Page 30 of Payback

“Come any closer, and I’ll wring the whore’s neck,” snarled Carbuncle.

A shudder ran down my spine, and sweat poured down my brow.

“Fredrickson is an excellent marksman,” said Edward, his voice cold. “If you continue to hold Miss Hobson, I will order him to shoot.”

“Then he’ll shoot her,” shouted the former caretaker.

My eyes darted to Fredrickson, and I sent him a silent plea to shoot. I would rather take my chances on his skills than on the mercy of Mr. Carbuncle.

Mr. Carbuncle’s rasping breaths filled my ears. He hoisted me up, so I covered most of his head, and the thick bristles of his mustache rubbed against my ear. Disgust rippled through my insides, and my stomach heaved.

“What are you doing?” barked one of the huntsmen. “Stop that!”

“Put. Her. Down,” snarled Edward.

No matter how much I tried to wriggle out of his grip, Mr. Carbuncle held on tighter.

Edward turned to Fredrickson. “Aim for the elbow of the arm with the hand clamped around her mouth. If he flinches and turns around, aim for his back.”

Mr. Carbuncle threw me down onto the ground. I fell onto my hands and knees and stayed low. As he sprinted into the woods, gunshots filled the air. None of them were accompanied by the sound of a heavy body hitting the ground. My heart sank, but a pained bellow from behind the trees filled me with vicarious triumph.

When I turned around, it was Edward holding the gun. I hadn’t seen him this furious since the time he flipped over the head table. He handed it back to Fredrickson and strode toward me, his eyes softening. The two other men sprinted past into the woods, presumably to capture an injured Mr. Carbuncle.

“Are you hurt?” Edward knelt at my side, hands reaching for my arms but not quite touching. It was as though he was afraid of exacerbating any injuries.

“Fine, I think.” The bruises around my torso from my time in London twinged from the rough handling, and Mr. Carbuncle’s foul, tobacco scent lingered in my hair, on the back of my blazer, and under my nose. “Though I think I’ll need another shower.”

He pulled me up to my feet and wrapped his strong arms around my shoulders. “I thought we would have to shoot him with you in his arms.”

At his touch, all the tension in my muscles drained into the ground, and I let out a long, relieved sigh. Edward’s cedar and cypress scent filled my nostrils, and I melted against his hard body. If he hadn’t been there… My mind didn’t want to explore the possibilities. Tears welled behind my eyelids. I was with Edward and safe.

“I’m glad you managed to get him,” I murmured. “Where did your shot hit?”

“I’m not as accurate as Fredrickson. The gun was filled with birdshot, so he’ll be left with small, lead pellets embedded in his back.”

“Which means he’ll have to go to a doctor to get them out.”

“Or a vet.” Edward pulled out his phone and called a number. Moments later, he reported the incident to someone who sounded like campus security, and then he called the police.

The two men emerged from the woods. “He had a vehicle at the east driveway leading out to Highdown Hill,” said Fredrickson. “We heard him leave and saw the tracks. He was too far away to get a registration, but it was a white pickup truck.”

Edward thanked the men and turned to me, his eyes stormy. “Sorry.”

I drew back and frowned. “What for?”

“I left you to pick those flowers.”

Shaking my head, I placed a hand on the side of his face. It was typical of him to carry too much responsibility on his shoulders, but this was ridiculous. We had been less than ten feet apart. “Did you know Mr. Carbuncle was lurking behind the trees?”

A breath huffed out of his nostrils. “Of course not.”

“Then there’s no need to apologize. We were unlucky, and he caught us off-guard. If it wasn’t for you alerting the others, he would have taken me away.”

A few minutes later, campus security arrived in two vehicles. After we had given them an account of what happened, one of the officers drove us through the estate, back to the campus. Edward turned to me in the back seat. “I want you to carry something with you, in case he strikes again.”

The muscles of my throat flexed. “He will.”

“Did he say?”