Chapter 30
Chapter Thirty
This could not be happening.
All the angry desperation built up inside Minnie to the point that she nearly screamed out in frustration, but all she could do at the moment was keep her head about her.
She knew Tommy felt this was all his fault, could see in his face that he thought he had failed her again.
They had to get out of this so she could tell him that he had done all he could, that this was a stroke of bad luck, and that she appreciated everything he had done for her. This was a result of her own choices and Blackwood’s malice.
But first, they had to somehow overcome Blackwood and his men.
Considering Blackwood and Garrick were holding pistols to their heads, it didn’t look like they had much of a chance.
“Well, Mrs. Ward?” Blackwood said from beside her, close enough to make Minnie’s skin crawl.
“I don’t think my offer holds any longer.
Now that I see your husband and his friends plotted against me, that option is gone.
Now, I can do as I please, which means taking you with me and doing away with the rest of them.
I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to make it quick or let them return home and then slowly savor every bit of their downfall. What do you think, Garrick?”
“I think they’ll be a nuisance,” Garrick said gruffly. “Get rid of them now.”
Blackwood sighed. “You are no fun, but you are usually right. Very well. You take care of it. Fortunately, we are close to the river. Mrs. Ward, come with me.”
While the gun was still trained on her, he stepped back slightly, just enough that maybe Minnie had a chance to escape—
And a shot rang out through the air.
Minnie froze, her eyes widening as panic filled her. She waited for pain, but nothing came. She was fine. Which meant—
“Tommy?” she cried, just as another shot rang out, followed by a cry from Garrick, the likes of which she had never before heard from a grown man.
Everything moved quickly after that.
Before Minnie knew what was happening, she was in Tommy’s arms as he ran them out of the circle of crates, away from the rest of the men, who were looking around for the shooter, shock on their faces.
It was enough for police to suddenly swarm the docks, taking down every man before them — including Rhys and Colin.
“Not them!” Minnie called, and then Inspector Finch appeared before them.
“We’ll sort it all out at the station, but do not overly concern yourselves,” he said to them before he knelt beside the prostrate Blackwood and placed a finger on his neck.
“Dead,” Finch determined, before turning to Garrick, who was holding one bloody hand in the other, his gun on the ground. Finch pocketed it before he called out to another of his men to place a handkerchief over the wound and take Garrick in.
Minnie clung to Tommy at the side of the scene, wanting to both be away from here and also needing to stay to make sure Rhys and Colin were well.
“Was it Jonny?” she whispered in his ear, wondering if Tommy’s teammate had managed to free himself in time to save them.
“I don’t know,” he muttered. “For a moment, I wondered if he had turned against us. I’ll feel bad if he was the one who saved us instead.”
Minnie’s breath caught as she pointed behind Rhys.
There, crawling up out of the River Irwell, was a familiar figure.
Tommy stood, about to walk toward him, but Jonny placed a finger over his lips, shook his head, and slipped away before anyone else could see him.
“Not sure what to make of that,” Tommy said, scratching his head.
“But if he wasn’t the one who saved us,” Minnie said, “then who did?”
“Finch thought the shot came from over there,” Tommy said.
Tommy protested when Minnie tried to weave through the crates, but she had to see if anyone or anything remained.
No one was beyond, but Minnie’s eyes caught on something on the ground.
She bent, picking up the shiny object. It was an earring, interlocking diamonds fashioned into an intricate circle within.
It was familiar, but she couldn’t place it at the moment. She would, though. She pocketed it as Tommy wrapped an arm around her.
“Let’s get this sorted, and then we’ll go home. And put all of this behind us.”
Minnie looked up at him, relief washing through her. “That sounds nice,” she said, melting into him when he leaned down and took her lips with his in a brief yet still heart-stopping kiss.
Whatever the police decided, Blackwood was dead.
The threat was over.
Tommy didn’t let Minnie out of his sight as they crowded into the small reception area of the police station, before the desk manned by a young constable, who was looking at them with wide, curious eyes.
True to his word, Inspector Finch had put Blackwood’s men in a holding cell, while the rest of them waited on the wooden benches that lined a wall decorated only with maps of Manchester, notices on crime trends, and a bulletin board with wanted posters that Minnie tried to ignore.
Inspector Finch had told Tommy that he could see Minnie home first, but she had insisted on accompanying him, saying that she could help explain what had happened.
Tommy didn’t mind having her with him. Even though the threat had been vanquished, he wanted her beside him. He had come close to losing her too many times now. That was a situation that definitely needed to be remedied.
“Well,” Finch said, standing before them, hands clasped behind his back. They had each provided him with their statements, and he had told them to wait.
He had also ignored Tommy when he had asked rather accusatorily why he hadn’t arrived when he was supposed to.
“We have been through all of your statements, and between those and the evidence we gathered, we have found that you are all innocent and may return home.”
“Do you know who the shooter was?” Tommy asked, for that was his one remaining concern.
