Blood Blade Sisters Series (50 page)

“That won’t be a problem. I’ve already been invited to his annual Fall Social at the end of the week. The trouble will be bringing you with me.”

“Oh, that’s no trouble. I take it you’ve never heard of the Halford’s Fall Socials.”

Lucy shook her head.

“It’s an all-day affair. Guests will begin arrivin’ soon after breakfast. There will be croquet on the lawn and some other games and after lunch, the ladies will retire to rest for the afternoon so they can be fresh for the ball that evening. All the ladies will be bringing their maids to help them dress for the evenin’.”

“Excellent. Well then, I suppose we have nothing to do now but wait.”

Chapter Twelve

Well, Lucy would give one thing to Philip. The man knew how to throw a party. Groups of gaily dressed people milled around the lawn of Philip’s estate, chatting, munching on delicious hors d’oeuvres, and generally having a wonderful time. A few months ago, Lucy would have been included. Now, aside from a few polite nods in her direction and one or two brave souls who’d deigned to speak to her, most people steered clear. Everyone had heard what had happened at her school, and those who had once been content to look the other way had, for the most part, decided they were safer avoiding her company. No one wanted to risk being drawn into her fight. She could understand that, but she condemned it all the same.

Finn stepped out of the house and on to the veranda, his gaze scanning the crowd on the lawn beneath him. All thoughts of her nighttime visitors disappeared as she stared up at him. Her breath caught in her throat and her stomach did a little flip. It didn’t matter how much time she spent in his company, seeing him again, even after such a short time, always made her feel like a twitterpated schoolgirl.

Lucy knew the moment Finn caught site of her. His bland, polite expression changed to one of surprise and then irritation. He accepted a drink from a passing servant and casually made his way across the lawn to her side. He stood facing away from her but so close their shoulders touched. He didn’t look at her, his gaze continuously scanning the yard, but his words were said so only she could hear them.

“What are you doing here?”

“I was invited.”

Finn shot her an exasperated look and she buried her grin in her punch cup. Her smile faded as she glanced around, took in the groups of her acquaintances that were, for the most part, studiously avoiding her company. She sighed and leaned closer to Finn, letting the full length of her shoulder and arm press against him.

“How long have you been back?”

“I’ve only just returned.”

Lucy nodded. That would explain why he hadn’t mentioned her little incident. Well…he’d hear about it sooner than later so he might as well hear it from her.

“I had a little visit from a group of sheeted-up men. They burned a cross in my yard, threatened me and Lilah.”

Finn stiffened and looked at her with an intensity that made her take a step back.

“Are you all right?”

A lump rose in Lucy’s throat and she dropped her gaze. She’d been able to hold it together all this time, but a simple question from him and she was ready to fall into his arms blubbering. It was beyond maddening. She cleared her throat. “I’m fine. I shot a few warning shots at them and they scattered like the cowards they are.”

Finn snorted and shook his head. “You never cease to surprise me, Lucy.”

Lucy cocked an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.” She gave him a small smile. “In any case, to answer your earlier question, I’m fairly sure that Philip was one of my masked intruders that night.”

Finn turned his gaze back to the room, but she could see his jaw clenching. “What makes you think that?”

“I know his voice.”

Finn was silent for a moment. “Well. If he is involved in any nocturnal activities, it’s not something he’s ever shared with me. Though I wouldn’t be surprised. But that makes your presence here even less advisable, so I’ll repeat, what are you doing here?”

Lucy glared at him. “I’m going to find some proof that Philip is the lying, conniving, bedsheet-wearing snake that I know him to be and expose him once and for all. I’m going to find something, anything, that will provide the evidence that will free us both from him.” She looked back at the crowd. “And I can’t very well do that from home now, can I?”

“Don’t do this, Lucy. Go home. We can discuss this later. I will help you if I can. But for now, go home, lay low. If the Klan has already paid you a visit, it is only going to get worse. I know you love your school, but…”

“Don’t say it, Finn. I’m not going to let a bunch of cowards, who won’t even show their faces, run me out of town.”

