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A few hours later, Sabrina slipped out of Graham’s bed and pulled her nightgown back on. She stole a glance at him after tying the ribbon. She had stayed longer than she should’ve and must leave. But she hadn’t been able to resist Graham. He stirred to life their passion with every kiss and caress, entrancing her to become his willing captive.
Graham lay on his stomach, sprawled across the bed with his head resting on the pillow and his arms thrown off to the side. Sabrina crawled onto the bed and sat with her legs folded underneath her. She bent over and pressed a kiss across his cheek. Since she couldn’t help herself, she also fluttered her fingers through his thick hair. With a sigh, she disentangled herself and left Graham. Sabrina was a coward who wanted to avoid what his gaze would hold.
She had risked enough by visiting him and would suffer for it once she returned. If not by bruises, then by Lady L’s revenge on someone Sabrina cared for. Her stepmother had discovered other ways to torment her when Sabrina learned not to cry in pain from the brutal treatment of the guards. Dracott had taken the brunt of Sabrina’s punishment and never once held it against her. He had even comforted her, drying her tears after his beatings. With Dracott gone, Lady L would find another victim to inflict her fury on.
Sabrina slipped on her shoes and drew her coat around her. When she broke into his home, she hadn’t expected to find him there. But as she sat on the sofa watching him sleep, she had noticed the stress settled around his eyes and how tightly he clutched the bottle of whiskey. She wasn’t a fool not to understand how she caused his problems.
When he woke up and mumbled she was only part of his dream, something had shifted in Sabrina. She had realized how much she cared for him. Sabrina had feared that, if she didn’t steal this piece of time with him, she would never get another chance to treasure his warm embrace.
She returned to the sofa, picked up the bottle of whiskey, and set it back where it belonged. Sabrina had the desire to savor a sip. She had witnessed her own father’s decline when he escaped his problems with the promise the spirits held. However, she had no wish to follow the same path. Sabrina must remain steadfast for the days to come.
Graham’s suit coat had fallen to the floor, and she picked it up to lie across the arm of the chair. The light from the fire flickered, casting a glow around an object. Sabrina bent over to retrieve it. It wasn’t one but two of her sequined hair clips. She had only left one for him as a clue. Where did he get the other one? Did he purchase it from the Fitzgeralds’ store when he followed her in there? He must have.
Sabrina glanced toward the stairs, remembering Graham’s desperation as they made love. His urging to trust him rang clear. He knew the truth about Sabrina Lancaster. Every sordid detail.
And he still loved her.
~~~~~
SABRINA RAN. THERE was no need for her to run, other than her need to escape the truth. But it was pointless. It didn’t alter how Graham felt about her one bit. Nor did it change how she felt about him. After all, one couldn’t change what fate had set out for them. They must accept it as their destiny.
Sabrina slowed down, catching her breath. In her haste to leave Graham’s house, she didn’t pay attention to her surroundings. Her gaze scanned the horizon, and she tensed when she saw a figure striding toward her. But the closer the person drew, the more relief settled over Sabrina. Instead of waiting for the lecture that would fall upon her ears, she started walking again. However, she kept her steps slow so her friend could catch up with her.
“You can at least stop. You owe me that much at least,” Dracott demanded, reaching out to grab her arm.
His hold reminded her of the occurrences when he had saved her from trouble. She slowed to a stop. Sabrina owed Dracott a lot more than his simple request. She owed him her loyalty, at the very least, for how he had protected her from herself.
“Follow me before they come around the corner.” Dracott led her over to a building. He dug in his pocket for the key and unlocked the door, ushering her inside before easing the door closed.
Sabrina followed him into the office. So lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized how close she was to Graham’s office. She walked over to his desk and curled up in his chair while Dracott peeked through the window shutters to see if anyone followed them. She ran her hands across the desktop, wanting to share a connection with Graham. Sabrina had watched him from across the street as he sat at the desk, working or talking with his partner.
Dracott dragged a chair next to her and sat down. “What are you doing, Ren?”
Sabrina shrugged. “It appears I am talking to you and avoiding the hired thugs.”
Dracott frowned, not appreciating her attempt at humor. “With Worth.”
Sabrina stared at him with a forlorn expression. “Is it so wrong to capture a few joyous memories for myself?”
Dracott glanced away for a second before glancing back at Sabrina. “Yes, and no.”
Sabrina’s lips pinched together as she fought back tears. She couldn’t talk without falling apart. She hadn’t felt more lost than she did now. The very person she had always depended on questioned her motives.
Dracott gathered Sabrina’s hands in his. “You are allowed every joyous memory you can capture. I question what this is between you and Worth because I care for both of you. I don’t wish to see either of you hurt. And while you continue to stay under Lady L’s thumb, you risk both his and your life.”
“I am close,” Sabrina promised.
“You have said that for years. Yet every lead you have falls through. It is time to leave and welcome the life you’ve always dreamed of,” Dracott urged.
Sabrina withdrew her hands. “I cannot.”
Dracott leaned back in his chair and dragged his hand down his face. “Explain to me why. Help me understand your reason. Perhaps I can help.”
Sabrina shook her head. “No. You’ve gotten away and started a life with Maggie. I will not put you at risk.”
“But you will risk Worth’s life?” Dracott taunted.
Sabrina ran her hands over the arms of Graham’s chair. “I do not mean to,” she whispered.
“She will hurt him to destroy you,” Dracott warned.
“I know!” Sabrina cried. “Do you think I’m not aware of what she will do?”
“She will torment him worse than any way she tormented me. Because she can see how much you love him. Hell! I see how much you care for him.”
Sabrina tore out of the chair and paced away from Dracott. “Then I will stay away from him from here on out. I will disappear, and he will never find me. Is that what you wish for me to promise?”
