Chapter 29
The sun was sinking below the London rooftops, casting them in shades of red and orange. Traffic was light at this hour while most people ate their supper. A drizzle left water droplets on the carriage window, distorting the view of gaslit streets.
Adrian’s earlier conversation with Murry had served as a reminder of how well they worked together. Were it not for the man’s recent act of insubordination…
Adrian stared across at where he sat on the bench diagonally across from him. Darkness concealed the bruising on Murry’s face, but Adrian could still see it. Worse, he felt wrong about letting his anger hurt someone he cared for.
His gut tightened with discomfort. Murry had chosen to betray him. Deliberately. He’d gotten what he deserved. Less, even, when compared with what had been done to other men who had been disloyal. If Papa were still alive, Murry would have been dead by now.
And yet, there was no dismissing the longing Adrian had to forgive and forget. To simply move on from this moment and put it behind him.
He turned his attention away from his valet, his thoughts in turmoil. What did it say about him if he could not deliver the punishment people expected? What did it mean for the continuation of the Croft name?
Yes, his ultimate goal had always been to exchange this life for a more peaceful one in the country. To be ‘normal’. But that could only happen once he unmasked the man behind his sister’s murder. Until then, he could not risk appearing weak.
But did he have to sacrifice Murry in order to save his own reputation?
The terrible question had barely presented itself when the carriage rolled to a halt. Gosfield Street. They’d arrived.
Adrian flung the door open and stepped down into the narrow street. Murry followed, and Jennings, the coachman, was asked to wait wherever parking allowed. They’d find him later.
“This area’s a step up from O’Leary’s last location,” Murry said as they strode toward the nearby coffee shop. “Rent will be more, which does make one wonder…”
Adrian acknowledged the comment by raising an eyebrow.
“I’ve a feeling O’Leary picked Saint Giles because he’d feel safe there, surrounded by criminals, not because it was cheap.
A man like him doesn’t wait half his life for revenge, only to come to England with empty pockets.
What’s surprising is that he would choose to run his next operation from a house in this kind of neighborhood. ”
While this wasn’t Mayfair, it was still a very respectable area.
Decent people resided in this part of Town.
Solicitors, doctors, tradesmen… Hell, Kendrick’s place of residence wasn’t far from here, but maybe this was part of O’Leary’s game.
After all, he’d only been connected to this location because he’d been followed by one of Harlowe’s informants.
Adrian would never have thought to search for him here otherwise.
He reckoned the same could be said of Kendrick.
The chief constable occupied a corner table at the back of the coffee shop when Adrian and Murry entered. A scowl darkened his features, his sharp gaze tracking Adrian as he approached.
“I feel it’s my duty to try and dissuade you from what I suspect you’re about to do,” Kendrick said to Adrian once he and Murry had taken their seats. “Give me the information you have on O’Leary’s exact location. Let me and my men arrest him so he can be tried in court.”
“You know I can’t do that,” Adrian said.
“And you must surely know that I’ll have no choice but to apprehend you if you harm him in any way.
” Irritation showed in Kendrick’s grey eyes.
“Is that truly what you want? To face sentencing once again after Marsdale and I, your wife and your colleagues, all worked so hard to ensure your freedom?”
Adrian sent a quick glance in Murry’s direction, then propped one elbow on the table and turned more fully toward Kendrick.
“I will always be grateful to you for what you did, but I think we can both agree that it wasn’t so much for me as it was you simply doing what you believed was right.
That’s what I’m asking of you again. Help me do what is right. ”
“One might argue that you were repaying the debt you owed me when I asked you to help Gabriella,” Kendrick muttered. “We should have been square, you and I, yet you expect me to turn a blind eye on an act I cannot condone.”
“And what act would that be?”
Kendrick snorted. “We both know you mean to kill the man.”
“All I’m asking is for you and your men to do as you did before, when we went to rescue Samantha. Just guard the surrounding streets and cut off any escape routes. That’s it.”
“If I do catch O’Leary,” Kendrick said, raising his chin a notch, “I’ll not hand him over to you, Croft.”
Adrian knew this and would accept it since he’d every intention of catching O’Leary by surprise, before he had a chance to escape. Bringing Kendrick into this was just a precaution. And besides, a jail cell was no guarantee for one’s safety. He’d get to O’Leary one way or another.
