Page 99 of My Darling Rogue
“Gabriel,” she choked out, sagging against him in relief. “Thank God.”
“Shhh,mon coeur.” He moved her until she stood behind him, his body shielding hers. “Stay here, Celia. Promise me you will stay right here. No matter what.” When her head moved in a jerky nod, Gabriel gave her a smile and then turned to Bryan.
“Are you ready to die, Bryan Flannigan?” Gabriel’s voice was low, melodic. It was almost soothing, but the violence lacing through it was enough to frighten the strongest of men. “You hurt the woman I love, and I will kill you for touching what is mine. If you are not aware of my reputation, you should know I intend on doing it slowly. I want you to feel the maximum amount of agonizing pain. You will beg me to finish the job before I’m done with you, but those pleas will be in vain.”
“She—” Bryan began to say something while stuffing his cock back into his pants.
Gabriel held up a hand.
“Say her name and the first thing I shall take is your tongue. And although I don’t want to do that because I am anxious to hear your screams in the next few moments, I cannot abide having my wife’s name in your filthy mouth,” Gabriel said calmly.
Picking up a forgotten length of rope from the loft’s floor, Gabriel tossed it at Bryan. “Tie this around your hands.”
Bryan grinned, catching the rope. “Plan on taking me to the bobbies, do ya?”
Gabriel smiled angelically. “Not quite. I know what you’ve done to my wife. Both today and in the past when you were at Darby Meadows. I know you took her innocence and left fear behind in its place. The English penal system in general is not prepared to administer the type of punishment you require. This will be my task and one I take quite seriously. As you will soon discover.”
Assured his instructions had been followed, Gabriel picked up another bit of rope and approached with the pistol aimed at Bryan’s head. “Make one move I don’t like and I will watch a bullet split your head open like a ripe melon.”
Fashioning the second piece of rope into a noose, he looped it around Bryan’s neck and practically dragged him to the hook and pulley system.
The rope was looped around the hook’s curved edge.
For the first time, Bryan looked concerned. Celia saw real fear in the man’s eyes. Fear and a bit of calculating intelligence. It made her shake with trepidation. Bryan was like a cornered animal. He would chew off his own arm to escape the trap.
No matter his restraints, he was still dangerous.
“Now,” Gabriel said with a cold grin as he tucked the pistol into the waistband of his trousers. “Now, you and I are ready to begin. Celia, my love? Look away.”
CHAPTER42
Gabriel’s fist connected with Bryan’s jaw with a satisfying crack.
He stepped back, shaking out his hand with a slight grimace. It’s been a while since he’d punched someone.
Bryan laughed, spitting out blood. “You can’t just kill me in your hayloft, yer Lordship. What will the other servants think? You’ll not find another groom what to work with ya, I promise you that.”
“No one will dare interfere. They are all too afraid of the marquess and what he might do.” Gabriel chuckled darkly. “Indeed, the second they saw me entering the stables, every last one of them fled. Perhaps they saw the bloodlust on my face. In my eyes. Perhaps they feared my wrath was intended for one of them.”
Gabriel landed a punch in Bryan’s midsection and the man groaned.
“Killing me won’t erase it, yer Lordship. Won’t change how much I liked her squirming when me cock was inside her,” Bryan grunted through the pain, then let out an evil laugh. “She thought we was gonna get married or something. That’s how I tricked her. But I told her that she better not tell anyone. Told her I wouldn’t swing just because she gave it to me like a whore. And I won’t swing now. You know that, yer Lordship. You’ll let me go. Save yourself the shame of everyone knowing what I done. Just like she tried to do for you.”
All of the anger, all of the darkness he’d tamped down, his possessiveness for Celia and the need to keep her safe pooled in Gabriel’s center. He’d never felt this way before. Never experienced such desire to end a man’s life. To destroy him. To rip him apart.
Bryan Flannigan was an abomination. A feral, disgusting animal who should be removed from society.
As if from a distance, Gabriel became aware of Celia’s sobs of terror. Briefly, he wondered who she was more frightened of. Flannigan? Or himself?
He shook off the doubts, allowing the murderous calm to settle over him once more.This must be done. For Celia. For myself. For us both.
“I’ve no intention of letting you go, you bastard,” Gabriel growled. “I’m going to rip you apart, limb from limb. Listen to your screams with the greatest of pleasure and watch you die, writhing in pain and begging my wife’s forgiveness.”
“Aye. She’ll be begging all right,” Bryan sneered through the blood pooling in his mouth. It was as though he intentionally taunted Gabriel. “Begging me to fuck her again.”
With a roar of absolute fury, Gabriel lunged for the man, intending to rip Bryan’s tongue from his throat using nothing but his bare hands.
“Stop!” Celia cried out in horror, holding her hands over her ears. “Stop!”
