Page 119 of New Storm Rising
He hesitated.
“Karim!”
“Ehem, well…I suppose that would be acceptable.”
“Thank you sovery much.”
By the time Karim had cut me down and led me down the steps, things down in the square were already over. Mr Ambrose’s guards, having miraculously multiplied from several dozen to several hundred, had made quick work of the Spaniards’ thugs. De Ravera, De La Fuente, Navarro and Mayor Alvarez had all been hauled down from the balcony and forced to their knees, half a dozen guards around them. Their men were being herded towards the very institution in which my dear husband and I had spent the last night. How very fortunate it had been renovated and expanded so recently. They would have more than enough room. Although I doubted their stay would be quite as enjoyable as ours had been.
The townspeople were watching in awe as the very enemies who had terrorized them and turned their existence into a living hell for the last few months were dragged off to jail. Everything had changed within an instant. And above all, standing on a high porch like a king surveying his newest domain, towered Mr Rikkard Ambrose, his face immovable, as if he had expected this whole scene all along.
Which he probably had, dang him!
And that wasn’t even the worst thing! No…the worst thing was how incredibly, mind-numbingly hot he looked up there! Spine straight as a steel rod, hands behind his back, broad shoulders clad in well-worn black, and his face…my God, his face. The mere sight of it as he stood there, overseeing his complete and utter victory, made me salivate and want to jump him!
And it has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that my hands are still tied behind my back! Amy shall not seduce me to the kinky side! Amy shall not seduce me to the kinky side!
“Sahiba? Is everything all right?”
“F-fine. I’m perfectly fine!”
Except that I was suddenly craving ice cream and mustard on toast. Again.
Pushing aside the strange urge, along with a mental image of Rikkard Ambrose covered in nothing but ice cream, I slipped away from Karim and made my way across the square, in search of a fellow female with a pair of nail scissors.
It turns out that when you’ve just helped save an entire town from a greedy horde of foreigners, you suddenly become incredibly popular. Never mind little details, such as that you’re married to an even greedier foreigner, people will suddenly be very eager to share their nail scissors or anything else that you might fancy.
“Thank you, Miss!” Nelly flung her arms around me, squeezing me, tears in her eyes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! How can we ever repay you?”
“Err…you can cut the ropes?”
“Ropes? What ropes are you talking abou—oh dear.”
“Yes.”
“And so far no one has…?”
“No.”
“Not even…?”
“No. He’s ‘busy’.”
“Oh. Um…let me get my steak knife. I think the scissors won’t be enough for that.”
“Thanks.”
Soon enough she was back, sawing away at the rope. A moment later, it fell to the ground, and I took a deep breath, rubbing my wrists. Eyes sparkling dangerously, I turned my gaze towards the door that led outside. Where Mr Ambrose was.
“Here.” With a smile, Nelly held out her rusty steak knife. “You might need this.”
“Why, thank you!”
“Do you want a rolling pin as well?”
“That would be wonderful! Thanks!”
Camaraderie between women was such a wonderful thing.
