Page 17 of Seducing the Knave
“I’ve a better idea,” he offered smoothly. “Ye take the wench and I continue on me way, pockets undisturbed and coat intact.”
Elle’s gasp echoed loudly from the interior of the carriage.
The highwayman tensed. “What’d you say?”
“I said ye can have her,” Max repeated as he turned to reach into the carriage where Elle was huddled into the far corner of the seat.
“What are you doing?” she demanded in a harsh whisper.
He was happy to hear more anger than fear in her voice. And though her feet kicked out at him and she squirmed against his hold, in the end, her cloak worked against her, keeping her arms trussed to her sides when he looped an arm around her waist and dragged her from the vehicle. Holding her in front of him with one hand splayed firmly to her belly and his other arm crossing her chest to keep her back flush against him, he added, “She’s been nothin’ but trouble to me, but I imagine ye clever gents’ll find a good use fer her.”
The rifleman out in front had started side-stepping toward their position, dividing his attention between the driver and the commotion Elle was causing. At Max’s quip, he gave a low, grating laugh.
Max decided that one would soon be enjoying a specific sort of pain.
“Did I mention she’s carrying a fortune in jewels?”
“You traitorous cad,” Elle cried as she increased her struggles to get free of his hold. “I never should have trusted you.”
Her desperate movements brought the second man even closer as he watched the tussle with a lewd stare. Max took that opportunity to surreptitiously tug her hood back from her face. The rifleman actually grunted in surprise while the one with the pistol gave a sharp whistle, dropping his hand to his side as all thought of robbery seemed to flee his mind.
Taking instant advantage of their distraction, Max spun Elle toward the carriage, kicking one foot out to the side. His boot planted firmly to the center of the closest highwayman’s chest, sending him flying back into the road. Before his arse even hit the dirt, Max was spinning again to drive the toe of his boot into the rifleman’s balls.
The licentious bloke doubled over with a choked groan, gasping for breath.
As George leapt from his driving perch to take up the dropped rifle, Max pushed Elle behind him and turned to face the third man running around the back of the carriage. A quick jab to the man’s throat dropped him on the spot.
The whole thing had barely taken a minute. No challenge at all.
Max picked up the other two dropped guns and handed them to Jack, who was gratefully uninjured. Then he looked down at the leader sprawled on the road, likely suffering the pain of a couple of cracked ribs.
“Like I said, ye’d’ve been better off picking up some toff closer to London.”
“Shall we truss them up and take them to the authorities, sir?” George asked.
Max shook his head. “Check fer any other weapons and chase off their mounts. They can make their way home on foot.”
“You wish to let them go?” the driver asked in surprise.
“No harm done,” Max replied before turning to head back to where Elle stood stiff and unmoving by the carriage.
She was in shock, no doubt.
Reaching her, he intended to offer a soothing word or two, if only to encourage her to get back into the vehicle. But her hand arced through the air, heading straight for his face. He caught her wrist just in time to save himself from a stinging slap.
“Bad idea, princess,” he said sharply as he stepped into her.
Her eyes were bright and utterly uncowed as she looked up at him. “How could you just offer me up like that? You’re supposed to be protecting me.”
She struggled to pull her wrist free of his grip, but he held tight and gave a short tug to draw her in even closer to him. Lowering his head to meet her mutinous glare, he said quietly, “I told ye I have me own way of doing things. I needed ye to provide a distraction.”
“That’s what that was?” she snapped. “A distraction?”
“A damned effective one at that.”
Her eyes narrowed to glittering slits that might have succeeded in being a bit intimidating if not for the heavy fringe of lashes ruining it with a sultry effect. “Don’t ever use me in such a way again without telling me first.”
His lips twitched. No doubt she’d hate to discover that her haughty manner only added fuel to his growing desire to see her brought low. To her knees, preferably. With her soft gentian eyes looking up at him imploringly.