Before Finn could speak again, Lucy caught sight of Lilah toward the veranda of the house. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

“Lucy…”

But Lucy ignored him. It warmed her heart that he was concerned, but she wasn’t going to let him dissuade her from her course of action. Philip had terrorized those she cared about for far too long. She would do everything she could to bring him down.

Lucy’s impatience grew with each girlish twitter from the other women in the room. The single women had been given a suite of rooms in which to refresh themselves before the ball that evening and there were ladies in various states of dishevelment all over the place. Several were napping on the large bed and chaise lounges that were spread through the rooms. Others were excitedly exclaiming over each other’s ball gowns, while their maids scurried to and fro trying to keep their mistresses’ belongings in order.

Finally, Lilah stuck her head in and nodded. Lucy followed her out, calling over her shoulder that she was going out for some air when a few of the ladies questioned where she was headed.

As soon as the door closed behind them, Lucy took a deep breath. Her nerves were a jumble of chaos, and the incessant chatter had driven her to the brink of madness.

She followed Lilah down the long hallway toward the back stairs. “Mr. Halford has organized a ride for his male guests. We should have plenty of time to search his office before they return.”

Lilah led her down the stairs, through the bustling kitchen, and out into the main floor of the house. Lilah didn’t slow down but marched purposefully toward a closed door. Lucy followed behind, acting for all the world as if she’d just been summoned and had every right to be heading toward Mr. Halford’s private office.

When they reached the door, Lilah glanced quickly around and then pulled a key out of her bodice. Lucy’s eyebrows raised, but she said nothing until they were safely inside the office.

“Do I want to know how you got the key?” Lucy asked.

Lilah smirked. “I still have friends here. It was easy enough to take if off the housekeeper while her attention was on the fine bottle of brandy I brung her. And no, you don’t want to know where I got that.”

Lucy smiled and shook her head, then got to work exploring the room while Lilah kept a lookout at the door. The office was filled with wall-to-wall bookcases that were stacked with books and small knickknacks. She did a quick perusal of the shelves on her way to the enormous desk set between two floor-to-ceiling windows at the far end of the room. She doubted Philip would leave anything incriminating out in the open where anyone could see.

She tried the drawers on the desks but they were all locked. No matter. She’d come prepared for that. Lucy had yet to come across a lock she couldn’t pick, much to her sisters’ envy. She knelt on the floor, her skirts billowing around her, and yanked two pins from her hair. She quickly bent them to the shape she needed to help hold the lock’s internal pins out of the way and got to work.

The lock to the largest drawer clicked and Lucy triumphantly pulled it out. Inside were rows of files. She glanced through each one, but none seemed to be out of the ordinary. Household inventories, campaign documents, travel records. Nothing of any importance. Nothing that shouted I’m a corrupt criminal, come lock me up.

Lilah squeaked and closed the door, locking it, seconds before Philip’s voice boomed through the entryway beyond the door.

“He’s back!” Lilah ran toward a bookcase near the door, shoving on a section of it to reveal a small, hidden closet and beckoned to Lucy to follow her.

Lucy slammed the drawer shut and ran for the closet. She made it inside just as the door to the office opened and Philip entered.

“I thought you said he was gone,” hissed Lucy.

“I thought he was. The rest of the gentlemen left. He should have gone with them.”

“Shh.” Lucy put her finger to her lips and strained to hear through the door.

He was speaking to someone, though it took Lucy a moment to realize who it was.

Finn.

Lucy pressed her ear to the thin wood wall, struggling to hear what they were saying. Their voices were muffled, but she could make out most of what they were saying.

…

Finn glanced around Philip’s office, certain he’d heard something as they were entering. Everything looked in order but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He half expected to see Lucy’s skirts sticking out from beneath the desk. He wouldn’t put it past her to break into Philip’s office. But Philip took a seat at his desk without incident, so for now, it seemed, Lucy must be minding her manners.

