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“Is he not supposed to be in Ashfield with Helena?” Ezra asked.

Upon hearing Helena’s name, Morgan felt every muscle twitch back to life.

“Do you think she is back in town?” Duncan asked. “I am sure Alice would love to see her.”

“Let us go say hello to the chap,” Morgan said, his glare still focused on Luke. “See what we can find out.”

The three of them stood up, ready to make their way to Luke’s table when a crowd of men inconveniently passed between them.

“I cannot bear remaining with this woman for much longer,” a familiar voice, drunk and full of complaint, said from the other side of the passing men. “She is so clumsy now, but spiteful as ever. And still she denies me!”

“That is what you get for going after one of the spoiled, pretty ones,” another man answered.

“Just keep giving her the tea. It will not hurt her, just make her weak enough to allow you to take her.”

“What is the point? I do not even want her anymore. My father is making me do this and now I do not have the slightest clue what to do with this cold, uppity woman. Maybe I should just go ahead and give it to her all at once. That would show her.”

An explosion of rage went off in Morgan’s head. He suddenly cut through the slow-moving crowd and lunged for Helena’s betrothed. He hated the man’s voice and would recognize it anywhere.

“You son-of-a bitch,” Morgan growled as his fists gripped onto Luke’s lapels.

With the force of his lunge he had Luke off his stool and his back to the ground in a second.

“I would not do that if I were you,” Ezra warned, smiling wickedly as he stepped in front of a friend of Luke’s who was coming to his aid.

“Definitely not,” Duncan said in agreement, standing before the another.

“What areyoudoing here?” Luke asked, his words slurring as he looked up at Morgan, wide-eyed. “Are you not supposed to be in the ring?”

“They put me out,” Morgan seethed, hauling Luke to his feet, “for being too violent.”

He pulled Luke’s terrified face to his and grinned wickedly.

“Would you like me to show you why?”

“No,”Luke slurred, pushing at Morgan’s grip. “Let me go, you giant.”

Morgan shook Luke until his hands fell from Morgan’s grip and he turned a sickly green.

“Not until you tell me what you were talking about just now,” Morgan demanded. “That had better not have been about Helena.”

Through his terror and green complexion Luke managed a smirking grin.

“Why?” he slurred. “What areyougoing to do about it?”

Morgan pulled his fist back to cold cock the bastard, but Duncan’s hand wrapped around it, held it fast, and quickly offered him an alternative. “Let us take him outside. There is an alley out back.”

As Luke tried to argue, Duncan’s hand shot out and shoved a cloth into the man’s mouth. His angry words became muffled sounds around the gag, and like the sack of garbage he was, Morgan dragged Luke towards the door and up the steps to the street. The moment they were in the alley, Morgan shoved the man against the wall, and Duncan and Ezra flanked Luke on either side.

Luke’s eyes darted to each of them wildly as Duncan ripped the gag from his mouth, his chest heaving as his weak-minded fear overtook him.

“I knew you were a damn coward the moment I saw you,” Morgan seethed. “Now you can either die as one right here, or you can tell me what the bloody hell is going on, and where the hell Helena is.”

A wave of rage flooded Luke’s blue eyes and mixed with the terror inside of him. He bared his teeth at Morgan like a feral animal.

“You cannot kill me,” he hissed back at Morgan. “Not if you want that little brat of yours to stay alive.”

Morgan, Ezra and Duncan growled as one, and their fists collided with Luke’s face like a practiced symphony of drums. Morgan might have been the only one in love with Helena, but all of them had grown up and watched over her like a little sister, and their willingness to keep her safe knew no limits.