Take My Heart (Heroic Rogues Series) (31 page)

His eyes widened. “In the jail? But why?”

“
Shhh
.” She placed her fingers over his mouth. “We must not be heard.” She grinned. “I have never been there, and...well, I have many wild ideas of what we can accomplish together in such a place.” She nearly gagged on the words, and she prayed she didn’t have to touch him too much tonight. She wasn’t that good of a performer.

His chest shook with silent laughter. Bringing her hand back up to his mouth, he kissed her knuckles again. She shuddered.

“But you must know there is a prisoner who will see us,” he said.

“Let him watch.” She chuckled.

Henry’s eyes turned dark. “Are you certain?”

“Very.”

“What time should we meet?”

“Late.” While pretending to think about this, she pursed her lips. “How about midnight?”

His eyes turned darker. “You are a wicked woman, but I love your idea.”

“And we must celebrate, so bring lots of spirits.”

“Oh, I will. I have been celebrating the capture of Gabriel Lawrence for quite a while, so I foresee no problem.”

Inwardly, she sighed. Just as she’d hoped. “Good. Then I expect to see you tonight. Alone. And make certain to bring plenty of rope.” She winked then walked away.

His husky laugh vibrated the air around her, sending chills down her spine. Was she strong enough to go through with this? She had to be. There was no other way.

Keeping her back firm, she crossed the street and walked into the nearest store before releasing her pent up breath. She gathered the cloak tighter around her neck, as not to show anyone else her immodest gown. She glanced out the window. Thank goodness Henry returned to his men.

And thank heavens William had kept up his end of the plan. He made arrangements with Mr. Percy, who usually sold his homemade liquor to the soldiers, to make certain this batch was extra potent. The good man had delivered the bottles this afternoon, and from what she could see, the soldiers were already starting their night of pleasure.

From behind her, a man cleared his throat. She spun around to see one of the men who’d been at the house this morning.

He smiled and nodded. “Good day, Mrs. Braxton. Are you enjoying this fine weather?”

“But of course, Mr. Tolland.” She smiled. “How is your wife?”

“She is doing well.”

“Is she still suffering from headaches?”

“Only occasionally now.”

“Give her my regards.”

“Will do, Mrs. Braxton.” He nodded before leaving the shop.

Relief flooded through her, reassuring her she would be protected. The Sons of Liberty took care of their own.

She hurried out of the store and to her buggy. There was much to do before tonight’s entertainment and she had to make certain every detail had been thought out. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. She also wanted William’s strong arms around her to feel the security in his embrace. She smiled. With his love, nothing could go awry. Nothing at all.

* * * *

Mercedes blew on her cold hands. Her nerves jittered out of control, making her body shake from more than just the cool night breeze. She slowed her horse, leading him in back of the jail. Voices from the soldiers out front of the building echoed through the night.

She reassured herself everything would turn out perfect. She had nothing to fear. William would make certain of that. After dismounting, she tiptoed to the back window and peeked inside. Henry sat in a chair, leaning his elbow on the table as he twirled a stick between his fingers. It appeared as if he were the only person inside.

Forcing her legs to move, she hurried around to the front. The one soldier placed in front of the door sat on his bottom, slumped against the building—asleep. The other soldiers were far enough away so she could slip through without being caught. Holding her breath, she inched closer. Her hand touched the doorknob and she pushed. The hinges squeaked, and thankfully, the men didn’t turn to look.

She hurried inside and closed the door behind her. Henry jumped from his chair, his mouth stretching into a grin. She scanned the surroundings, and breathed a sigh of relief. He had indeed followed her instructions. From the corner cell of the room, Gabriel lifted from the cot and moved to the bars, his eyes wide.

She focused on the captain. A half empty bottle of spirits sat on the table and she smiled. “Good evening, Henry,” she whispered.

“Take off your cloak.”

Steadying her hands, she unhooked her garment and let it fall to the floor. Henry’s quick intake of breath told her he approved of her choice of dress. It had taken three servants to alter one of Kat’s old gowns to make it more alluring, more scandalous.

Henry dropped the stick from his fingers and his mouth hung agape. From the corner cell, Gabriel groaned. He rested his head against the bars. Her heart wrenched for this man and what he must be thinking of her.

“Woman, you are beautiful.” Henry’s gaze attached to her. “Come here.”

She swallowed hard and took her first step toward him, and with each step, her heart hammered faster. By the time she stood in front of him, her chest heaved so hard from fear she thought she’d lose what little was in her stomach. When he reached out, she held her breath, willing herself to remain strong. He grasped a lock of hair and caressed, then let his fingers slide down the strands.

“You are very lovely tonight, my dear.”

She forced a laugh. “Thank you.” She let an uneasy breath out. “But I think I need a drink. Are you going to share that bottle or horde it all night?”

He tore his hand away and grabbed the bottle, bringing it up to his lips. He gulped back a good amount before handing it over to her. She took it, brought it to her mouth and tipped it back. She pretended to swallow, but kept her lips firmly pressed together so nothing would enter her mouth. She hoped Henry could not tell the difference.

She glanced at Gabriel. His mouth was pulled into a frown and he shook his head. “Why are you doing this? I thought you loved William.”

Pain gripped her heart, and she wanted to tell him the truth. But now was not the time. He’d understand...soon.

After placing the bottle on the table, she stepped closer to Henry. “Are you ready for what I have planned?”

Henry nodded. As he reached for her, his body swayed. She prayed he’d lose consciousness soon. Her wish had been granted, because just as he gave her a lazy grin, his body crumbled to the floor.

She let out a deep sigh. “Oh, thank the Lord.” She looked back at Gabriel. “Do you honestly think I would betray William? I love him completely.”

