A Spinster's Awakening (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 2)

“Is there any news from the magistrate yet?” Angus asked.

He shifted into a more comfortable position, so he could watch Charity. Thankfully, Lawrence hadn’t noticed her, but Angus suspected it was only a matter of time before he did.

“Just as soon as Lawrence senior is back inside, we are going to wait for the signal from Oliver and then kick the door in,” Aaron growled. “We don’t have the time to mess around with Charity. Not now, Angus.”

Angus nodded.

“If you must take her somewhere, you have got to hurry back. We can’t do this without you,” Aaron warned.

The men fell silent as they watched Mr Lawrence disappear into the house he had moved in to the day after he had left St Magdaline. The Star Elite had since learned that the house had been legitimately rented, but under the name of Mr Wendle, and only for a month.

Over the last several days, little had happened other than the Lawrences had met with Mr Horvat, only yesterday as a matter of fact. Unfortunately, Horvat had walked out of the house and promptly vanished. Justin and Jasper were currently out looking for him, but that left the men from the Star Elite with little support until the magistrate could get to them.

“Get her out of here, Angus,” Oliver suddenly growled.

Angus looked over his shoulder at his colleague. “How?” he demanded.

“Throw her over your shoulder if you have to. I don’t care what you do but get her off the damned street. We will hold off for an hour or two,” Oliver replied. “Get her back to t

he base. Lock her in if you have to, or tie her to the damned bed, just make sure she is out of the way while we get the targets off to gaol.”

Angus tugged the hood of his cloak up, but before he could do anything more than step out of the alley, a loud blast of gunfire shattered the silence.

What happened next was something that Angus knew he would remember for the rest of his life. The sight of Charity jerking violently while a large patch of red sprayed out around her was indelibly printed on his soul.

Angus couldn’t remember who shouted in protest. He couldn’t remember the second blast of gunfire that escaped the upper window. He didn’t notice both Aaron and Oliver pelt out of the alleyway, their weapons blasting gunfire into the house opposite.

All Angus could remember was racing down the street far too slowly while gunshots ricocheted all around him. His gaze remained locked on an unmoving Charity who, by the time he reached her, was staring blankly at the sky in a way that was all too familiar.

“Charity? Charity! God, Charity?” Angus jerked when the pavement beside him exploded.

Clutching her as tightly as he could, Angus raced for the sheltered protection of a low stone wall just a few feet away only for it to explode in a shower of dust before he reached it. Veering off to one side, he ran down the street. Left and right he raced in a zig-zag pattern to make it more difficult for the gunman to hit him. He hunched over her, trying his best to protect her from any further bullets. Behind him, the street continued to echo hauntingly with the ear-splitting sound of gunfire, but Angus didn’t bother to glance back.

When he reached a point in the road where the gunman wouldn’t be able to see him, Angus ducked into an alley between two houses. Once there, he leaned against the wall. His chest heaved from exertion, but that didn’t even register on him. All he could do was stare in stunned disbelief at the woman in his arms.

“Angus?” Charity whispered. She fought the haze of pain that threatened to make her sick and forced her eyes open.

“What the bloody Hell did you think you were doing?” Angus gasped, but without heat.

“It is you,” Charity murmured when she saw his beloved face hovering above her.

When she tried to lift her hand to touch him, just to make sure he was real, the burning in her shoulder became unbearable. Charity cried out in distress and instinctively curled into him.

Angus held her tighter. He struggled to force words past the lump in his throat. Each time he looked at the blood oozing from her shoulder, he felt his world crumble just a little bit more.

“We have to get you to the doctor,” he grunted.

Charity, who felt considerably stronger now that she knew Angus was with her, forced herself to ignore the pain.

“Put me down,” she demanded.

Angus was reluctant to release his hold on her and shook his head.

“You are still bleeding,” Angus breathed.

“I am fine,” Charity assured him around a pained smile.

Out in the street, sporadic bursts of gunfire, together with the startled shouts of the residents, increased in ferocity.