Read Online Randall's Romance (Behind Closed Doors) by Lee Brazil - Free Book Online Page A

tenuous hold on the family name has been acknowledged in your death if Uncle Sebastian hadn't the courage or honor to do so in his lifetime."
    Startled, Jason opened his mouth to speak but Randall cut him off.
    "I'm here to find and shut down the avenue of information. I take it that is your intent as well?"
    "In part, I intend to avenge my men. Doing so should ensure that the information highway is closed as well."
    "And you think that these gentlemen on the beach tonight are connected to our traitors?"
    It warmed him a little, humbled him, how readily Gretton accepted his word. "I'm fairly certain of it. I found a diary of sorts at Gravesend's and it indicated that this town was a key location. There are, of course, a number of smuggling gangs working the area, but I've spent the last two weeks watching, and all the rest have proven to be mundane brandy smugglers. A bit of tobacco, the occasional trinket. None of them deals in people, and despite their shipping ventures, all of them appear to be stalwart supporters of the crown and country."
    "You are correct. According to my source, this group has occasionally brought in a bit of human cargo. They have dealings with some Frenchman who comes over with them at times. They are paid well, and don't ask questions."
    Lust drained away and a flare of triumph took its place. "Then whoever he is, he is our man."
    "He's not. He's just some French courier. The man we want is the one who delivers the packages to him."
    "You're right of course. We should get closer to the beach, see what we can hear."
    "Me thinks ye've already heard a'plenty." Pain exploded at the base of his skull as he saw Randall's eyes widen.
     
     

Chapter Nine
     
    Nudging a loosened tooth with the tip of his tongue, Randall spat a mouthful of coppery blood on the sandy rock floor of the cave. Another meaty paw grabbed him by the shoulder, another fist caught under his chin sending him reeling into yet another of the smugglers. "There's been a misunderstanding." He mumbled through swollen lips. He frantically tried to find Jason in the darkness. The man had gone down like a stone when the behemoth had struck him from behind. A swarm of ill-tempered ruffians had followed him into the cave, and every last one of them had taken one look at Randall and recognized the Riding Officer who'd recently moved to the village.
    "Only misunderstandin' here is why you keep standing. Yer friend there got the right of it." This time the blow knocked Randall to his knees, and he grimaced as his lame ankle twisted painfully under him. Sweat stung his eyes and the split in his lip. Fear, for himself, for the defenseless Jason, chilled him more than the late autumn night had.
    "Hey! Get that cargo stowed and let's go!" The commanding voice stilled the taunts and slowed the vicious circle, but a gritty boot lashed out and struck Randall in the ribs sending him crashing to the ground, clutching at his side in agony.
    "What the fuck?"
    "Found us a riding officer, cap'n. He were here when we brought the cargo in."
    "Fuck it." The smuggler's ringleader cursed when he stepped into the cavern and saw the circle of snarling men taking turns kicking and punching at Randall. "You lot! Get the casks put away and let's clear out!"
    "He's a revenue officer, Cal!" The protest came from a broken toothed man who'd grinned with pleasure while punching Randall in the kidneys. "We should kill them."
    "Tie them up. Let the tide take care of them." The voice came from the shadows, well behind the man called Cal and out of Randall's sight. That French accent was unmistakable though. Could this be the man Peregrine sent him to find? The man Jason sought? "We've deliveries to make tonight."
    The hulking figure that the other men called Cal grabbed Randall by the shoulder and manhandled him into a corner. Head spinning, Randall squinted at the man through a trickle of blood from a cut in his forehead. Someone had thrown him into the wall of the cave and