Chapter 27
WELL-LAID TRAPS
A few hours before…
Marigold barely had any time to react when Donny grabbed her. She didn’t even have time to question how she happened upon this man on this side of the city. Something was not right.
“Hold still, little rabbit,” Donny said, and one of his goons handed him rope.
“I will not.” She decided to fight.
Donny was very much determined to take her away and also very much aware that he was in a part of the city he didn’t command, so he pulled her hair, keeping her in place while he tied her hands behind her back.
Marigold was ready to scream for help. This time around, she was not some discarded lady of the ton.
She was a duchess. People would not ignore this and would help.
But she didn’t get the chance. A hand was slapped over her mouth, and she felt fingers digging into her flesh like iron. She could not escape.
“Keep moving, little rabbit,” Donny snarled, yanking her forward.
At the end of this alley, there was a small carriage waiting. Marigold realized with dread that this was not a chance encounter. This was an ambush. They had been watching and lurking and waiting for her to leave the safety of Verdant House. The safety of him.
She got thrown inside the carriage. Donny and his men closed the door behind them, hit the wall, and the carriage sped away.
“You should let me go,” Marigold demanded.
She was no longer the trembling little girl who owed money. No matter what happened between her and Brandon, she was still the Duchess of Voss.
“I don’t think so, little rabbit.” Donny licked his lips shamelessly. “After all, I went into so much trouble to catch you.”
Marigold’s suspicions were confirmed. The gang still had their eyes on her.
But it was not about the debt anymore. Could it be that Donny acted on his own, his sickening obsession with her finally taking hold of his sanity?
If that was the case, perhaps there was a chance for her to escape.
The men with Donny would fear Johnny more than the second in command.
Marigold could manipulate that lowlife of a man.
So, she decided the best thing she could do was keep her mouth shut until she knew what she was up against. For the rest of the ride, she ignored Donny and looked out the window.
Donny was either foolish or sure of himself because he didn’t hide where they were going.
Soon they left Mayfair behind. They passed through alleys and side streets away from the main thoroughfares.
They knew exactly where they were going.
She had been there before, taking this exact same route. The docks.
“Where are you taking me?” she dared to ask.
“Don’t worry, Your Grace,” Donny said mockingly. “You will be exactly where you are needed.”
Marigold frowned upon this enigmatic answer. She didn’t dare show despair or give Donny the satisfaction of seeing her in fear. The only way to maintain her composure was to think of him. Brandon. Did he know she was gone? Did he notice? Did he care? Was he looking for her?
She cursed her decision silently. If only she hadn’t succumbed to her pride. If she had stayed calm in this loveless marriage like every other lady of the ton, she would be safe in her house right now, digging around in her garden, tossing a ball for Duck.
But no. She had to be stupid, so stupid, and choose to leave. As if she had anywhere else to go. And now, she was back where it all started. The first time, Brandon was there to save her. She was not so sure that she would be as lucky the second time around.
After a while, they reached a warehouse.
She had been here before a while back, but to the best of her knowledge, this warehouse was no longer used as Johnny’s lair.
From this point on, Marigold knew that she had to rely on herself and the lingering hope that Brandon would come for her.
He was still working on his wall with this warehouse, but there were so many other places that Donny could have hidden her. Would he get to her in time?
“Get out!” Donny ordered and shoved her down the steps of the carriage.
The door of the warehouse opened, and she was thrown inside, her hands still bound behind her back. She stumbled forward and fell on the dirty floor.
She looked around, and her blood ran cold. The warehouse was full of men. All these years, she had gathered that Johnny’s gang had many members, perhaps more than she had seen, but she had never witnessed their real numbers like she did right now.
Men who looked dangerous and determined moved around with purpose. There were wooden boxes open all over the place, and from inside them, she watched as men grabbed weapons, pistols, rifles, and muskets, and each man filled his pockets with bullets.
She knew it in her soul that something was happening. Something big and devastating. Did it involve Brandon? She couldn’t help but associate that. She knew that her husband was going after this gang. She had helped him go after them.
