Page 1 (1/2)

PROLOGUE

Bitter frustration rose within Sebastian Cavendish, as he glanced through the open door of the wildly swaying carriage into the gaping black void beyond Consciousness, when it had returned ly brutal speed He wished it hadn’t He was about to die, and there wasn’t a da he could do to prevent it

Swearing fiercely, he tugged ineffectually against the tight bonds on his wrists He couldn’t die yet He simply couldn’t He hadn’t even scratched the surface of the things he wanted to achieve with his life Marriage Children Old age Now, it was all going to be denied him by the ruthless actions of the man opposite

Fighting growing desperation, Sebastian glared across the small space at his kidnapper with hatred in his eyes

Howling winds drove the rain sideways, lashing the sides of the rocking coach as it sped through the night Sebastian’s shoulders were soaked as he stared in dread at the brief flashes of hedgerow barely visible through the doorway He considered the chances of getting out alive It didn’t look good

The heavy ru of the wildly swinging carriage door, was deafening Accompanied by the rapid thud of horses’ hooves, the volu in his head with equal fervour

“Stand up!” The lol of his captor was acco of his sodden shirt as he was uncere position

Sebastian’s head swirled in protest For a brief re contents of his battered stoodforsaken reason, he had the wild urge to laugh at the absurdity of his captor’s order His hands were painfully bound behind his back With the carriage rocking and swaying beneath them, it was an impossible order for a healthy person to carry out It was a damned near impossible task for someone who had been kidnapped, and starved for days before being beaten unconscious

Belligerently, Sebastian spat a defiant epithet and watched cynically as Rat staggered left and right as he tried to keep his balance in the wildly swaying carriage The hand he pushed against the roof of the carriage did little to help hi movement Once or twice Rat cursed, and pushed himself to his feet, only to fall onto the opposite side of the carriage with another curse

“Stand up, I say!” Rat ordered He was clearly unaware of how ridiculous he looked

Sebastian’s lip curled in arrogant contempt With slow deliberation, and no s bruises along his back and ribs and slulared defiantly at his torainst the seat of the decrepit carriage

The tall, alered over to him Eventually, he braced his hands on the seat on either side of Sebastian’s broad shoulders, and peered down into his face with a cruel,smile

“Take a look, rinned toothily at hirabbed a handful of Sebastian’s thick black locks, snapping his head back painfully Sebastian closed his eyes rather than ain when his head was yanked around to face the open carriage door He felt the hot putrid breath of his tormentor in his ear

“Listen to the winds,” Rat whispered tauntingly “See the ground With luck, you’ll break your legs and have to wait for the weather to get you” The glee lacing the whisper was followed by a cold snigger of ht at the prospect of Sebastian’s slow and painful demise

“Do you really think et away?” Sebastian’s voice was merciless as he studied the open doorway dispassionately for a lare directly into the eyes of the ard “My brothers will hunt you down They won’t rest until they have vengeance”

Sebastian longed to be able to break the bonds, and pound the thin man until the life left his body He took little consolation froht hesitation he could see in Rat’s confident boasting

“You knoe are, and the connections we have There is nowhere you can go, and nothing you can do, to hide from your crimes So far you have committed kidnap, assault and rowl and he took a randouess “Your boss had better have paid you well, because he has paid you for your life”

He watched as the s Sebastian in no doubt that there was a o A mastermind who apparently wanted him dead

“Do your worst” Sebastian’s deliberately turned his face forwards oncefor the inevitable

A groan locked in his throat when Rat’s boot made solid contact with his already bruised ribs Sweat beaded his brow, as burning pain lanced through his side with stunning ferocity Cursing fluidly beneath his breath, it took every ounce of willpower Sebastian possessed to stoically keep his face impassive

It took several moments before his eyes focused once more on the torn in to breathe again Despite the pain, he felt a brief flicker of satisfaction that his cool acceptance of his fate had styht

As a briefsense of doom thicken as his final moments drew closer Any e At the speed they were tearing through the storht, if he didn’t hit a tree on his way out, he would certainly hit the ground far too heavily There would be little chance of surviving the injuries the impact would leave hileefully pointed out, he would have to lie and wait for death to claim him It would be a slow and merciless death indeed

“Tio”

Sebastian wondered briefly if he should just takeinstinct wouldn’t allow hiht the French, and returned in one piece - alo at the hands of a little rodent; whoever his boss was

Digging his heels down and dropping his shoulders, he knew his weight was significantly hter e