Page 70 of A Dangerous Lord (Regency Spies & Secrets 3)

Her abductor chuckled dryly. “You are not in a position to negotiate.”

“I think I am,” Lord Evan stated. “There are two of us, and there is only one of you.”

The man’s eyes darted between the two men, his smug smile dimming. “What if I give you a cut of what I got paid?” he asked.

Lord Evan glanced over at the burly man. “Should we accept his offer?”

The burly man shook his head. “I think not.”

“I am inclined to agree with you,” Lord Evan replied.

“What do you want, then?” the man asked, his voice taking on a nervous edge.

Lord Evan’s voice was firm. “Hand over the woman, or you will die.”

Her abductor moved Jane in front of him. “I don’t think so,” he responded. “If you try to shoot me, then you will kill the girl.”

“I should warn you that I don’t miss,” Lord Evan remarked. The way he spoke, she knew he was in earnest.

Jane could feel the man tense behind her. “And I don’t want to go to jail.”

The burly man spoke up. “It’s too late for that. I’m a Bow Street Runner, and I’m afraid I witnessed you abducting this young woman.”

“If I release the girl, will you let me go free?” her abductor asked.

The Bow Street Runner shook his head. “I’m afraid I can’t allow that, but jail is better than being killed by this man,” he remarked, gesturing at Lord Evan.

“He won’t kill me,” the man replied confidently.

Lord Evan’s eyes grew intense and his voice was devoid of any emotion. “I want you to listen very carefully to me. I will count to five, and if you haven’t released Lady Jane by then, I will kill you where you stand.”

Before he even started counting, the man dropped Jane’s arm and ran deeper into the woodlands. The Bow Street Runner took off after him, and Lord Evan cautiously approached, coming to a stop in front of her.

“Are you all right?” he asked, the concern evident on his features.

Jane took her hand and ran it along her reddened arm. “I am,” she replied. “Thank you for what you did.”

“That man was a coward, and I’m thankful I didn’t have to kill him.”

“As am I.”

Lord Evan lifted his hand as if to comfort her but dropped it to his side. “We should get you home,” he said.

“I would appreciate that.” She turned her attention to where she last left Percy, but she saw that his curricle was gone. “I came to Hyde Park with Lord Brinton, but he seems to have left.”

Lord Evan offered his arm. “I shall escort you home, Jane,” he said. “You are safe now and I can promise that no one will harm you.”

“Thank you,” Jane replied as she took his arm.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

As he led her towards his coach, Jane found herself leaning into Lord Evan for support. She couldn’t understand why someone would want to abduct her.

Chapter Ten

After he assistedJane into the coach, Corbyn sat across from her, immensely relieved that she was safe. He had been conversing with Mr. Stewart when he witnessed Jane being abducted, and they watched as the man led her further into the woodlands.

His first impulse was to kill the man and retrieve Jane immediately, but Mr. Stewart had convinced him to speak to the abductor first. But the mere thought of that man abusing Jane in any way caused him to want to act irrationally. Which was unlike him; he was usually meticulous about how he handled things.

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