Page 12 of Guardian Angel
âAnd how is that?â Caine asked.
âI believe, good friend, that youâve just met your destiny.â He let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. âGod help you now, Caine, for your chase is just about to begin.â
Chapter Seven
The ladies were waiting in the foyer for Caine and Lyon. A large gray and white speckled satchel was on the floor between them.
Caine tried to lift it, then shook his head. âFor Godâs sake, Jade, no horse is going to be able to carry this load. The weight will be too much for the animal.â
He knelt on one knee, flipped open the catch on the satchel and looked inside. Then he let out a low whistle. âThereâs a bloody arsenal in here,â he told Lyon. âWho packed this thing?â
âI did,â Christina answered. âThere are just a few weapons I thought Jade might need to protect the two of you.â
âWeapons Jade might need to protect me?â He looked incredulous. âLyon, did your wife just insult me?â
Lyon smiled while he nodded. âShe certainly did, Caine. You might as well apologize now and get it over with.â
âWhy in Godâs name would I apologize?â
âIt will save time,â Lyon explained. He was trying not to laugh. Caine looked thoroughly bewildered.
âMarriage has made you soft,â Caine muttered.
âAs soft as milk toast,â Lyon announced with a grin.
Caine turned his attention back to stripping the unnecessary items from the bag.
While both ladies gasped in dismay, Caine tossed several long knives to the floor, two pistols, and one mean-looking link of chain. âYou arenât going to need all of this, Jade. Besides, youâre far too timid to use any of them.â
She was already gathering up the weapons. âLeave them there, my little warrior.â
âOh, have it your way,â she muttered. âAnd quit using endearments on me, sir. Save them for the other women in your life. Iâm neither your sweetheart, nor your love, and Iâm certainly not your warrior. Oh, donât look so innocently perplexed, Caine. Christina told me all about the other women.â
He was still trying to make sense out of her earlier comment. âCalling you a warrior is an endearment in your befuddled mind?â
âIt most certainly is, you rude man,â she replied. âI wonât make you apologize for calling me befuddled, but only because youâre probably still cranky over the news that your town house was burned down.â
Caine felt like growling in frustration. He finished stripping the bag of unnecessary weapons, then clipped the lock shut. âThank you for going to all the trouble, Christina, but you may need your weapons to keep Lyon safe. Come along, Jade,â he ordered. He took the bag in one hand and Jadeâs hand in the other. His grip stung.
She didnât mind. She was too pleased at how well she had told her storiesâhow she had at once convinced Caine and confused him. The set of Caineâs jaw indicated he wasnât in a reasonable mood. She let him drag her to the back door. Lyonâs groom had readied two mounts for them. Just as Jade was passing through the doorway, Christina threw her arms around her and hugged her tight. âGod speed,â she whispered.
Caine tied the satchel to his mount, then tossed Jade on top of the other horse. She waved farewell as she followed Caine through the back gate.
Jade glanced back again to look at Lyon and Christina. She tried to memorize Christinaâs smile, Lyonâs frown, too, for she was certain she wouldnât ever see them again.
Christina had mentioned destiny more than once to her. She believed Caine was going to become Jadeâs lifelong mate. But Christina didnât understand the full situation. And when Christina learned the truth, Jade feared her new friend would never acknowledge her again.
It was too painful to think about. Jade forced herself to think only of the one reason she was there. Her duty was to protect Caine until Nathan came home.
And that was that. Her destiny had been determined years ago.
âStay closer to me, Jade,â Caine ordered from over his shoulder.
Jade immediately nudged her mount closer.
Caine certainly took a roundabout way out of London. He circled the outskirts of the city, then backtracked to make certain they werenât being followed.
He refused to take the north road until they were an hour away from the city.
The ride should have taken them approximately three hours. Yet because of his cautious nature, they were only halfway to their destination before he took to the main road.
Jade recognized the area. âIf they havenât moved it, Nathanâs carriage is just a little ahead of us,â she told Caine.
It was further away then she remembered. Jade decided the vehicle had been dragged off when theyâd ridden another half hour or so and still not spotted it.
Then they turned yet another crooked bend in the road and saw it on the side of the narrow ravine.
Caine never said a word. His expression was grim, however, when they rode past the carriage.
âWell?â she asked.
âIt was gutted, all right,â he answered.
She heard the anger in his voice and began to worry that he was blaming her for the destruction. âIs that all you have to say?â she asked. She nudged her mount to his side so she could see his expression. âYou didnât believe me, did you? Thatâs why youâre angry.â
âI believe you now,â he countered.
She waited a long minute before she realized he wasnât going to say any more.
âAnd?â she asked, thinking to gain his apology.
âAnd what?â
âAnd havenât you anything else to say?â she demanded.
âI could say that as soon as I find the bastards who did this Iâm going to kill them,â he replied in a mild, thoroughly chilling voice. âAnd after they are dead, Iâll probably want to set their bodies on fire just for the hell of it. Yes, I could say that, but it would only upset you, wouldnât it, Jade?â
Her eyes had widened during his recitation. There wasnât any doubt in her mind that he meant to do what he said. A shiver passed through her.