However, Finn was in no way fooled that her restraint would last. He could almost see the fury bubbling under her surface whenever he looked at her. And to be honest, he couldn’t blame her. Halford was threatening her school and those Lucy held dear. She wouldn’t let it continue for much longer. One of these days, something she couldn’t ignore would happen and she’d retaliate.

Knowing Lucy and her penchant for playing the martyred hero, he feared he knew exactly what that might be. Instead of heeding his warning about Halford and leaving town, she’d probably taken it upon herself to try and free Finn from Halford’s grasp. The thought made Finn’s blood boil with anger and fear…and a healthy dose of pride, if he were honest.

He couldn’t help admiring her spunk and was touched that she’d risk so much on his behalf. But the tender feelings ended there. The blasted woman was going to get them both killed: her because Halford would never let her get away with whatever she was planning, and him because he’d die before he let Halford harm one beautiful inch of her.

Halford unlocked his top desk drawer and handed Finn a sheaf of papers. “I need you to go to the docks tonight. I have some cargo coming in and you must supervise the unloading.”

“Is it something one of the other men can handle?”

“Under normal circumstances, possibly. But tonight’s shipment contains a few special items that won’t be listed on the inventory sheet. I need you to oversee it personally.”

Finn hesitated and Halford cocked an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

“No. Of course not.”

“I know you’ve just returned, but it’s only one more night. I need my best man on this one.”

“Of course.” Finn forced a smile, though his gut was churning. He hadn’t seen Lucy in far too long and the need to assure himself of her well-being was becoming overwhelming.

“Did you have other plans?” Halford’s voice was cold. Finn wasn’t doing as good of a job hiding his emotions as he used to.

“Not really, no. I’d thought to perhaps stop in and make sure Lucy was settling in to her new home. I don’t want to shirk my familial duties.”

Halford turned away, hiding his expression, and Finn’s suspicions were immediately raised.

“Don’t worry about your cousin. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”

Finn’s blood ran cold.

“Oh come now. Surely you trust me with her.”

“Trust you with a beautiful woman?” Finn said, trying to inject as much good-natured male humor into his voice as he could. It was difficult when all he wanted to do was wrap his hands around Philip’s throat.

Philip let out a hearty laugh. “Don’t worry, Taggart. I’ll treat her with the same care and consideration as you will show the special cargo you’ll be handling. That way we can both be assured that our respective treasures are safe. It would be tragic if either of them were to fall into the wrong hands.”

Finn didn’t miss the warning in Halford’s voice. The man was too shrewd. If Finn had had any thought of double-crossing him, letting his cargo fall into the hands of the authorities, it was gone now. And the thought had crossed his mind a time or two. If Philip were to be arrested, his whole corrupt empire would disintegrate and Finn would be free. Philip didn’t trust anyone enough to share his power. Finn was the closest thing he had to a right-hand man. The rest of Philip’s network was flunkies and thugs that Philip hired while he kept tight hold of the reins.

But with Halford essentially holding Lucy hostage, Finn’s continued loyalty was assured. Which was the exact situation Finn had been trying to avoid when he’d attempted to make Lucy leave. Stubborn woman.

“Will we have any problems tonight?” Philip asked.

Finn met his gaze and did his best to keep his fury contained. He knew his face was devoid of expression. He’d had years to practice keeping his emotions hidden. But he didn’t think Philip was fooled.

“No. No problems.”

“Good. Then I’ll expect you back with the special shipment by early morning. The rest of the cargo you can send on to the warehouses.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go entertain my guests.”

Finn inclined his head and watched Philip leave the room. He needed to find Lucy. He’d get her on the next train to Boston if he had to hog-tie her and shove her in a gunnysack to do it. Finn stormed out of the office. The time for cajoling and threatening was over.

Chapter Thirteen

The gentle breeze through the trees would have been peaceful under normal circumstances. But at the moment, the mist that seemed to hang over everything, mixed with the pungent scent of horse and unwashed male, only served to intensify the churning of Lucy’s belly. She and Lilah watched Finn from the shadows of a building amid a row of warehouses, Lilah hunkering further into her cloak as a cold breeze blew through the alleyways.

