Chapter Nineteen #2
“But you won’t let him,” she insisted. “Because losing the docks would mean more than losing Holt it would only make her want to settle the matter herself.
“Infiltrating Il Gioco will be complicated. Sunderland is in a position to help. This isn’t negotiable.”
A delicate snarl issued from her throat. “When Amelia finds out, she’ll throttle me.”
Ian didn’t know the source of the strained history between Amelia and the duke, and he doubted Diana would divulge it if she knew.
“If one of the famiglie wins the title to the docks, it will give them the foothold they need to take London. With that leverage, their crime syndicate could spread to all of Britain.”
“But we’re going to stop that from happening.”
“I am going to try.”
The cathedral bells chimed a quarter to the hour, drawing Diana’s attention to the clock on the fireplace mantel. “We must go.”
“Straight into the trap Birdie has laid for us?”
“There’s still a chance she’s not involved.”
“If you believed that, you would have told her the truth about Widow,” he countered.
Diana headed to the door. “I can reason with Widow—”
“No.” Ian clasped her arm, but gently stayed her movement. “She is beyond rational thinking at this stage. There’s too much at stake for her. Think of what she’s already sacrificed. She ransomed innocent, abused women. She’ll risk her own daughter if she has to.”
“You know I want to stop her.”
“Of course. But it’s an impossible position for you. It would be for any child. You don’t have the perspective you need. Il Gioco is in motion now. You need to let me take the lead.”
“Let’s get out of Monte Carlo first.”
“This isn’t up for negotiation,” he repeated, irritated that he had to.
She wriggled free of his hold. “And you’re delusional if you think what happened between us last night means you can order me around like some indentured servant.”
There was no heat to her tone, but her assumption that he was like every other man who’d chased her skirts and her money stung.
“I’d never dream of taking that liberty,” he volleyed back. “What happened between us has no bearing on the danger chasing us, and I’m the one who knows the territory. If you want to get out of this with your hide—and continue with your mission—you need to let me direct our next steps.”
Diana tucked a lock of stray hair into her cap. “What is your counterproposal?”
“We miss the rendezvous with Birdie. Lie low here in Monte Carlo until I can signal for an extraction.”
“Why should I trust the people you’re working with any more than the Stags?”
“You shouldn’t. I don’t.” Ian lifted a shoulder. “But I’m asking you to trust me.”
Her expression softened. “I do, you know. And…it scares me how much I trust you.”
She spoke the uneasy words that rested in his heart. And to assure her of it, he placed his hands on her shoulders and brushed his mouth against hers.
Diana studied him for an excruciating moment before sighing and bowing theatrically toward the door, gesturing for him to lead the way.
They departed by the rooftop exit Ian had reconnoitered the previous day and hopped across to the neighboring building, where they used the cover of a carriage queue to snake through the side lanes.
As the morning waned, they hid among the canopied market stalls of the centre-ville.
Ian sacrificed a few precious coins to pay a lad to retrieve ham and cheese tartines for them, along with two tin cups of cider.
Dark clouds hovered over the harbor, and eventually Diana said, “We’re past the meet time. They’ll be looking for us soon. Maybe we should risk the train?”
“If they’re intent on trapping us, they’ll have lookouts at the station. There’s a church a quarter of a mile away where I can make a drop.” It would take more time to ask a priest to wire Sunderland, but Birdie’s sparrows were watching the telegraph office.
They traversed the Place d’Armes, ducked past the fountains, and walked along a tree-covered lane that led to the church. Ian directed Diana to the small door on the west side. “It leads to the crypt. We can wait there until the rector arrives for evening confession.”
He held open the door and mimicked the bow she had given him earlier, which made her roll her eyes before she marched into the dark basement.
Diana’s footsteps halted as she froze on the stone floor.
Ahead of them, a man stood in the flickering light of the altar candles, pointing a gun at them.