Hiding Rose (Saved By Desire 5)

“He is working,” Reg replied apologetically. “He isn’t available right now.”

Rose’s stomach dipped as she thought about what they had shared. “Is he in danger?” she whispered.

“Not at the minute, ma’am. He is working with the rest of the men to locate Chadwick. We need to get you out of here because there is too much risk you might be found,” Ben offered gently.

Rose could see nothing in her situation that had changed over the course of the last couple of hours. When she saw regret in both men’s eyes, she suspected they weren’t being completely honest with her.

“I want to talk to him,” she demanded.

“It isn’t possible, I am afraid. Now, if you are ready, you need to put this cloak on so we can get out of here. There is a carriage waiting for you at the back of the building. We need to go.” Reg held a cloak out for her to walk into.

“What is the urgency?” Rose asked. “Why can’t I wait for Barnaby to come back?”

Ben shook his head sadly. “He isn’t coming back, ma’am. He told us that we are to get you to London quickly but you weren’t to wait for him.”

Rose stared blankly at the floor while she considered that. It felt like a betrayal that Barnaby hadn’t taken the time to tell her this himself. Did she really mean that little to him?

It appears so, she thought sadly.

She was so lost in the hurt that settled over her that she didn’t even notice when Reg draped the cloak around her shoulders and closed the clasp. It was only when he tugged the hood over her head that she looked at him.

“I am sorry, but there is nothing else for it. Orders are orders, and the boss wants you away from here,” Reg said quietly.

Damn the man, Rose thought as she made her way to the door. She wanted to protest but she knew it was futile. Tears stung her lashes but she blinked them away. Without looking at either man, or the room behind her, she drew in a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and stalked out of the room where everything in her life had changed.

Barnaby watched the door close and let out a blistering curse. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed to remain where he was and listen to their receding footsteps. He was placing his trust in his colleagues to keep her safe and couldn’t decide if he was being a fool or not. Either way he knew it was safer for her to be out of the area.

Now that he was alone he looked down at the red welt on this upper arm. During the fight someone had used a blade on him. It was a surface wound, but it had bled profusely. It was part of the reason why he had chosen to remain out of sight until Rose had left. While he didn’t want to hide the harsh realities of his work from her, he knew that it would be impossible to get her to leave if she knew he was injured.

Shaking his head in disgust, he tore at the fabric of his sleeve to reveal the three inch gash in his upper arm. In search of water to clean it, he stalked into the bedroom. His step faltered when he saw the rumpled sheets on the bed. He had to force himself to keep walking across the room to the wash-stand and tidy himself up. The strange, bereft feeling which swept over him was uncomfortable, and left in its wake a sense of dissatisfaction with life that didn’t come from the problems the Star Elite faced. He suspected that his world would not feel right until he had her back beside him where she belonged.

“Need a hand?”

Barnaby spun around. He stared in disgust at the man in the doorway, but was unsurprised the he could move silently. Noah worked for the Star Elite after all and had been trained by the very best.

“I didn’t realise you knew where we had chosen to stay,” Barnaby replied casually.

Reg’s words hung in the back of his mind, and he looked at the man before him with new eyes. He hated to suspect such a long standing friend as Noah but there was something about the man that had changed slightly.

“It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that someone dressed as high-brow as she was wouldn’t be living in the slums around here, or in the vaults,” Noah replied jovially in a false attempt to be affable. “There aren’t all that many hotels around here close to the water that would make someone like her feel at home. You landed on your feet there, Barny-boy.”

Barnaby made no attempt to discourage the connection between him and Rose, and remained quiet while Noah looked pointedly at the tousled bed.

“She isn’t here, Noah,” Barnaby replied. He leaned his hips against the wash stand, aware that Noah was studying his arm.

“I see they have given you a hard time already.” Noah nodded to the wound.

Barnaby shrugged. “It is nothing I can’t handle.”

“Do you really think you have any chance of catching him?” Noah asked rather too intently for the question to be part of casual conversation.

“I know we will catch not just Chadwick, but Sayers, and everyone connected to them both. Men like Chadwick are stupid. They have a lot of people in their employ but they are foolish and think they can get away with the crimes they commit. He will make a mistake at some point, and the Star Elite will be there to capture him when he does,” Barnaby murmured smoothly, his tone full of arrogance.

His eyes met Noah’s. He saw something new in his friend’s gaze; something he hadn’t expected to find, and it saddened him.

“Why did you do it, Noah?” he murmured quietly. He kept his face blank, and was careful not to betray even a hint of the raging emotions that surged through him.

Their eyes met. Barnaby saw Noah’s instinctive denial. He lifted his brows and waited. Noah’s mouth opened and closed. Barnaby shook his head slowly; a silent warning not to even try to lie and watched Noah’s face change. Noah suddenly turned into someone Barnaby had never seen before; someone harsh and cruel who would most definitely be callous enough to murder his friends for money.