âYes, Caine, it would upset me to hear such plans. You canât go around killing people, no matter how angry you are with them.â
He pulled his mount to an abrupt stop next to hers. Then he reached out and grabbed the back of her neck. She was so startled, she didnât try to move away.
âI protect what is mine.â
She wasnât about to give him argument. He looked as if he might throttle her if she did. Jade simply stared at him and waited for him to let go of her.
âDo you understand what Iâm telling you?â he demanded.
âYes,â she answered. âYou will protect what belongs to you. I understand.â
Caine shook his head. The little innocent was actually trying to placate him. He suddenly jerked her to the side of her saddle, leaned down, and kissed her. Hard. Possessively.
She was more bewildered than ever. Caine pulled back and stared into her eyes. âItâs time you understood that youâre going to belong to me, Jade.â
She shook her head. âIâll belong to no man, Caine, and itâs time you understood that.â
He looked furious with her. Then, in the flash of a moment, his expression softened. Her sweet protector was back in evidence. Jade almost sighed with relief.
âItâs time we left the main road again,â he said, deliberately changing the topic.
âCaine, I want you to realize . . .â
âDonât argue,â he interrupted.
She nodded and was about to nudge her horse down the slope when Caine took the reins from her hands and lifted her into his lap.
âWhy am I riding with you?â she asked.
âYouâre tired.â
âYou could tell?â
For the first time in a long while, he smiled. âI could tell.â
âI am weary,â she admitted. âCaine, will Lyonâs horse follow us? Your friend will be upset if his mount gets lost.â âSheâll follow us,â he answered.
âGood,â she answered. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rested the side of her face against his chest. âYou smell so nice,â she whispered.
âSo do you,â he told her.
He sounded terribly preoccupied to her. He also seemed determined to take the most challenging route through the forest. Jade put up with the inconvenience for a good ten minutes, then finally asked, âWhy are you making this journey so difficult?â
Caine blocked another low-hanging branch with his arm before answering her. âWeâre being followed.â
That statement, given so matter-of-factly, stunned her as much as a pinch in the backside would if given by a stranger. She was immediately outraged. âWeâre not,â she cried out. âI would have noticed.â
She tried to pull away from him so she could look over his shoulder to see for herself. Caine wouldnât let her move. âItâs all right,â he said. âTheyâre still a distance behind us.â
âHow do you know?â she asked. âHave they been following us since we left London? No, of course they havenât. I really would have noticed. How many do you suppose they are? Caine? Are you absolutely certain?â
He squeezed her into quitting her questions. âIâm certain,â he answered. âTheyâve been following us for about three, maybe four miles now. More specifically, since we reached my property line. I believe their number is six or seven.â
âBut . . .â
âI spotted them the last time I backtracked,â he patiently explained.
âI backtracked with you, if youâll remember,â she countered. âAnd I didnât see anyone.â
She sounded incensed. Caine didnât know what to make of that reaction.
âAre we very far from your house?â
âAbout fifteen minutes away,â Caine answered.
They broke through a clearing a short while later. Jade felt as though sheâd just entered a wonderland. âItâs beautiful here,â she whispered.
The grassy clearing was circled on two sides by a narrow stream that trailed down a lazy slope adjacent to a small cabin. Sunlight filtered through the branches bordering the paradise.
âPerhaps the gamekeeper is inside the cabin,â she said. âHe might be willing to help us trap the villains.â
âThe cabinâs deserted.â
âThen weâll just have to trap them on our own. Did you leave all the pistols behind?â
He didnât answer her. âCaine? Arenât we going to stop?â
âNo,â he said. âWeâre just taking a shortcut.â
âHave you chosen another spot to wait for them?â
âIâm taking you home first, Jade. Iâm not about to take any risks with you along. Now tuck your head and close your mouth. Itâs going to get rough.â
Since he was back to sounding surly again, she did as he ordered. She could feel his chin on the top of her head as she squeezed her face against the base of his throat.
âSomeday I want to come back to this spot,â she whispered.
He didnât remark on that hope. He hadnât been exaggerating either when he said it was going to get rough. As soon as they reached the open fields, Caine pushed his mount into a full gallop. Jade felt like she was flying through the air again. It wasnât at all the same feeling as being pitched into the Thames, though, for now she had Caine to hold onto.
Whoever was behind this treachery had sent men to Caineâs estate to wait for him. Jade worried about the possibility of an ambush when they neared the main grounds. She prayed her men would be there to take up the battle.
They were just about to reach the crest and the cover of the trees again when the sound of pistol shots rang out. Jade didnât know how to protect Caineâs back now. She tried to twist in his arms to see where the threat was coming from, even as she instinctively splayed her hands wide up his shoulders to cover as much of him as she could.
The shots were coming from the southeast. Jade jostled herself over onto his left thigh, just as another shot echoed in the wind.
âHold still,â Caine ordered against her ear at the same second she felt a mild sting in her right side. She let out a soft gasp of surprise and tried to look at her waist. It felt as though a lion had just swatted her with his claws extended. Just as quickly, however, the ache began to dissipate. A rather irritating burning sensation radiated up her side, and Jade decided one of the branches theyâd just broken through had cut into her side.