“What is going on?” Marigold said, looking up at Donny.
“You will soon find out.”
Then he grabbed her by the hair and yanked her to her feet. Marigold was looking around, absorbing every piece of information that she could. If she could escape and survive, she could run to Brandon and report everything. Maybe he didn’t think so, but she could still be of use to him.
“I have a special place for you, little rabbit,” Donny whispered in her ear.
He dragged her through the whole main room toward the door at the back.
As she stumbled, every man turned to her.
Some were looking at her with cold eyes, some licked their lips, some looked downright hungry at her.
Marigold tried to memorize their faces, count their numbers, how many guns, what type of guns—any useful information for him—but there were too many.
They reached the back room, and she was dragged through the door.
The room was smaller, darker, filled with crates and barrels, and it had one window high up the ceiling that opened and shut with a special contraption.
Even if she managed to escape, she wouldn’t be able to throw herself through the window.
“Let’s make sure you don’t get any funny ideas.”
Donny pushed her onto a chair. Another man grabbed her already bound hands and tied them to the chair while Donny kept her in place. They then bound her legs to the chair, reaching under her skirt no matter how she struggled.
“There,” Donny smiled at his handiwork. “After all, we wouldn’t want you to miss the best part of this day.”
“Let me go. If the Duke finds out…”
“Oh, yes, the Duke,” Donny chuckled.
There was something in the mocking way he regarded her. Her heart was pounding; her hands trembling.
“You expect him to come save you, right?” Donny smiled cruelly.
Marigold tightened her jaw. Her instincts flared. Donny was always daring, but this was even beyond his usual behavior. He stood before her, smiling down, a wide and ugly grin. She knew that malicious look. She always looked away and cowered but not this time.
“I have told you, little rabbit,” he hissed, “one day you would be at my mercy. Finally, the day has come. And it’s even better than I thought, having you here tied up and helpless, unable to run from me.”
It was true she was tied up and helpless, but that didn’t mean that she would succumb to fear. She straightened her back and met his eyes.
“And I knew that one day I would see you for what you truly are,” she said, her voice unwavering. “A pathetic human being.”
His grin dropped, his eyes turned cold.
“What did you say?”
“Oh, I think you heard me quite clearly,” Marigold said calmly.
“But it would be my absolute pleasure to repeat to you that you are pathetic. That you cannot even breathe without taking Johnny’s permission.
And if I may add, we both know that you are nothing without Johnny’s men. Nothing but a bully.”
Donny’s face contorted with rage, eyebrows furrowing, eyes flaming. His hands were shaking with barely controlled wrath as he grabbed her chin. His fingers dug into her skin, almost breaking it.
“You will regret this,” he hissed in her face, his foul smell offending her nostrils.
“Whatever you say; we both know I spoke the truth.”
Donny grabbed her by the throat. Marigold knew that he could kill her right there and then, yet they had dragged her all the way here, secured her in this backroom while all this commotion was going on outside. She knew if they wanted her dead, she would already be dead.
“I know what this is,” Donny said, releasing her neck. “You believe your precious little Duke will come once more and save you from this situation. Let me tell you, little rabbit. If you ever see him again, it would be to say your last goodbyes.”
Marigold froze at this innuendo.
“That is right,” Donny stood before her, triumphant. “Maybe I should offer my condolences earlier.”
So, this was what was going on. Marigold looked over Donny’s shoulder at the door leading to the main room.
“Well, you’re not as stupid as I thought.”
“Let me go, Donny,” she demanded.
“Let you go? Why would I ever do that now that I have you exactly where I want you?”
He coughed as he went around to the back of her chair. He pulled her hair to force her to look at him over her shoulder.
“You’re about to be a widow, little rabbit,” he said, his voice dripping with poison. “And after your precious Duke is dead,” Donny went around to stand again in front of her, “you will be mine. Crawling to me, begging me to take you in.”
