Page 24 of Stolen By the Heartless Duke

“That is not the same thing,” Jane said.

The duke exhaled slowly through his nose, like he was restraining a comment that would not be polite. Then he said, “Go home.”

Jane’s jaw tightened. “No.”

His gaze locked onto hers, and Jane became suddenly aware of how close he was standing.

Too close for propriety. Too close for sense. Too close for a man she was meant to distrust entirely. And yet she did not move. Propriety had gone out of the window some time ago.

“You are very determined,” he said quietly.

“I am desperate,” she corrected.

His jaw clenched. “I might be able to use that. You are a woman in possession of information to which I do not have access.”

Jane stiffened. “And what information would that be?”

“Access to your brother’s world,” he said. “His habits. His acquaintances. His patterns.”

Jane scoffed. “You think Colin has a ‘world’ you can simply decode?”

“I think every man does,” the duke replied evenly. “Including your brother.”

There was something infuriatingly certain in his tone. Jane shook her head. “Colin is not like your brother. And your brother is not like mine.”

The duke’s gaze darkened slightly at that. “That remains to be seen.”

Jane took another step forward now, closing the space between them without thinking. “This is aboutmybrother,” she said, her voice low. “Not yours.Mine.”

The duke did not move away. Instead, his gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. Then back to her eyes. Jane felt it like a physical pull in her chest.

“And I want to find him just as much as you want to find yours,” she added sharply, forcing herself to keep her tone steady.

He said, “If your brother is not found…”

Jane held still.

“Hewillbe found,” she stated. “He must be. Otherwise…”

She stopped. The duke was a stranger. She couldn’t reveal the hardship she and her mother were facing just because they shared a goal.

“Otherwise?” the duke prompted.

For a moment, something instinctive rose in her throat, her truth, sharp and unguarded. But she swallowed it down before it could surface.

“It is not relevant,” she said instead.

His brow furrowed slightly. “It is relevant if I am going to help you.”

“Your Grace. Let us focus on the search, all right? That is what matters now,” she replied.

Then, unexpectedly, the duke stepped back. Just slightly. Enough to re-establish a sliver of distance between them. Jane did not know whether to feel relieved or irritated by it. He glanced past her toward the alley’s exit, then back to her.

“Very well. I came here for my own investigation,” he said. “This establishment is a rather… sought-after destination amongst wealthier men in London.”

Jane blinked. “Thisplace?”

His gaze flicked to her, mildly unimpressed. “Yes.Thisplace.”