Phillip released his grip. He dropped his gaze and took a breath. ‘What age?’
‘About fifty something.’
He went cold. ‘Hair colour?’
‘Silver.’
Phillip cursed.
‘Do you know him?’
‘What did he say to you?’
‘He told me to help him. He grabbed me and tried to drag me to the village, but I refused. I swung my basket at his face. He had a scar down the right side. It was fresh. It was still bleeding. I ran away while he was nursing it.’
Carlotta had barely finished before Phillip unlocked the door and slammed the bolts back.
‘Don’t unlock this door until I get back. Stay inside,’ he growled as he yanked the door open.
‘Is he one of your friends? Do you know him?’ Carlotta called after him.
‘Just stay inside the house. Wait until you hear three knocks, a pause, and then two more knocks. That is me. Answer this door or I will damned well kick it down,’ Phillip growled before stalking out of the house.
He had barely reached the corner of the property when he ran into one of the two men who had been knocking on the front door.
‘Ah! There you are,’ the man called with far too much joviality to be believed. While he spoke, his narrow, beady eyes slid effortlessly over every inch of garden and house behind Phillip.
Phillip could only pray that Carlotta had closed the door behind him. Rather than look at the door, he squared up to the man before him and watched the intruder’s worried gaze fall to the gunshot wound on his shoulder.
‘This is private property,’ Phillip growled darkly. ‘Get off this land.’
The man didn’t move. His friend did. He appeared around the corner of the house and made his way toward them despite having heard what Phillip had said.
The tallest of the two thugs lifted his hands in a placating gesture. ‘We are just here for a young woman. She was seen heading this way a half hour ago. W
e just want a word with her.’
‘What has she done?’ Phillip demanded.
‘She hasn’t done anything,’ the smallest of the thugs replied.
Phillip eyed the man’s gun. ‘Then why are you carrying guns? It is a bit heavy handed for a casual conversation isn’t it? No wonder she is avoiding you.’
He looked up in time to catch a brief flash of anger in the face of the man closest to him. The men shared a look.
‘It seems that you have been in a few skirmishes yourself, eh?’ the thug drawled.
‘My behaviour on my own property is nothing to do with either of you. She isn’t here.’ Phillip stared hard at the two thugs but neither of them moved.
‘We know she is here,’ one of the thugs stated.
‘Then you would also know that she wants nothing to do with you. You don’t work with the magistrate and have no authority to be on my property. If I say she isn’t here, she isn’t here. Even if she was, I wouldn’t hand her over to you if she didn’t want to go. Forcing a woman to go somewhere she doesn’t wish to go is kidnap.’ Phillip then squinted at the thugs. ‘Are you involved in that kidnapping gang who have been snatching women from Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire? Is this woman your new target? I have read all about you in the newspapers.’
‘That wasn’t us,’ one of the thugs protested.
‘But you want to force the woman to go with you. Clearly, if she has run away from you she doesn’t want to come with you. Taking her anyway is kidnap,’ Phillip protested.
‘We work for her father,’ the oldest of the thugs announced.