Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

“Go to Hell,” Rose snapped.

Latching onto the rage that flowed through her veins, Rose vented all the fear and worry that had plagued her since the moment she had watched him kill two men in cold blood. There was no earthly possibility that she was going to follow the killer’s orders and allow him to claim her as his next victim. While she had breath in her body, and Barnaby somewhere behind her, she had to fight.

“You will have to kill me first and believe me, I won’t go down without a fight,” she snarled in outrage. In spite of her bravado, she felt sick when he pressed the knife deeper into her neck in retaliation. Her eyes widened. She knew she didn’t have a moment to think. Forcing out all thought of the wicked blade against her, she threw herself bodily sideways at the same time that she yanked on Chadwick’s arm, pulling the blade free of her neck. Holding on to his arm she punched Chadwick in the stomach as hard as she could and then aimed another punch at his crotch. His resultant grunt of surprise released his hold on her, and gave her the freedom she needed to be able to charge out of the trees.

“Barnaby,” she gasped when she saw him only a few feet away. “You didn’t leave.”

“Where is he?”

“In there,” Rose replied nodding to the woods behind her. “Don’t go in there. He has a knife.”

“I know, but I have a gun,” Barnaby growled. “Get to the horse.” He shoved her in the direction of the waiting animal and turned his attention to the killer in the woods.

Rose wanted to stay with him but couldn’t face the thought of having to go back in there. For once doing as she was told, Rose lifted her skirts and ran.

To his disgust, by the time Barnaby reached the spot he had last seen Chadwick, the murderer had gone.

“Damn it,” Barnaby whispered. He stood in the shadows and listened intently to the sound of Chadwick’s receding footsteps. Shaking his head, he wondered why Chadwick hadn’t stopped to fight and quickly went after Rose.

“Come on. Now!” He ordered once he caught up with her. He practically threw her onto the horse’s back and vaulted on behind her, holding her tight against him as he wheeled the horse around and kicked it into a canter.

“Hold on to me tightly. Whatever you do, don’t look down and don’t talk. Just sit tight,” Barnaby commanded.

“Where is he?” Rose gasped as she studied the woods over his shoulder.

“Heading in the opposite direction at the minute,” Barnaby bit out. “I think he has gone to fetch his men. We aren’t going to wait around to find out. Hang on.”

Rose gasped when the horse, as eager to leave the area as they were, lunged forward. The heavy thundering of its hooves against the ground matched the rhythmic tattoo of her heartbeat. Terrified beyond words, Rose buried her head in Barnaby’s neck and clung on for dear life. She didn’t know which was worse; being at the wrong end of Chadwick’s gun, or sitting on a horse Barnaby was in charge of. Either way, if one didn’t kill her the other one would.

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere,” Barnaby growled.

He mentally plotted where he thought they were. If he was right, there was a shelter not too far away that would suit their purposes perfectly, but they would have to ride for the rest of the night to reach it. Still, it was safer than staying outside to get shot at. For the first time since he had wrestled Rose out of that ballroom, Barnaby began to believe that he could get her to safety after all.

CHAPTER EIGHT

How many miles they travelled over the next few hours Rose couldn’t be quite sure. While it was a relief not to see Chadwick again, half an hour after the incident in the woods it began to rain. Unfortunately, the occasional smatter of raindrops turned into a slow but steady drizzle that quickly turned into a deluge which soaked them both.

Rapidly tiring after such a long night the horse slowed its pace to a steady plod. Barnaby didn’t push it to go faster. If this horse was tired so was Chadwick’s. For now, they could relax a little.

“Are we going to stop soon?” Rose asked hopefully as she eyed a tiny village on the horizon.

“Yes, I think we all need to rest for a while,” Barnaby assured her.

Dawn had started to creep over the horizon and now cast everything in a grey haze. It was light enough to see the area. They were the only people outside for miles around.

Rose was beyond exhausted. She was cold, tired, and hungry, but none of that mattered in light of how closely Barnaby was holding her, and how safe and protected she truly felt at that moment. In spite of the obvious discomfort she felt from sitting sideways on a horse, she wouldn’t have changed where she was for the world. Still, it would be wonderful to get off the horse for a while.

“Alright?” he murmured.

“Yes,” she whispered, and she was – for now.

What little air there was between them positively crackled with sensual tension. At first, Rose tried to convince herself it was a figment of her wayward imagination but with each step the horse took she became increasingly aware of the way her body brushed against his, and the tingling sensations it created within her. A molten warmth settled somewhere deep in the pit of her belly. Where it came from and why it had to happen now was confusing though. She had never felt anything like it before. It was like an invisible cord had wrapped itself around them both, binding them together in a way that was impossible to break. Trying desperately to ignore her awareness of him, Rose focused on the village only to realise that they were leaving it behind.

“Where are we going?” she murmured, aware of the slight huskiness in her voice but unable to do anything about it.

“Up here. Look.” Barnaby nodded to a single storey building nestled beside a small stream. From the outside it barely looked habitable, but the doors and windows were intact, and it had a lean-to which was perfect for the horse.