The Runner's Enticement (Men of Circumstance Book 2) (17 page)

“There have been other Bes bells found, but those were bronze and more common. As far as we know, never a faience bell.” The wonder on her father’s face as he spoke explained more than his words could. It was indeed a great find. Possibly
the
great find he’d always hoped for.

“Who is Bes and is he truly so ugly?”

Obviously Nate still felt the need to ask questions. Though she suspected, if the laughter in his voice meant anything, he now did it to aggravate her.

“Bes is a god believed to protect women and children. There have been bronze Bes bells, thought to scare off evil, discovered in graves of women and children.”

“What makes this one so special?”

Rather intrigued by what her father had said about the big-eyed god with his tongue sticking out, she let Nate’s latest question pass without violence to his person.

“Being crafted from faience is the key. The material is made with silica and very delicate. The fact it survived countless years and is still relatively intact is amazing.” Her father turned his attention to Mr. Thomas. “How did you manage to excavate it without doing damage?”

That was her cue to leave. While learning of an ancient god might be interesting, details of digging in the dirt weren’t.

Before she could excuse herself, Nate opened his month yet again. She turned to glare at him but instead of a mocking grin, he stared quite determinedly at the bell sitting in her father’s hand.

“So, because of its rarity it will be quite coveted?”

Her father and Mr. Thomas smiled in unison. “Without a doubt. Just wait until the Society of Antiquaries hears about this.”

She nearly inquired as to Nate’s sudden interest when his features cleared and he gave the face of Bes on last quizzical look before turning to her.

“Lady Annabel, if I’m not mistaken you had some party details to see to.”

Finally! Her chance to escape. Surprisingly, she had Nate to thank for it.

“Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Sorry, Papa, we’ll have to discuss the bell later.”

Still waiting to hear how Mr. Thomas had unearthed the item, her father gave her a distracted farewell before essentially dismissing her. Which suited her since she couldn’t expel something Nate had inadvertently brought to her attention.

If she’d learned anything from her father, the more something was coveted, the more value it held.

Chapter 29

Anna retreated to her room. An act Nate suspected was her not-so-subtle way to avoid his company. Little did she know, if he really wanted, the door to her bedchamber wouldn’t stand in his way.

This time, allowing her to escape fit into his agenda. Leaving her without his relentless watch was a calculated risk he would have to take. He needed to speak with Grant, who had been assigned to the stables.

As soon as Nate appeared at the stall door without Anna in tow, Grant was astute enough to ask, “What is it?”

“I need for you to track down Foxmoore as fast as you can and have him return to the estate.”

Not one to sit on his arse and do nothing, Grant set aside the fork he’d been putting to good use. “Shouldn’t be too difficult. I can’t imagine an earl can travel the countryside without someone taking notice.”

Nate wasn’t as sure. At least in Foxmoore’s case. The man seemed to have hidden talents. Nate smiled. Maybe Lawson should recruit him.

“I doubt I’ll be back before nightfall. Do you have things handled here?”

Nate knew Grant was referring to his nightly position outside Anna’s window. Nate had taken to keeping vigil in the hall while Grant made sure someone—The Viper specifically—didn’t utilize the window.

“I have it covered.”

Grant raised his brow in question.

“Let’s just say it is going to be a long night.” He hoped he’d survive it with his sanity intact.

With Grant off to find Foxmoore, Nate returned to the house and to Anna, pushing aside his guilt for not involving Grant in his plan. As loyal as Nate found his man to be, something told him if everything fell into place, and he lured out the thief, he wouldn’t want another Runner involved. Hence the need for Foxmoore.

With no sign of Anna, Nate assumed she remained cloistered in her bedchamber. Feeling the need to poke her temper, he gave a solid knock on the door before asking, “Done hiding, princess?”

Predictably, the door swung open. “I’m not hiding. Though, if I was, your annoying company would be ample reason.”

“Sure you weren’t. And I’m King Tut.”

