Heart of Brass (8 page)

Gibbs opened the carriage door for her. “Is everything all right, ma’am? If you’ll excuse my impertinence, you look a little pale.”

Arden smiled wearily as she stepped up. God love the man for being such a pet. “Just tired, Gibbs. Do not fret. ’Tis nothing a strong cup of tea and a nap cannot cure.” If only it was truly that simple.

“I’ll get you home straightaway, my lady. You just sit back and get some rest.” He closed the door as soon as she was inside, and hopped up onto the bench.

Arden was just about to take his advice when she noticed something on the seat across from her. Frowning, she leaned forward to investigate and gasped at what she saw.

Lying on the cushions was a freshly cut, almost bloodred poppy—her favorite flower.

Someone had been in her carriage. Someone had known exactly where to find her and had left this flower so she would know she was being watched. Followed.

And only one person had ever given her poppies before. It was why she had carried a bouquet of them the day she married him. It seemed she might not have to search out her husband after all.

He was going to come to her.

Chapter 4

She was so beautiful it was a shame to have to kill her.

Five watched from the shadows outside the mansion as his prey stood inside, drinking her third glass of champagne served by gleaming automatons that were little more than silver trays on top of moving dustbins. She was surrounded by a small crowd made up of what he assumed were old friends and new admirers, listening intently to what she had to say.

And what man in his proper mind wouldn’t admire her? She wasn’t a conventional beauty—her features were too strong for that—but she was the kind of woman a body didn’t forget, who drew men to her like moths to a lamp. She gave off a wounded air, which attracted the predator within him, but he had been at this intrigue long enough to recognize danger when he saw it. She was no more weak or helpless than he was.

She had gotten his gift, but unlike most women who would have been frightened by such an invasion of privacy, she flaunted it, wearing the bright flower in the upswept mass of her russet hair. It was a bold accessory, made all the more so by her lack of jewelry save for small gold earrings, and pale gold gown. His instinct had been correct—poppies suited her.

“Do you have her?”

For the first time in a long while he was annoyed by the intrusive voice in his head, coming through the tiny mechanism implanted in his ear. “I’m watching her now.”

“What is the delay?”

“I can’t very well walk into the ballroom and strangle her.”

A very pregnant pause followed, and for a moment he thought his employer was gone. “
You will do it tonight.”

His sigh sounded like a growl even in his own ears. “That is my intention.”

“Do not make me regret choosing you for this mission.”

Five gritted his teeth. How tempting it was to tell the man to go bugger himself. Instead, he said nothing and went back to watching the lady whose life he was expected to take. Pity, that.

“Five?”

“I’ll do it.” He clenched his jaw to keep from adding “piss off” to the promise.

Silence followed. Then, a soft click. His superior had severed the connection.

Shifting on the balls of his feet, Five adjusted his perch in the tree outside one of the ballroom windows to one of more comfort. Being idle drove him mad, despite such alluring visuals.

He wore a set of spectacles that brought everything closer, allowing him to take in even more detail. His lovely lady lost some of her glow when a new gentleman approached her. She seized another glass of champagne from an automated footman that resembled a strange combination of man and crane—a human torso held aloft by long, spindly legs, with even longer arms that could extend a tray up to six feet into or above a crowd. Its lack of a head made it strangely off-putting. Lady Huntley didn’t seem to mind.

This dandy looked to be a gentleman in his mid- to late twenties. He wore impeccable evening dress of black and white, and his dark sideburns were long and neatly trimmed—not quite muttonchops. He looked vaguely familiar….

Five started, frowned and adjusted a knob on the side of the goggles to see if he could bring the man into closer view, sharper focus.

The man looked like
him
. Very much so. How was this possible? Who was he? Was this the mysterious Luke? Had his intended prey mistaken him for someone else in the dark?

