Elissa launched to her feet, but with the retaining barrier to her right and the stone wall edging the fountain to her left and stretching behind her, she had nowhere to flee.
“Been waiting for you to be alone.” His lips pulled back in a warped smile, baring yellowed teeth. “Unless you want to find yourself in pretty little pieces, I’d hand it over. I know you have it.”
The telegram. Her evidence against Jeffrey.
Was this man one of the friends Jeffrey had threatened her about? But why would he have been at Shelby’s office? She hadn’t known about Jeffrey’s secret life then.
“I’m not sure what you mean.” Her voice quivered. A bird squawked overhead as if mocking her.
The man stepped toward her, and she rocked back, the backs of her knees smacking the stone bench.
His eyes narrowed to fiery slits. “I don’t have time to play games with a scrawny girl.”
“Then how about with me?” Cole lunged from behind and tackled the assaulter, his hat tumbling to the cement.
The man staggered but kept a firm grip on the knife. He whipped around, and the blade snagged Cole’s coat.
Elissa’s heart pounded. How could she help? Her gazed darted about. No branches or stones to launch. No fake gun to point. Not even a purse to whomp him over the head with.
Cole threw a punch. The man dodged it, reeling toward Elissa. She hugged the cement retaining wall. Trapped. The attacker lunged toward Cole, blade swiping through the air. Cole leapt back. The thug, unable to control his momentum, bent forward. Cole charged him, driving him in Elissa’s direction as the men pummeled each other. She hopped onto the stone bench, escaping collision, inches from the assailant’s back. Knee raised, she stabbed her heel into his spine.
He grunted in pain.
Cole punched him in the jaw, and the attacker fell against the nook’s wall, finally releasing the knife.
A shout emitted from the direction of the road. A lanky man jogged toward them, followed by an older gentleman.
“Over here!” Still standing on the bench, she jumped and waved her hands. “Help!”
The thug glanced at the newcomers then struck Cole in the gut. With a muttered curse, he dashed away, escaping through the wooded lot across the street.
Cole doubled over, bracing his hands on his thighs. Elissa jumped to the ground and rushed to him, placing a trembling hand on his back, tears streaming.
The younger man puffed out short breaths, splotches of red dotting his cheeks. “Are you all right?”
Cole nodded and straightened, slowly.
Elissa retrieved Cole’s hat from the pavement, taking the extra moment to collect herself.
“I saw the man had a knife.” The other gentleman, who bore semblance to the long-legged stranger beside Elissa, pointed in the direction the attacker had fled. “Crazy, these muggings we’ve been having.”
“I’m glad you two showed up when you did.” Cole’s gaze sought Elissa’s, and she handed him the hat. He nodded his thanks and slapped it on his head. “I’ll see the lady home. Again, I appreciate your aid.”
The men exchanged handshakes with Cole and left.
A moment ago, her life had been in danger, and now her heart was. Again.
“Are you hurt at all?” Cole searched her face. Ivory skin shone with tears, but thank God, no marks. Yet bruises weren’t always in open view. How long had the man harassed Elissa before he’d arrived? “He didn’t touch you, did he?” The thought of that slime manhandling Elissa hollowed Cole’s stomach.
He couldn’t shake his scowl. Another man had escaped. First the intruder at his apartment, now this goon. Cole’s confidence plummeted while his anger surged. How could he keep Elissa safe if he kept letting these jerks get away?
“I’m not hurt.” Her voice was soft, a reedy whisper. “But I should be asking if you’re okay.”
He held up his arm to examine his sleeve where the knife had made contact. Thankfully, the cloth was all it had sliced. “No injury here.” Aside from the blow to his gut, both literal and emotional.
She steadied her gaze on him, brows lifting slightly. “How did you know I was here?”
Cole withdrew a handkerchief and stooped, gathering the knife in the cloth and weighing Elissa’s question. Tillman had phoned and explained that Elissa had bolted from the house after she’d discovered her father’s intentions of having Cole watch over her. God knew what she’d been thinking. “I was told you weren’t home. That you left in a hurry.” He refrained from relaying her parents’ concern. He didn’t want her to think they’d chatted behind her back. He was in trouble for that already. “I remembered this was your favorite place to be alone. Wasn’t sure if you’d be here, but guessed it was worth a shot.” He mustered a tight smile and slipped the knife into his pocket.
“Glad you did.” The statement offered the perfect balance of obligation and sincerity. “What are you going to do with that?” She inclined her head to the knife wrapped in his handkerchief, poking out from his pocket.
“Take it to Sterling.”
“I’ll be on my way, then. No need to walk me home.” She secured a loose hairpin and smoothed a hand down the front of her coat. “I’ll stick to main streets and avoid the alleys.”
She couldn’t be serious, but the hardened look on her face spoke otherwise.
“Elissa, there’s no way I’m leaving you alone.” Yes, a mountain of regrets lay between them, but he’d not abandon her side until he knew she was safe.
She sighed and walked down the sidewalk, staring into the distance at the massive estate behind Howe Springs.
Cole cleared his throat. “Do you still pretend that house is Longbourn?”
A smile teased her lips, but she didn’t succumb to it. “It’s Pemberley.” She cut a quick glance his way and then focused her attention ahead. “And no. I’ve given up pretending. Entirely.”
The resolute tone of her voice seemed to stretch further than her childhood fancy of Pride and Prejudice. “I noticed the man who accosted you was the same as from Shelby’s office.” Minus his chubby sidekick. Cole had identified Wiry the moment he’d rounded the corner.
