Prologue
March, 1821
London
Jeremy Longwell, Lord Fielding, lay still, trying to calm the frantic beating of his heart. He concentrated on counting seconds to keep track of the time, nothing more. But those whispered words uttered just moments ago tantalized him. No, he would not react. Not yet. He slid his eyes shut, forced his tight muscles to relax, and waited in the cool inky darkness. Another two minutes crawled by. Every nerve in his body burned, urging him to scramble out of bed, but he dared not move for another quarter hour. He had to be sure the warm, soft body curled against his side was asleep. Even as an ache developed in his shoulder, he kept still and silent, listening to her breaths even out, then draw in slow and deep.
Finally!
Removing her head from his arm without her waking would be tricky. Fortunately, he had lots of practice with the maneuver and carefully rolled back his arm. She mumbled something, then snuggled further into her lavender scented pillow.
Jeremy blew out a soft exhale and rose from the muddled blankets. An expert at dressing in the dark, he pulled on his clothes, having memorized their exact location scattered about the room. His hands actually shook as he thought about what lay ahead. Slinking to the door, he could not resist one last glance over his shoulder. From the silvery-blue moonlight trickling in through a crack in the curtain, he could see Vanessa on her side, one hand curled under her chin, a milky shoulder poking through the mass of dark auburn curls. With a nod of thanks, he closed the door with a soft click and padded silently down the cold, dark hall.
Not until his back rested against the tattered velvet cushion of the hired hack did he take his first deep breath.
Dear God, he finally found them!
Within two hours, he stood before the Guardians, excitement pounding through his veins. Six years. Six long years and he finally had some information. Real meat to sink his teeth into. Not just the crumbs of rumor, but something substantial. He could hardly wait to share the news with the others.
“What say you, Rogue?” the head of the Guardians asked, waving him forward.
Jeremy bit back a grin. “I have the London location.”
The eight men and two women sitting at the horseshoe shaped table turned to each other, murmuring in excited, hushed tones. There were a dozen empty chairs, nine members out on missions, two reserved for new recruits, and his seat on the far right. Elder, occupying the center chair, held up his hand and the room fell silent. A distant drip echoed from somewhere deep in the catacombs that made up the Guardians’ headquarters. “You’re certain?” Elder asked, his grey eyes shining in eagerness.
Jeremy inclined his head. “As you are aware, I have been meeting with Lady Wesley for almost a year.” He kept his voice even, his features carefully schooled. “After she had admitted to finding her husband’s Viper ring last month, I knew I had to redouble my efforts with her.” He refrained from rubbing his hands together. “Tonight, she gave me an address.”
Whispers broke out. Elder once again held up his hand to silence the others. “You’ve verified the address?”
“Just before my arrival here. I saw Wesley enter the building.” Jeremy paused briefly and watched several Guardians lean forward to catch his every word. “He was with Lord Sheffield and Harold Taskers.”
“Who have already been verified,” Elder said as murmurs broke out once again. This time, the man did nothing to silence them. “And? Did you get into the building? What did you find?”
Everyone quit speaking and waited for the answer. “The building is actually a storage facility for rugs and carpets. Most likely tied to the import business owned by Wesley’s cousin. I sneaked inside and found the three using a secret entrance behind a bookcase in one of the offices. A carefully hidden lever triggers a spring mechanism that allows the bookcase to slide inward. It leads to a room in the back of the store, nicely hidden away. I would have taken a better look after the three left but one of the guards patrolling the building didn’t move from the bookcase.” Jeremy took a step forward, his excitement once again bubbling up to the surface. “That has to be the location we’ve been searching for.”
The silence lasted for several seconds until what he had said sunk in. Then everyone began speaking at once. The room filled with a palpable energy. Finally, after six years, they were close. So close. The secret organization so many feared, known as the Viper’s Nest, would finally get brought down.
Jeremy closed his eyes.
And his father’s death would finally be avenged.