Page 107 of Secrets of the Wicked Viscount (The Shadows 2)

A few minutes later, the carriage pulled to a stop. The doors opened, and the thugs hauled Jarvis out of the vehicle. They dragged him a few feet before forcing him to his knees.

They brought me here to execute me.

It only made sense. They’d tortured him with loneliness and silence for a few days, starved and beaten him, and now it was time to dispose of his body.

What would happen to Olivia without him? How would his dear little Olive fare, all alone?

He remembered her beautiful, radiant face when she was a little girl.

When she was little, she had trouble looking people in the eyes, and for some unfathomable reason, he was the only one whose gaze she could hold for long periods of time. He felt special because of this one fact. One look from Olivia’s amber eyes, and it seemed like the entire world was smiling up at him.

She loved him, he realized. From the first moment they’d met. Her gaze had a powerful effect on him because she looked at him with the strength of her love.

And he loved her, too. Only he was too cowardly to confess it out loud.

If he had, would he still end up here?

Her come-out ball played in his mind. Her smile as she saw him after a long absence. If he’d claimed her then, perhaps none of this would have happened. They would have had a bunch of babes and lived far away from the city life. Far away from the crowds that Olivia disliked so much. He remembered Olivia’s features as he left her on the periphery of her come-out ball. Her gaze, so lost and confused, was imprinted on his soul.

He had made that mistake once. He would not leave her again.

He had to fight.

Jarvis managed to loosen the rope enough so one of his hands could slip out of the knot.

There was muted conversation. Then he heard another carriage roll in.

Damn it. They are going to sell me somewhere!

Jarvis remembered the hellish stories Blake used to tell him about the slave-ship and panic settled deep in his gut.

Was the time he’d left her alone in her room after their night of passion the last time he would ever see her again? Her hair rumpled, her gaze sleepy.

He hadn’t even said he loved her. She was so passionate that night, so lovely.

Oh, God! What if she was with child?

He was such a fool, coming to her bed and leaving her alone. He wasn’t thinking past instant gratification. She might as well be with child. Without him, she would be confined to ruin.

Damn, he needed to calm himself.

Jarvis took a deep breath. He needed to fight his way out, and he needed to do it fast. Or that night would indeed be the last time he ever saw Olivia.

On the count of three, I am peeling the sack off my face and fighting my way out.

One… Two… Three!

He threw the sack off his face and threw his arms up in self-defense. It took a moment for him to get used to the moonlit street.

Two thugs stood flanking him, and both of them reached for him.

Well, no time like the present.

Jarvis jumped to his feet and stepped on the instep of the man to his left. The bandit shouted in pain. He swung toward Jarvis’s head, but Jarvis ducked and was about to hit the thug on his right when he was seized from behind.

He was locked in a strong grip, while another bandit threw his hammer-sized fists into his flesh. Jarvis kicked the thug before him with both feet, then leaned forward and threw the thug behind him over his head.

He took a battle stance just to see there were five more large men behind him. Jarvis wiped the blood off his nose, breathing heavily.

It was all in vain. He’d die here today.

“You fight well for a toff!” Hades said calmly.

Thank you?Jarvis didn’t answer aloud. He was preparing for a rifle shot or a whip, or whatever implement Hades would use to punish him. Instead, he heard a dear voice.

“Jarvis!”

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