Embrace of the Enemy (Winds of Betrayal) (21 page)

With one hand he grabbed her, wheeling her around to him. Between her robe and gown his hand went down the front. Hannah heard a rip as his hand explored her body.

“Get your filthy hands off me!” she screamed as she struggled to free herself. Gannon eyed her with an evil grin.

“Oh, Hannah, you will soon find I’ll do whatever I want. You didn’t scream like this for your Colonel, did you?” His hands tightened around her neck. Hannah refused to react to him.

Oh, my God! I’m going to die!

“Come on, Gannon! You’re moving too fast,” Georgie yelled. “You want her talking.”

Gannon stared at her for a moment and reluctantly released his grip. Hannah crouched over gasping for breath. Georgie grabbed her arm and dragged her over.

“We have some entertainment for you, Cousin. I believe you’ll especially enjoy it. Did you enjoy a good laugh when you had Grandfather blackmailed? I hope you did, because it’ll be the last laugh you’ll ever have,” Georgie looked over his shoulder and smiled. “Grandfather doesn’t usually come down for my performances, but he wants to see yours. He wants to enjoy watching you suffer. And mark my word, Cousin. You’ll suffer, I promise you.”

Terror gripped her. She dug her heels down. Georgie jerked her. With every inch of strength she had, she fought. Another grabbed her arm. She hadn’t a chance. Into a well-lit room, they dragged her. They threw her down onto the floor in the middle of the large room. She could feel heat emitting from the coals within a brick fireplace to the side of her and staring straight in front of her a huge whipping post.

“Welcome, Hannah,” Gannon said to his small audience. “Unfortunately the British have found no cause to hold you responsible for your crimes and the Americans, you have been working for them all along are nowhere to be seen. But we haven’t forgotten about you. We find it beneficial to hold our own trial. Oh, don’t get the wrong idea. We already know the verdict.

“From the day they came and informed me of my beautiful daughter’s death and her brother. I‘ve planned this. The British, in their conceit, wouldn’t listen to me. How could I have figured out that you spied so effectively against them and they not? And look what you did to your grandfather.

“Didn’t you know they would have figured you were the only one with the access to have the invoices and correspondence? To have blackmailed them so efficiently. I was thrilled when Georgie came to me with the abduction plan. What a wonderful idea. Now we can all sit back and enjoy revenge.”

“You’re all a bunch of imbeciles! It would take a moron not to figure out that something happened to me and that the whole bunch of you are going down for it. Don’t you think that the ones that so successfully blackmailed Grandfather are going to sit back? They haven’t turned over all the receipts and invoices, have they?” Hannah screamed.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see the whole of your work front page news. Then you’ll have the British to answer to. They won’t take kindly to having been cheated so. You do what you want with me, but each of you have signed your death warrant in one way or another. Marcus won’t sit idly by,” she cried hoarsely.

“Get on with it, Gannon. Just shoot the fucking bitch and be done with it,” Alexander Clay responded. “She’s right. We’ll well have to hide all we have done.”

Hannah dazed to hear her grandfather talk in that manner. Everything she had envisioned—feared, sat in front of her.

“Calm down, Alexander. I have a cover. Don’t worry. I don’t want it too easy for the bitch. Haven’t you suffered? Your own granddaughter betrayed you. Brought you down when you welcomed her into your home, feed her, clothed her. How did she repay you? Ruined you, didn’t she?”

Hannah glared up. “I betrayed no one. You both betrayed my father and brother. You betrayed your own blood. I’m not the one who cheated the British
…your own friends. Your hands are bloody by your own deeds.”

Clay smacked her cruelly across her face, sending her sprawling upon the ground. His eyes glared hatred.

“I have no question of why my mother hated and feared you,” Hannah uttered. She caught his next blow putting both hands across her head.

“Told you it feels better, doesn’t it?” Richard, who had sat quietly, said.

A rage filled Clay. He spat upon his granddaughter. “Do with her what you want.” He stormed out.

Richard shrugged. “Well, I’m not leaving. I’m going to enjoy every minute of this.” Georgie
slapped his father on the back, but his eyes did not leave Hannah.