Numbness set in and she put the matter of her paltry scratch aside.
âWeâre almost home,â Caine told her.
In her worry, she forgot to act afraid. âWatch your back when we get near the house,â she ordered.
Caine didnât answer that command. He took the back road up to the stables. His men must have heard the commotion, for at least ten hands were rushing toward the forest, their weapons at the ready.
Caine shouted to the stablemaster to open the doors, then rode inside. Jadeâs mount galloped behind. The stablemaster grabbed the reins and had the mare slapped inside the first stall before Caine had lifted Jade to the ground.
His grip on her waist made the ache in her side start nagging again. She bit her lower lip to keep herself from shouting at him.
âKelley!â Caine shouted.
A yellow-haired, middle-aged man with a stocky frame and a full beard rushed over. âYes, miâlord?â
âStay here with Jade,â he ordered. âKeep the doors closed until I get back.â
Caine tried to remount his steed then, but Jade grabbed hold of the back of his jacket and gave it a fierce jerk. âAre you demented? You canât go back outside.â
âLet go, sweetheart,â he said. âIâll be right back.â
He pulled her hands away and gently pushed her back against the stall. Jade wasnât about to give up, however. She dug into his lapels and held on.
âBut Caine,â she wailed while he was peeling her hands away. âThey mean to kill you.â
âI know, love.â
âThen why . . .â
âI mean to kill them first.â
He realized he shouldnât have shared that truth with her when she threw her arms around his waist and squeezed him in a grip that was surprisingly strong.
They both heard two more shots ring out while he pulled her arms away.
Caine assumed his men had taken up the fight. Jade prayed her men had already intervened and chased the villains away.
âShut the doors after me, Kelley!â Caine shouted as he swiftly remounted and goaded his stallion around.
Another shot sounded just a minute or two after Caine had left. Jade rushed past the stablemaster and looked out the small square window. Caineâs body wasnât sprawled out in a pool of blood in the field. She started breathing again.
âThereâs absolutely nothing to be worried about,â she muttered.
âYou best get away from the window,â Kelley whispered from behind.
Jade ignored that suggestion until he started tugging on her arm. âMiâlady, please wait for the Marquess in a safer spot. Come and sit over here,â he continued. âThe Marquess will be back soon.â
She couldnât sit down. Jade couldnât stop herself from pacing or fretting, either. She prayed that both Matthew and Jimbo had taken care of the intruders. They were two of her most loyal men. Both were well trained in trickery, too, for Black Harry had personally seen to their education.
This was all Caineâs fault, she decided. She certainly wouldnât be in such a state of nerves if heâd turned out to be anything like the man sheâd read about in the file. He seemed to have two completely different personalities, however. Oh, she knew the file told the truth. His superiors had referred to him as a cold, methodical man when the task at hand needed his special consideration.
Yet the man sheâd encountered wasnât at all cold or unfeeling. Sheâd played on Caineâs protector instincts, but she believed he was going to be very difficult all th
e same. He hadnât turned out to be difficult at all, though. He was a caring man whoâd already taken her under his wing.
The problem, of course, was the contradiction. Jade didnât like inconsistencies. It made Caine unpredictable. And unpredictable meant dangerous.
The doors suddenly flew open. Caine stood there, his mount still in a lathered pant behind him.
She was so relieved to see he was safe, her knees went weak on her. Every muscle in her body began to ache. She had to sit down in the chair Kelley provided before she could speak.
âYouâre all right, then?â she managed to ask.
Caine thought she looked as if she were about to burst into tears. He gave her a smile to reassure her, then led his horse inside. After handing the reins to the stablemaster, and waving the men who were following him back outside, he casually leaned against the wall next to her. He was deliberately trying to make her believe nothing much out of the ordinary had happened.
âThe fight was over and done with by the time I got to the forest.â
âThe fight was over? How could it be over?â she asked. âI donât understand.â
âThey must have changed their minds,â he said.
âYou donât have to lie to me,â she cried out. âAnd you can quit acting as though weâre discussing the crops, too. Now tell me what happened.â
He let out a long sigh. âMost of the fight was over and done with by the time I got there.â
âCaine, no more lies,â she demanded.
âIâm not lying,â he countered.
âThen make sense,â she ordered. âYouâre supposed to be logical, remember?â
Heâd never heard that tone of voice from her before. Godâs truth, she sounded like a commander now. Caine grinned. âIt was the damnedest thing I ever saw,â he admitted. âI got two of them, then turned to the area I thought hid the rest, but when I got there, they were gone.â
âThey ran away?â
He shook his head. âThere was evidence that a fight had taken place.â
âThen your men . . .â
âWere with me,â he interjected.
Jade folded her hands in her lap, her gaze downcast so he wouldnât be able to see her expression. She feared she wouldnât be able to hide her relief or her pleasure. Matthew and Jimbo had done their jobs well. âNo, that doesnât make any sense,â she agreed.