Page 44 of A Matter of Time
“I’m sure Nick is on his way by now. If our plan fails, I’m certain he’ll have something up his sleeve.” Richard placed his hands on her shoulders. “It’s going to be alright, Angelina. Trust in me. I’ll not let any harm come to you.”
“I know you won’t, and I won’t let any harm come to you.” She winked at him and he couldn’t help but laugh. It was just like Angelina to be more concerned about him than herself. “Come here,” she beckoned. “I need a kiss.” Her lips curved in a seductive smile that drew Richard right to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently kissed his lips. Richard wanted her so badly it hurt, but for now, it would have to wait.
“Not the right time or the right place. I know,” Angelina laughed, as if she’d read his mind.
“I promise you, as soon as we are out of danger…” He didn’t get the opportunity to finish, before Angelina leaned into him, her warm lips capturing his, and pressing her body seductively against him. A growl escaped him as he took what she offered, passionately kissing her, letting himself explore all of the places he’d been longing to touch once again. Her small moans of pleasure drove him on. He tangled his hands in her glorious black locks as he kissed down her throat and felt her warm breath against his ear. He continued kissing down her body, stopping to linger at the vee of her shirt. He nimbly undid the buttons and pressed his lips to her breasts, taking first one and then the other gently into his mouth. He reluctantly pulled away and looked up into her beautiful face. Common sense warred with primal need. He was just about to pick her up and carry her to the bed when a sound outside of their room brought them crashing back to reality. They both stopped, completely still and listened intently. There was the muffled sound of voices, followed by the sound of a chair being scraped across the floor and then silence, which told them a new guard had settled in by their door.
“Richard, we need to get out of here. I want you so much I can hardly stand it.”
Her words brought him great joy. This woman, this treasure, wantedhim. His heart was nearly bursting with happiness.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I do know I want you by my side from this moment on.” He caressed her cheek with his hand and thought how lucky he was to have met her. “Angelina, will you come with me, back to my time and my castle? If you would, I can image no greater gift I could receive. I would spend the rest of my days loving you.”
The smile on her lips, those beautifully full, rosy lips, told him everything he needed to know, but when she spoke, she asked the question cautiously. “I think I just heard you say you loved me, or am I wrong?”
“No, you are not wrong. I love you, my dearest Angelina. I would be proud and happy to call you my own. Will you come with me?”
“I will!” She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest as he enfolded her in his arms. Richard finally understood what true love felt like and he was going to experience all it had to offer as he spent the rest of his days with Angelina.
Nickand his men arrived outside Malcolm’s castle, long after the sun had gone down. They made their way silently to the entry of the underground garage, an access point they felt would be their best bet for breaking into Granger’s fortress. Wade was assigned the task of disarming the alarm system and video cameras, which they had located from the blueprints they’d accessed the night before. He had it knocked out in short order and they proceeded on to the garage entry. Again, Wade’s expertise with electronics came into play as he unlocked the mechanism holding the gate closed. At this point they fanned out, two heading for the back of the castle, two for the front and Nick hurried toward the elevator. He knew it was risky, but he hoped that by now, Malcolm had retired for the night and they would find Richard and Angelina before anyone was any the wiser. After all, he’d done this before, minus the modern technology, of course, and it had always worked.
Luckily for Nick, after spending such a long time in the modern world, he had become familiar with objects like elevators, so when he entered, he knew exactly what to do and was only mildly apprehensive when the doors closed, leaving him enclosed in a small three foot by three foot box. The elevator stopped on the next floor and the doors quietly slid open. Nick peeked out into the darkened hallway. Hugging the walls, he made his way towards the great hall and was surprised to see light coming from under the doorway.Damn my luck!He made his way slowly to the room’s entrance, listening for sounds that it was still occupied. From this vantage point, he could see very little and just as he was about to move closer, he felt the point of a blade at his back.
“Move into the great hall, Mackall. I’ve been expecting you.” Malcolm Granger’s gruff voice sounded in his ear. “Sit, please. I believe we’ll be joined by the others shortly.”
