Seducing the Ruthless Rogue (17 page)

Presley entered the park from the opposite side that Badeaux had.
 
The man carried papers rolled into a tube and tied with string.
 
He tapped the tube nervously against his leg as he approached the fountain.
 

“Good morning,
Monsieur
Presley,” Badeaux greeted.

“Badeaux,” Presley returned.
 
“I have what you want.
 
I see that Sir Graham is in good health.”

“Yes, and he is anxious to see his beautiful daughter.
 
Wants to make sure she is all right and all that.
 
Quite boring if you ask me.
 
Before I give you the rest of your fee, I want to see what I am paying for.”
 
He held out his hand expectantly.

Presley slowly pulled one of the maps free and handed it over to Badeaux.
 
The man unrolled it and slowly perused it, studying all the markings intently.
 
Satisfied, he rolled the map back up and placed it in the tube.

“I’ll take the rest,” Badeaux said.

“I want to see my money,” Presley countered.

“But of course,
monsieur
.”
 
He waved a hand and another man entered Green Park carrying a small satchel.
 

Mack watched the man approach Badeaux and Presley.
 
Presley took the satchel from him, opened it, and looked inside.
 
Evidently, the man was pleased with what he saw because he handed over the maps and took the satchel.

“It has been a pleasure,
monsieur
.”

“I wish I could say the same, Badeaux.”
 

After that, chaos ensued.
 
It began with Presley pulling a gun, and instead of aiming it at the Frenchman, he held it to his own head and pulled the trigger.
 
The few women that were present, and not part of Mack’s team, screamed at the sight and one collapsed.
 
Men came running out of the trees.
 
The big man standing near Sir Graham, ran for the gate, but was tackled.
 

“Don’t move,” one of the agents ordered the man who had brought the satchel to Badeaux.
 
He froze mid-step and held his hands up in supplication.
 
Badeaux, however, managed to slip by every agent between the fountain and the gate.
 
Mack gave chase and was just reaching out to grab him when Badeaux whirled around brandishing a sword that he must have pulled from his cane.
 
Mack jumped back, but not enough to avoid the punishing tip of the sword as it ripped through his shirt, leaving a thin trail of blood across his stomach.

“Stay back,” the Frenchman commanded.

Mack was reaching for his gun, when Badeaux lunged towards him, grazing his upper arm, causing him to drop the gun.
 

“It seems as if you are at my mercy,
Monsieur
McKenzie.
 
I am correct,
oui
?”
 
Silence.
 
“I have waited for this day for a long while.
 
I have the treasured maps and you at the end of my sword.”
 
Badeaux held the tip of his sword at Mack’s throat.

“But you don’t have the money, now do ya’?” Mack queried, holding his hand over the bleeding wound of his arm.

“Not important, the man waved.
 
Do you think I would just hand over that much money to my enemy?
 
It was
faux
money.”
 
His smile was evil.
 
“That will be the fastest way to get Director McKenzie killed,” he called to the men closing in on them.
 
“You see, you might be successful in killing me, but I will kill him before I fall.”

“I doubt that,” a feminine voice said.
 
Mack watched in horror as Cassie approached the group.
     

***

Cassie paced beside the hack, anxiously chewing her thumbnail when she heard a gunshot followed by screaming and yelling.
 
She ran to the gate, ignoring the jarvey’s plea to stay put.
 
She arrived just in time to see the man slash Mack’s arm causing him to drop his gun.
 
Now he was unarmed and the other man held the tip of a sword to his throat.

Not even pausing to think about her actions and the consequences they might have, Cassie stealthily moved forward.
 
She crept forward, staying low.
 

“…but I will kill him before I fall.”

“I doubt that,” she replied as she landed a chop blow to the area where his left kidney was located.
 
Cassie followed that up with a kick to his knee, causing him to fall on one knee, unbalanced.
 
Then she finished him by striking him at the joining of his shoulder and his neck.
 
The Frenchman’s eyes fluttered and his body went slack.
 
The men that were standing behind Mack rushed forward to apprehend the inert form.

“Papa!” she cried, rushing across the park.
 

“Cassiopeia!” he yelled back, moving slower than she, but rushing to her just the same.

Cassie was vaguely aware of the movement going on around her.
 
She was focused on reaching her father and making sure he was hale and hearty.
 
A little more than halfway across the park, the older man was in her arms.

“Papa, are you all right?” she asked, squeezing him tightly.

“There, there,” he said, patting her.
 
“Why would they hurt an old man that could help them?” he asked, lifting her chin with a crooked finger.
 
“How have you been, my darling girl?
 
Has Chang been watching after you?”

“Other than missing you, we have been fine,” she said.

“How did he get a bloody gun?” Mack’s voice could be heard across the park.
 
Cassie and her father turned to watch the outcome.
 
“It is inexcusable!
 
He should have been searched.
 
I do not want this to happen again.”
 
There were murmurs in response.
 
“Take care of this,” he nodded in the direction of the body near the fountain.
 

Cassie straightened as she watched him walk towards her.