“I swore on my daughter’s grave, I would avenge her,” Gannon muttered. “Your brother will suffer like no other. I’ll make sure he has a clear picture of your demise, Hannah. Every detail.”

“You’re mad, just as Catherine was,” Hannah wiped her face. Blood spilled from her nose.

Gannon ignored her. “Your grandfather has taught me bad blood taints the soul. The young one will be the last straw upon your brother,” Gannon finished with a twisted smile.

“He’s a mere babe,” she cried, but recognizing she was in the midst of mad men. A bell rang. And rang again. She glanced over and watched in horror as a body was being dragged out from behind the door, crying hysterically. The form let out a blood-curdling scream upon recognizing Georgie within the room. He laughed, sending a shiver down Hannah’s back.

“Ah, the entertainment’s here,” Georgie snickered. The woman’s hands were tied together in front of her with rope they used to drag her beaten body. They had stripped her of all clothing. Hannah’s body began trembling uncontrollably.

“Recognize your partner in crime, Cousin. The British didn’t see fit to punish her either. But I’ve taken care of that problem,” Georgie smugly said. He grabbed the rope and led the emaciated woman to the whipping post.

Hannah couldn’t take her eyes from Cora, the one who had so long and bravely served the cause. Cora shrieked as he hooked her arms up to the latch firmly attaching her with no hope of escape. With all her might Cora struggled to break free. Georgie laughed as he raised a long black whip, whipping it again and again over her scar filled back. An endless scream arose. Hannah rose and ran to her side.

“My God, have mercy!”

“Oh, no, Hannah. She’s well past mercy, but you too will soon understand when one passes that point. Cora has been a naughty girl and she has
to pay for it. We have let her have her fun, too, you know. Cora, tell Hannah. How many men have had the pleasure of your company of late? Anytime, anywhere. Worse than a dog in heat, I hear. Enjoy it when they climb on top of ya’?”

Cora whose eyes seemed distant, didn’t respond. Georgie came close to her side. Her eyes rolled back in her head. Her body filthy, battered, bruised, infected sights of where a hot iron had branded her. Hannah shuddered.

Georgie pulled Cora’s head back by her hair. As he kept her neck back to the point where she could barely breathe. Tears streamed down her face. Georgie eyed Hannah and smiled. He roughly let go of Cora. He pushed Hannah to Cora’s side, stepping straight in front of the battered woman.

Cora could see what was coming before Hannah. She screamed before Hannah had a chance to react. Georgie held a pistol
in Cora’s mouth and pulled the trigger. In a dreamstate, no a nightmare, Hannah watched in disbelief, shocked overcame her. Cora’s body sprung backwards, but the rope jerked her body forward.

Reddened gobbets of bodily material sprayed all around, covering Hannah. Hannah shrieked as the headless body sprang forward upon her,
instinctively falling backwards. Hannah scrambled to her feet to run. A hand seized her shoulder.

Hannah looked down upon herself feeling a sticky warm substance. Her gown and robe blood soaked, Cora’s blood. She couldn’t breath. 
Just let them kill me! Oh, god, just let me die!

Gannon’s voice echoed in her head, as they lay hold of her. “I’ll hold her.”

In the distance of her mind, she saw Georgie walk over slowly to the bricked fire. He stirred the embers with a poker. “Hold. We want it hot enough.”

Hannah
shrilly screamed. She couldn’t control her fear. Gannon’s hands went to her gown.

“I believe we can do away with the confinement of your clothing. You’ll have little use of them,” he stated in a depraved manner. His fingers slowly moving across her body to find a grip, but in that instant a sound echoed from within
the building.

Hannah’s head turned to the sound, the sound of discharging pistols. Someone had come.

Gannon, startled by the noise, loosened his grip upon her. Immediately, she darted away from her attacker. He raced after her. Emerging from the sounds of pistols, a small group of armed men hurried in.