“We do not know but will continue to investigate,” Finch said. “Whoever it was, he was no amateur, that was for certain. He aimed to kill for Blackwood, and that bullet hit Garrick’s hand precisely where it needed to so that he wouldn’t pull on the trigger in reflex.”
Finch was shaking his head as he turned away. “Most policemen I know wouldn’t be able to do that.”
“And where were you?” Tommy asked again, uncaring about his accusatory tone. “We were all nearly killed.”
Inspector Finch eyed him for a moment before sighing and giving in. “We were in the wrong location. But that was quickly remedied.”
“Not quickly enough,” Rhys said, crossing his arms over his body. “Are we done here? I’d like to get home to my wife.”
“We are done,” Inspector Finch said.
“What of the rest of Blackwood’s operations?” Colin asked, as he stood, favoring his left side.
“We will take all of the evidence, arrest those we know are involved, and continue our investigation,” Finch said, clearly indicating he had no need to share any further information with the rest of them.
“What about all of the cargo he brought to Manchester?” Minnie asked, and Finch sighed, although he softened a bit when it was Minnie asking the question instead of one of the men.
“Everything on the ship will be returned to its rightful owners,” Finch said. “The process of dismantling his empire will be a slow one, but now that the head of it is gone, it shouldn’t meet with much resistance.”
Tommy nodded, and Minnie leaned forward. “Thank you, Inspector. We do appreciate all that you have done for us.”
“Of course,” he agreed. “Take care now. Oh, and Ward?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t leave town. Just in case I have more questions.”
Tommy narrowed his eyes but nodded as he led Minnie out the door, wrapping an arm around her and keeping her snug against his hip.
“Well,” she said, heaving a great sigh as they stepped out the door. “That’s finished.”
“Thank goodness,” said Colin.
“You going to be all right?” Tommy asked him.
“Just fine,” Colin said, waving him off. “I’m embarrassed how easily they got the jump on us. Like they were expecting us.”
“What happened with Jonny?” Tommy asked, looking from Rhys to Colin as they exchanged an uneasy glance.
“We’re not sure,” Rhys admitted. “He was supposed to be our lookout. The next thing we knew, he was in the river, and all went to shit. A bunch of Blackwood’s men came out from the shadows and surrounded us.”
“So, if it hadn’t been for our mysterious savior and the police finally arriving…”
“We would all be at the bottom of the river,” Colin finished grimly. “Emmaline is with Lily at my house. Why don’t we go and reassure them that all is well — and answer their hundreds of questions that are sure to come — and then we’ll have our carriage take you home?”
Everything within Tommy wanted to pick up Minnie and see her home right this moment, then not let her leave his side for days, but when he saw the desire to see and reassure her friends written on her face, he nodded, and away they went.
“There you are!” Lily cried out as they walked through the door. She immediately went to Colin, welcoming his arms around her as he held her close. “I was so worried.”
Tommy couldn’t keep his eyes off his own wife, but as he did, he noticed something. Minnie was eyeing Lily as though she was… suspicious. That was odd.
“Are you all right?” Lily asked Colin, as Emmaline simply went up to Rhys and placed a kiss on his cheek before he drew her in for a kiss much deeper than that, uncaring that they were not alone.
It was then Tommy noticed that Ada was also with them, sitting primly on the edge of the sofa, one leg crossed over the other as she watched them, appearing… aloof.
“What did you ladies do this evening?” Minnie asked, placing her hands on her hips as she stared them down.
“Nothing at all!” Lily said a bit too enthusiastically. “We were waiting for you all to return. Tell us everything. Did the police arrest Blackwood?”
“We were trapped for a moment,” Minnie said, her gaze flicking from one of her friends to the other. “In fact, we thought that we had lost everything. That Blackwood would take me, that he would put an end to the men — to your husbands.”
Lily flinched slightly, while Emmaline stood stoically at her husband’s side.
“Well, you’re all here now, so it must have worked out, no?” Emmaline said, just as a knock sounded on the door. They all looked at one another in surprise before Colin walked over and opened it, revealing a still-damp Jonny.
“Well, well, who do we have here?” Tommy said as Jonny walked in. “Where have you been?”
“Keeping my distance from the police,” Jonny said, running a hand through his hair. “I thought you’d all be here.”
“Care to explain what happened tonight, Jonny?” Rhys asked, his dark brown eyes trained on him.
“I was surprised,” Jonny said, a sheepish look on his face.
“I was trying to keep an eye on all of you when one of Blackwood’s men came upon me.
I should have taken him out, gotten to him before he got me, but…
” he trailed off, looking to the side as though he had no wish to say more.
Tommy would have thought he was ashamed that someone had got the better of him, but he had a feeling there was more to it.
“Now’s not the time to keep secrets, Jonny,” Colin said, a little more kindly than Rhys.
Jonny levelled them all with a bit of uncertainty before he sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
“I was taken aback when the person who discovered me was someone I knew,” he said softly. “Someone I haven’t seen in some time.”
“Who would that be?” Rhys demanded.
“My brother.”