Chapter 18

Lilian's heart pounded as she was carried down the alley. She couldn't help but feel intense shame at the fact that she'd gotten caught. She knew Frederic had called out to her, but she couldn't count on him to save her.

After all, this was his last chance to get justice. She couldn't expect him to give that up just for her.

No, she was on her own to save herself, and she wasn't going to let them take her down without a fight.

She struggled as hard as she could, pounding her fists against the man's back, kicking at his chest.

"Let me go!" she screamed.

"Quiet, or I'll shut you up, permanently." He scowled, smacking her back hard enough to leave a bruise.

She winced but didn't let the pain stop her. "I'd like to see you try!" she snarled, kicking at his back with all the force she could muster.

"You little shit! You're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

"Then maybe you should just put me down!"

"Fine. If that's what you want, I will."

Then he lifted her off of his shoulder and threw her to the ground as hard as he could. Her back connected with the rough stone streets with a sickening crack. The force of her landing knocked every ounce of air from her lungs. She struggled in vain to draw in another breath.

The man grabbed her by her hair, hauling her up to her feet. Lilian tried to get her feet under her, but the man didn't give her even a second. Before she even processed what was happening, he slammed her against the wall, holding her there by the neck. Lilian choked for air, clutching helplessly at his wrist.

"Not so tough now, are you?" he snarled, with a vicious smile marring his face.

Suddenly, a voice cut through the night.

"Get your hands off my wife." Frederic charged towards them, punching the man in the jaw.

The second the man let go, she fell to her knees, panting for breath. Her vision was still blurred as she watched the two men struggle.

She wanted to call out to Frederic, to ask what he was doing here, but she still couldn't draw a full breath. She was still struggling when Frederic managed to knock him out. He raced over to her.

"Lilian!" he called desperately.

She tried to force herself to speak but couldn't get the words out.

He knelt in front of her, a gentle look on his face. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out of here."

Finally, she managed to draw in a breath. "What are you doing here?"

"When I saw them taking you, I could hardly do anything but chase after you. I'm going to get you somewhere safe now."

Then he was carefully lifting her into his arms and racing down the street. Lilian was in such shock that it took her a minute to respond.

"Frederic…" She shifted in his arms, wincing at the movement. "You don't need to carry me. I can walk just fine."

But he didn't respond. He just kept running, a look of raw determination on his face. Dozens of questions burned in her throat, but she couldn't force herself to voice any of them, too afraid to learn the answers. Even if she wasn't, her body just felt so heavy. To be honest, despite her earlier protest, she wasn't sure if she could have walked fine on her own, not that she wanted to admit that to him. She was sure she'd worried him more than enough for the day already.

So, she just lay there, slumped against him, watching the night go by. Slowly, the streets became more familiar, and she found herself relaxing against his strong chest. She could feel his heart beating under her ear. It made her feel a little anxious to know he was this upset because of her.

Finally, he burst through the door of the first pub they had visited all those weeks ago.

"Someone call the constable and a physician!" he called frantically.

In an instant, there was a flurry of activity.

"Frederic," she whispered, forcing a smile. It had taken a while, but she'd finally found her words. "I'm all right, really. You don't need to call a physician. I just needed a moment to catch my breath. That was all."

Then he looked down at her, broken desperation painted across his face. "Please, I need to know you are all right. When the physician comes, let him examine you if only for my peace of mind."

She couldn't help but smile despite the situation. "All right, if I agree, will you please set me down at least? I promise I can stand on my own just fine."

He carefully set her feet on the ground.

"Thank you," she said, but the second her feet touched the ground, she started to sway.

He immediately scooped her back up.

"I said I can stand."

"And I saw you almost tip over. Forgive me for being a bit protective and cautious after what we've been through tonight."

She huffed but didn't argue any further. Instead, she just rested against him and waited for whatever was happening to be over. All she wanted was to be home in her bed, but neither of them had any way of knowing how long it could possibly be before they managed to make their way home.

A moment later, Billy, the man they had met on their very first night out, came over to them. He had a cup of water in his hand and a look of concern on his face. He held it out to Lilian.

"Are the pair of you all right? What happened to you?"

"I'm afraid it's quite a long story."

"That's all right. I've already called the constable and physician. Is there anything else I can do?"

"I'd like to find a place where my wife can sit down."

"Of course. I've already cleared a table for the two of you. Why don't you come, sit down, and have some water. Help will be here in a few minutes, but you are both welcome to stay for as long as you need to."

"Thank you." Lilian took the cup in her hands, carefully taking little sips as they followed him to a small table off in the corner, where Frederic carefully set her down on the bench seat.

He kept a hand on her shoulder until he was sure she could sit up on her own. Only when he was sure she was stable did he draw his hand away before turning back to Billy.

"Thank you again. We appreciate your help."

"Do either of you need anything while you wait?" Billy asked.

Frederic shook his head. "I think we just need a few moments together before they get here."

"Of course. Call me if you need anything."

Then Billy was gone, leaving the couple alone.

Frederic turned to Lilian, eyes roaming over her form for signs of injury.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "What did he do to you? All I saw was that man carrying you off then he had you against the wall. I'm sorry that happened to you. I came as fast as I could, but I wasn't fast enough."

She shook her head. "It's all right, Frederic. I'm going to be fine. I'm not really hurt, just a little shaken up, but enough about me. What happened to Tony?"

"What?" he asked, blinking in confusion.

She frowned. "Were you able to get him in time?"

He just blinked again, as if this was the first time any thought related to Tony had even entered his head. "I don't know. I didn't have time to think about it."

