“There’s a bolt. Find it and pull it back.”
She dreaded leaving the garden. Out in the street, she had a superstitious fear that she’d be beyond rescue.
Greengrass jabbed the gun at her head. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I’d rather you stayed right where you are.” The deep voice emerged from the impenetrable blackness further along the wall.
James?
Nell stiffened in shock. Then strangling fear rose anew. Now the man she loved was at risk too.
“Well, bugger me dead,” Greengrass said. “Don’t try anything smart, your lordship. I’ve got a gun pointed at your whore’s head.”
“And I’ve got a pistol leveled at your kidneys,” James said.
“One flick of my finger and she’s dead.”
“James, I’m so sorry.” Nell squinted to see him, but the gloom defeated her. Every time she shifted, the pistol barrel chafed her temple. The sensation wasn’t pleasant.
“Has he hurt you?” James asked.
“No.”
“Thank God.” She heard his overwhelming relief. She hoped Greengrass didn’t. It gave him too much power.
“Well, this is an interesting bind.” Greengrass’s tone was mocking.
“Grounds for negotiation at least,” James said with equivalent mockery. “Return to the clearing. And don’t try anything.”
Nell held her breath. Would Greengrass resist the order as she knew he wanted to?
After a pause, Greengrass grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Walk, flower.”
When they emerged from the shrubbery, the moon shone clear. Nell chanced a peek at the men behind her. Greengrass looked stolid and menacing. A quick turn of her head, although every instinct screamed to stand still with the gun so close, revealed James behind Greengrass.
“Let the girl go,” James said.
Greengrass laughed softly and jerked Nell back against him. “Why should I do that when she’s my only counter on the board, now you and those bastards gypped me?”
“We can wait here until dawn when I’ll undoubtedly have reinforcements,” James said calmly. “You can’t imagine that you’ve got a chance in hell of getting away.”
“The whore dies in any case. If I’m cornered, why keep her alive?”
“Release her and I’ll let you free.” Nell couldn’t see James’s face, but she knew what that offer cost him.
Greengrass chuckled. “The minute you’ve got her, I’m dead as a haddock.”
“I won’t risk her life in a scuffle.”
“James, don’t trust him,” Nell begged. She heard seething hatred in Greengrass’s voice and guessed that he’d sacrifice his safety to kill his enemy. “He wants you dead.”
“I do indeed.” His grip on her arm tightened until pins and needles pricked her fingers.
“Be brave, Eleanor,” James said. “I won’t let anything happen to you. Ever.”
“Rash words, laddie,” Greengrass scoffed.
“I promise that I’ll see this lady safe, even if it means rattling the gates of heaven.”