” He patted her hand. “We’ll find her. She’ll be fine, you’ll see.” He stood up and turned to the room, but his mind went blank. Where did they go from here?

Ian was thinking the same thing. “Who? Who would take her? And why? First

we’ve got to figure that out before we can search anymore.” Ian closed his eyes and rubbed his hand across his forehead as if it ached. “Why take her?”

“They called her Miss Middleton.” Very spoke up from a chair near the door where Wolf was handing her a glass of brandy. “They knew her, or knew of her. It wasn’t random.”

Derek growled with impatience. “God damn it! Sophie doesn’t know anyone who’s

not in this room.” He stalked over and punched the wall, leaving a small dent. “I’ll kill them, I swear, if they’ve harmed a hair on her head.”

Daniel Steinberg spoke from the far corner. “What about her family? Her father was at the wedding. Is there any reason he would take her?”

Derek spun around to stare at Ian incredulously. Ian had the same look on his face.

“Harold.” Derek spit out the name distastefully. “Her brother, that whoreson. This is something he’d do.” He began to stride toward the door, but Ian jumped up and grabbed his arm.

“Let me go.” Ian shook his head at Derek’s protest before he could voice it. “No, you’re too angry. You’ll kill him before we find Sophie.” Ian moved to the door. “We know whoever took her was not Harold. But they were probably hired by him. Derek, 210

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you need to track those men down.” Ian turned back to look at him. “In case Harold refuses to talk.”

“I can be very persuasive,” Derek said menacingly.

“We need him alive.” Ian turned away and continued out the door.

Jason watched Ian leave and turned to the room. “Freddy, Brett, Daniel, come with me. We’ll accompany Ian to Mr. Middleton’s. Surely one of us can be as persuasive as Derek.” His smile was feral as he said it. He looked at Derek. “We’ll find her, Derek, and if he’s responsible he’ll pay.”

Derek nodded once and they left. He looked around. “Now, how do we find the

bastards who took her?”

Kitty spoke for the first time since Ian and Derek had come home. “I may know

someone who can help.”

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Devlin O’Shaughnessy looked up from the papers on his desk when he heard the

commotion in the hallway outside his office. He reached for the pistol in the drawer just as his office door flew open.

“’Ere now, you can’t go bargin’ in there!” his right-hand man Rufus Gallagher

hollered at the young man forcing his way into Devlin’s office.

“The hell I can’t,” the tall gentleman growled and slammed the door in Rufus’ face.

He spun around to glare at Devlin, who just raised his eyebrows with a less than pleasant grin in response.

“Are you here for a lesson in manners?” Devlin asked politely as he very

deliberately set his pistol down on the desk in front of him. He didn’t know this man, but that could mean he was more, not less, dangerous to Devlin. In his line of business his competitors eliminated the competition with a funeral. The young man was

obviously tough. He’d managed to get through at least four of Devlin’s bodyguards and he had barely a hair out of place. He was huge, tall and muscular.

“Kitty Markham said you could help me.” He spoke grudgingly but sounded

almost desperate.

Devlin relaxed slightly at the mention of Kitty’s name. They’d been lovers now for months, after knowing one another long ago in different lifetimes. He refused to let Kitty tell anyone about their association. She was turning respectable now, she didn’t need the taint of an illicit love affair with one of London’s most notorious crime lords to drag her down again.

“How do you know Kitty?” Devlin growled.

“My name is Derek Knightly, and my w—” he stuttered awkwardly. “The wife of a

good friend has been kidnapped.”

Knightly? Devlin knew that name. He must be one of Kitty’s soldiers, the ones she was always talking about. Suddenly the name clicked into place.

“Who has been kidnapped, Mr. Knightly?” he demanded, his back tensing.

“Sophie, Sophie Witherspoon,” Mr. Knightly said miserably, collapsing into the

chair across from Devlin.

