The gentlemen arrived just before the break of dawn. It was a slow ride back, Jake's stubbornness would be his own undoing. Joshua knew Jake was inadequate to ride his own horse. His face was white as fresh milk when they stumbled through the front door. The Butler's face went crimson upon witnessing his master's dishevelled state. " My Lord what happened?"
"Just a little scratch, have no fear I'm alright. Please have some warm water and clean cloth delivered to one of the guest room. I don't want Katherine--" The Butler scurried towards the kitchen, while Jake shut his eyes upon hearing Katherine's distressed voice.
"Jake!" Lady Katherine stared at him in shock, her hands flew to cover her gaped mouth. " What happened to you!"
"Nothing to worry about, love" he winced with pain. Joshua stopped climbing the staircase and stare at Jake's face. His eyes were bloodshot red, sweat on his forehead. This was certainly something to worry about.
Katherine lifted her beige colored gown and ran to meet her fiancé. " you're bleeding and you stand there saying it's nothing to worry about!" She turned glaring at Joshua. " this is all your fault! If you had just---" Katherine slammed her mouth shut abruptly from finishing that sentence.
Joshua had more pressing matters to deal with than a distressed lady. Ignoring Katherine, He quickly placed his friend to sit on the stairs before rushing to the kitchen to in form the cook to make some tea and collect some herbs.
"How did you managed to get shot! What if you had died!" She cried, running her fingers through his hair. Kneeling on the stairs she rested his head on her chest. " oh Jake..."
" Katherine calm yourself, I'm fine" He leaned in to her, inhaling her soothing scent of roses and Jasmine. He'd never felt such compassion from a lady before, his mother had died few months after his birth, his father not to far behind. No one had ever cared like this for him before....at least not a woman. He had his friends. Now he had Katherine. She would always be there for him. Joshua came back with his items and took Jake upstairs, walking down the hallway they almost bumped into Edward. Who snatched his hand behind his back. His expression like that of a frighten deer. " Cousin Jake, what are you doing here?" Jake frowned. " I mean....you have been shot!"
" The next person to point out the obvious, is going to get shot!" Jake was whisk into his bedchamber since Katherine already found out about his injury. No need for a guest room. " Now tell me what are you hiding! " he sighed, feeling the comfort of his bed. His body quivered when his shirt was discarded.
" Shouldn't you be sleeping? " Edward glare at Katherine, who ducked her head. She couldn't sleep when Jake wasn't home. She had kept tossing and turning in her bed, wondering if something bad had happened. With a look of concern, she stared at her fiancé lying before her with a hole in arm. What if that bullet had killed him?
"Edward! Tell me what are you hiding and why were you in such a rush!" He knew his young cousin was hiding something, he was shot in the arm not blind. Jake saw the sparkling object in his hands before he snatched it behind his back.
"Fine..." His shoulders slumped. " Just remember it wasn't my fault, I had absolutely nothing to do with it, I didn't encouraged it--"
Jake yelp in pain when the whiskey was poured on his wound. " Joshua a bloody warning would have do!" He glared at his friend, who was busy attending his wound. He closed his eyes and fell back on the pillow. Edward choose that moment to pocket the knife, he was on his way to discard. Truth, he could have left the knife inside the room but wanted an excuse to escape.
" Oh my goodness is that blood!" The gentlemen eyes turned towards Edward, who cursed under his breathe how much he hated Katherine right now.
" Edward? " Joshua's eyebrow rose. " are you hurt? "
"It's not mine!" he said in a defensive tone as a scream of agony echoed in the distance.
" Who was that?"
***
The man yelp in pain as the knife went through his hand, trapping it on the desk in front him. " You're wasting my time either you corporate or the next place that knife's going to be is stuck through your heart. " he poked the man's chest as he spoke, his voice cold as a dead man.
The man shook with fright, his grey eyes lingering on his hand that had been stabbed for the fifth time. Or Was it seven? His swollen eyes along with this torture had the world spinning around him " I know nothing about your wife! " David twisted the knife earning another shout from the man. " I swear! I already told you everything!" he cried.
"David, what the--" Joshua swept his hand over his face, the sight in front of him was to much. The Man's face was swollen, covered with lots of blood . Joshua wondered how it's possible that he was still alive? He didn't blame Edward for not accompanying him. Instead he stayed back feeding Jake hot herbal tea to prevent fever.
" Hi Joshua " David smiled, Joshua watched as he jumped off the table and approached him, like everything was fine. " What took you so long to returned? I was starting to get worried." Joshua give him one of his skeptical looks. He highly doubt that David's mind was on their whereabouts.
" Really? " he shut the door behind him. " What information did you find out?" He questioned.
"Nothing... Important" David shrugged his shoulders.
"Your friend is a bloody lunatic!"
"Shut the hell up Dimitri!" David retorted, Turning back to face Joshua. " it wasn't anything pertaining to my wife. He claims he knew nothing about her or the ransom."