It was a dark night. The men were scarcely visible, though every now and then Lucy caught sight of Finn’s face in the light of the lanterns. Lucy slid down and leaned against the wall of the building, trying to make herself comfortable while they waited for something to happen. Lilah followed suit but had a much harder time of it as she tried to tuck her skirts about her legs.

That was one of the many reasons that Lucy, much to Lilah’s horror, had raided the laundry at Philip’s house and was wearing one of his suits along with a coat she’d found hanging in a spare closet. If it was one thing Lucy had learned from her bandit days, it was to dress appropriately for every situation. A spying expedition to the warehouse district in the middle of the night, along with wherever Finn would be moving the cargo, called for attire that would allow her to move uninhibited.

So far, nothing too exciting had happened. Finn stood near the wagons with a checklist, checking each box that was unloaded. Lucy hadn’t seen any cargo that looked in any way suspicious and other than the men that were unloading the crates, Finn hadn’t spoken to anyone else. Whatever this special shipment of Philip’s was, it either hadn’t been unloaded yet or was secreted within the regular cargo.

“Nothing’s happening,” Lilah whispered, stamping her feet a bit to warm them up.

Lucy leaned forward, craning her neck around the corner of the building, and took another look before ducking back. “It looks like they are almost done unloading. Come on,” she said, pulling Lilah up. “We need to be ready to move.”

Finn had been directing where each crate went as it came off the wagons. The vast majority of the crates had been loaded into the warehouse that Lucy assumed belonged to Philip. But a small number of crates had been loaded onto a separate wagon. While each of the other wagons was accompanied by a driver and one other man, this wagon had four men. That must be the one with the special cargo.

Lucy watched while Finn finished up with the man in charge of the shipment and marched over to the overly guarded wagon. He jumped up beside the driver and they were off.

“Let’s go,” Lucy said, hurrying over to where her horse sat waiting.

Lilah’s face puckered, but she gamely clambered onto the horse behind Lucy. Lucy had learned that Lilah hated horses and hadn’t been too pleased to find they’d be riding one. But it was much easier to quietly follow someone on a single horse than it would have been in a carriage. Lucy would have preferred to go on foot, but she had no idea how far they’d be traveling and she wanted a means of quick escape if it became necessary.

She kept her distance from the wagon, ensuring her horse was hidden within the trees that lined the road. If Finn had been alone, she wouldn’t have worried so much. But the four thugs accompanying him were bad news, and if Lucy could avoid a confrontation with them, she would. Especially with Lilah clinging to her back. Lucy could handle herself, but she didn’t want to put her friend in any more danger than she already had.

They followed the wagon for some time before Lucy became aware that they were nearing Philip’s property. After a few more minutes, the wagon stopped at a dilapidated gate that marked the boundary of the property. Finn hopped down and opened it and waved the wagon through. Lucy waited until the wagon had rumbled around the bend in the road and then rode up to the fence line and climbed off the horse.

“We’ll have to go on foot from here,” she told Lilah as she helped her down.

“What about the horse?”

“We’ll leave her tied up here. I don’t think they’ll be going far. They’ll keep the cargo out of sight of the house, so there must be a place at the back of the property where they are going to unload the cargo.”

Lilah froze, her whole body going rigid. “The old slave quarters are back here.”

“Does anyone use them anymore?”

Lilah shook her head. “Folks think they’re haunted, won’t go near them. There was a bad fire there during the war. Most of them burned down. Killed several slaves.”

The pain in Lilah’s voice tore at Lucy’s heart. “Oh, Lilah, I’m so sorry.”

“Weren’t your fault,” she said with her good old Southern logic. “Mr. Halford never bothered to clear them out and since he no longer runs his cotton plantation, he don’t have need of ’em. The house servants have rooms in the attics.”

“Well, it sounds like the perfect place for hiding secret cargo.”

