His Wicked Seduction novel Chapter 70

He had no plan and no weapon. It had to be a trap, he knew, yet somehow it felt like the devil's due. When at last he reached the cottage his breath was ragged. He practically wrenched the door from its frame as he stormed inside.

The cottage was dark and quiet but he heard a pained whimper down the hall. Cedric immediately regretted the noise he'd made in entering. No doubt his sister's abductor knew he was here. There was a muffled shriek and Cedric rushed headlong down the hall.

He burst inside and found Horatia crumpled in a heap on the floor next to the bed. Rose petals strewn the floor and bed around her, mixing with the blood on her lip and the slashes on her arms. A man stood with a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other. He raised the pistol at Cedric's chest.

"So glad that you could join us, Lord Sheridan. Do have a seat. That chair." The man pointed to a chair by Horatia.

Before him stood one of Rochester's footmen, Gordon, dressed in the green livery of Rochester Hall. The same servant who had indirectly confirmed to him that Lucien and Horatia had been stealing away together.

"Sit down. Now," Gordon said, cocking the pistol.

"Cedric, get out of here!" Horatia hissed.

"I'm not leaving you." Cedric did not sit down, but he made no move to leave.

Gordon calmly swung the pistol towards Horatia.

"The situation is quite simple. You will sit in that chair, Sheridan, or I will splatter the wall with her brains."

Cedric slowly took a seat and waited. Gordon kicked a coil of rope towards Horatia.

"Bind his hands and feet to the chair. Bind him tight, or else." Horatia took the rope with shaky hands and got to her feet.

"It's all right," Cedric whispered. "Just do as he says." Cedric remained outwardly calm, but the fury in his eyes warned her that he had not given up yet. Horatia tied the rope around his boots and wrists. Cedric stretched and flexed against his bonds once she was done and the murderous look he gave Gordon made the footman smile.

"To be honest, this is not how I wanted to handle this commission at all. If it was up to me, I'd have killed you your first day here and been off before anyone woke. But I'm afraid my instructions were quite specific on a number of points, such as prolonging your discomfort."

"Who hired you?" Cedric demanded.

"I believe you know," Gordon replied simply. "And if you don't, well, it won't really matter much longer. Now, Miss Sheridan, be so kind as to lie down on the bed. I wish to enjoy you while your brother watches. It is Christmas, after all."

Horatia stumbled away from the bed in horror.

"Don't you touch her!" Cedric shouted, yanking on the ropes. "You have me already, just finish me and be done with it."

Gordon put on a theatrical performance of confusion. "Oh? I'm sorry. You must have misunderstood. My instructions regarding prolonged discomfort and death were for your sister. I was instructed not to kill you unless absolutely necessary." Gordon started towards Horatia, a gleam in his cold gray eyes.

"Run! For God's sake run!" he shouted at his sister.

Horatia made it halfway down the hall before Gordon caught up with her. He grabbed her by the hair and yanked her backward. She shrieked as Gordon pulled the knife back against her throat, drawing a trickle of blood. Horatia ceased fighting him then, and he dragged her back into the bedroom.

"Please. You may do with me what you will...but do not make my brother watch."

"I believe my employer would prefer it if he did." Gordon shoved Horatia onto the bed. She grunted in pain and rolled onto her back just as Gordon charged towards her.

Cedric said nothing. He didn't give a damn what the man had in store for him. He focused solely on his sister and the way she laid in a crumpled heap against the wall.

With no answer forthcoming, Gordon strode over to the fireplace. He used the poker to drag a log out of the fireplace and onto the floor. Slowly flames began to lick at the edges of the floor. Then he came over to Cedric and with his good arm cut his bindings. Before Cedric could fight him, Gordon rammed the pistol into his stomach.

"Move. I want you to walk out of this cottage ahead of me. I may need you if others have arrived."

"I'm not leaving my sister," Cedric snarled.

"Yes, you are, or I put a bullet through you and you won't be able to save anyone. You still have one sister left. Are you going to leave her as well?"

Fear exploded through Cedric, but he wouldn't give up on Horatia. He would never give up on her.

"Horatia! Horatia wake up!" he hollered as he was pulled away. The flames from the log began to creep along the floor and up the curtains of the window.

Horatia did not stir. Blood trickled from her forehead. She had to be alive, she had to be! While the small fire danced, the crimson rose petals lit up one by one, flames devouring them in flashes like fireflies. As they exited the house, Gordon stumbled on the bottom step.

Cedric turned and grappled with him over the pistol. Cedric shoved against the footman's broken arm, causing him to cry out and drop the weapon. Cedric kicked it away and pushed the man back. He had mere seconds to either fight the villain and turn the tables, or to run back into the cottage to save his sister.

The choice was clear.

He dove back into the darkened doorway, rushing headlong towards the fire.