Read Online Jenna Petersen - [Lady Spies] by Seduction Is Forever - Free Book Online Page B

would be unmasked…and that would be the least of her troubles.
    “Please, sir, please! Before we can’t get out!” She yanked Grant to his feet and tugged him toward the door.
    There was a moment of hesitation, like he wanted to finish the fight, no matter how outmatched he was. But then Grant grabbed her hand and ran with only a backward glance over his shoulder. Within seconds, the crowd turned ugly. The drunken men and women booed, throwing bottles as the two of them made their escape.
    The cold air slapped Emily’s face and tightened her already painful lungs, making drawing air all the more difficult. Her side ached with a twinge of leftover pain from her attack six months before. It was a bitter reminder of how she had panicked earlier. She winced as she recalled how overwhelmed she’d been in the hallway.
    “Come,” Grant said, keeping hold of her hand as he hurried them along the broken sidewalk.
    She clung tight to him, allowing herself a very brief moment of comfort from his presence as she subtly rubbed her scar through her gown.
    Comfort? No. She was the protector here. Shaking away those feelings, she watched Grant. He didn’t seem to be phased by anything that had happened as he maneuvered them to a side alley where his coach was waiting.
    This rescue of his was the perfect opportunity to uncover more about the threats against him if she stuck to her role. And a painted-up woman of the night would be shocked by what she saw before her.
    “Lor!” she said on a low whistle. “Did you steal that rig?”
    Grant’s mouth set in a thin line as he yanked open the door and surprised her by shoving her inside. Why was he taking her with him?
    “No,” he said. “It’s not stolen.”
    “So that symbol on the side is yours?” she asked as he pulled the door shut and pounded for his driver to go. Darkness enveloped them and she breathed a sigh of relief. He wouldn’t recognize her now. She had a few blessed moments to plot her escape.
    “Yes.”
    “What the hell is a rich man like you, with a title to boot, doin’ down here by Newgate? Don’t you know The Blue Pony ain’t safe?”
    She leaned forward, hoping for an answer. Sometimes men confessed their souls to women like the one she was portraying. If she could get some insight into Grant’s dealings, any tidbit at all, it would almost be worth seeing him lose control in the gaming hall.
    Almost.
    “You’ve got a lot of questions,” he muttered and she heard him reaching around in his coat.
    Suddenly there was a flash of flint and he lit a cigar. For the brief moment the flame blazed up, Emily saw the haggard expression on his face. The look seemed to wrap itself around her heart and squeeze until her whole chest hurt. How she wanted to understand that look of pain. Take it away. And she knew full well that had nothing to do with her case.
    “I’ve got one for you, miss,” he continued as he puffed the cigar.
    She tensed. “I don’t like questions.”
    “Neither do I. What’s your name?”
    Panic clawed at Emily, but she forced it away. She’d been in far worse situations before. Calm was her best defense.
    “A woman like me is better off without no name. What about you, me lord?”
    “You can call me Grant,” he said quietly. “Where can I take you?”
    She hesitated. So he hadn’t taken her with him in order to buy her for the night. This was all still part of his attempt to save her. She frowned. It wasn’t as if she could direct him to take her back to her home on St. James Street. And she didn’t think it was wise to be dropped in the area of London they were in now. Not when she was dressed like a lightskirt and had no way to summon her own driver.
    But there was one place. The home she and her friends had bought as a refuge in the field. A middle-class, plain residence that no one knew about but them. It had no official link to her, so if Grant investigated, he wouldn’t make the connection.
    Quickly, she gave directions.