Page 44 of Noble Scoundrel

The answer surprised her. “The members of the criminal gang you rescued him from?”

Another pause. Shorter this time. “No.”

An icy chill spread through her. “Tell me.”

He held her gaze as he replied. “The men who initially took him that night were a couple of small-time mercenaries known to hire themselves out for a variety of tasks. Anyone involved with unlawful business in the rookery would’ve told you Butler and Green knew how to get the job done.”

Katherine took a steadying breath. “You’re using the past tense, Mr. Hale.”

He gave a short nod.

“Why?”

“They were found in the Thames several days ago.”

Bile churned in her stomach. “They’d been killed? Because of their involvement with Frederick?”

“Because of their failure, most likely. Their deaths were a message to future hirelings.”

“The two men from yesterday?”

“I’ll keep my ears open for any news.”

“News...” she muttered quietly as icy dread filled her veins, “as in, more bodies.”

He didn’t reply to that.

Katherine wasn’t sure how to process what he’d told her. Though she had no love for anyone who’d do harm to a child and she certainly wanted the men who’d attacked her brother to face justice for their actions, the thought of them being murdered and tossed into the murky river was horrifying.

They weren’t just up against a kidnapper. They were after a murderer. If their enemy would so easily end the lives of men he’d hired, what would stop him from killing Frederick? Or anyone else who might get in the way?

“Did you learn anything else?”

“Only that the person who hired Butler and Green was determined to conceal his identity and he was able to pay well for the deed.”

Katherine met his hard gaze. “Which suggests they aren’t after a ransom.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t appear so.”

Her earlier frustration returned in full force, warring with the fear inside her. “What other reason could there be? We have no enemies. We barely have any friends. Nearly everything we have is entailed and the man set to inherit isn’t even in England.”

“I have an idea.”

Katherine turned at the sound of her brother’s voice to see him standing tall and proud in the doorway. “Frederick?”

His steady gaze moved between Katherine and Hale as he walked into the room. “Until we know who is orchestrating the kidnappings and why, we are at a serious disadvantage. We need information and I believe the best way to obtain it is to go on the offensive.”

Trepidation followed swiftly on the heels of her brother’s words. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

The boy’s shoulders squared in a way Katherine knew well. He was anticipating an argument, which meant she wasn’t going to like what he was about to say.

“We set a trap and encourage them to try again. Instead of them taking me, we capture the kidnappers.” He turned to Hale. “Then we force them to tell us what they know.”

Resistance clenched her heart in a tight fist. “Are you suggesting we use you as a lure?” She shook her head in firm denial. “Absolutely not.”

“If we plan everything properly, I won’t be in any danger at all.”

“No,” she stated firmly with a narrowed, resistant gaze.

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