Marigold felt every hair on her body stand in disgust and fear. All these men outside. This was some kind of ambush for Brandon and his friends. If only she could find a way to warn him.
“And when you’re alone and helpless like you are now,” Donny continued his rant, “I will finally do to you all the things I’ve been holding back. You see, Johnny promised you to me.”
Marigold couldn’t even register; she was riddled with worry about her husband’s safety.
She didn’t even want to entertain the idea that something bad was going to happen to him.
She wouldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t even think about it.
Brandon was strong and clever. Maybe he didn’t love her, but he would never abandon her. He was a man of honor.
“I am very excited, Marigold,” he whispered in her ear. “A duchess. Well, you will be a dowager duchess but still just as good.”
Marigold glared at Donny. This filthy man thought that he was good enough to touch her after she had been Brandon’s.
“I would never be desperate enough to allow you to touch me,” she said, her voice even. “A man like you can only force a woman because nobody would ever willingly allow you to get close.”
Her words hit him harder than any gesture ever could. Her defiance and open disgust shook him as his face melted into a hurt expression. Marigold stood tall, chin up, and though she was the one tied up in ropes, Donny was the real captive here.
But that only lasted for a moment. Rage the likes of which she had never seen on him took over of this man. Marigold had spoken the truth, but he was not ready to listen. His face went red, and he was shaking from rage.
“Filthy little…” Donny growled.
He was beyond coherent speech. He raised his hand, ready to strike her.
“Stop.”
A voice rang out from behind Donny. It was calm, commanding, and cold. Marigold had heard only one word, but she recognized the voice immediately. Even if she didn’t, she would know exactly who that man was by the way Donny froze.
Marigold looked as the man stepped into the light. The first thing she saw was those merciless eyes. It was her turn to freeze as well. She was right never to fear Donny. He was nothing but a coward. But this man? This man was the real danger that she faced. Johnny.
“Your Grace,” Johnny said in the most disrespectful of ways.
“It would be best for everyone if you just let me go,” Marigold said with authority.
“And here I was believing that you would like to be close to this. The end of your husband.”
She felt despair grabbing her soul, but she denied herself the urge to give in. She had not broken when she was alone in this world, threatened by these same people. She would not give in now that she had so much to lose.
“Take a step back, Donny,” the man ordered.
His command was executed immediately. Donny stepped back, his face twisted with resentment. Johnny walked towards Marigold, studying her.
“I should have never been so lenient with you,” Johnny said with a smile that was the sharpest thing that Marigold had ever faced. “I underestimated you. Who knew that an insignificant little girl would snare a Duke?”
Marigold stayed silent.
“You know,” Johnny circled her, “your husband has been a thorn in my side for far too long, but tonight, I will remove that thorn. Permanently.”
Her hands tightened around her restraints. Her heart was racing. This was it. A trap. For Brandon. He was coming, and Johnny was waiting for him. Everything else disappeared into insignificance. The annulment and the rejection. None of it mattered now.
Marigold did not care if he didn’t want her.
She didn’t care about the deal or the heir or any of it.
She didn’t care about the title and the status.
She only cared that he was alive. She needed him to be alive.
Even if it were just to share awkward breakfasts where she could look upon his face and listen to his voice.
She just needed to know that he was somewhere in the world, and somehow, that would make everything better.
A thought hit her like a wave then. Overwhelming and undeniable. A simple, clear truth that she somehow knew but never uttered even to herself. She loved him. She loved her husband. She loved Brandon. She loved him, and he might die before she even got the chance to tell him.
“Let me go.” She struggled against the ropes.
“I don’t think I will, Your Grace,” Johnny mocked.
“You cannot do this!”
“I can, and I will,” he said and then turned to his men. “Get her secure. Her husband will be here soon, and I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”
Marigold watched in despair as he walked out of the room, and almost all the men, ready with guns, entered, lurking and waiting.
All she could think was for him to be safe. She couldn’t sit by and see the man that she loved be in danger. She would have to find a way to save him, even if it cost her life.