Nick did as he was told, feverishly thinking about ways to turn the tables on Malcolm. Noises down the hall alerted him to a scuffle taking place nearby and before long, Zeke, Wade, Jayson and Kyle were escorted into the room.
“Pierce, if you’ll go and retrieve our guests, we’ll be able to get started here.”
Richard heldhis finger to his mouth, warning Angelina to remain silent. The noises coming from the hallway told them something was happening. Some loud thuds and groans were followed by a chorus of harsh voices.
“Let’s get him downstairs and then we’ll come back for them,” someone said.
“Now’s our chance,” Angelina whispered. “I think I can pick the lock.” She started searching her pockets for something that she could use.
“No need. We don’t have any choice; we’ve got to get out before they come back.” Richard kicked out at the door, splintering the wood and knocking it from its hinges. “Come.” He grabbed Angelina’s hand and ran into the hallway. “This way.” They headed in the opposite direction, away from the commotion coming from the direction of the great hall. Running in the darkness was not ideal, but they managed to find their way to a back stairway, which Richard assumed might lead them to the kitchen. From there, he hoped to find a door leading outside. As they reached the bottom of the stairs he stopped short, and Angelina ran into his back. He steadied her and waited at the foot of the stairs, listening intently for the presence of any guards nearby. When he heard nothing, he stepped into the kitchen, Angelina holding tightly to his hand. Again, they headed for a doorway they hoped would lead them away from the great hall and capture, but as they reached it, a heavyset figure appeared. Malcolm’s man, Gabe, stood before them, sword and dagger in hand.
“Turn around and walk,” he ordered.
Since neither of them were armed, they had little choice but to do as they had been ordered. They entered the great hall, to discover Nick and his men being held at sword point, their own swords and daggers piled on the nearby table.
“Were you hoping for a rematch? Because if you were, I believe we’ve won this round. I must applaud you for your efforts, though. Fortunately, my alarm and surveillance system are programmed to reactivate if they’re ever disarmed by an intruder. So, while you thought you were deactivating my system, you actually set it in motion. The silent alarm went off warning us that you were here and the cameras hidden throughout the castle showed us exactly where you were at every moment. Even knowing about the cameras, you’d be hard pressed to locate them throughout the castle, which makes for some interesting viewing on my part.” Malcolm pointedly eyed Angelina and Richard. “I’ve had my eye on you two since you arrived. When you thought you were alone in your room, well, let’s just say I’m quite disappointed in you, Angelina. I never took you for the type of woman who would throw herself at a man.”
Richard bristled with fury and made to lunge at Malcolm, but Angelina grabbed his arm to hold him back. “Don’t, Richard. His opinions don’t matter to me.”
“Now that I have you all here, let’s discuss the matter at hand.” Malcolm strode across to the fireplace and leaned against the stone facade. “I want the Twin Sword, and you are going to help me get it.”
“I’m afraid we cannae help ye, Malcolm,” Nick said. “I was tellin’ the truth – Richard and I are nae here of our own doing. Ye see, a witch sent us and the only way we can get back is with her help.”
“Well, then, you’d better start asking for her help and quickly, if you don’t wish any harm to come to our Miss Lawson.” Malcolm inclined his head and one of his men yanked Angelina away from Richard, who found a sword held at his throat when he tried to aid her. “Don’t be stupid, Sir Richard. Your death will not improve the situation.”
Richard turned an angry glare on Malcolm, who chuckled in response. “Edna Campbell is not a woman to be trifled with Granger,” Richard shouted, hoping that somehow, Edna would hear him and magically produce the fog to transport them back where they belonged.
“And why is that? Because she’s a witch? I’m sure I could convince her that it would benefit her greatly to help me with my quest.” He remained in his position by the fireplace. “Bring Angelina here,” Malcolm ordered, and Smith took her by the arm and dragged her over to him. “Now, we’ll see just how committed you are to keeping me from my sword.”
Chapter 22
“Richard needs our help, Maggie!” Edna and Maggie were both standing by the inn’s fireplace, staring into the flames and watching as Malcolm Granger threatened the young woman.
