Page 71 of Legacy of Roses

“They can shout at each other,” Rosalie said. “There’s no reason we have to listen to it.” She tapped her cheek. “Five men down means there are still three to go. Any guesses where we might find them?”

“We could try there.” Dimitri pointed across the entryway to the door that led into the sitting room. “I moved some of the furniture around when I first arrived, so it looks more lived in than most of the manor’s rooms. That might have attracted their attention.”

He led the way, and Rosalie was happy to follow behind, keeping his sword between her and anyone who might be in the room. At first it appeared to be empty, but neither of them let down their guard. They advanced several steps inside, and a man appeared from behind a sofa.

He must have been crouched down examining the wall because for a moment he looked as surprised by them as they were by his sudden appearance. He let out a loud yell, calling for back up, and Dimitri immediately started retreating.

Rosalie stayed behind him, the two of them backing slowly out of the room, their eyes on the man in front of them. But they had barely made it into the entryway when running footsteps pounded down the stairs. The remaining two men were answering their comrade’s call.

The man inside called out again, and the other two advanced, herding Dimitri and Rosalie back toward the door they’d just exited. Dimitri tried to step sideways, out of their trap, but Rosalie stopped him with a hand on his sleeve.

Instead, she closed the sitting room door, her eyes on the advancing men as she counted out the seconds in her mind. They had approached close enough that Dimitri and Rosalie appeared trapped when she feigned a terrified squeak and opened the door again.

The two men grinned, clearly thinking Dimitri and Rosalie were about to retreat into the arms of their companion. But when the four of them spilled through the doorway, they weren’t inside the sitting room, and there was no sign of the third man.

Jace’s men frowned, staring at the empty room lined with closed curtains. Their confusion gave Rosalie and Dimitri the chance to dart around them and back out the door. They slammed it closed behind them, and Dimitri seized the handle. Leaning back with his weight, he held it closed and looked at Rosalie.

“What now?”

She pulled out a large metal ring, lined with keys. “Just hold them long enough for me to find the right one.”

It took her several tries, but she managed to locate the right key and lock the men inside. Dimitri relaxed, letting go of the handle and retrieving his sword.

“At least they’ll be well entertained while they’re stuck there,” he said, making Rosalie giggle. “But where did you get those?” He frowned at the keys.

“I found them on the floor of the kitchen.”

They appeared to be the housekeeper’s master set, so she had stuck them in her pocket, thinking they might come in useful. At the very least, she hadn’t wanted Jace to end up with them.

“Good thinking,” Dimitri said approvingly, and warmth filled her.

“One left to go,” he added, and she turned for the main stairs. She had nearly forgotten about the man still inside the sitting room. He must have been confused when all the people and voices on the other side of his door suddenly disappeared.

They ran down the stairs together, catching sight of the man as he cautiously stepped out of the sitting room. He looked up at them, hurrying down the stairs alone, and his eyes widened. For a second he hesitated. But before either of them could reach him, he turned and sprinted out the open front door. Dimitri ran after him, but he stopped at the door, watching the man’s flight.

“Straight down the drive,” he said. “So I guess Jace will be getting one report after all.”

Rosalie smiled with satisfaction. She had wanted to catch all Jace’s men, but seven out of eight was a good result.

The silence around them deepened, and her satisfaction slowly faded. In the heat of their battle, she hadn’t considered what came next.

“What do we do with them now?” she asked. “We can’t leave them where they are, but if we free them, there will be too many for us to control.”

“Two locked in the theater room,” Dimitri said thoughtfully, giving an inventory aloud. “Three in the rose chairs. One upstairs in the storage closet with a broken nose. Plus the man in the kitchen.”

Rosalie’s eyes widened. “I’d forgotten about him. We should check what state he’s in. He needs medical attention, but hewasn’t actually secured. He might have woken up and moved elsewhere.”

Dimitri stepped in front of her protectively, the move seeming to be an instinctive response to her words. A secret thrill ran through her. She liked having someone to take care of her. Ever since Jace, she’d been working tirelessly to make up to her family for her mistake. Her parents often protested that she worked too much, but the truth was that they needed her to help the family make ends meet. She hadn’t realized how exhausted she was until she came to the manor and finally stopped.

They walked to the kitchen together, and as she had feared, they found no sign of the burned man there. They both scanned the littered debris on the kitchen floor with concern.

Rosalie caught sight of a glistening trail, as if something large and wet had been dragged along it. “Is that…”

She pointed to it, following it with her eyes to where it ended at the closed pantry door. Dimitri strode over and tried to pull the door open. It was locked.

He placed his ear against the door and was silent for a moment, listening. When he straightened and looked at her, his expression was amazed.

“I can hear quiet groaning. He must be locked inside.”

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