Page 151 of New Storm Rising
Only then did De La Fuente remember the letter they had sent. The reinforcements they had requested.
“Hahahaha!” De Ravera laughed aloud. “Sey are coming! Sey are coming!”
Only minutes later, he was proven right. Hurried footsteps approached the door of the barn, and it was kicked open, allowing the moonlight to spill inside.
“Finally you are here!” De Ravera exclaimed. “Considering how much I paid you, you should have been here hours ago! Sen maybe we would not have been—”
Only then did he take a close look at the entrance—and cut off abruptly.
***
“Aww, you’ve been waiting for us?” Stepping into the barn, I gave the Spanish a sweet smile. “I’m touched.”
“No, you’re not,” I heard a cool voice from behind. “Nothing and no one except me is allowed to touch you.”
“Ha!” De Ravera spat out. “Your words mean nossing. Nossing! Now thatseyare here,” he jerked his head towards the door from where the sounds of more gunshots came, “you are as good as dead! You—”
Wham!
“You are right,” Mr Ambrose agreed with the unconscious man, pulling back his fist. “Words mean nothing.”
“Except for the ones he just let slip.” I narrowed my eyes at the so-called nobleman slumped against a wooden beam. “I think we can safely assume now that, whoever is out there, they are on these two bastards’ payroll, yes?”
“Indeed. But assumptions are one thing. Certainty is another.”
Flicking his gaze towards Karim, Mr Ambrose snapped his fingers.
An instant later, the one still-conscious Spaniard found the gleaming blade of a sabre at his neck.
“Well?” Karim enquired. “Speak.”
“Y-yes! P-please do not kill me! I will tell you everything, Just please do not kill me, I—”
The humongous curved sabre pressed into the man’s throat a little harder. “Speak ofusefulthings.”
“ItwasDeRavera’sidea! Hepayedforsomeviciousbanditsandkillerstogoafteryou! IswearIswear! Ihadnossingtodowithit!”
Well now, that was rather quick and effective. Gazing at the sabre, I decided I would have to have a talk with Karim later. I knew just what he could get me for my next birthday.
“So, it was all De Ravera’s fault? You had nothing to do with it?” Mr Ambrose cocked his head. “I see.”
“Y-you do?”
“Yes. I have nothing to do withthiseither.”
And he nodded at Karim.
An instant later, the steel pommel of a sabre slammed into the Spaniard’s head. He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
And speaking of cutting…
Pulling a knife from my pocket, I strode towards De Ravera and severed the rope that was keeping him bound to the barn’s wooden support beam. Not the one keeping his hands tied, though. That was going to remain just as it was.
“Come on.” Grabbing the Spaniard by the scruff of the neck, I started dragging him towards the exit. “We’ve got to get out of here!”
“Agreed.” Snatching my prisoner from my grasp, Mr Ambrose, the greedy son of a bachelor, slung him over his own shoulder and pushed open the door. Karim grabbed the other Spaniard and followed suit. Soon, we were running down the dark street, towards the place where our coaches were parked.
And running. And running. And running.
