There could be no doubt that he was outnumbered right now, especially when the man leaving the alley was swiftly followed by four other men.
Marguerite glanced at the carriage rolling steadily toward them and fought a scream. There was something about it that was horrifying. It might have been because the carriage was huge and jet black and was pulled with a pure black horse. Or, it could have been the tall, motionless coachman driving it. He was dressed entirely in black, with a muffler covering most of his face and a top hat covering his head. To Marguerite, he looked like death personified.
“Oh, good Lord,” she whispered at the sight of it, and quickly turned away.
“You are alright, just stay calm,” Joe ordered. He tried to keep his voice soothing, but he knew he failed when Marguerite gasped.
“Where has everyone gone?” Marguerite glanced up and down the street and realised it was nearly completely empty. She couldn’t see anything of the men from the Star Elite either. Were they still hidden? Had they vanished as well? Panic began to suffuse her until she physically trembled with fear.
“They are here. Just stay calm,” Joe ordered. “Keep moving.”
Their pace became faster and faster until they were running. Their footsteps echoed hollowly on the cobbles. Joe was aware of the heavy thuds of footsteps behind him as the men gave chase but didn’t bother to stop to look back. He knew that if anyone did draw a weapon, his colleagues would fell them before they posed any danger but that didn’t ease the urgency that rode him. He had to get them both out of sight.
As if to prove the validity of his thoughts, loud bangs suddenly shattered the silence. Several cries and thuds of men hitting the street accompanied her muffled scream of horror. Instinctively, both she and Joe increased their pace as they raced for cover.
Sayers’ black carriage immediately burst into life.
“God, he is determined,” Joe grunted when he saw the horse charging toward them.
Marguerite couldn’t reply. She was too busy gasping for breath. She glanced back in time to see the blacked-out window slide slowly down. It was too dark to see inside, but she had little doubt that it was Sayers.
Joe almost yanked her off her feet as he hauled her around the corner of a building and into the neighbouring alley. Thankfully, they were now out of sight of the carriage, but he knew it was a temporary situation at best.
Kerrigan suddenly stepped in front of them, his weapon drawn in readiness.
“Go,” he ordered them both with a nod over his shoulder.
Joe hauled Marguerite down the alley after him only to curse bitterly when Sayers’ carriage appeared at the opposite end of it.
In that moment, Kerrigan began to fire his weapon at the men who had appeared on the street; men who were, right now, fighting back.
Joe knew he was on his own. He studied the surrounding alley. There was a break in the walls on either side of them a few feet ahead, but to use it would put them far too close to the carriage. Still, while it was foolish, Joe knew it was their only way out.
“Kerrigan, watch your back,” he shouted, knowing his colleague was engrossed in what was going on in front of him and wouldn’t see the danger creeping up behind.
“Aye,” Kerrigan shouted as he reloaded. He lifted his gun and stepped into the doorway of a building, seconds before a loud boom of gunfire was accompanied by a flash of light from the carriage.
“He is shooting at us,” Marguerite gasped. “Sayers is shooting at us.”
A part of her was horrified while another part of her was furious, at the blackguard for being such a scoundrel. She wished now she had clubbed him over the head with the fire iron like she had considered doing last night.
“It is what he does,” Joe replied grimly. He cursed at the veritable network of yards, small alleys, and dead ends that faced them. Unfortunately, it quickly became evident that if they wanted to get out of the alley, they had to go back the way they came.
“We can’t,” Marguerite cried. “Can’t we just knock on someone’s door?”
“And put an innocent life at risk?” Joe countered. “No, we can’t.”
Marguerite knew he had a point. She didn’t want to draw anyone into this world of danger and mystery. It was awful. It was the most terrifying, unnerving thing she had ever experienced in her life and she wouldn’t wish it on anybody. She had no idea how Joe managed to live a life like this. It was so tenuous; one could lose one’s life at any given moment. She knew she couldn’t stand living with such uncertainty. Because of that, she began to see him in a completely different light.
She had the deepest respect for his courage, determination and sacrifice. Unfortunately, it left her in a quandary because she began to suspect that the swiftness of her reliance upon him came from a deep, feminine awareness of him. This man was strong, confident, and trustworthy. She knew that with Joe by her side there was nothing life could throw at her that couldn’t be conquered. He was everything she could want in a mate, a husband.
The only problem to hang over them was that she knew that by accepting the man, she had to accept this kind of lifestyle, and be aware that each time he left the house he might not come back. She wasn’t at all sure she could.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Joe cursed bitterly at just how swiftly the odds could turn against them. With little choice, they returned to the main alley. Rather than step into view, Joe motioned Marguerite to hide behind him before he hunkered down to checked on Kerrigan. There were still brief bursts of gunfire out on the street, but nothing from the carriage. He peeked around the corner of the building he leaned against and cursed when the brickwork immediately burst into a shower of dust.
“Damn it,” he whispered. “We are trapped.”