“Sir Graham, I apologize for all this.
 
You never should have been placed in this dangerous position.
 
It is why we put you in safekeeping in the first place.”

“These are dangerous times, Director McKenzie.
 
You did your best, and for a while I was safe.
 
Now I will be again.”
 

“Thank you for your confidence, Sir Graham,” Mack nodded his head.

“You’re bleeding,” Cassie nodded to Mack’s arm, and attempted to ignore the firm muscles of his stomach peeking through his ripped shirt.

“I told you to stay in the carriage.”

“I would think you would be thanking me for saving your life,” she said.
 
She did not wait for a word of appreciation to leave his lips.
 
Instead she turned and approached one of the agents.
 
“Pardon me sir, do you have a knife?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and pulled the requested item from his boot.

She discreetly crouched down and made quick work of the knife on her petticoat, then handed the knife back to the agent.
 
“Thank you,” she gave a quick nod as she rose.
 
She returned to Mack and said, “Let me see your arm.”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Trying to stop your bleeding.
 
Now hold out your arm,” she ordered.

“I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself,” he said belligerently.

“Fine,” she said, throwing the cloth at him so that it hit him in the chest.
 
“I am taking my father home.”

“One of the agents will be by later to check on him and ask him some questions.”

“I would rather you wait a day or two.
 
He has been through a lot, thanks to you, and he needs time to recuperate.”

“I am fine, Cassie,” Sir Graham interrupted, waving his hand.
 
“However, I would like to have my plans returned to me.”

“Of course,” Mack agreed.
 
“Someone will be over with them.”

“Thank you.”

“Come, Papa,” Cassie hooked her arm through his and began to lead him away.
 
“Chang is anxious to see you.”

“Cassiopeia, you were quite rude to Director McKenzie,” Sir Graham reproached.

“He deserves much worse,” she huffed.
 
They approached the hack and driver that she had left behind earlier.
 
“Just look at the danger he put you in.”
 
She gave the driver directions before climbing inside the coach.

Sir Graham followed her inside and shut the door.
 
“Cassie,” he sighed, “as long as we are at war, I will always be in danger.
 
The things that I create are highly sought after by many.
 
In fact, I am worth more to them alive than I am dead.
 
It was more for your safety that I allowed Director McKenzie to put me in hiding.
 
The French are becoming desperate.
 
The war has gone on much longer than anyone thought, and we are a stronger force than the French expected.”

“I don’t care,” Cassie argued.
 
“And I do not want to spend our time discussing the war and Director McKenzie.”

“Cassiopeia, you sound like a petulant child.”

“You are chastising me within our first hour of being reunited?” She looked at him, dumbfounded.

“Your mother and I did not raise you to be this way,” he countered.

Cassie crossed her arms and leaned against the squabs.
 
She looked out the window and watched the buildings and people as they passed them.
 
It was funny how people went about their lives, unaware that a foreign spy had just been caught on English soil.
 
She thought back to Presley’s lifeless body lying on the grass.
 
How many other members of the
ton
would rather commit suicide rather than face their faults?
 
Probably most of them.
 
She heard her father release a sigh.

“I’m sorry, Cassie.
 
I didn’t mean to reprimand you.
 
You are a grown woman and can do as you please.”

“I was just thinking about Director Presley’s children.
 
Regardless of what he did, they should not be punished for his crime, but they will be.
 
Society will treat them like pariahs if his true involvement ever comes to light.”

“He took his own life,” her father unnecessarily clarified.

“That is just as bad.
 
Those poor girls are in the midst of their season.
 
Perhaps they do not need to know the truth,” Cassie mused.
 
“They deserve a chance.”

“I think that you should let Director McKenzie handle this.”

“And have him mismanage it like he did everything in the park?
 
He could have easily been killed had I not intervened.”

“And I am sure once he has time to think about that he will be overjoyed at your assistance.”

“He should be grateful.”

“Somehow I believe that will be the last thought on his mind.”

When they arrived home, Chang enthusiastically greeted Sir Graham.
 
Even though the man protested, Chang fixed him a meal and a bath, ordering him to partake of both.
 

A knock sounded at the door and since Chang was seeing to her father, Cassie answered it.
 
Her welcoming smile fell from her face when she saw Mack standing on the other side of the door.
 
She found her gaze drifting to his mouth, craving another kiss.

“Are you going to ask me in, or am I to stand out here all day?”

“I am attempting to decide if I want to risk having a savage Scotsman in my home or not.”

“Cassiopeia, that is enough,” her father’s raised voice could be heard down the hall.

She blushed to her hairline at being caught by her father and reprimanded like a child.
 

“Yes, you should be nicer to people,” Mack whispered to her as he slipped past her and entered the house.

She slammed the door then turned to follow Mack and her father as they entered the study.
 
The two men approached the desk.
 
Cassie looked on in horror as she realized all of her papers were strewn across the surface.
 
Both her political writings and the draft of her book.
 
She rushed over and scraped the papers in a pile then scooped them up.
 
Her father ignored her and kept chatting, but Mack studied her.