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“Stay perfectly still,” Bell told Marion “Do not struggle Mr O’Shay has the upper hand”

“Obey your fiancé,” said Katherine Dee

Eyes O’Shay said, “To answer your question, Bell, one of the ways I repaid the oldKatherine as he had rescued me Katherine is educated, accomplished, and free No one can hurt her”

“Educated, accomplished, free, and lethal,” said Bell

With her other hand Katherine drew a pistol

“Another birthday present?”

“Give Brian his sword, Mr Bell, before your fiancée is blinded and I shoot you”

Bell flicked the sword haft at O’Shay As he expected, the spy was too sharp to fall for that trick O’Shay caught it coolly without his eyes leaving Bell’s But when he started to sheathe it, he glanced down tohis hand Bell aiting for that split second of distraction He kicked with lightning speed

The sharp toe of his boot struck Katherine Dee’s ulnar nerve, which was drawn tightly over her flexed elbow She cried out in startled pain and could not prevent her hand fro convulsively Her thumb splayed away from Marion’s eye

But the gouge remained attached

Marion tried to pull away froe back at her face Bell had his derringer in his hand by then and was squeezing the trigger O’Shay screa “No!” and s in the confined space Solomon Barlowe dove to the floor Marion cried out, and Bell thought he had shot her But it was Katherine Dee who fell

O’Shay grabbed the girl under one powerful ared for them He tripped over Soloh the door, he saw O’Shay pushing Katherine into a Packard driven by a uniformed chauffeur Gunmen in black derbies stepped fro pistols

“Marion, get down!” Bell roared The pretty-boy bruisers of Riker & Riker’s private protection agency unleashed a scathing hail of gunfire Wild ricochets slass and blasted stone dust from the walls and diamonds from thedisplay Pedestrians dropped to the sidewalk Bell fired back as fast as he could pull the trigger He heard the Packard roar away He fired again, e car screeched around a corner and crashed into soalloped after it, the Packard was sainst a laotten away Bell ran back into the jewelry shop, his heart in his throat Solo Marion was on the floor behind the counter, eyes wide open

Alive!

He knelt beside her “Are you hit?”