Gabriel nodded, a smile slowly stretching across his face. “Thank you, Mercedes.”

She knelt beside the captain and grabbed the set of keys off his belt then threw them to Gabriel. “While you find the right key to get out, I shall remove his clothes. You will need to dress in them so we can walk out of the jail together. The other soldiers will not realize you are their prisoner that way.”

“I can certainly do that.” He jiggled each key in the lock, but nothing was opening the cell. He growled. “I cannot find the right key.”

Behind Mercedes, shrill laughter echoed through the room. Chills of fear scattered throughout her body, making her heart sink. She spun around just as a figure of a cloaked woman walked out from the shadows.

“And you will not find the right key, either.” The other woman held up the brass object in her hand. “Sorry, but your rescue plan will not work, Mercedes. There is nothing you can do to save William’s friend.”

Mercedes gasped, her cold, shaky hands flying to her mouth.
That voice. It sounded like…but couldn’t be.
Kat was dead! And the woman stalking toward Mercedes had blonde hair. She couldn’t be her deceased sister. “Who...are you?”

The woman’s shriek of laughter made Mercedes’ stomach churn.
Dear Lord, no!

The other woman drew nearer and yanked Mercedes to her feet. “Who am I? I am the woman in charge now, and I am the one who will destroy your dreams.” She raised the bottle Henry had been drinking and slashed it through the air and down on Mercedes’ head.

Pain pierced her skull and her world turned black.

William sat forward and focused his gaze out the carriage window, waiting for his wife and Gabe to exit the jail. The silvery full moon gave him plenty of light to keep a close eye on the soldiers from down the street, and thankfully, most of them had passed out minutes ago. Any time now, Mercedes and his friend should leave the jail. There was no room for their plans to go awry.

Then why did his gut clench as if something had gone seriously wrong? He wiped the moisture from his palms against his legs. His heart hammered, and all he heard was the pounding in his head. What if Mercedes screamed and he couldn’t hear?

Growling, he slid off the seat, pushed open the door and jumped out of the carriage. The driver’s head snapped his way and he leaned forward as if ready to spring into action. William held up his hand and stopped him. “No need to fear, Timothy. I am merely a little anxious.”

Timothy nodded. “I am nervous,
meself
.”

“Have you heard anything?”

The older man shook his head. “Not a sound, sir.”

William let out a frustrated breath and raked his fingers through his hair. “Do you think everything is all right?”

“Aye, sir. If I know Mrs. Braxton, she will get the task done.”

“Yes, but I am worried about her.” William flexed his hands as he paced the length of the carriage. He looked toward the jail every chance he could. What was taking them so long?

A shadow drew his attention. He stopped and stared. He narrowed his eyes toward the movement by the door. When the figure of a cloaked woman hurried outside, he sighed and relaxed his hands. But where was Gabe? Something terrible must have happened.

Hurrying inside the carriage, he waited for his wife to join him. When the door opened, he took her hand and helped her in.

“Where is Gabe?”

She sat across from him and lowered her hood. Her eyes were wide as she shook her head. “Everything proceeded as planned.” She wrung her hands against her stomach. “Captain Wilkes became intoxicated and passed out.” She sniffled. The moon’s glare through the window showed tears in her eyes. “But we could not find the key to Gabe’s cell. When one of the other soldiers came in, I knew there was nothing I could do.” She shrugged. “I hurried and left before they suspected my true purpose for being there.”

William balled his hands and hit the seat. It wasn’t Mercedes’ fault, yet the plan should have worked. “Did the soldier say anything?”

“Thankfully, Captain Wilkes was mostly undressed, so I pretended to act intoxicated, also. The soldier didn’t have to ask what was going on. He knew.” She moved next to him on the seat and touched his hand. “But now what will we do?”

He raked his fingers through his hair, his chest tightening. Time was running out. The soldiers had scheduled the hanging two days hence.

“I will think of something, my love.” He caressed her cheek. “I appreciate your willingness to help. You have been very supportive, and I love you for it.”

“I wish I could do more.”

He took her in his arms. She rested her head against his chest and he closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. But she didn’t smell the same. Of course, alcohol overpowered any other smell about her, but there was also something different. Yet he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Silence stretched through the carriage during the ride home. He wracked his brain with ideas, but every one of them had a flaw. Whatever the Sons of Liberty did to break Gabe out of jail, they would have to cover their tracks. They couldn’t afford to get another man arrested.

Mercedes’ silence bothered him. It wasn’t her fault the plan hadn’t worked. No doubt she blamed herself. He’d have to ease her worries. But how could he do that when he feared for his friend’s life?

Timothy pulled the team to a stop in front of the house. Mercedes moved to leave, but William grasped her arm. She swung her head and looked at him.

“My darling, it is not your fault. Please do not blame yourself for tonight’s mishap. I shall find a way to release Gabe, I promise.”

“I know you will.”

Timothy opened the door and helped Mercedes down. William climbed out behind her.

“Thank you, Timothy.”

The older servant’s wide-eyes followed Mercedes. Unease pricked up William’s spine. Why was he looking at her that way? “Timothy? Is something amiss?”

The man blinked and shook his head. “No, Mr. Braxton. Nothing. It is just that...well, Mrs. Braxton seems out of sorts this evening.”

“That, she is. Rest assured, I will take care of the problem.”

Timothy nodded, then turned and climbed back on top of the carriage.

William hurried inside. Mercedes stood next to Beth as she shrugged out of her cloak. The maid bobbed once, then turned and left the room. He ran his gaze over the very provocative dress his wife had altered for tonight’s purpose. Although sensual, she looked too much like Kat at this moment. That, in itself bothered him.