Read Online If You Give a Rake a Ruby by Shana Galen - Free Book Online

her again, and this time she had the presence of mind to cover her ears before he cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger. She was probably going to be deaf anyway, but she might salvage some functionality in at least one of her ears. “Is this something to do with Lucifer?”
    â€œThat would be my guess.” He glanced out the window again, then jerked his head in as something screeched past. Fallon closed her eyes, fearing the thing that had screeched past had been a ball from their opponent’s pistol.
    â€œWhy do I have the feeling there is something you are not telling me?”
    He grinned at her. How could the man smile when they were being shot at? He was mad. Absolutely daft. That was the only explanation. “Sweetheart,” he said, “there’s a hell of a lot I’m not telling you.”
    The carriage jolted again, and she clutched his arm to keep her balance. “This cannot be happening,” she muttered as they careened around a corner. She’d been done with adventure in her life. She’d had more than she ever wanted before the age of six. And then Fitzhugh had to show up in her bed, and she was once again being chased, shot at, and blackmailed. Her life could not get any worse.
    â€œWe’re going to have to jump,” Fitzhugh said.
    â€œWhat did you say?” Fallon asked. She almost laughed. “I thought you said jump .”
    â€œI did.”
    Something hit the carriage, rocking it to one side.
    â€œDaisy’s coachman is a superb driver, but we can’t continue at this pace. All we need is one vegetable cart blocking our path, and we’re done for.”
    â€œFine. You jump. I’ll take my chances with whoever is in the other carriage.”
    Fitzhugh shrugged. “That’s your choice. They’re not after you, but that doesn’t mean they won’t kill you. Or use you to get to me.”
    â€œYou don’t care about me.”
    â€œThey don’t know that.” He peered out the window again. “There’s a park coming up on your right. I’ll bang on the hatch to let the coachman know to slow. As soon as we near the grass, we jump.”
    â€œI’m not jumping!” What was wrong with him?
    â€œHave it your way.” He peered out the window again, judging the distance. He was really going to jump from a moving carriage. The man was either a complete idiot or had his back up against a wall.
    Another shot rang out. Probably not a complete idiot, but she was not jumping. That was suicide. She’d done a lot of foolish things in her life—stolen her father’s money bag, slept with that fop Lord Durleigh, and once drank too much champagne in the company of the Prince Regent and had to be saved from his nefarious attentions by Juliette and Lily. She did not claim to be the cleverest girl in London. But she was not so foolish as to jump from a moving carriage.
    Fitzhugh banged on the carriage roof and moved to a crouch. He was really going to do it. The carriage slowed, and everything happened as if in a dream. One moment she was shaking her head at him, thinking, What a poor clodpole . The next moment, the carriage door was open, she was wrenched from her seat, and she was flying through the air. Fallon could have sworn she screamed, but there was no sound—only the rushing of the wind in her ears and the dull, ominous thud when she hit the grass.
    She had enough presence of mind to roll and to tuck her head and legs. That didn’t mean every inch of her wasn’t jolted by the impact. The grass was undeniably hard. Was there nothing soft in London tonight? She tumbled slowly to a stop and lay, breathing heavily, staring stupidly at the sky above her. She blinked. Were those stars or simply lights dancing before her eyes? She closed her eyes, deciding at this point, she didn’t really care.
    â€œFallon.” Something was shaking her. She tried to push it aside, but it