Gannon grabbed at Hannah. She turned, a gleam reflected off the blade of a knife held in his hand. Another shot rang out and Gannon stumbled, falling to the ground. Refusing to let go of his prey, he grasped wildly for her. He caught hold of her leg and jerked her down. Hannah kicked wildly. She glanced behind Gannon. A broad tall figure of a man lurched forth with a knife in hand. The powerful hand stabbed forward. Gannon spewed a terrified cry as the knife landed within his shoulder.

Hannah withdrew backwards. The attacker kicked Gannon in the head. Hannah turned her face. His bare hands went to Gannon’s neck. Gannon’s eyes bulged. The hand let go and the lifeless man fell upon the ground.

“Hannah, Hannah,” the voice called to her. Hannah wouldn’t look. She curled her feet to her and fell into a world of her own. “Philip. Watch her?”

The young man answered the call. “You got him, Giles?”

* * * *

“Only Gannon. I’m going to look for Georgie Boy,” Giles said rapidly. “Get her out of here!”

The young man rushed to Hannah’s side, but she recoiled and wouldn’t move. A movement from behind caught Giles’  eyes. Giles flung his knife at the form. Philip protectively threw his body in front of Hannah when he saw Giles fly into action.

Giles cursed when the blow failed to land. Georgie set in motion. Giles ran barehanded, tackling the heavier man to the ground. Georgie’s breath rushed out. Giles lunged forward, swinging a punch; he landed it upon Georgie’s jaw. Georgie’s hand went to the back of Giles’ neck. He jerked his hair and kicked with all his strength. Off balance, Giles stumbled backwards. Georgie scrambled to his feet. Desperately searching for his fallen pistol.

Back on his feet, Giles caught sight of the weapon in the same moment as Georgie. Quicker than the portly tormentor, Giles didn’t have time to pick it up, but kicked the pistol out of the way. Philip ran and grabbed it, hurrying back to Hannah.

Giles swung at Georgie and waylaid him. Georgie dropped to his knees. Giles kicked him laying him on his side close to the brick fireplace, simmering with red-hot coals. With one more powerful blow, Georgie landed within the steaming coals. A searing of burning skin and a blood-curdling scream emerged. Giles with a look of disgust turned his back on his fallen opponent.

He rushed back to Philip. Hannah sat quietly, her mind far away. He swept her up in his arms and made his way out. The noise subsided. The others of the group withdrew behind Giles. Gannon’s body lay with his eyes wide open. Richard had been shot trying to escape and lay dead where he had fallen.

Philip motioned to Giles that Georgie Boy wasn’t where he had fallen. Giles shook his head. They needed to retreat. Hannah’s fingers gripped him tightly. She didn’t make a sound as they mounted up and rode out of her nightmare.

Giles hadn’t left Hannah’s side since that night. Days passed before she talked. She clung to Giles. In her sleep, she called out for those not around—her father, Mother Agnes…Marcus. She cried and Giles held her.

Dreams of Cora haunted her. She would wake screaming. Giles slept upon a chair and would soothe her. He would talk to her of the
countryside, about his horses, about the cause and childhood adventures he had had, but he never stopped talking.

The network had settled her within a quiet house still within the city. She hadn’t been in condition to leave safely. They had used Cora’s body, saying it was Hannah’s. In this way all was behind her. Her past wouldn’t haunt her and she could have a future.

Giles sighed heavily. Guilt surged through him as he watched her restless sleep. Word from Tallmadge with the order to remove Hannah from British hands had almost come too late. Finally Tallmadge had recognized she held within her too much knowledge of the network; key links. The necessity arose with her impending trip to England. They couldn’t take the chance and hadn’t much time to plan. Reverend Brown had been sent to see the condition in which she lived. Breathing in deeply, he thought back to the conversation before the attack.

“We can’t afford a leak, whether intentional or not,” Rupert said when they all met.

“What, pray, do you suggest? You didn’t hesitate to abandon her to the streets before?” Giles shot at him.

“Calm down, Giles,” Rupert slammed his fist down hard upon the table, his patience worn. “I’m tired of you blaming me. The girl left on her own accord. I didn’t force her out.”

“She left before you did. I could have gotten her out,” Giles bantered back. “Now with orders, it won’t be easy.”

Rupert sat back down. He couldn’t disagree. He rubbed his chin, pondering the situation.