A smile lit her entire face and set off a twinkle in her eyes at his rather foolish reference to the dead Egyptian ruler her father had mentioned the day before.

“Fitting since you act more boy than man.”

Her saucy retort had him longing to push her into the room and remind her how manly he could be. What about her overruled his better judgment? He wouldn’t go as far as to say he’d remained celibate during cases in the past, but he sure as hell had never mixed work and play so intricately before.

“Be honest, Nate, aren’t you at all weary of being my shadow? Especially since nothing remotely dangerous is ever going to happen. Don’t you want to get out of the house? Maybe go for a ride? I know Father asked for you to guard me, but I thought we’d concluded it isn’t needed.”

She studied him for a moment. When her eyes narrowed into little slits that masked their enchanting color, he realized his error.

“Unless something has changed. Has it? Is there a reason you’ve been plaguing me with your constant presence?”

Before Nate could reply, a commotion at the end of the landing distracted him.

“Mr. Frederickson! Mr. Frederickson!” Mr. Thomas thundered down the hall before halting breathlessly before Nate. The man acted as if he’d run from the stable and not merely the parlor.

“Oh, thank God. I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You must come quickly. Brodford needs you!”

The panic in the thin man’s eyes had Nate swallowing two words.
The Viper
.

He didn’t stop to think before he pushed past Mr. Thomas and raced down the hall. Was it possible? Had The Viper been brazen enough to attack during the day, not caring who he killed to get to Nate?

Intent on reaching Brodford—and praying he wasn’t too late—Nate ignored the pounding of feet following him. His legs were much longer and he didn’t pause to hit every step on the way down the stairs in order to reach whatever awaited him before Anna or Mr. Thomas.

To be safe he threw an order over his shoulder. “Keep Anna here.” He hoped the scholarly man had enough courage to do what needed to be done.

Years of training had taught him to use his head more than his fists. Before he closed the distance to the parlor door, Nate paused and assessed the situation. Thank God there was no visible blood or deadly screams. Maybe he’d reached Brodford in time. Was Jarvis in the room with the earl?

Not about to go face to face with a man who could shoot him dead the moment his shadow crossed the threshold unarmed, Nate pulled the pistol he’d started to carry the same day he’d learned of The Viper’s escape. Thoughts of the last time he’d confronted Jarvis flashed through his mind. That night he hadn’t been alone. Now Nate would be testing his skills against the best.

Pistol poised, he slid against the wall leading to the parlor. As his heart pounded in his ears, Nate noticed something was missing. Gone was the thrill of catching his man. Even when he’d faced Jarvis that night in the rain, a twinge of excitement had flared when the man had finally appeared. Now all Nate felt was terror.

What if he couldn’t stop him? What if Jarvis managed to get to Anna? Nate’s insides froze at the possibility.

Determinedly, Nate turned off the fear. He’d been afraid before, and his success stemmed from his ability to set his fear aside. Never had that mattered more than now.

Knowing a surprise attack would be his best chance to secure his quarry, Nate inched closer. When he reached the door, spun around the doorpost, gun ready.

Instead of meeting the lifeless eyes of The Viper, Brodford’s angry gaze greeted Nate.

“Indeed, Frederickson, I believe charging in with gun drawn is a tad excessive for a robbery,” the older man growled. “Despite your repeated promises to catch the man responsible.”

Robbery? Had Mr. Thomas’ panicked plea been because of a simple robbery? The man had come close to fainting in horror at Nate’s feet.

At Anna’s approach, Nate returned his pistol to its hiding place, attempting to keep his overreaction from her. It was bad enough he’d have to explain why he’d felt it necessary to race down the hall, hurtle the stairs, and burst into the parlor. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to explain why he’d aimed a pistol at her father.

If Brodford’s glare meant anything, Nate would not escape offering an explanation to the earl. First he needed to figure out what the hell was going on. The man who held those answers appeared behind Anna, once again out of breath.