For reasons he couldn’t fathom, he wanted to kill this man. A sense of deep betrayal had wormed its way up from his gut to twine around his heart. At the moment that feeling didn’t matter so much as the fact that the lady did not seem pleased to see the man at all. In fact, they seemed to be having a rather displeasing conversation. So much so that she walked away from him while he was still talking.

Curious. And relieving. If she’d given any hint of intimacy between them he would have snapped the bastard’s neck.

Christ, but the resemblance was uncanny. Was it possible that they were related? It was highly possible that Five could be the by-blow of some wealthy nob. That would provide some explanation for his accent and familiarity with Mayfair.

Gliding through the trees, Five watched Arden Grey as she walked almost the entire length of the ballroom. Then she made an abrupt turn toward the French doors that led to the balcony.

She would not be content to stand on that smooth stone and lean on the balustrade, that much he knew. She was the kind of woman who had to walk off her frustration, release that swirling energy with physical exertion and perhaps a curse or several. No, she would descend the curving stone steps to the gardens below, and perhaps head for the maze.

He would follow her and complete his mission; then he would be free of her and could leave London. Though the image of the man who looked like him would haunt him for some time.
She
would haunt him.

He crouched and waited for her to enter the garden before slipping soundlessly from the tree. The grass didn’t even rustle as he stepped upon it. Then, he began to stalk her.

Five moved as he had been trained to—as quietly and gracefully as a cat. He removed the spectacles and secured them in his jacket pocket. Without them he could still see very clearly, and the torches along the path ensured that he was able to keep his eye on her with ease. Her gown caught the moonlight, shining like a beacon to guide his way.

Unaware of being followed, the lady moved at a moderate pace. From where he followed, he could hear her swearing, but she said nothing that gave him any insight as to who the man was or why he upset her so.

In the middle of the maze—which his lady found with surprising ease—she stopped near the pond. A statue of Venus stood in the center of the water like a modest maiden caught bathing in the nude. Smooth stones lined the rim of the pool for a pleasing aesthetic—no doubt there were brightly colored exotic fish in there as well. These wealthy sods had the most ridiculous trophies of their importance.

“Do you often attend parties to which you were not invited and follow unsuspecting ladies into dark places?”

Five’s head jerked up. His prey was watching him as though she had known he was there all along, which was, of course, impossible.

Wasn’t it?

“I would hardly call you unsuspecting,” he replied softly. “In fact, I’d wager you’re incredibly suspicious of people in general.”

Her eyes narrowed. Even in the darkness he could see the odd expression on her face. “It is a flaw, I know, but it has served me well in the past. But then, this isn’t the first time you’ve followed me.”

“Surely you knew I’d come for you again.”

She inclined her head and regarded him without an ounce of fear. He respected that, despite being irked by it. “The last time I saw you was almost a week ago. I thought perhaps you’d forgotten about me.”

Was she actually flirting? He shrugged. He had lost track of the days as he sometimes did when on assignment. Still, it bothered him that he was missing time. “And now I have you.”

She smiled at that—an expression he couldn’t quite decipher. “You’ve had me before, sir. Or do you not remember?”

Again that tickle in the back of his brain. An itch he couldn’t scratch. “I’m fairly certain you are a woman any man would loathe to forget.”

Her smile saddened. “You don’t remember.”

“Should I?”

“No, I suppose not. Though I have many memories of you.”

He walked toward her, slowly—as he might approach a feral cat. Unease tied a knot deep in his belly. “Then you have me at a disadvantage.”

“I sincerely doubt that.” She sighed. “You obviously followed me for a reason. What is it?”

Now that he was face-to-face with her, he found his readiness to end her life had waned considerably. There were many things he wanted to do to her, but killing her was not one of them. Still, he had no choice.

“You murdered a man who was very important to my employer.” There was no need to lie to her—better she know why her life was about to be terminated.

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to be more specific than that.”

His eyebrow jumped. Was she sincere or mocking him? “You have that much blood on your hands?”

She crossed her arms over her lovely bosom. “I have no trouble sleeping at night.”

