Page 41 of To Catch A Rogue

"As you wish."

Then he was vanishing into the shadows.

Pressing her back to the arch, Lark cocked her head and listened. There was a part of her that mourned the loss of the boy he'd been. She wasn't quite certain she knew this new Charlie, with his thoughtful eyes and pensive expression.

And she wanted to.

"He's half in love with you,"Gemma had said.

Lark closed her eyes.Don't be a fool.

The seconds ticked out.

Then a minute.

Lark couldn't hear a damned thing, but the hounds in the stables started baying. The guard stood to attention, focusing on the back of the stables.

"What the hell is going on?" Dido strode toward the stables, a glint of steel flickering in her hand.

Lark was never going to get a better chance than this.

The sound of the boilers on the steam carriage masked any sound she might make. Lark crept forward just as a horse bolted from the stables.

"God's eye!" One of the footman cursed in Russian.

Nobody was looking in her direction.

Lark burst into a run, sprinting toward the carriage. She threw herself beneath the wheels, rolling until she was well beneath it. Steam hissed from the back exhaust, providing some cover.

Where the devil was the best place to plant it?

Ava had said there was a two-mile range on it.

Hooves clattered on the cobbles. Another horse streaked past, and now both footmen were yelling. The yard was a cacophony of excitement as horses milled and snorted, on edge enough to make catching them difficult.

Lark attached the device carefully and pressed her fingers to the communicator. "Tracking device is in place, Ava."

"Are you clear?" Ava replied.

"Enough of this nonsense!" Dido appeared out of nowhere, her boots visible from beneath the carriage. "Are the boilers ready?"

Shit. Lark dragged herself up beneath the underside of the carriage, hooking her legs up. This was not ideal, but thedhampirwas faster and stronger than her, a trained assassin who wouldn't hesitate to cut Lark down if she caught a glimpse of her. She braced her shoulders in the narrow gap beneath the rear axle and the floor, the pressure on her arms relaxing.

"Yes, mistress," stammered a nervous footman, jerking the carriage door open.

"Then get me the hell out of here."

Lark glanced toward the stables. There were three sets of boots in her view. The carriage rocked as Dido leapt up into it. The door slammed, and then one of the footmen climbed up on the back of the carriage.

This... might be a problem.

Lark ground her teeth.

Once they were out in the countryside she'd be able to roll clear and hope the footman was distracted.

But right now....

"No, I'm not clear,"she whispered, and hoped Ava might be able to hear her."I'll jump free as soon as I can."