Dracott moved to Sabrina and drew her into his arms. “No. I want you to come home with me so we can guarantee your safety. Please, Sabrina. End this madness tonight.”
Sabrina could no longer hold back her tears. Each drop held sorrow, regret, the promises she never kept, and the heartache she carried with her wherever she went. She collapsed in Dracott’s arms from the burdens she had carried for so long, unable to live with them anymore.
Dracott lifted Sabrina in his arms, carried her to the sofa, and sat down, comforting her as he used to in the past. She wasn’t only his best friend; she was the sister he never had. He rested his chin on her head and waited for her to get herself under control.
“He knows who I am, doesn’t he?” Sabrina whispered.
“Yes.”
Sabrina sighed. “I thought he might.”
Dracott tipped her chin up. He wanted to see her reaction when he asked his question. “What does she have planned for Evelyn on Friday?”
Another wave of tears fell at his question. “She wants to kill her.”
Dracott drew in a deep breath. “They will hold you as an accomplice and you will hang.”
“No!”
“Yes!” Dracott emphasized with force.
“I warned Colebourne,” Sabrina explained.
Dracott tried to get through to her. “The authorities will not care about your meager warning. They will only care how someone killed a peer and you did nothing to prevent the crime.”
Sabrina untangled herself from Dracott’s lap. “I must leave.”
Dracott blew out a breath. Sabrina was as stubborn as ever. He thought he might convince her to leave, but she wouldn’t be swayed. Obviously, a night spent in Worth’s arms wasn’t enough to change her mind, either. Their only hope was for Sabrina to come to her senses and break the hold Lady Langdale kept her under. She must stop protecting every other victim and start protecting herself instead.
“At least let me walk you to where you need to turn off,” Dracott offered.
Sabrina nodded. She waited for Dracott to lock the office, and they started down the alleyway. Neither one of them said anything. Everything that needed to be said had been. Now they walked alongside each other, each wishing for understanding of the dire circumstances that prevented them from surrendering their point of view.
Sabrina wished more than anyone to leave, but to do so, she would have to admit defeat and accept she would never vindicate her father’s death. To walk away also meant Lady L would never be held accountable for her crimes. The woman had caused nothing but destruction to so many innocent victims. All because she held immense pleasure in destroying a soul to display her power. She was the perfect example of a villain, and Sabrina hated villains with a passion.
Sabrina stopped. “We must part once again, my friend.”
Dracott pleaded one last time. “Will you please reconsider?”
“What is it you wish for Sabrina to reconsider?” Lady Langdale stepped out of the shadows, her two guards flanking her sides.
Sabrina stepped in front of Dracott, opening her arms wide. “Nothing.”
Dracott had never allowed Sabrina to protect him from Lady Langdale, and he wouldn’t start now. “To return home with me.”
An unsettling laugh rang from Lady Langdale. “Is your wife open to sharing her marriage bed with Sabrina? I do not suppose Lady Margaret’s brother would care for the sleeping arrangements. Would he, Sabrina? Especially since you spread your legs for him this evening and he tasted your charms. Graham Worthington seems like the jealous type.”
Dracott curled his hands into fists. “Still as crude as ever, I see.”
Lady L made an irritating tsking noise. “Ah, but, Dracott, we are cut from the same cloth. Do not think since you’ve married a peer of the ton, they consider you anything more than how you were born. A bastard.”
Dracott didn’t respond to Lady Langdale. He wasn’t in the mood for her mind games after sitting outside of Worth’s home, waiting for Sabrina to leave, then the heart-wrenching conversation he shared with her. He had never seen Sabrina break down in such torturous despair. Her agony left him more concerned for her than ever.
“Ah, boys.” Lady L smirked at her guards. “Dracott is not arguing, which only means he knows how correct I am. However, as much as we may agree, it does not alter how furious I am with Sabrina for leading him so close to our new residence.” Lady L circled Dracott and Sabrina. “You remember how Sabrina used to have to meet her punishment, don’t you, Dracott?”
“No!” Sabrina screamed. “Do not lay a hand on him.”
“Sabrina,” Dracott warned.
Sabrina refused to allow him to take her punishment anymore. She was the one at fault, and she would suffer the consequences of her mistakes. “Run,” she ordered Dracott.
Dracott refused. “No.”
Lady L snapped her fingers, and two more guards came out of the darkness. One of them yanked Sabrina away from Dracott and pinned her arms behind her back, while the other three circled Dracott, taunting him by shoving him back and forth amongst themselves.
“Stop,” Sabrina cried, fighting against her captor’s hold.
Her screams amused the brutes, and they started their torment, punching Dracott in the ribs and across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. With his every attempt to rise, they knocked him down again. His beating was more brutal than Sabrina had ever witnessed before. But Dracott never faltered. He kept defending himself to the best of his ability. Sabrina’s cries grew louder, her hoarse voice bellowing out her demands while tears streamed down her face.
“Shut her up,” Lady L roared.
Sabrina didn’t expect the guard to twist her arms tighter and kick the backs of her knees. Sabrina fell to the ground, and the brute kicked her in the side. She let out a piercing scream at the pain ricocheting through her body. But her attacker was far from finished. He lifted her up like she was a rag doll and slugged her across the face. Drops of blood coated her tongue from where her lip split open.
Sabrina held no clue what happened after that. She collapsed to the ground again. Her only recollection was of someone carrying her over their shoulder. Her body jostled with each step, and her face slammed into their muscled back. Pain spread through every part of her body. The only comfort afforded her was when she passed out.
Before her body surrendered to the darkness, she saw Dracott lying on the ground. He never moved once. She prayed he lived.
If not, then his death was on her hands.