“I reckon it is. Maybe it’s better if we wait a spell though. There’s no sense in us bustin’ in there with all them men hangin’ around. It’d be safer for sure if we wait ’til they all leave.”

“Perhaps, but we can’t know for certain where they are taking the cargo or even if it’s really illegal. If we are going to defeat Philip, we need solid evidence, and we aren’t going to find that hiding out in our bedrooms. We need to see what they have and where they are putting it.”

Lilah took a deep breath and blew it out. “All right, then. Let’s go.”

Lucy took her by the hand and led the way through the trees and brush, following the trail the wagon had taken. After several minutes, a group of shacks came into view. The structures were arranged in a large half circle, like a small village surrounding a communal square. All of the buildings showed signs of the fire. Some were nothing but piles of burned timber and rubble. Others had been gutted by the flames, though the walls, or some of them, had been left standing. Only two were still in relatively decent condition, though they had also been scorched.

It was into one of these that Finn’s men had unloaded the crates from the wagon. By the time Lucy and Lilah crouched down behind the back wall, the wagon stood empty in front of the shack. Lucy carefully peeked through the remains of a window. Finn stood near the door of the structure, apparently giving instructions to three of the men. They all nodded at whatever he said and then he turned and left. He either had a horse waiting that they hadn’t seen or had taken one of the wagon horses because a few moments later, Lucy heard the distinct sound of hooves riding away.

She looked around the interior one last time. The remnants of the previous occupants were still there. A broken table and a couple chairs sat in one corner. Various piles of rubble and unidentifiable bits of household items were scattered here and there. The crates, however, were nowhere to be seen. And neither was the fourth man.

A shiver of unease crawled up Lucy’s spine. She grabbed Lilah’s hand to run. But when they turned to flee, they came face-to-face with the missing thug…and his gun, which was aimed right at their heads.

“Evenin’,” he said.

Lucy slowly raised her hands, but Lilah gasped and opened her mouth to scream.

The man cocked the gun. “None of that now, ya hear?”

Lilah’s mouth snapped shut with a whimper, but she nodded her head.

“Come on.” He gestured with the gun, directing them around to the front of the shack.

Lucy’s mind raced. Finn had left but he couldn’t have gone too far. If she screamed, he might hear her. But then what? Lucy hated the thread of distrust that wormed its way into her consciousness, but she had to admit that she wasn’t one hundred percent positive that Finn would get her out of this situation. Or that he
could
get her out of it even if he wanted to. These were Philip’s men. They might take orders from Finn, but Lucy couldn’t count on their loyalty to him.

Even if she could, she had been caught spying on them. She knew the secret cargo was hidden somewhere nearby. Finn might be forced to do something he might not want to do. Even with her at his back, they were outnumbered. Lucy didn’t count the trembling maid at her side. The last thing she wanted to do was get Lilah hurt.

They were nearing the corner of the building. Around that corner, the other three men waited. If Lucy was going to act, she needed to do it now.

She put her arm around Lilah, acting as though she were comforting the maid. She leaned in as close as she could and whispered, “When I tell you to run, go! Get to the horse as fast as you can and get out of here.”

Before Lilah could respond, Lucy shoved her to the ground and rounded on the man with the gun. She ducked and barreled into him, her shoulder connecting with his gut. Her momentum knocked him off his feet and made his shot go wide.

“Go!” Lucy shouted to Lilah.

Lilah hesitated only a second, but when she heard the shouts of the other men, she took off like a flash, disappearing into the trees.

Lucy grappled with the man on the ground. He’d dropped his gun somewhere, but he had a firm hold on her waist. She reared back as far as she could and slammed her elbow into his nose. He bellowed but he let go.

Lucy sprinted away but was knocked flat when one of the other men launched himself at her, tackling her to the ground. She struggled against his hold, but he had the upper hand. He sat on her, his legs straddled on each side of her thighs keeping her from getting to her feet while he fought to pin her arms to the ground. It didn’t take long. No matter how much fight she had in her, the man outweighed her by a good hundred or more pounds.

