Page 2 of The Duke's Improper Bride
“I’ll find you,” he shouted. “I always do.”
The men laughed, dragging him deeper into the cave, closer to the hole in the ceiling. A sharp, copper taste wrapped around his tongue. He battled for air, spitting up a mouthful of blood. His knees gave out from underneath him, his arms too tired to wrench away.
The waves grew louder. As the light grew closer, Isaac understood why—the cave opened up to the cliffside and the hungry sea below.
They grabbed his shirt, ripped it open, then tore away the map he had strapped to his chest.
“I’ll find you,” he spat again, furious. I’ll find every last one of you, you bastards.”
The men spoke in a flurry of French, but all Isaac could focus on was the sun pouring into the cave from overhead, eroding the last few moments of violence away.
Then the click of a gun hammer. A shot ripped through the air, piercing Isaac’s chest. He staggered backward.
It was beautiful.
Beautiful as the water roared against the rocks below, hungry, desperate for blood. Beautiful as their gun slammed into his temple. Beautiful as the ground tipped and he fell, fell, then plummeted into the water. The ocean swallowed him up, dragging him deeper, as he forced his eyes open one last time to soak in the light spearing through the azure water from above.
But I haven’t found her yet, he thought.And now it’s too late.
Chapter 1
Hell, Or Someplace Similar; Two Weeks Later
The sun spilling into what was some sorry excuse of a bedroom made Isaac sick. He labored in another breath, throwing his forearm over his eyes as pain wracked his body. Another shiver, another tug back to unconsciousness clawing deep at his bones as he settled back into the lumpy mattress.
He heard his boss Grembly throw the door open before he smelled him. The man’s penchant for fine cigars was near unmatched.
“Dear God, man. It’s a bloody miracle you’re here. All things considered.”
Any time Isaac’s body decided to pass out from the pain would be good by him.
“I lost the map.”
Grembly shut the door and neared the bed, his stance reminiscent of someone approaching a tiger. Isaac would know. Transporting Lucy the Bengal tiger from India to Burton Hall with Bly hadn’t been a walk in the park.
“You could still die from your injuries. I don’t give a damn about the map.”
“Don’t get sentimental on me now, Grembly. Did you grow a heart on your journey here?”
Isaac said “here,” even though he didn’t know precisely where in the world “here” was.
“The doctor informed me—three broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, a dislocated shoulder, stab wounds, and a shot to the chest that just nearly missed the heart. Possible internal damage given the bleeding. Then there’s your face…”
“All I need now is a bullet to put me out of my misery since the last didn’t take.”
One shot to the chest. He remembered the heat as it tore through his body, and the initial shock. Then the impact as he smacked into the hungry waves crashing against the rocky cliffside. He must have held on to some hope, something must have driven him, but he couldn’t remember any longer. Only, he was alive now and shouldn’t be, and if the doctor was correct, he might still not survive.
“What happened? It was a straightforward mission.”
“Straightforward is not a word I associate with the viper pit I had to contend with to locate that map.”
“Unfortunately, the information we had was inaccurate.”
“Inaccurate?” Rage vaulted Isaac upright. He whipped his pistol out from beneath his pillow in a flash and cocked it, his voice a low growl. “I was hunted, beaten, shot, tossed into the ocean, and left for dead.”
Grembly was unphased by the pistol aimed at his head. “It wasn’t a first for you. Ultimately it was their mistake because you’re still alive and clearly upset.”
Isaac clutched onto consciousness as the pain clawed and burrowed into every inch of his body. A deep cough rattled his chest. Still clutching onto the pistol, he moved to cover his mouth, only drawing it away to spot the bright spray of blood covering the back of his hand. “I’m not a man set on revenge.” He furrowed his eyebrows, willing the strength to continue on a bit longer. “I wanted to do my damn duty, then spend some time in the Italian sun.”