"What do you mean? Why would you do that? What could have happened that would be more important than taking him down?"

He looked away, something dark flickering in his eyes at the memory. "I saw they were taking you, and I couldn't let them get away. Nothing else mattered at that moment. I just needed to make sure you were safe. It was worth any cost to ensure your safety."

Lilian's heart pounded in her chest at his words. Nothing he was saying made any sense. She shook her head in disbelief. He couldn't mean what she thought this meant. Finally, she forced herself to speak.

"Frederic, you can't mean—are you saying you let him get away just for me?"

To her growing confusion, a strange smile graced his face. "Of course, I did. At that moment, it was clear there was no other choice. Revenge isn't worth risking the life of the woman I love."

Her heart soared at his words. She wanted nothing more than to say it back, to scream it from the rooftops, but she couldn't bring herself to trust it. Not yet.

Finally, she asked, "Do—do you really mean that? You aren't just saying it because of the stress of the situation? Or because you're worried about me or panicked or?—"

"Yes," he cut her off, gently taking her hands in his. "I truly do. You don't need to feel the same way. I can completely understand if you don't or even if you never do. I just wanted you to know how I felt. After everything that happened, I couldn't help but worry I might never get a chance to tell you."

She blinked in shock before a giant smile broke out across her face. "Oh, Frederic, do you really not know?"

He frowned, shaking his head. "I don't know what?"

Before he could say another word, she darted forward, taking his lips in a kiss. She poured every ounce of love in her heart into it before pulling away, a small smile on her face.

"Do you understand now?" She winced at the aggravation of her injuries.

Frederic frowned, concern written all over his face. "Please be careful how much you move. I don't want you to hurt yourself more than you already are. You can't tell me that didn't aggravate your injuries. You could have just said how you felt."

She tried to let out a laugh, but it hurt too much, quickly turning into a groan and a wince. Still, despite the pain, she felt lighter than she had in a long time.

"I thought that would be a more effective way to tell you how I felt. Was I right?"

He just laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You are the most incredible woman I have ever seen in my life."

"That's great to hear, but it doesn't answer my question.

Frederic opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get the words out, the door to the pub opened and a pair of Bow Street Runners came in.

The owner directed them over to where Lilian and Frederic were sitting.

"We heard the two of you had a run-in with some less-than-savory figures," the first one said. "Can you tell us what happened tonight?"

"First, I want to let you know Tony is making his escape down at the docks. I saw him getting on a boat. It hadn't sent sail yet when we left, but I don't know how long it has until it does. I'm begging you to send some men there before he gets away. Once you do that, we can tell you everything we know."

The man turned to his companion. "You heard the man. Find a crew and go stop him before it's too late."

"Yes, Sir!" Then one of them ran off, leaving the pair alone with the first man.

"All right, tell me everything you know."

Frederic let out a sigh before launching into his story, going over everything that happened, from how his brother was killed to his investigation of Tony. He told the Runner about how he and Lilian decided to try and find him themselves and finally what happened when they were out that night.

The whole time, the runner just watched them, a look of shock on his face. "It would seem the two of you have done a lot to help us take him down. I can't say I'm happy you did, as it was incredibly dangerous, but I don't know if we would have a chance of catching him if it wasn't for your work."

"We're just glad we were able to help," Lilian cut in.

He nodded, looking at her. "Has someone been over to make sure you aren't hurt? Based on what you told me, you should really have a physician look at you."

"We called for one, but he hasn't arrived yet."

The man nodded. "Good, I should get to work and let you get some rest. Don't hesitate to call for us if you remember anything else that you think could be helpful."

"We will. Thank you."

Frederic and the man shared another goodbye then he headed out the door just as the physician arrived and whisked Lilian away to look her over.

It felt like hours before he said she was free to go. It was hardly a clean bill of health—she had countless bruises, and her ribs hurt something fierce, but he assured her she would be better before she knew it if she just followed his orders to rest for the next few days.

As they were walking home, one of the Runners came up to them, out of breath and grinning from ear to ear.

"Are you the couple who called us earlier this evening?" he asked.

Frederic stepped forward, putting his body between the man and Lilian. "We are. Why? Who's asking?"

"I just thought you might want to know we were able to stop one of the worst gang leaders in London from escaping because you raised the alarm. Thank you for your diligence, Sir. I'm glad you and your wife are both all right."

"You were able to catch Little Tony?" Frederic gasped.

"Because of you, yes, we were."

"Thank you for telling us. I can sleep easy tonight for the first time in years."

"Then I'm glad I could deliver you the good news. Have a good night, you two. The streets are a little safer because of you."

The men shared another nod, and the pair continued on their way.

Lilian let out a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad they were able to catch him," she said.

"Me too, but if they hadn't, I still would have made the right choice."

She flushed, looking away. "I'm glad you feel that way, but I don't think I could have lived with myself if you'd given up your one shot at justice for me."

"Lilian, you could have been kidnapped or worse if I hadn't moved when I did. That is worlds more important than anything else. Catching him would have been meaningless if I'd lost you in the process."

She flushed, looking away. "Well, I'm glad you didn't. He deserves to be behind bars, and now he will be."

"I hope so. There's still so much that could go wrong with the trial."

"And there are still so many more men they could capture because of the questioning. It could be a huge opportunity."

"I can only hope you're right, but I find it hard to share your optimism."

"After everything you've been through, I can understand why, but I look forward to showing you I'm right."

"Then so do I."

The pair continued their walk home in silence.