The Runner's Enticement (Men of Circumstance Book 2) (19 page)

Instead of him continuing their naughty banter, he lowered his forehead to hers and proved yet again why she was powerless to resist him. “Only you have the power to make me so reckless. I’m afraid, Anna, that you quite possibly own me.”

Desiring something more equal, she whispered against his lips. “How about we share each other?”

Chapter 32

When Grant returned with Foxmoore late the next evening, Nate was still puzzling over what needed to be done. The night spent in Anna’s bed had done little to relax his mind. His body might have reaped the benefits but he hadn’t been able to disengage his thoughts from what awaited.

“Did you uncover anything?” he asked. Despite Foxmoore being gone only a few days, Nate hoped he’d discovered something useful. Any clue to turn the case around. No matter how trivial.

“Nothing besides the fact that no one has actually seen the artifacts. Just a new collector boasting about his pieces.” Foxmoore reclined in one of the two chairs in Nate’s bedchamber.

Which might not be the normal locality for a meeting, but if Nate’s hunch was correct, he couldn’t chance an eavesdropper overhearing any plans.

It had been hard enough keeping Foxmoore’s return a secret from Brodford and Anna. Nate hated to deceive them, especially Anna, but if he was correct and if someone from
inside
the house was indeed stealing the items, he wanted to know who before he presented his case.

As it was, he’d left Anna under Henry’s protection so he could sneak away to meet with the earl. A smile struggled to break the stern line of Nate’s lips as he thought of Anna being subjected to Henry’s company. Or Henry dealing with Anna’s attempt at interrogation.

But if anyone could hold his tongue, it would be Henry. Nate could place wagers against Anna attempting to pry information from the man.

“What prompted my immediate return? Has there been a development?” Foxmoore inquired.

Nate hesitated. Then he reminded himself Foxmoore was once-removed family and could be trusted. “Nothing to report other than a possible way to lure out the thief.”

Foxmoore raised a brow. “Since I’m sitting here, and not your men, I assume I’ll have a role in your little ploy.”

“Relax, old man. It isn’t as if I plan to use you as bait. You’re not quite Egyptian enough. I have something a bit more authentic and rare in mind.” Quickly, Nate shared the story of Brodford’s Bes bell, with as much detail as he could recall. The particulars, other than it being priceless, green, and ugly, had slipped Nate’s mind. Luckily, Foxmoore’s hidden knowledge of old things filled any important holes.

“If the thief is indeed looking for high end items, a newly discovered Bes bell would do the trick,” Foxmoore agreed. “But why the need for me? Surely, you and your men could handle setting a trap. If anything, you could have sent me a letter to spread the word of the bell.”

Foxmoore had a valid question. One Nate didn’t know how to answer. How did he explain his wish to keep his men in the dark when he didn’t fully understand it himself? Or the itch demanding he go it alone this one time. Either way, his instincts had kept him alive.

If Nate had learned anything as a Runner, it was to not ignore the tingling in his gut. “I’m not involving my men. This will stay between you and me.”

Foxmoore pinned him with a steady regard. The man clearly wanted more of an explanation.

In a reversed situation, Nate would want the same. It would take a hell of a lot more for Nate to trust someone’s word. Though he and Foxmoore shared a familial tie, that didn’t mean an unquestionable bond stretched between them. He would leave that to Foxmoore and Gabe. Nate had never poached his brother’s intimates. Probably because he figured members of the upper crust wouldn’t be as welcoming as Gabe. Though he had a feeling Foxmoore didn’t fall into the same category as the general nobility.

Unable to stall any longer, Nate sighed. “My men are more than capable of doing what I’ve planned. But for the time being, I’d like this kept cloak and dagger.” He shifted under Foxmoore’s continued scrutiny. “Things aren’t adding up and I would like to see what develops. With so many eyes on the estate, it should have been damned near impossible for someone to enter and steal the amulet.”

“Unless someone from
within
walked out with it.”

Foxmoore proved perceptive and for that Nate was grateful. He didn’t have the time to explain the situation to a dullard. Then again, if Foxmoore had indeed been a dolt, Nate never would have brought him into his confidence.

“Exactly. I’d understand items continuing to go missing if my men had blundered, but that isn’t the case. We’ve done everything right except for actually catching the thief.” Nate’s thoughts drifted to Anna’s mysterious male visitor. With the threat of Jarvis, her connection to the unexplained man had failed to be Nate’s most pressing mystery to solve. He felt fairly confident the man had nothing to do with the thefts. Not with Anna being his connection to the estate.

