Page 57 of Sword of Rage
He stood, hands on his hips, observing her. “To answer your first question, yes, I’m teasing you.” The room started to glow as the fire grew. Ackley began walking around the room, looking over the dresser, bed, and armoire, though he didn’t touch a single thing. “To answer your second question, I want smoke to be seen from your chimney. I’m wondering if someone is looking for you.”
Her eyes widened. “You set a trap?” And she was the bait?
“Yes. Since you won’t be in this room, you’ll be fine.”
“Now I won’t be able to sleep.” She rubbed her face, remembering the men who’d followed them when they first entered the city. She’d been so overwhelmed seeing her mother alive that she’d completely forgotten about the encounter until now.
“I’m here. There’s nothing to worry about.”
Ackley sure thought highly of himself. She stood, ready to go to the guest bedchamber for the night. “Is there anything else you need before I retire?”
With his hands now clasped behind his back, he continued perusing the room. “I’m going to stay in here and look a little while longer. You don’t need to stay with me.”
A clear dismissal. “You won’t find anything. I’ve already searched the room.”
“The back of tapestries or on the rear side of portraits are generic places to hide items of value. Personally, I prefer to hide them behind drawers, especially in armoires. But my favorite is under a floorboard.” He stopped and looked at her. “Did you check under the floorboard?” He pointed to one in particular. One that looked a little worn along the edge.
“No.” She hadn’t noticed that one before.
A sardonic smile slid across his face. “Like I said, I’m going to stay in here for a bit. Goodnight.”
Ackley
Once Harley left the room, Ackley knelt on the floor. He pulled out his dagger and wedged it between the boards, prying up the one in question. A part of him didn’t want to find anything else. What he’d seen in the office and workshop had been more than enough for him to understand Lyle had been a ruthless soldier, dedicated to his profession, and unyielding. The scary part—Ackley saw a part of himself in Lyle. However, Ackley valued duty, honor, honesty, dedication, and family. He doubted Lyle felt any of that.
One thing Ackley knew, which Owen did not, was that Idina had written a letter to Russek letting them know Melenia soldiers were in Marsden, leaving Melenia short of men to defend the kingdom. She’d intended for the king to call his soldiers back to Melenia, thus saving her own kingdom in the process. However, Melenia had been invaded shortly thereafter and the entire royal family executed.
A takeover of this magnitude wasn’t done simply because of a letter his sister had written. There was no way Russek could have organized and executed such a thing so quickly and efficiently. Someone on the inside had been sending Russek information long before the takeover happened. Someone like Commander Beck. But to what end? Ackley couldn’t implicate someone without having evidence. What he feared was that Idina would be the one to take the fall. Which meant he needed to find the letter and destroy it.
Laying the floorboard aside, he examined the contents beneath. There were two pieces of paper and a bag. He pulled out the papers and unfolded them. The first one was a detailed map of Melenia. Specific cities had been marked. The second piece of paper had a few words scrawled on it.This should be enough to keep you quiet.It was signed with a single letter:C. The king’s name was Coden. That, coupled with the letters Ackley found in Lyle’s office, convinced him that Beck had been blackmailing the king—and Ackley knew why. After setting the papers aside, he lifted the bag out, its contents jingling as he did so. Inside, he found a handful of money. Since he didn’t recognize the currency, he didn’t know the value of it.
Ackley knelt there, considering his next move. His man should have made contact with Kerdan by now and hopefully had established a time and place for them to meet. If ever there was a time to sneak into Russek and have a clandestine meeting with Kerdan, now was the perfect opportunity since the kingdom was in civil unrest. The problem with his plan—Harley. At first, he considered leaving her with her parents. However, the second he realized the tea was laced with sleeping tonic, he knew her mother couldn’t be trusted. Which left him with the option of taking Harley with him. Traveling into Russek with her would be infinitely more difficult. Although, she could provide a believable cover, an inconspicuous married couple not worth anyone’s attention.
Going over to the dresser, he blew out the candle and found a comfortable place to sit. It was only a matter of time until someone snuck into the house searching for Harley. Not only had those men followed them, but Lady Mayle had tried giving Harley the sleeping tonic before attempting to get her to spend the night. It was why he wanted to leave the manor so quickly—to get away from whomever wanted Harley. He also needed to come here and investigate before anything could be destroyed. With that accomplished, all he had to do was sit back and wait for the person to come here looking for her.
His eyes grew heavy, a result of having stayed up all last night to guard Harley. As he watched the fire in the hearth, he wondered why Lady Mayle hadn’t seemed surprised to see Harley. It was almost as if she knew she was coming. But Owen hadn’t told anyone Ackley and Harley were going to Penlar.
He stretched out on the chair, not wanting to get too comfortable as he waited. Sitting there, he had nothing to do but contemplate how Harley connected everything together. The fire crackled. The hours wore on. His eyelids fluttered shut.
“Ackley,” Harley whispered, her voice like a strand of smoke curling around his ear. She stood in the middle of the bedchamber in nothing but a thin nightdress, the soft glow of the fire highlighting the golden hair hanging around her shoulders.
Not knowing what to say, he watched as she hesitantly approached, desire flaring within him. When she moved, the nightdress hugged the curves of her body. He wanted to extend his arm so he could touch her, but he was afraid to move and scare her away. When she reached the chair, he spread his legs ever so slightly, just enough for her to stand between them. Her hands pressed against his shoulders, pushing him back in the chair. Then her right leg slid up alongside his left thigh. She did the same with her other leg until she straddled him. Unable to contain himself, his fingers found the hem of her nightdress, slowly lifting it.
Her soft lips hovered above his. “I’ve wanted to do this since the moment I met you.”
Ackley startled awake, trembling.
Sweat covered his forehead and his heart beat frantically. Rubbing his hands over his face, he realized he must have fallen asleep. What a reckless and irresponsible thing for him to do. He stood and went over to the window, pushing the curtain aside and peering out into the dark night. Nothing moved below. Before he’d come inside, he’d set a few traps just in case he fell asleep. The last thing he needed was someone taking him by surprise. So far, none of his traps had gone off. Regardless, something had woken him.
With a dagger in hand, he put his bag over his shoulders and crept out of the bedchamber. In the hallway, he stood listening. Not a single sound or creak. Everything felt too still. He slowly made his way to the room Harley was staying in. Pushing open the door, he peered inside. Darkness greeted him. After a minute, his eyes adjusted and he stepped into the room.
Uneven breathing came from his right, about fifteen feet away. “Harley?” he whispered, knowing she wasn’t asleep by the sounds she made.
“Yes?”
Hearing her voice eased a bit of his building tension. “Something isn’t right.” He felt stupid being so vague. However, he’d learned through the years to always trust his instincts.
“I know.” She sat up in bed.
