To Have A Heart (A New Adventure Begins - Star Elite 7)

“Lead Horace,” Callum ordered, handing Mallory the reins.

Mallory dutifully took the reins and shivered when Callum removed his gun and checked it for shot.

“We have to go,” she whispered, growing more and more uneasy by the second.

The cause of that growing uneasiness became evident when they approached the end of the small lane to find Melrose’s men waiting for them. The loud clicks of their guns being cocked brought Callum and Mallory to an immediate stop.

Callum mentally cursed because he knew that he would be riddled with shot within seconds if he took one wrong step or tried to speak. He didn’t even look at Mallory, who had become equally still beside him.

It wasn’t lost on Mallory that they too were now like the townsfolk had been moments earlier, perfectly still and sullenly watchful.

And all because of Melrose and his men.

“Get away from her,” one of the guards growled.

“She isn’t yours,” Callum replied, doing his best to keep his voice low and non-threatening.

“She isn’t yours neither,” the man replied.

He waved his gun to show Callum which way he should step to get away from Mallory.

“They are going to hunt you down and kill you all,” Callum informed the men, even though he knew they wouldn’t listen. “Do you think that anybody who can level a building like Melrose House with an explosion like that is ever going to allow any of you to sleep in your beds at night?”

“Who are you?”

“We work for the War Office. You are a fool if you think you can challenge the might of the War Office and succeed. The men who run the War Office have entire armies at their disposal; Armies who have just returned to England having fought the French and won. Do you really think those Armies are going to be thwarted by a gang of ill-trained men like you? Or do you think you should get running now while you still have a chance of keeping your life? I am one of them, you see. If I disappear or are killed while on duty, my death must be avenged. As does Mallory’s. She is one of us, you see, so if she belongs anywhere it is with me.”

“She is War Office?” The man, clearly a little lacking in intellect, scowled and scratched his head.

He looked at his colleagues who appeared equally nonplussed.

Mallory suspected the men had been hired purely because they were uneducated as well, and less likely to ask Melrose questions he wouldn’t answer. The thugs were being paid, poorly, but more than they would earn doing anything else.

“The boss wants her back.”

“But the boss kidnapped her,” Callum challenged. “Do you really you want to take on the might of the Army to recover someone you have previously stolen?”

The thugs scowled at that.

“Do you really expect the Army to simply step back and let you kidnap someone for a second time?”

Callum folded his arms, aware that the man would have to take another moment to think about that.

Suddenly, a long whistle drew everyone’s attention to the fact they were no longer alone. The men scowled and looked around for the source of that noise. That temporary distraction was all Callum needed. Darting behind Horace, he slapped the horse on the rump. Horace lunged into motion, snatching the reins out of a startled Mallory’s hands. Seconds later, he was charging through the men toward the market square.

The men scrambled to get out of the way, but they paid the horse little attention. Instead, they tried to keep their wary gazes on Callum.

Then, all Hell broke loose again.

Callum snatched Mallory off her feet by curling one long arm around her waist while bullets rained down on the men in the street. Bricks exploded beside the entrance of the alley Callum dragged Mallory into, but it was the only hiding place they had.

Mallory, who slammed her fists into her mouth to stifle her terrified screams, slid silently down the wall until she was curled into a tiny ball. She was only partly aware of Callum positioning himself next to the wall before taking aim at anybody still standing in the street. Together with his colleagues, Callum set about defeating the enemy until there were no men standing; just a pile of bodies the villagers would have to clear away.

Only once the guns had fallen silent, and the last to fall had stopped writhing, did

the men from the Star Elite start to make their positions known.

“Clear.”