Until he learned more, it would be one more item he kept to himself. “Everyone coming and leaving the estate has been accounted for.”

Still reclined in the chair, Foxmoore appeared more relaxed than his quick thinking suggested. “I’m assuming that since the most likely culprit would be a servant, you’d like to apprehend the responsible party
before
sounding the alarm and possibly getting the wrong person accused.”

“Capturing the actual criminal would prevent any unnecessary accusations.”

“What of The Viper? Doesn’t he still propose a risk? The best time to be ferreting out a thief might not be when you have a killer on your heels.”

Nate was beginning to think Foxmoore and Lawson had some distant ancestors in common. They both had an annoying tendency to question Nate’s motives.

“I could be waiting forever for Jarvis to show his face. If he ever does. The Viper coming after me isn’t a foregone conclusion.” Nate ignored the voice in the back of his head reminding him of The Viper’s final threat before his men had hauled him off. Not to mention the blackmailer’s promise. “There has been no sighting of the man from here to London. Hell, he could have used his escape as a chance to flee the country.”

At the doubtful look Foxmoore cast, Nate couldn’t help the twinge in his chest that echoed the sentiment. Nonetheless, Lawson had sent Nate to do a job and he’d be damned before he didn’t see it through. He’d just have to play it right and have his men kept the estate protected from Jarvis while leaving an opening for the thief to take the bait.

“If my plan has any merit, it should only take a night or two for it to yield results.”

“You do know if I go along with this and something should happen to you while you have your back turned on The Viper’s threat, your brother—and probably my sister—will do the same to me, if not worse.”

Nate tossed Foxmoore a smirk. “You have nothing to worry about, my brother is a duke . . . he has men to do that sort of thing for him.” Then he sobered. “Have you heard from Gabe since he learned of my position on the force?”

A weight had fallen on Nate’s chest knowing Gabe had been briefed on his history with Jarvis . . . and it had yet to lift. Nate’s occupation might not be a secret from the world, but it wasn’t something he openly shared with the upper class, unless assigned to a case where it became unavoidable.

Thankfully, there weren’t many nobles who needed his exact abilities, allowing him to keep his profession from his brother. Not that Nate worried Gabe wouldn’t approve. He resisted because Gabe
would
approve and wouldn’t be ashamed for all and sundry to know his bastard brother held a lowly position.

Nate had stained Gabe’s world enough; he wouldn’t return his brother’s generosity with further embarrassment.

Foxmoore broke into Nate’s thoughts. “I assume you haven’t heard from Gabe.” He’d voiced the question Nate had refused to dwell on.

Nate declined to consider what his brother not getting word to him meant. Had he errored and Gabe
was
ashamed of his career? Or worse, blamed Nate for possibly unleashing a killer on his family?

Unable to voice his worries, Nate shook his head.

“If it aids your concern, I haven’t spoken to him since he learned of your connection to The Viper,” Foxmoore replied.

I should have asked about Gabe’s reaction to the development days ago
. Instead, he'd cowered from the answer. He couldn’t put it off any longer. He needed to know if he would be welcome at Frenton Hall. “Did he do what he probably should have done years ago and curse my existence?”

Foxmoore rose and strode to Nate’s side by the fireplace. “You know your brother better than that. He’d never turn his back on you. You may share only half the same blood but to Gabe you are full brothers.”

Nate might merely be three years Foxmoore’s junior and well beyond the man in terms of life’s harsher experiences, but at the moment he felt like an inexperienced youth looking for validation.

He abandoned the fireplace and crossed to the window. “That may be, but considering I potentially escorted a killer to his door and endangered Elizabeth and the children might be enough to have him rethink his decision to claim me as a brother.”

Foxmoore’s hand fell heavy on Nate’s shoulder. “You had your reasons for keeping your secrets. He will understand. Knowing Gabe, he probably wasn’t even surprised.”

Turning from the window, Nate dislodged Foxmoore’s hand—along with their current conversation—before smirking at the man. “By any chance has your seat in parliament taught you how to be still for long periods of time?”

After Foxmoore had snuck off the estate to hide out at the nearest inn until they could enact the
plan
, Nate put the first phase into motion. Since the aim was to lure a possible thief from inside the house, there would be no need to spread word of the Bes bell outside the estate. Considering Brodford and Thomas hadn’t stopped talking of the damned find, Nate felt confident the entire staff had heard of Brodford’s latest acquisition.