Elissa nodded. “And the same guy from The Steel Fountain. I caught him … watching me.”
The speakeasy. Every time he thought of her at a gin joint, his heart twisted in his chest. And with Kendrew, of all people. Betrayal stung, and jealousy was a tough monster to conquer. “Why hadn’t you mentioned this before?” His clipped tone made her stiffen. He pressed his mouth together. Allowing his irritation to surface wouldn’t solve anything. Only push her away more. “Did the goon bother you on your date?”
Her brows lowered. “I wasn’t on a date. I was on the hunt for a story. Adam just happened to be there.”
Cole stilled. “So that was the reason you didn’t show up at the church Wednesday? You were chasing a headline?”
She ran a hand along the iron rails hedging the yards of fancy homes. “I had a lead, and I let it consume me. I’m sorry about the wedding. Everything about that situation.” Her tone reflected her words, genuine with traces of regret.
Cole exhaled. He should’ve known she’d been chasing the story. Should he be relieved she wasn’t two-timing him at a speakeasy, or throttle her for putting herself in danger for the sake of a crummy lead? He’d known that drive, though she’d always had it stronger. Yet the hitch in her step and the sag in her posture spoke more than her words. Could she be realizing the emptiness of ambition? “Did the thug give any reason for following you?”
She shivered, but he wasn’t sure if it was from the memory of the man with the blade or the cool temperature. “He knows what I have.”
“And what would that be, besides stunning good looks?” He attempted lightening the mood, but she rolled her eyes.
“A telegram.”
He motioned with his hands. “Go on.”
“No.” She shoved her chin in the air. “It has to do with my article.” Her shoulders slumped. “But then again, it was all a hoax. A deception for you to babysit me.” Coldness crept into her eyes. “I hope he paid you overtime. You earned it.”
Was that what she thought? That all his attention toward her had been because of her father? He squashed the rising groan. “I wasn’t getting paid for any of it. Your father simply asked if I could …” How could he phrase it without sounding patronizing? “You father loves you and didn’t want anything to happen to you. And I felt the same way.”
Her step faltered, but other than that, she walked casually despite the fact that he’d essentially told her he loved her.
“I can handle myself.”
He stopped. “This isn’t a slight on your courage or independence. It’s about the man who’s tried to assault you. Twice.” The knife weighed heavy in his pocket. “Another time we may not be so fortunate.”
She winced.
“Listen, Spark, things could’ve ended extremely badly back there. What was on that telegram that the man wanted?”
“I guess it doesn’t matter anymore.” She sighed. “The telegram was from the landlord at the Maple Grove Lodge, confirming Jeffrey’s marriage to Doris Green.”
“The Follies’ actress? She and Jeffrey are married?”
Elissa nodded.
Cole let out a low whistle. “Wasn’t she married three times before?”
“Four.”
If Shelby had been aware of this and all the scandals that followed Doris Green, he’d mostly likely not favored the match. “But why would Jeffrey hire a man to come after you for the telegram? You already know he’s married. The only way to get you not to talk would be …”
“To destroy the telegram and kill me.” Elissa bit her lip, her eyes glazing with the somber truth. “Just like Mr. Shelby.”
Cole scratched his late-day stubble. Had Jeffrey murdered his own father? “Do you think the secret marriage was the cause for their argument? The one that was going to get Jeffrey cut from the will?”
Another nod, but no words. Was she still angry with him from this morning, or was the shock of the incident now settling in?
“Why would that man be in Shelby’s office that night? You didn’t have the telegram then.” He adjusted his hat. “Unless he was hired by Jeffrey to find and destroy the new will. The one that excluded Jeffrey.”
Elissa stilled. “If the latest will was never found, the former would be honored, right? Jeffrey would still inherit.”
“Yes.” Was the man who had invaded Cole’s place one of Jeffrey’s hired cronies, and not Shelby’s lab assistant, as Sterling had assumed?
After the invasion at his apartment, Sterling had shown Cole a picture of Matthew Young. The image matched the description of the intruder with the dark hair and lean build, but why would one of Shelby’s workers break into Cole’s apartment?
“Honey.” He put a hand on her arm, and she shirked away. “We need to go to the police. I know this is your lead, but—”
“Haven’t you heard me? It doesn’t matter anymore. I’m not crafting an article. This competition is over. You and Father won.” Her rushed words and labored breathing tugged Cole’s compassion.
“This is not about winning, it’s for your safety. A man also broke into my apartment on Monday.”
Blue eyes widened. “Your apartment?” Her forehead wrinkled, and as much as she’d deny it, alarm laced her features. “Who was it?”
“Considering the stolen case of ethanol a couple weeks ago, it’s possible the man was just an alcoholic desperate for a drink. But Sterling tends to think it has something to do with the Shelby case. If they were hunting for the will, they didn’t find it, because I don’t have the thing.” He fastened his gaze on her. “Your house may be next.”
“My parents.” Her bottom lip quivered, and he wanted more than anything to calm it with his, to pull her into his arms until all fear faded. “Sterling should know, then.” She resumed walking, this time with a quicker pace. “Perhaps he can put this all together and make an end of it.” Glancing over, her features softened. “How is he faring?”
Cole shrugged. “Not good. Sophie moved in with her sister in Massachusetts. Left a note for Sterling saying she didn’t love him.”
She blinked. “They seemed so right for each other. How awful.”
“Maybe this case will help keep his mind off her.” Though Sterling was like him—when he loved a woman, it was forever.