Arista stared down at Nic’s body. He looked peaceful, as if he were only sleeping. He’d not been in the river long enough to look like any of the bloated corpses she’d seen dragged out of it. Her knees weakened and she sank down next to him. His flesh was cool as she took his hand.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Her head fell forward and she pressed her lips to the back of his hand. His hair was matted to his forehead, and she gently pushed it away from his face. The gash Bones’s men had left on his temple remained, but only a small trickle of blood ran from it now.
Great sobs erupted from her chest. He couldn’t be gone. Not Nic. She draped herself over his chest, willing him to take a breath, but he remained still.
“Lad, they’ve brought a cart to carry the body. Is there someplace we can take it?” the man asked.
Grae helped Arista to her feet and wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pulling her against his chest. She clung to the sound of his heartbeat, so strong and sure and alive under her ear.
“I’ll take care of the arrangements,” Grae said. “Please have the body taken to the coroner, and give him my name, Graeden Sinclair. I will be there to take care of everything in the morning.” Grae gave each of the men a shilling and their eyes went wide.
“Aye, Mr. Sinclair, I’ll take care of it myself,” the man said. “Don’t you worry about a thing.”
“He’s really gone, isn’t he?” Arista whispered.
“I’m afraid so,” Grae said, pressing his lips to her temple.
Arista lifted her head to look at Grae. “He saved me. All my life he looked out for me, made sure no one ever harmed me. And in the end, I couldn’t help him. He died protecting me.”
“Anyone who knows you would do the same.” Grae stared intently into her eyes. She saw everything there. The relief; the fear; the love.
“I want to learn to swim. When we get to India, will you teach me?”
“Anything you want is yours.” Grae led her past the warehouse, where Becky was standing next to the carriage. Tomas was pacing next to her, and when they got close enough he yanked off his cap. “Are you okay, miss?”
“I’m okay, Tomas.” Grae gently lifted her and set her in the carriage, then climbed up beside her. Becky sat across from them, her fingers wrapped tightly around the roll of papers.
Tomas grabbed the reins and looked over his shoulder. “Are we set, then?” he asked. Grae and Becky both looked at Arista.
After one last glance toward the river, where the men were loading Nic’s covered body onto a cart, she nodded. “Yes, Tomas. Let’s go home.”
Two days later, Arista and Grae sat at a corner table at Lloyd’s Coffeehouse. Arista had dressed in some of Tomas’s clothes, disguised as a boy, as she was still a wanted criminal.
When Wild walked in, he didn’t see them at first. It gave Arista the opportunity to study him. He looked wary, and the loss of confidence made him seem almost like a different man. And, just as she had specified in her note, Wild had come alone.
Grae turned and waved at him. Wild’s glance immediately slid to her, and she met his stare head-on. There would be no cowering before him today. “Sit,” she said, her voice still hoarse from the water in her lungs.
When he didn’t move, she looked up at him with one raised eyebrow. “You’re here on my terms this time. I’d suggest you make yourself comfortable, because I have a lot to say to you, and you will listen to it all very carefully.”
Wild growled low in his throat. A tic began at the corner of his eye. Once he realized that she would not be intimidated, he pulled out a chair and sat down.
“This is what will happen,” Arista began. “First, you will ‘find’ a witness to Lord Huntington’s stabbing who will swear that it was a man he saw that night—and you will drop all allegations against me. Second, you will tell Raffer that he may never contact the Sinclairs again.”
Wild actually snorted. “How do you expect me to do that, exactly? He paid handsomely for that information.”
Arista waved her hand in the air. “You’re creative. You’ll figure something out. All I care about is that Grae’s family will be freed from his blackmail. If he tries to collect in any way, I will take you down. Weigh that consequence for motivation.” Her words came out coldly. In truth, she cared nothing for Wild. All her years watching Bones deal unemotionally with people had taught her the skills she needed now. “Do we have a deal?”
Wild clenched his fingers into a fist and glared at her. He did not like being the one who was told what to do. “How do I know you even have anything to use against me? You’re bluffing.”
Arista smiled. She knew he’d ask—would have been disappointed if he had not. Men like him always wanted proof. She reached into the inside pocket of her jacket and took out a folded piece of parchment.