His warning ended in a high-pitched squeal as Olympia rammed her knee into his groin. He stumbled back and she turned, intending to flee, only to be grabbed firmly from behind by the man whose eyes she had jabbed her fingers into. He could obviously still see well enough.
“Thought you said she was a lady,” the man said, panting as he fought to keep a thrashing Olympia from escaping his grasp. “Ye said m’lady told ye that. Go kill the baroness, she said. Baroness?” His laughter was full of a bitter repudiation of the truth, that this woman trying her best to hurt him was no lady. “She near to took out my eyes, and done tried to push your cullions right up into your throat. She be no lady.”
“Shaddup!” Will staggered over to her and raised his hand to hit her again. “M’lady wants her dead. Says she be trouble and she wants the trouble stopped.” He pulled his fist back again. “Says her son must be alone.” He smiled darkly at Olympia. “So ye, m’lady, must go.”
Winded and a little dazed, Olympia stared at that filthy fist aimed for her face. The man holding her had too firm a grip on her for her to break it no matter how hard she tried. He even kept his head pressed against the side of hers so that she could not give him a sound blow in the face with the back of her head. She was helpless and she hated it.
Just as she drew a deep breath intending to scream for help, something she suspected would do her little good, there was the distinct sound of wood making hard contact with a person’s flesh. She had heard enough fights to guess what had been struck was someone’s head. The man preparing to strike her jerked, a look of utter shock on his face as he slowly fell to his knees where he swayed back and forth for a moment before falling on his face. Behind him stood Abel with a stout club in his hands and a savage look of satisfaction on his face.
Olympia tried to struggle free of the man still holding her only to hear two more blows strike flesh and, chillingly, the sounds of bones breaking. Her captor screamed and fell to the ground, releasing her to grab at his legs as he fell. She lost her balance and landed on her hands and knees. One quick glance at her captor who was writhing and moaning on the ground near her was enough to tell her that at least one of his legs was broken. Daniel stepped into view and hit the man on the head, stopping the man’s noise and sending him into unconsciousness.
“Lady O,” said David as he tossed aside the club he had clearly hit the man’s other leg with, and crouched by her side. “Are you hurt bad?”
“Nay, not badly,” she replied as she accepted his help to get back on her feet. “The kitten?”
“Kitten?” David looked around and, after a careful search of the alley, finally saw the little animal where it hung. “Ah, poor thing. A lure, eh?”
“Aye. Need to get it down.”
Every part of her hurt for each time the men had grabbed her they had not done so gently, but she moved back to where the kitten hung, still conscious but no longer fighting, and trembling in a way that broke her heart. The side of her head throbbed badly enough to make her stomach churn, but she could not leave the animal where it was. What chilled her to the bone was the proof that someone had taken the time to learn enough about her to know she had such a weakness. Olympia vowed to herself that she would remember that and consider the implications of it later.
With the aid of the boys, she collected her shawl from the ground and wrapped the kitten up in it as David, with the help of Abel, untied the end of the rope secured on the hook. Daniel cautiously untied the kitten’s legs. Olympia collected her bag, had the boys pick up her scattered packages, and forced herself to begin the walk back to the Warren.
“We should call a carriage,” said Abel, hooking his arm through hers to help steady her.
“Nay, it is not far,” said Olympia.
“Or get someone from Bow Street to come and pick up that scum what tried to hurt you,” said David, quickly stepping up on her other side.
“We can do that later.” When she saw the Warren come into view she heartily wished she had the strength to run to the safety it promised her.
She knew she was a mess and was staggering more than walking. That was undoubtedly drawing the attention of everyone they passed. The three boys helping her were sure to catch everyone’s attention as well as they were not the sort of boys a woman of breeding would have anything to do with. There would be gossip from this misadventure but she was too sore to care. Then again, she thought as the boys helped her into the house, she was a Wherlocke and gossip about them never truly faded away.
“Ollie!”
She scowled at Enid who was rushing to her side even as a rushing noise began to fill her head. “Do not call me that.” A moment later, as both Pawl and Enid reached her side, Olympia knew she was about to collapse. “Kitten,” she managed to say just before the blackness crowding into her mind took her under.