Leaving the most delicate element of his scheme, finessing the precious treasure out of Brodford’s clutches, Nate wouldn’t be surprised if the man had taken to sleeping with the priceless item. Nate hardly blamed him. He hadn’t exactly proven very effective in keeping further items from disappearing.

As Nate approached the parlor he was surprised to see Henry positioned at the door. He’d thought Anna would still be off trying to dig answers from his man.

“How much trouble did she give you?” Nate questioned.

Henry smiled with his typical no-nonsense grin. “No more than any inquisitive miss. Though, she is a tad more determined than most.”

A warm tingle spread in Nate’s chest as he thought of the pixie tigress Anna had turned out to be. “That she is. What did you do to send her fleeing from the drawing room?”

“Given her mutterings as she stormed from the room, it had something to do with all Runners being a bunch of frustrating beings who had no place among decent people.”

Nate chuckled, easily picturing Anna in the sort of state Henry described. And vividly imagined the rosy flush that would mask the creaminess of her skin. The flash of light that would be shining in her eyes—tipping the shade to more blue than green—and the adorable scowl that would be pressed against her kissable lips. The thought of such intense emotion written all over her face woke Nate’s arousal, making him wonder why he wasted time with Henry when he could be enjoying her loveliness in all its glory.

“I’ll stand by from here. Is Thomas with them?”

“No.”

“Good. I don’t think I can stomach much more of his dull obsession with Egypt. You can check in with Grant and return to your post. Make sure the men are keeping to the schedule and taking breaks. I don’t want anyone falling asleep while on patrol. With Jarvis being anywhere, it might be a sleep they don’t wake from.”

Nate hated waxing grim, but he’d regret it more if one of his men fell to the killer.

Henry gave a quick nod, aware of the danger, and headed for the front door.

Leaving Nate to execute the most essential part of his plan.

Chapter 33

Anna’s residual irritation with Henry spilled over onto Nate as soon as he entered the room. Which she thought fully justified since they were both obstinate Runners who hid things from her. She didn’t know what, but she suspected it involved something other than the missing artifacts. Something she assumed had to do with the killer Foxmoore had spoken of. For the life of her, she couldn’t get anyone to tell her anything. Not even her father.

Nevertheless, as nonplussed as she’d been with Nate as he interacted with her father, she’d catch glimpses of the man who’d held her during the night. Which only frustrated her further because she found she couldn’t be annoyed with that man at all.

Eventually, she resigned herself to the fact she had no restraint where Nathaniel Frederickson was concerned. Particularly when he had his naked body tangled with hers.

“You think you can keep it safe?”

Her father’s question pulled her from her rather heated thoughts.

“I know I’ve asked you to put your faith in my abilities before, only to disappoint you, but in this I promise you can trust me. I won’t let the bell out of my sight.”

Nate’s promise sent a slither of dread down Anna’s back. Getting away from Henry’s stony silence had been only one of the reasons she’d sought her father. Her fortnight was half over. If she didn’t secure the bell soon, she might not have a chance to tempt Mr. Rollins with it. Finding a way to sneak the bell away from her father had proven difficult enough. In Nate’s hands, it would be nearly impossible.

Still behind his desk, puttering with a mask of another dead pharaoh, her father didn’t appear as if he would answer. Another minute went by before he set the mask down and gave Nate his full regard.

“You have yet to disappoint me, Frederickson.” Nate opened his mouth to argue, but her father barreled on. “Though more things may have gone missing, I have the utmost faith you will put everything as it should be. I may not be the most sociable of men, but I know enough to determine a man’s character, and I’ve known since we met you have honorable integrity.”

Anna somehow managed to not choke, thinking of the countless
dishonorable
things Nate had done to her body. She doubted her father would continue to speak so highly of Nate if he knew everything. Yet, she found no fault with her father’s assessment. Nate was indeed a man of great character and her father wouldn't be wrong putting his trust in him. Anna’s intimate time with Nate had been of her choosing and being of age, the decision had been her absolute right.

“You honor me, sir,” Nate responded with a humble undertone, clearly uncomfortable with her father’s praise. “Your faith won’t be misplaced. I promise I’m doing what must be done.”

She scrutinized the strong man standing before the desk, witnessing a side to his demeanor he’d never shown before. He was almost . . . solemn. She’d seen him determined, annoyed, and heart-stopping sensual.

But never somber.

Anna remained silent as her father reached into the drawer on the right side of the desk and retrieved the Bes bell, still carefully folded in the protective cloth. He didn’t pause before handing what was probably his most prized possession to Nate.