“It doesn’t bother you that Victor Erlich’s widow mourns him still?”

She smirked at him. “Erlich wasn’t married. Is he what all this fuss is about?”

“You killed him.” He wanted to hear her confess to her crime. Surely she knew there would be retribution?

“And now you’re here to avenge him, are you?”

Five gave a curt nod. “I’m here to make certain justice is served.” So why hadn’t he done it already? Why was he standing here waiting for her to tell him what he already knew to be true?

“Hmm. What was he to you?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Erlich.” She took a step toward him. Inexplicably he wanted to take a step backward. “Was he a friend of yours?”

“I didn’t really know him.” Now who stalked whom?

She came another step closer, but no more, keeping just out of reach. “You did—a long time ago. You once tried to kill him yourself.”

Erlich had been part of the Company just as he was. There was no way he could have tried to kill the man. He might not remember his past, but he knew in his heart that he hadn’t been without a sense of right and wrong.

“You’re fighting for the wrong side, Luke,” she told him. “You think you’re doing the right thing, but the Company is using you. You’re nothing but a weapon to them.”

Five’s temper flared. The way she spoke—with that sneer in her cultured tones—made him feel like an idiot, but worse, she made him question the only thing he knew and believed in.

No one else had ever inspired doubt in him like this woman did.

He closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, startling her. “Forgive me,” he said.

She fought him. He wouldn’t have respected her quite so much if she hadn’t. She struck at his face and chest, not with her nails or open palms, but with her fists. The woman knew how to throw a punch.

He wrapped his arms around her, preventing her from hitting him again as the taste of blood filled his mouth. Then she began kicking at his shins, throwing him off balance.

They fell to the damp grass with her on top. He rolled so their positions were reversed. Her legs tangled in her skirts and he held them with his own. He pinned one of her arms above her head with one hand, leaving him only his right to finish the job. Her other arm was pinned between them. Still she writhed and struggled beneath him. There was nothing seductive about her movements, but Five’s body reacted as though she lay beneath him willingly.

He was there to kill her and his cock was hard. Christ Almighty, she drove him to depravity. When this was over he’d no doubt feel the shame of it.

“Stop fighting,” he commanded. “This will go much easier for both of us if you just give in.”

She stilled, and gazed up at him with eyes that were full of disappointment rather than fear. “You’re going to kill me.”

“I have to,” he explained. He shouldn’t have to explain; she knew what she had done. “I’m sorry, but you brought this upon yourself.”

Her expression hardened. “I never asked Erlich to try to rape me. I never invited him to put a knife to my throat.”

Five went very still. There was so much sincerity in her words that for a moment, he almost believed her. “You’d say anything to save your own life.”

“I don’t have to say anything at all,” she retorted through clenched teeth.

Five wrapped his fingers around her throat and squeezed hard. Releasing her wrist, he came up on his knees and straddled her. It would be quicker—more merciful—if he used both hands. Her breath caught and she gasped for air, struggling against him.

Sudden pain bowed his spine. He gasped as his limbs spasmed, snapping his teeth together as his fingers unclenched. His vision blurred. Blood spread its salty copper on his tongue.

What the hell had she done to him? It felt as though he had lightning in his veins. He twitched, eyes rolling back into his head. She’d better kill him, because if he came back from this he was going to come for her again, and next time he would not be so kind as to simply strangle her.

Then lightning struck him again, and he collapsed on top of her as everything went black.

Chapter 5

Had she killed him?

Arden squirmed out from underneath Luke’s incredibly—
incredibly
—heavy form. Once, she’d loved the weight of his body on hers, but not like this—not after sending enough electrical current through his body to bring down an elephant. She’d used the same device to kill Victor Erlich. Of course, she’d used considerably less power on her husband.

He hadn’t expected her to simply lie there and allow him to kill her, had he? If so, the Company had truly wiped his memory, because he of all people should know that she was nothing if not resourceful.