Joshua opened his mouth to say something but stopped. What would he say? The Frenchman's telling the truth? There was no ransom? Knowing he wouldn't get any information from David, Joshua dragged a nearby chair, and sat in front of the Frenchman, who later revealed to him what he told David. According to Dimitri, they were employed to work for a secret Organization called, Les Ombres. The organization main goal was to smug items from Britain to France which was in a bit of a crisis. They found out about the Princess and saw it as an opportunity to help their country. Joshua believed that they were involved in many other criminal activities than smuggling. Joshua's forehead creased, it was not to his knowledge that France was experiencing financial difficulties. He didn't care. What concern him was that they were stealing from his country.
" You see I'm just trying to help my country. I'm not a killer but a mere thief"
"You certainly weren't trying to stole me a few hours ago" David announced, hands folded across his chest. " you wanted to murder me in cold blood. "
I wish I was successful at that task
Katherine gasped upon entering the room unannounced, capturing the men's attention. The gasped was more of a shock of recognition than one of disgust. Dimitri's grey eyes widen. He knew her. " What do you want Katherine? " Katherine took her gaze off the familiar face and stare at Joshua. " I.. I Jake's arm is ready to stitch. The pepper bush you placed on it is now cold. I can do it but I guess he doesn't trust me with a needle." She chuckled, glancing back briefly at the man.
"Smart guy" David smirked, staring at Katherine. Giving Katherine a needle is like signing your own death certificate. Joshua sigh walking out the room while David went to yank the knife out of the man's hand, threatening to be back soon. None of them notice the secret exchanged between Katherine and Dimitri.
*****
Les Ombres
"Never heard of it" Jake muttered, watching as Katherine wrapped the cloth diligently around his arm. After resentfully drinking the dreadful tea, his strength had returned. He had watched as Joshua took the pepper bush off his wound, which he said was good for preventing infections. Jake had his doubts but wouldn't dare voice them, especially when Joshua started applying stitches. Joshua could have a profession of a seamstress, if he wanted. Who had ever heard of a male seamstress? He chuckle at the thought while trying to picture Joshua sewing ball gowns for ladies. He certainly had the hair for it. Katherine scolded him to hold still as his body began to shook.
" That's because it is secret " David stare at him with an obvious expression.
" Or just not popular " Joshua interposed, his eyes staring at the sunrise. " besides this doesn't help us find the ladies. Dimitri refused to show us where they are hiding. It's like we are going around in circles....... I just want this to be over already!" He pinched the bridge of his nose.
" Why not torture him again? " Jake questioned. " It worked didn't it? You have a name, who he works for, with a little more push he would break."
" A little more push and he would die" Joshua turned facing his friends. " I believed that's what he want. I wouldn't give him that peace. I wouldn't rest until those three ladies are out of their grasp and we would indeed continue to torture him.....slowly."
"Three?" David frowned. " who's the third?"
Jake rolled his eyes. " Samantha "
"Oh.. I had forgotten about her" he mumbled with a hint disappointment.
"Who's Samantha?" Katherine who had been silent for the past minutes questioned. She knot the bandage on Jake's arm and stare at him expectantly. It was the first time she heard about that name.
" It's none of your business!" Edward bellowed, from across the room popping a grape in his mouth. "Why are you so interested?"
Katherine rose to her feet, teeth clenching together" I'll go bring your breakfast. " she kissed him on the forehead, placing the items used to clean Jake's wound back on the tray. She went out of the bedchamber.
" Edward what's the matter with you! Katherine is to be my wife, you would show her some respect! "
" I don't trust her cousin Jake. She's manipulated, sneaky and weird. Traits no lady should possessed. " he replied bluntly. His cousin may love her or so he wanted to believe. It doesn't mean Edward had to.
Katherine hands clenched around the handle of the tray. How she hated that cousin of Jake! She wouldn't make him get between her relationship with Jake. No one! She was to close to fulfilling her dreams.
" Lady Katherine is something the matter?" The Butler questioned, meeting Katherine outside the bedchamber door, deep in thoughts.
" I'm fine thank you" she give him a sweet smile and disappeared downstairs.
" He is right Jake, " David chimed in. " She is weird "
Jake ran his hand through his hair. He knew his friends didn't approved of Katherine. She was just different. " Not everyone can have a perfect wife" he snapped. " and Edward if you don't like her, I suggest--"
" That I stop coming here?" His eyes widen as he rose to his feet.
" I would never say such a thing!" Jake rose to his feet. " I just love for you to spend sometime with her, get to know her before you judge. I love you as my own Eddy. I want the two..." He turned, staring at Joshua and David who looked with admiration. " Four most important persons in my life to get along. " he rested his hand on Edward's shoulder. " Can you at least try for your favorite cousin? " he teased punching Edward slightly on the arm.
Edward smiled. " I'll try but not right now. I have somewhere I need to be." Jake eyebrows rose.
" Victoria?"
" Don't put words in my mouth cousin " Edward bid his farewells and left with a smile on his face. Skipping down the staircase, he give Katherine a polite smile who was on her way upstairs with Jake's breakfast. The death glare he received was enough to send the devil running for the hills. Great I'm making progress already.
****
Beware of grammatical errors and thank you for the votes :) hope you like the chapter
I wonder what Katherine's up to?
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