She refused to think how deep her betrayal would go if she managed to steal—yes, steal, no point in calling it something it wasn’t—the bell from Nate.

Just when the guilt threatened to bubble over and change her mind, Clara’s grateful voice whispered in Anna’s head. Without the school, Clara would no longer have a teaching position. Anna couldn’t find it in herself to destroy Clara’s opportunity. Not if she had one last chance to make the threat of Mr. Rollins go away.

Once he had the bell in his hand, Nate turned to her. So intent on her father when he’d entered, he’d done little more than acknowledge her with his eyes before he’d addressed her father.

“Any luck with Henry?”

The way he taunted her, with secrets he then denied her, made Anna long to wipe the smirk off his face. Heaven help her when the only way she could think to erase the offending grin was with her lips.

A quick glance at her father confirmed he’d returned his attention to the mask. He might be standing before them but she’d wager he hadn’t heard a word they said. Even so, for an unexplained reason, she wanted to keep this oddly arousing bickering with Nate private.

Silently she turned on her heel, away from the Runner who’d gone from nemesis to lover. Fleeing to the door, she knew Nate would follow. The possibility that his constant need to be by her side was simply duty-bound nagged the back of her mind.

Her desire to be with Nate unsettled her. Deep in her heart, she knew she couldn’t have the school
and
him. Just as she couldn’t have the school and her father. To keep one, she’d have to let down the other.

“What of you? Any progress with whatever it was you ran off to deal with?” she asked.

“Still fishing for information, I see.” A step behind her, Anna missed his expression but his words held a smile. Probably even the dimple it usually showcased.
The very one I shamelessly licked the night before.

“Are you saying there is something to catch?”

This time he did chuckle. “Sweet, I didn’t become one of the best by being outsmarted by a pretty face.”

She ignored the voice that whispered her very future depended on her being able to outsmart him.

Since she didn’t want to think about her ultimate duplicity, she changed the subject. “You never speak of your brother. Are you not close?”

She heard his misstep; her question had taken him by surprise. Other than him being the unacknowledged, illegitimate son of a duke, Anna didn’t know much about Nate’s life. Did his brother feel the same as his father had? It hadn’t seemed so when Nate had spoken of His Grace at the school. Maybe she’d misunderstood.

No actual destination in mind when she’d left the parlor, and afraid she’d need to apologize for intruding on his personal life, she entered the next room they came upon. A tingle moved through her knowing it was the very library where Nate had done exceptionally wicked things to her. As she thought on it, there weren’t many rooms left were he
hadn’t
done wicked things to her.

Her body quickly heating, Anna tucked the thought away, until she could explore it later.

“Are you done running, Anna?”

She faced him, puzzled.

“Your quick detour to the library didn’t give me a chance to answer your question about my brother,” he continued easily. Apparently, she’d worried for naught.

“My brother and I are close.” Nate’s forehead crinkled. “Or at least we were. At present, there is a small question regarding our relationship.”

Reminded of his conversation with Foxmoore, she asked, “Does it have anything to do with The Viper and Foxmoore’s news?”

The corner of his mouth quirked while his eyes remained guarded. “Caught that, did you? You probably won’t understand, but despite being close, Gabe is not aware of my career as a Runner.”

He was right. She didn’t understand. Why wouldn’t his brother know?
How
wouldn’t his brother know? From what she’d been told—and after what she’d witnessed—Nate excelled at being a Runner. Wouldn’t his brother be proud?

“I can see the wheels in your cute little head working, sweet. Your father might not embrace it but he is a welcomed member of the
ton.
Because of our father, and actions out of my brother’s control, he had to fight for a semi-respectable position among the nobility.”

“But he is a duke.” She hated to think the worst of her peers, but she knew how the system worked. The higher a person’s rank, the greater his sins could be.

“Even though Gabe’s title had kept the invitations appearing at his door, he wasn’t much more than a source of gossip. A short time ago Gabe had embraced his role of scoundrel. After falling for Elizabeth and learning the truth surrounding a few episodes in his past, he’d done what he could to change people’s impression of the Duke of Wesbrook. Not because he gave a damn, rather to ensure Elizabeth and his children were accepted.”

As ridiculous as it sounded, the nobility could be vicious and everything Nate said sounded plausible. “You’re afraid your career combined with your illegitimate status would impede his efforts?”

“Even though our father never approved, and had probably made Gabe pay in some manner, my brother never treated me like a bastard. I will not return the favor by further sullying the Wesbrook name. Even before Gabe understood he was a better man than our father, I wouldn’t bring him shame.” Strong emotions flickered across his face.