With this in mind, he gave Kendrick a nod before asking Murry to produce the map on which O’Leary’s location and the surrounding streets had been marked.
“I recommend placing two men at these locations,” Adrian said, marking six spots with a pencil.
“Would it not be better if they were closer to the house in which O’Leary’s residing?”
“That poses the risk of alerting him to your presence.” Adrian leaned back in his chair. “By having them guard the spots I’ve indicated, escape routes will be cut off farther out, which will hopefully allow us to catch him by surprise.”
“Fine,” Kendrick agreed, “but I’m coming with you, Croft.”
Adrian gritted his teeth. The last thing he needed was the chief constable looking over his shoulder. “That’s not what I had in mind.”
“I’m sure it isn’t,” Kendrick said, “but it’s the only way in which I’m letting you implement this plan of yours.”
“You’re not letting me do anything,” Adrian argued. “On the contrary, you’ll be a hindrance.”
“In case you need reminding, I am a man of the law. Perhaps you should have thought of that before you chose to involve me.”
Adrian scoffed. “I only did so because of the terms that were put in place by the prime minister when he issued my pardon, instructing me to cooperate with Bow Street.”
“Then we are in agreement,” Kendrick said with a smirk.
Adrian muttered a curse and shoved back his chair. “It’s almost half past eight. We’d best stop wasting time with pointless talk and get moving.”
He headed for the door, confident Murry and Kendrick would both follow. Once in the street, he let Kendrick lead the way to three parked carriages in which his Runners were waiting. Adrian and Murry hung back while Kendrick issued orders.
The carriages pulled away from the pavement a few moments later, rolling forward as one single unit before splitting up and heading in different directions.
Adrian sent Murry a pointed look, registered the barely there nod of agreement, and started walking. The house in which O’Leary was holed up wasn’t far. A combination of street urchins, spies who answered to Murdoch, and Harlowe’s informants had kept it under surveillance all day.
As such, Adrian knew O’Leary was there at the moment and prayed the man would remain so for the next half hour. Just long enough for Adrian to pay him a visit.
They walked to the nearest corner and took a right turn. An alley farther along brought them to Langham Street and past some Runners who were now in position. They walked another twenty yards and turned left.
A shadow moved in a nearby doorway.
Adrian slid the dagger concealed in his jacket sleeve into the palm of his hand, but when Kendrick didn’t break his stride, Adrian kept up his pace as well. So did Murry, ensuring Kendrick took no notice of the other men placed on duty this evening.
A necessary precaution for later, when the situation turned to chaos, as Adrian believed it would. At any rate, he wanted to be prepared for any eventuality in order to avoid the disastrous result of the previous attempt at catching O’Leary.
They entered the street on which the house sat, a tidy-looking edifice sandwiched between a series of similar buildings. Respectability dominated every facade, leaving no indication of what sort of criminals hid behind the neat brick walls.
Candlelight flickered in one of the four windows facing the street. The rest were blacked out. The shimmer from a gaslight farther along reflected in the beveled glass.
“What now?” Kendrick asked when Adrian and Murry slowed their approach.
“We make our presence known,” Adrian said with a smirk.
“What?” Kendrick’s shock was palpable. “That will surely make them flee.”
Adrian jerked his head to the right and Murry jogged off in that direction. “If they try, they’ll encounter him. After that, they’ll have your Runners to contend with.”
“Shouldn’t you go with him for extra reinforcement?”
“No. But you’re welcome to do so if you think it’s necessary.”
Kendrick stared at him. “Murry is just one man, against O’Leary and an entire crew.”
“He is armed and far more dangerous than you could ever imagine.” The valet needed to prove himself and earn back Adrian’s trust. Adrian had no doubt Murry would do whatever he could to stop O’Leary from fleeing.
Because that was the point Kendrick hadn’t yet fathomed. Adrian was only after one man. He couldn’t care less if the rest got away. In fact, he was of the opinion that they would not be as loyal as O’Leary hoped if given the choice between freedom and death.
“But…” Kendrick sounded as though he had no faith in Adrian’s plan.
Understandable, considering it would not align with any of the chief constable’s principles. A matter he’d have to come to grips with later.
For now, Adrian cared not whether he joined him or went to provide Murry with support. He started strolling toward the townhouse, his gait as casual as an alley cat’s.