Incensed, Nate growled, “Mr. Thomas, would you care to explain why you felt the need to come barreling through the hall in a crazed state pleading for help when Brodford is perfectly fine?”

“But . . . but . . . the . . .” The man sputtered through deep gasps.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, catch your breath, man.” Nate had already passed beyond merely annoyed. First, he’d made a fool of himself. Second, he was still trying to eradicate the fear of losing Anna—an emotion stuck tighter than a leech. And just as bloodthirsty.

As everyone waited while Thomas relearned how to breathe, Brodford’s voice obscured the man’s shallow wheezes. “I think I know what happened, Frederickson, and I owe you an apology.”

Nate switched his focus from Thomas to Brodford who now seemed ashamed instead of red with rage.

“Poor Walter was just reacting to my anger upon discovering another item had been stolen. I didn’t stop to think how you would take his urgency.”

Brodford gave Nate a knowing look, understanding his alarm. The threat of The Viper. The misunderstanding explained, Nate turned his focus to the real crime that had occurred.

“All of this because of a missing artifact?” Nate asked, still annoyed with Thomas’ unnecessary alarm.

His breathing under control, Thomas injected, “Not just any artifact. The Eye of Horus amulet.”

As if
any
of that made sense to Nate. All he managed to take away from the insightful comment was that Mr. Thomas had indeed spent too much time digging in the past and not enough of enjoying the present in bed with a woman. That would surely knock loose some of his stuffiness.

Instead of trying to get answers from Brodford’s man, Nate addressed the earl, hoping someone in the room still retained some intellect.

“The amulet I’d mentioned a couple days ago—the one that had recently arrived—it is gone. Unfortunately, I can’t say when it went missing. I haven’t given it much thought since the day I wanted to show it to you and Anna.”

At the mention of Anna, Nate realized she hovered, unusually quiet. Surely she’d have something to say about Nate’s fit of alarm. Probably something scathing and to the point.

He kept a threatening smile from his lips.

Yet when he turned to her, she didn’t resemble the bold woman he’d come to expect. Instead, she seemed to have curled into herself. No twinkle of life shone in her eyes and her skin was the color of chalk.

Maybe she
had
seen the pistol before he’d concealed it. If so, surely she’d have rung a peal over his head about the safety of others and some nonsense about thinking before he acted. Rather expecting it, he was weirdly disappointed she didn’t deliver. Perhaps she was saving it for when they were alone.

None of that explained her current state. She appeared both sad and remorseful. Neither made sense. He’d find a way to extract it from her later. As long as there were no flat surfaces around when he did it. For some inexplicable reason she always ended on her back when he tried to finesse answers from her. An outcome he struggled and failed to feel remorseful about.

“What do you propose to do about it, Mr. Frederickson?”

Thomas might be Brodford’s favorite crewmember but Nate seriously contemplated hitting the man.

“Leave the investigating to me, Mr. Thomas,” Nate replied.

“Hopefully you’ll manage to get it right this time.”

Oh, without a doubt, Nate was going to show the man his fist, and soon.

Since it would only lead to Lawson giving him a lecture on beating the associate of a client, Nate let the moment pass and turned back to Brodford. “You say the item had just arrived?”

“Yes. I’d only had it for two days when I’d last seen it, about three days ago.”

Instead of taking something Brodford might not notice missing for some time, the thief had stolen a new artifact. The question now, did the thief do it deliberately, thinking the amulet held more value being a newer discovery, or had the individual finally blundered?

Nate silently hoped it was the former since it would fit with what he’d planned. What he needed Foxmoore to assist with.

Still leery as to whom he could trust, since something about the entire situation felt off, he kept his thoughts to himself.

“I’ll speak with my men and see what we can determine. I’ll also get word to Foxmoore so he can track the item.”

“That is all? What about the amulet? It might be damaged!” This from the hapless Mr. Thomas.

Luckily for the buffoon, Brodford interceded, “I trust Frederickson.”

The earl’s faith only strengthened Nate’s resolve to do what must be done.