Marquess of Menace (Lords of Scandal 10)

She wanted to kiss him. She wanted to tell him she’d made a mistake rejecting his offer but once again, footsteps echoed down Fennington Street.

Dylan wanted this woman with every fiber of his being.

His fingers itched to slide down the trousers and see if there were stockings stuffed in the front. Then, he’d like to explore further…deeper…

He stopped his imaginings as he heard the footsteps. Silently, he pressed Eliza further into the shadows of the doorway as three men came into view.

Eliza gasped and he knew why. One of them was Mr. Taber.

“You see the man next to Mr. Taber? He was with him at the ball last night.”

Several choice curse words rose to Dylan’s lips. Eliza shouldn’t be here.

“Lock’s missing.” The third man pointed. “Means they’re inside. Now is our chance.”

Eliza and Dylan watched in silence as the three men slipped into the shadows.

He scrubbed his face. Bash would come out of those doors straight into a trap. But then again, the moment he left this doorway, they’d know he was there, and Eliza would be vulnerable.

His fist clenched against his thigh. This was the exact reason he didn’t want to bring her.

She shifted and a small firearm appeared from inside her jacket. “Do we attack now or wait?”

He looked back at her, his brows lifting, despite the gravity of the situation. She never ceased to amaze him. “I’d prefer not to do a surprise outnumbered attack with you as my second,” he whispered. “Then again, they could hurt either Dishonor or Bash before we’ve acted.”

She grimaced. “I see the problem.”

They sat silently for several seconds both attempting to come up with a solution when a cat crossed in front of the doorway. Noticing Dylan, the kitty veered inward, rubbing her side along his leg.

Eliza reached out and snatched the cat into her arms, rubbing along the cat’s back.

Dylan

was amazed the animal didn’t protest but she curled into Eliza’s arms.

“You’re petting a cat now? Of all times?” he gritted out a whisper between his teeth. Women.

“Shhhh,” Eliza said, giving him a small wink. “This kitty is going to help us.”

“How?” he whispered back.

“Watch,” she said as the door lock on the inside began to rattle. Bash and Dishonor were going to come out any second.

“I can’t get away from women and cats,” he muttered, but he had to be honest, his fingertips tingled at the idea she had a plan.

He should have known…

Eliza unfolded herself, standing with the cat in her arms. The alley door to the warehouse was some six feet away and he knew the three men stood in the deepening shadows just beyond.

“Be sure of foot, kitty, and run like the wind as soon as you land. I’ll come back for you once this business is done.” Then she looked at him. “Be ready to rush them.”

His eyebrows rose. Sure of foot? What was she going to do?

He tensed, his muscles getting ready to spring when the door swung open and Dishonor stepped out. At the exact moment that the first man broke from the shadows, lunging at Dishonor. In that second, Eliza tossed the cat directly at Dishonor’s chest. The cat hissed and clawed as it sailed through the air even as Dylan lunged from the shadow of the door. Dishonor caught the animal automatically, but the other man paused for that critical moment, and Dylan nearly roared with satisfaction as he tackled the man to the ground.

Mr. Taber and the other man jumped into the fray, but Dylan couldn’t attend either of them as the man he’d tackled spun and rolled, getting Dylan underneath him and planting a good punch right into his gut. Distantly he hoped Dishonor and Bash had been ready and Eliza stayed hidden.

Dylan let out a groan as another punch hit his midsection but then, getting his hand free, he clipped the man with an uppercut to the jaw. The assailant fell like a sack right on top of him making the air rush out of his lungs before he pushed the other man off.