Page 62 of Surrender

Jamie’s irreverent grin made Theo direct a baleful glance at his cousin, which only made the man’s smile widen. Without another word, Jamie raced down the alley, while Theo kept his gaze pinned on the shadows along Mansel Street. His cousin had been gone almost fifteen minutes, and Theo was about to follow Simpson and Jamie, when he stopped. Several doors down from the Fox and Hound, he saw something move in the shadows. A moment later, a man of medium height and build stepped out into the moonlit street and headed in the same direction as Simpson.

“Fuck,” Theo said below his breath.

Jamie had been right. There was someone tracking Simpson. Theo waited until the man was only a few yards from the corner of Mansel and Alie, before he poked his head out of the alleyway to ensure there wasn’t someone else lying in wait to render him unconscious.

Satisfied there weren’t any surprises waiting for him, Theo walked after the man at a leisurely pace, his long stride allowing him to keep the man in his sight. A few moments later, the man turned onto Alie Street. Increasing his pace a little, Theo rounded the corner of the intersection of Mansel and Alie. Tension knotted Theo’s muscles as he stared down the empty street. The man had disappeared, but a brief second later, Theo saw him walking in the shadows.

Simpson and Jamie were nowhere to be seen, and the man Theo followed picked up his stride until he stopped in front of The Black Horse. The man peered into the window of the pub, then entered the establishment. Careful not to be seen, Theo took a quick look through the window and people inside. Simpson sat in the far corner, and the man he’d been following took a seat at Freddie’s table. It was impossible to see his face, which left Theo in the dark as to who the man was. His gaze swept across the faces he could make out in the pub, then went rigid.

“Goddamn you, Westbury, I’m going to have your head on a platter,” he rasped with soft dismay.

Jamie sat at the bar chatting with the barkeep as if he were a long-time customer. His cousin was too fond of risk-taking for his own good. If Simpson were to even think he’d seen Jamie before, it would be dangerous.

The only other man Theo considered even more dangerous than Simpson was the Prussian they were hunting. He was elusive, clever, and extremely skilled with a switchblade, as proven by the four agents the man had murdered, including Peter.

Theo’s gaze shifted from his cousin to Freddie and his companion. Simpson was far from happy with the man. The stranger said something, and Freddie waved his hand at his companion in a sharp, dismissive motion. It was an obvious gesture for the man to leave, but it didn’t have the desired effect.

The man facing Simpson reclined back in his chair, turned, and raised his hand as he called out something to the barkeep. It was the first clear view of the man’s face, and Theo didn’t recognize him. There was nothing extraordinary about him that would make one remember the man, unless one made a concerted effort to do so.

Simpson’s companion gave the impression he was an office worker from one of the businesses along the docks. In fact, he could easily be a bookkeeper or shop foreman overseeing the unloading of cargo. The question was, what had prompted him to meet with Simpson, and why had Freddie tried to send him away.

Behind the bar, the tapster nodded at the stranger, filled a mug with ale, then moved to deliver the drink. Before the barkeep could come out from behind the counter, Jamie waved him to a halt. His cousin said something with a grin, which made the barkeep laugh, then nod as he handed the mug of ale to his cousin.

Theo uttered a low, dark groan. Not happy to simply follow Simpson into the pub, Jamie had decided to raise the ante and serve the ale to the stranger himself. Theo’s mouth tightened with anger. If Simpson didn’t kill his cousin first, Theo was going to do it for him.

A wide grin tipping his mouth upward, Jamie set the mug down in front of the stranger. His cousin didn’t address Freddie, focusing his attention on the stranger as he gestured toward the bar. Whatever his cousin had said, the stranger laughed, and Jamie grinned at the man’s response. His cousin turned away as if headed back to the bar, but Simpson’s companion caught Jamie by the arm and gestured for him to join him and Freddie.

Hand raised in protest, Jamie shook his head, apparently saying he didn’t want to interrupt them. The stranger brushed Jamie’s protest with a wave of his hand and urged Theo’s cousin to join them. As Jamie sat down at the table, Theo’s mouth thinned with anger as he began to plan exactly how he was going to make his cousin sorry he ever agreed to join the Secret Intelligence Service.

From where he stood, Theo had a good view of Jamie as he interacted with Simpson’s companion. Although he tried to engage Freddie in the conversation, the man glared at him and didn’t speak. With a shrug, Jamie turned back to the stranger to continue conversing with the man. A few minutes later, a man appeared from the back of the bar and went to Freddie to whisper something in the man’s ear.

The slow, malicious smile curving Simpson’s mouth made Theo’s heart sink. The man had learned who Jamie was. Simpson nodded and appeared to give an order to the man. Although his cousin’s interest seemed fully focused on Simpson’s companion, Theo knew Jamie would be trying to hear the exchange between Freddie and his informant.

The man who’d carried a message to Simpson disappeared, and Freddie gestured to the barkeep to bring another round of ale to the table. As Theo studied the trio, a rancid odor filled his nostrils. It was a pungent aroma, the smell of something rotting in the street.

Odd, he’d not noticed the pungent aroma when he had arrived at The Black Horse’s front window. With a grimace of distaste, he breathed through his mouth to stop the sudden nausea that accompanied the foul smell. Puzzled as to why he’d not noticed the odor before now, Theo frowned.

A quiet noise whispered behind him as the foul smell of rotting teeth and unwashed bodies overpowered his senses. The nasty chuckle in his ears made his blood run cold, but Theo didn’t have a chance to turn around to face his assailant. Seconds later, something solid hit the back of his head, and an image of Genevieve filled his mind as the world vanished and Theo fell into a black void.

Chapter 18

What do you mean he’s missing?”

The Earl of Melton’s words rolled out of him like thunder, his expression dark with fear and anger. Not surprised by the Rockwoods patriarch’s reaction, Jamie’s gut twisted with guilt.

It was the same guilt he’d been experiencing since yesterday morning when he’d gone to Melton Imports to speak with Theo, only to discover no one had seen him. Jamie glanced at Vincent, before he answered his Uncle Sebastian’s question.

“Two nights ago, Theo and I were following Simpson and another man we haven’t identified yet. I followed Simpson, and Theo stayed behind to determine if someone else might be tracking Simpson’s movements,” Jamie explained in a quiet voice. “When I arrived at The Black Horse pub, I went in to have a drink at the bar and monitor Simpson. A short time later, I glimpsed Theo standing outside the pub in the shadows. It was the last time I saw him.”

At Jamie’s explanation, Sebastian Rockwood collapsed into his desk chair with an anguished look of helplessness. He stared at Jamie for a long moment, his expression that of someone in shock. He closed his eyes, his features taut with grim despair. The knot in Jamie’s gut tightened further, and his uncle’s expression intensified the guilt he was experiencing, as well as his own fear for Theo’s safety. Beside him, Vincent cleared his throat.

“Everyone is looking for him, Uncle Sebastian, and we’ve instructed all our informants to report back if they learn anything as to his whereabouts,” Vincent said quietly.

“The question is, will you find him alive.” The Earl of Melton said harshly, as he signed his vicious response to Vincent with sharp, pointed movements of his hands. The caustic comment made Jamie and Vincent flinch, before Jamie straightened his shoulders.

“We’ll find him alive, Uncle Sebastian,” Jamie said with a confidence he didn’t feel. He was certain he’d failed in his effort to sound optimistic based on the way Sebastian Rockwood stared back at him with a look that said his uncle didn’t believe him.

“Does Genevieve know?” Uncle Sebastian looked at Vincent signing the question with fast, violent movements, and Vincent shook his head.