Anna lost herself in his honesty, wondering if he understood what he’d just revealed. Afraid of losing his brother’s approval, for a good portion of his life Nate had been denied something as simple as acceptance. First from his father, and then the
ton
as a whole, the very sphere his brother—and only family—inhabited. He might not act it but society’s label had shaped him into the man he’d become. She only wished he could see the man she did.

“If you worried what your brother and his peers would think of your career, why become a Runner?”

He regarded her for a moment, his clear eyes locked on her. “Gabe might be comfortable providing for me, but I couldn’t live with myself if I allowed it. I’d already spent half my life depending on the charity of others. My mother had been a maid at Frenton Hall when my father seduced her with pretty words. I suspect even if she hadn’t become with child he would have turned her out once he’d had his fun.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed until only slices of black-rimmed blue remained. “Disowned by her parents. If not for my aunt and uncle taking her in, she probably wouldn’t have survived. Even with the concocted story that my mother was a widow, she never found decent work, not with having a child to raise. As soon as I could, I started to work odd jobs to help keep food on the table. I might have been young but I knew my aunt and uncle couldn’t continue to provide for my mother and me. Not with their own children to consider.”

Familiar with the assured man before her, it was hard to picture Nate as a young boy forced to grow up too fast. No child should have to fight so hard for basic needs. Knowing her sympathy wouldn’t be welcomed, she blinked away the tears burning the back of her eyes.

“You said your mother died of consumption. What of your aunt and uncle? Do you still speak with them?” Her voice cracked over the question.

He placed the Bes bell on a low table, then drifted to the bookshelf and lazily ran his finger along the volumes propped there. “My aunt and uncle fell sick before my mother. When all was said and done, the illness took the lives of my mother, aunt, uncle, and my youngest cousin. Two other cousins, besides me, survived. That was all.”

She lost the battle with her tears; they flowed down her cheeks like hot, tiny rivers. Thankfully, his attention remained on the books and she could mourn his family in silence. “What happened to your cousins? Do you still see them?”

He increased the distance between them. “No. Even the oldest was still six years younger than me. My uncle’s family took them in. I haven’t seen them since the day they rode away from the house.”

“You’ve never looked for them?”

He gave a little snort. “I hardly doubt they’d welcome their bastard cousin. Especially one who’d put an unwanted strain on their parents. Something that most likely contributed to their father working too hard and contracting the illness to begin with.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Of course you don’t, princess. You’ve never had to go to bed hungry or worry about how the house would stay warm when there was no money.”

He didn’t sneer the words, but Anna supposed he could have. Moreover, she was beginning to hate how he called her ‘princess.’ She much preferred the more endearing terms that had rolled off his tongue during these last few days.

“Even so, it doesn’t mean your cousins would turn you away,” she reasoned. “You’d been raised together. Surely they saw you as more than a burden.”

He turned back to her and the deep hurt touching each of his features curled around her heart. “I’ve had enough people in my life explaining quite clearly how worthless and unwanted I am, I’m not about to go looking for it.”

Fed up with the distance holding them apart, she marched to his side and fought against the impulse to wrap her arms around him. “First of all, you are not worthless. You’ve managed to not only survive but accomplish great things. Despite practically starting from nothing.”

No longer able to keep from touching him, Anna placed her fingertips alongside his cheek. “Secondly, you are not unwanted.” Her voice dropped. “I want you. Probably more than is wise.”

He stood silent after her confession and her fingers began to tremble against the stubble sprinkled across his jaw. Would the blasted man not speak? Surely after how they’d
explored
each other’s bodies, he’d at least admit to wanting her. She had nearly given up on his reply when his arm slid around her waist, pulling her tightly to him.

“I think I can handle being wanted by you.”

His head lowered.

If she allowed the kiss it would mark the end of their conversation. She still had questions left unanswered. Her hand landed heavy in the center of his chest, halting his descent. “I’m being serious, Nate.”

Instead of flippancy or cockiness, his face held only somber affection. “I know, love.” His other arm snaked around her waist and he pulled her even closer to his chest, giving her no choice but to move her hand or have it squashed between them. “For you, my past is all new. I lived it and have come to terms with it. Despite growing up in the same house, my cousins and I have never been close. Their parents had sheltered them from the hardships of life as best they could. In spite of being welcomed in their home, I always knew I didn’t belong there. That my mother and I were a burden to their family. Even before her death, I’d been saving what money I could to find a home of our own.”