Chapter Five

"We're to do what?"

Red drew in a breath and faced his brother. Very slowly, he said, "We are to collect an artifact."

From over the table, Drake leaned forward. "But why?"

"Because the job pays generously," Red explained patiently.

"You said we weren't going out for a while." Knight leaned back in his chair and motioned to Louisa to bring him another ale.

The subtle din of the tavern covered their conversation well enough. The Ship had long been their base to discuss operations. Louisa, the owner, was well aware of their activities, and they repaid her kindness with cheap and free alcohol whenever they could. She had already covered their hides once or twice and would no doubt be called on to do so again one day.

As for the rest of the patrons, none cared enough about them to question four friends spending time together. Those who came to the Ship were here to drink, gamble, and often drown their sorrows. They cared little for the business of others.

Red rubbed a hand over his face. He knew he was going to have a hard time convincing them this was a worthwhile job. They had no information or men to slip into France, so why take the risk? But he had offered his help to Hannah, and he'd be damned if he'd go back on his word.

"Things change."

Nate shook his head and pushed his glasses back up his nose. "Since when?"

"Now, damn it."

Drake smirked. "You want to tell us the real reason we have to trek across the ocean for a bit of stone?"

Red swung his gaze from man to man. He clenched his jaw and huffed. "Very well. This woman came to me—"

His companions groaned. Knight shook his head and muttered women as though they were the very devil incarnated.

"She will pay us well," he continued.

"For some stone?" Nate asked.

"Yes. It is of historical importance." Christ, now he even sounded like Hannah, all prim and upright, yet excited about the prospect of more history. The way her eyes had lit up when she spoke of the stone had been the most enchanting—albeit a little baffling—thing he had ever seen. How could someone get so excited about history?

"Historical importance?" Knight's dry tone told Red the man was just as excited by the idea of fetching a stone as the rest of them.

He changed tact. "Napoleon stole many Egyptian artifacts during his invasion of the country. This woman's father is involved with recovering them."

"So we're stealing a stolen object that was stolen from Egypt by Napoleon, and we're bringing it to England and not returning it to where it belongs?" Nate asked.

Red groaned inwardly. "Yes, that is about the measure of it."

His brother shrugged. "Sounds reasonable to me."

Drake laughed. "Oh yes, reasonable indeed." He leaned into Red. "Tell me about this woman."

"She is very pretty," Louisa said, bringing over a fresh ale for Knight. "Elegant, I would say. Red certainly liked her."

"I damn well did not," he muttered.

All the men chuckled.

Louisa tucked the serving tray under one arm and propped her hand on her hip. "I have never seen you have more than a five-minute conversation with a woman, let alone a full-blown argument."

"You should not have been listening," he scolded.

"It could hardly be helped. You were not the quietest."

"And it was not an argument. We were merely debating."

She shook her head. "Well, if you ask me, you were thoroughly enjoying your debate."

"No one asked you," he grumbled.

Louisa did a poor job of smothering a giggle. "Can I get you gentlemen anything else?"

Knight grunted. "Keep them coming."

She ran her gaze over the hulk and lifted her brows. "As you will." She turned to Red's brother. "Say, Nate, the stable hand says we have your pet sheep in the barn. I didn't think you the sort to have a fondness for livestock."

"I did not." Nate sighed. "I do not."

Louisa's brows rose.

"The sheep adopted him," Drake explained.

"Adopted him?"

"The blasted animal won't leave me be. I tried to take it back to where I found it, but it seems it's become split from its flock. So, well—" Nate's face reddened "—she's mine now I guess."

Louisa barely smothered a smile and even Red needed to bite down on his tongue. The sheep had been following Nate everywhere and had now taken up residence in the barn near their home. It had been a fight to keep the damn animal from trying to follow Nate into the house. He could just imagine his mother rising from the grave to scold them for letting an animal traipse across the Persian carpets.

"Does she have a name?" the innkeeper asked.

Nate glared at her. "Of course she damn well does not."

"Come now, Nate." Drake grinned. "Your pet must have a name."

"How about Fluffy?" Louisa suggested.

"Or Snowy," Red put in.

His brother's glare darkened.

"What about Cloudy?" Red said, barely smothering a laugh.

"Franklin," Knight said gruffly.

They all turned to the giant in the corner. "Franklin?" Louisa queried. "Franklin is a terrible name for a sheep."

He shrugged. "I had a cat called Franklin."

Silence fell like a hammer across the table. If the other people in the room were anything like Red, they were firstly baffled by the idea of Knight ever owning an animal. It was hard to picture those huge hands stroking across a cat's head or those big fingers tickling a fluffy tummy. And secondly, this was about the most personal admission they had ever heard from Knight. Red trusted the man with his life, but he knew very little about Lewis Knight, save that he fought in France for some time before returning to England and running into some trouble with the law.

Louisa cleared her throat. "Well, I shall ensure Fluffy is well looked after. I probably have some leftovers she'll enjoy."

"She's not called Fluffy," Nate protested.

Knight huffed. "I still like Franklin."

Nate lifted a hand. "Can we not get back to the fact that Red has signed us up for some adventure all in the name of a woman?"

Drake turned his gaze to Red. "Oh yes, I think we should. We need all the important details. Is she attractive?"

Red curled a hand around his glass of ale. "I do not see what that matters."

"Very well, it's not that important anyway." Drake's grin turned lascivious. "Does she have big tits?"

Groaning, Red clenched down on his jaw until it hurt. If this woman had him close to fighting his friends, Lord knows what other chaos she could cause.