During their fight, her hat had fallen away, leaving her braid tumbling down her shoulders.

The man looked down at her, panting heavily in her face. She could tell the instant he finally registered that she was female. The fury in his eyes transformed into a smug anticipation and the ball of revulsion in her gut churned with a fresh spike of fear.

“Well now. Looky what we’ve got here.”

He stood, hauling her up with him, keeping his beefy hand firmly gripped around her wrists. He wrenched her arms behind her back and marched her past the two men who’d been watching their fight. The third man glared daggers at her, his hand clamped to his bleeding nose. She winked at him. She didn’t know what possessed her, but she couldn’t help herself. He roared and stumbled toward her but one of the other men kicked at him.

“Leave off, Jimmy. You’ll get your shot at her. We need to have us a little talk first.”

Lucy instantly regretted the winking. But damn it all, she was tired of pigheaded men thinking they could do whatever they wanted to her without suffering any consequences.

The men marched her into the shack. One grabbed one of the chairs from the corner and another removed his belt and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. He tied her hands behind her with the cloth and then made quick work of binding her to the chair with the belt. When she was secure, the one who seemed to be in charge squatted down in front of her.

“Now then. What’s a pretty little thing like you doing roaming around at this time of night?”

Lucy shrugged as best she could through the belt binding her arms to the chair. “I couldn’t sleep. Thought I’d go for a little walk.”

“Humph.” He drew his finger down the front of her shirt, his eyes following the trail before glancing back up to meet her gaze. “That’s an interesting choice of clothing for a lady.”

Lucy repressed her shudder of revulsion. “I didn’t want to ruin any of my dresses.”

The man dragged his hand down her thigh and stopped midway. He leaned forward, squeezing hard enough that Lucy bit her lip to keep from crying out. “Why don’t you just quit the games and tell me what you’re really doing out here.”

Lucy took a shuddering breath. “I told you, I just wanted some a—”

His hand cracked across her face so hard her head snapped back. She tasted blood, but she couldn’t tell if it was coming from her nose or lip.

Fine. They didn’t want to play nice. She had no problem with that.

“Do I need to ask you again, or are you ready to talk now?”

“There’s only one thing I want to say to you,” she said quietly.

“And what’s that?” He leaned in again, matching her quiet tone.

“I don’t want the others to hear.”

He leaned in closer. “Don’t want them to hear what?”

“Go to hell,” she whispered. Then she reared her head back and head-butted him as hard as she could.

The sight of him falling off his chair as his head snapped back on his neck blacked out for a second and bright spots peppered her vision. He grabbed his head and shook it like a dog and then lurched off the floor at her. She brought her knees up against her chest and before he could stop his momentum, she slammed her feet into his gut and kicked off with every ounce of strength she had.

He went flying backward, shaking the entire building when he hit the wall. Another man charged her and she stood as best she could, swinging the chair she was attached to around to crash into him. The bottom of the chair, already flimsy and damaged from the fire, broke off, though her arms were still tied to the top half. At least she could move her legs freely.

The other two men advanced on her. Lucy’s head throbbed and her arms had gone numb from being tied. She staggered back as they came forward. She couldn’t fight them both off. She was rapidly losing steam. They flanked her, one coming on each side. Then one lunged. She dodged him, but swerving out of his range put her too close to the other man. He grabbed her from behind, grasping the edges of the chair back she was still tied to.

The other man sneered, hauled back his fist, and slammed it into her face. Lucy dropped to her knees, her head swimming.

“Get back up, bitch!” he shouted, kicking her in the gut.

Lucy groaned and crumpled. It was over. She couldn’t fight them both off. And the third man was rising from where he’d been slumped against the wall. Lucy lay on the floor, her face in a rapidly spreading pool of her own blood, and she waited for them to come at her again.

The man she’d kicked against the wall staggered over. He stood staring down at her, his split lip pulling up in a vicious sneer. “You’re going to regret that, bitch.”