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

Together, the men each made their way out of the yard. One by one they each left using a different route.

“Are you ready?” Callum asked Sir Hugo.

Grimly, Sir Hugo nodded.

Callum waved at the carriage sitting in the middle of the barn.

“Get settled then. Oliver put a basket of food and drink together so we can eat without having to stop.”

He stood back while Sir Hugo awkwardly and painfully climbed aboard. When Sir Hugo was settled, Callum slammed the door closed, donned a thick cloak and climbed onto the driver’s seat.

“Later,” Phillip murmured before he nodded at Callum and left as well.

Callum waited long enough for Phillip to disappear, and then eased the carriage out of the barn. He felt the heavy weight of his gun resting against his hip. It should have been reassuring to have it, but Callum knew that even heavily armed, Sir Hugo had been captured and nearly killed by Melrose. Further, his gun would be sodding useless if a gunman shot him during an ambush. He might never get to see the man who murdered him in cold blood.

While he spent the meandering journey out of the area looking for people lurking by the side of the road, Callum still had plenty of time to think. Inevitably, his thoughts turned to Mallory. What was he going to do when they all reached Cornwall as planned, and the time came for him to walk away from her? Could he? Should he? Would he be able to get on with his life if he did?

Even while he asked himself that last question, Callum knew the answer.

“No. I could not just go back to the investigation and not think about her. Even now, I am thinking about her.”

“Then understand what that means,” Sir Hugo mumbled from within the depths of the carriage. “Stop.”

Callum tipped his head to hear him better. “What?”

“Stop the carriage.”

Callum reluctantly stopped. His shoulders tensed. He turned to study the landscape while Sir Hugo shockingly left the carriage. Tugging his cloak up, he awkwardly clambered onto the bench seat beside Callum.

“What do you think you are doing?” Callum asked as he watched the man wince and settle into the most comfortable position he could manage.

“Sitting beside you. I have a few broken rips, a broken hand, and cuts and bruises that need Harriett’s poultices, but I am not a sodding invalid. Besides, I need some fresh air and you need another pair of eyes to help look for an ambush.”

There was a cold hint of finality in Sir Hugo’s voice that warned Callum not to object.

With a shake of his head, Callum flicked the reins and guided the carriage in a new direction.

“You should not ignore how she makes you feel,” Sir Hugo said suddenly many miles later.

“I don’t know her,” Callum growled.

“I will admit that it is best not to label your protective instincts toward her as anything more just now. You have, after all, been given orders to protect her. Being protective of her is an instinct that you have been told to engage in. It is inevitable that you should feel that way because she is essential to your completing your mission as instructed.”

“This is more,” Callum replied without hesitation. It was the truth.

“If you know that deep in your gut then you would do well to abide by it. What I will say is that you should spend some time with her at the end of the mission and see how you feel when you return to work If you cannot find yourself able to stay away then what you feel is personal, and you should return to her and do everything possible to keep her in your life.”

“And if I don’t want to be with her?”

“Then leave her to get on with her life.”

“She has no home to go back to,” Callum warned.

“I know, but you have been tasked with getting her out of Melrose House and keeping her safe. You have not been instructed to look after her future. You are expected to hand her over to your colleagues who will oversee that part of the mission.”

“How? Do you plan to keep men guarding her even when Melrose has been arrested?”

Sir Hugo slid him a look. “No. You know we do not have the manpower for that. We will make sure she is financially compensated for the losses she has sustained.”