Page 77 of Betrayal from Beyond
“We cannot just leave her here. When the government shows up, she’ll tell them everything.” The driver snapped his fingers. “They will be on us like that.”
“We cannot kill her!” The other man was starting to sound anxious. “She’s a bleedin’ lady of the realm. They’ll hang us for sure.”
“I’ve got it.” A crafty grin spread across the driver’s face. “We’ll give her a taste of her own medicine.” He appeared to be relieved by this solution.
“No,” said Kara.
“Yes. By the time you wake up, we’ll be long gone.”
The big man considered it. “Fine, but I still say we don’t need to mention her to the boss lady.”
“Agreed.” The driver laughed. “Fetch the lady a cup of tea.”
Kara wanted no part of that opium-laced tea. She reached down to try to pull the rope from her foot, but the driver pushed her back upright and held her there with a hand on her shoulder.
With her other hand she reached behind her and grabbed the horseshoe from her belt. She brought it down hard onto the hand where he held her, then threw it at the other man, aiming for the cup he was bringing her. Her aim was true. It hit and the cup shattered.
Both men cursed her soundly.
“Hell and damnation. This one is a pain in the arse. Wait until I tie her hands again, will you?”
“Hold her head back,” the big man said grimly as he poured another cup of tea.
Kara fought, but she was soon bound again. They held her tight, tilted her head back, and pinched her nose. She spat and tried to bite, but eventually, they won.
Staring down at her, the driver frowned. “I think we’d better give her another.”
She fought again, but it was a lesson in humiliation. She glared at them when they finally let her go. “You would do better to take your loaded wagon straight to the authorities and turn yourselves in before she wakes up.” She glanced down at Petra, still fast asleep and sprawled across the floor. “If they succeed in their plans, do you think there is a chance you won’t hang for murder?”
“If they succeed, then we will be paid well, set for life, and far away before the confusion dies down,” the driver answered smartly.
The pair of them conferred for a moment before the driver sent the other man to fetch cloaks for Petra and the Russian. When he came back, they stood before her, watching her closely.
She wanted to snarl at them, but she could already feel the opium affecting her. A haze was settling over her vision. She tried to blink it away.
“There it is, then,” the driver said with satisfaction. He gestured. “I’ll take the boss out to the wagon, then come back to help you with the nob.”
Kate watched him bend down to lift Petra in his arms. She couldn’t look away. His motions were so slow. Was he moving at half speed?
The other man said something, but she couldn’t make out the words. Everything was distant and muted.
Wait.Was she underwater? She looked up at the man beside her, and her head kept going back. It rested on the chair and she could not seem to lift it. She tried blinking again, but her eyelids were so heavy. Perhaps she would close them. Just for a…
Chapter Twenty-One
Ahead, Dalton reinedin next to a thick copse of bare trees. Niall pulled his mount to a halt beside him. The moon had risen above the trees so that they could decently see the road, but in the shadow of the wood, forms all blended together.
“The farm is just around the next turn. Every time I’ve approached, I’ve been stopped by a sentry posted at the lane. I’ll engage him.” Dalton patted the pocket where he’d stashed Kara’s pistol. Niall had taken it from her bag in the carriage and loaned it to him for this mission. “Once I have him in hand, we’ll go up. The wood remains thick enough for cover a good part of the way up. We can leave the horses in there and get a good look at the place before we move in. We should be able to duck in and hide behind the barn or one of the outbuildings.”
“Let me handle the sentry.” Niall’s nerves were stretched thin. He ached to dosomething. He could scarcely tolerate the idea of Kara in Petra Scot’s clutches. He kept reminding himself that Kara knew what she was about. He couldn’t blame her for taking a chance if it had been presented. She knew enough to stay hidden if she was outnumbered. But he was sure she would take every chance to discover what these fiends were up to. He knew because it was exactly what he would do. But then, what might go wrong?
Urging his mount forward, he rounded the curve and approached the lane. No one stepped out to confront him. He took the turn as if he meant to approach the farm.
Still no one.
He circled on the horse and waited a moment, but there was no sign of a sentry.
Gyda and Dalton had been watching. They rode out to join him.