Devlin swore viciously. Kitty adored that little Witherspoon bride, she’d talked endlessly about the wedding dress, the wedding, the groom, the little girl’s painful past.

Just the other night she’d been almost tearful as she talked about how well Sophie was doing in her new life. “Who took her?”

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Mr. Knightly just shook his head. “We have some idea of who may be behind it, but no solid evidence. Very Thomas was with her and could only give us a minimal

description of the men who actually took her.”

“Tell me.” Devlin leaned forward. He knew just about everyone who operated out

of London.

“They grabbed her on Church Street, from an alley next to a little confectioner’s where they were shopping. One big man who did the grabbing and carried Sophie off down the alley, and a smaller man who seemed to be calling the shots. The small one hit Very when she tried to stop them.” Mr. Knightly suddenly jumped up from his seat, as if he needed to go somewhere or do something but was trapped here instead. “God damn it! We’re wasting time. Can you help us or not?”

“Rufus!” Devlin shouted. His office door flew open and Rufus stood there with two of the bodyguards looking a little dazed behind him.

“Yes sir?” Rufus asked, glaring at Mr. Knightly.

“A friend of Mr. Knightly’s has been kidnapped.” Devlin leaned back in his chair.

“One big man who carried the lady off down an alley off Church Street and one little man who seemed to be calling the shots. Oh, and the little one smacked down another woman when she tried to stop them. Any ideas?”

“Well, guv,” Rufus started slowly, “I’m not sure that we’d be knowin’ those types of gents—”

Devlin cut him off. “We’re going to help.”

Rufus looked at him in surprise, but nodded and immediately became efficient.

“Well now, that sounds like it’d be Lukey and Jack, Mickey and Mike, or Ivy and the Duke. Is it just kidnapping, or is they wantin’ her dead?”

Mr. Knightly grew pale and leaned against the desk. “Christ almighty, I don’t

know. I…I don’t know why they’d want her dead. I think he just wants her back.”

Rufus nodded sagely. “Well, then, Lukey and Jack’d be your best bet, guv.” He

shook his head sadly. “If it’s Ivy and the Duke, the lady’s dead already.”

Mr. Knightly covered his mouth with a trembling hand as if he were going to throw up or scream.

“That’s what I thought too, Rufus. I just wanted to check to make sure they were still working out of London.” Devlin stood up and came around the desk, walking over to a table in the corner. He spoke as he walked. “Find them all, even Mickey and Mike. I want the lady back. Her name is Sophie Witherspoon.” He paused and looked at Rufus.

“She’s a friend of Kitty’s.” Rufus’ eyes got huge and he nodded. “Get the word out.

There’s money in it for good information.”

“Middleton.” Mr. Knightly spoke, his voice hoarse. “They called her Miss

Middleton, her maiden name. Very said when they took her they called her Miss

Middleton.”

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Devlin nodded at Rufus and the little redheaded man scampered out the door,

already shouting as he closed it behind him. Devlin poured a generous glass of scotch from a bottle on the table and brought it to the pale young man. He grabbed the drink and tossed it back without even a shudder. Devlin wasn’t sure if that was because he was numb or because he was used to strong drink. He mentally shrugged. It wasn’t his business.

“Would you like to go home? I can have someone take you, and as soon as I know

anything I’ll contact you.”

Mr. Knightly was shaking his head before Devlin was done speaking. “No, I’ll wait here. I don’t want to waste any time once we get some information.”

Devlin wandered back to his chair behind his desk. “Suit yourself. Have another drink or two. It may be a while.”

After an hour of watching the other man pace his office and nurse another scotch, Devlin set his pen down on his desk. He couldn’t get any work done, not with

Knightly’s pacing and his own worry over Sophie Witherspoon’s well-being. Kitty would be devastated if anything happened to her. Devlin didn’t want to disappoint her.

She’d sent her friend here hoping Devlin could help. He was determined to succeed.

First things first. He set out to distract Knightly. “You’re Ian Witherspoon’s lover.”