Page 92
Secretly, Robb was inclined to agree that it wasn’t their finest moment – but he was also inclined to think that there had to be more to it. His team could come across as less than disciplined sometimes – a lot of the time, actually – but when it came down to it, they were highly competent.
While he’d originally been surprised at the apparent amateurishness of their plan, he was now certain that this was only a sideshow, and the main event was elsewhere.
And, sure enough –
I knew it.
Robb quelled the feeling of burgeoning satisfaction, keeping his expression steady.
While James and his guards were being distracted by the frankly ridiculous display in front of them, a small group of medieval knights – and Trent – had been quietly amassing behind them, just out of the range of shifter senses.
Robb only glanced their way briefly, not wanting to give anything away, but he could tell by the general size and build of the knights that they were from his team.
He edged ever so slightly away from their captors as James had a snippy conversation with Brooke and Rhys. No sudden or large movements, nothing noticeable – just a very small, slight drifting away, putting himself out of immediate arm’s reach. Tahnee followed suit, sticking close by his side.
Glancing back over his shoulder, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The knights readied themselves. Trent hitched his skirts.
Looking back once more toward where Rhys and Brooke were acting as decoys, Robb felt the tension in the air building.
“I don’t have time for this,” James said dismissively – before apparently realizing that Robb and Tahnee had started to slip away.
His expression darkened, and he raised his hand in command. “Men, put a stop to this futile stupidity.”
Before Robb could even blink, the Hargreaves goons were bursting forward, their enormous bulk bearing down on Robb and Tahnee.
At the same time, the sound of clattering armor and thundering footsteps roared toward them from behind.
Robb felt something like a smile threatening to break out over his face.
Finally. Here we go.
Chapter 16
The whole world seemed suspended in time, only the slightest breeze against Tahnee’s cheeks letting her know that things hadn’t actually frozen in place.
The Hargreaves goons were looming above her as they bore down, about to crash into her with horrifying force, and she was struggling to work out her next move.
The brolga stretched its wings out to their full mighty span, staring down its aggressors.
Bring it on, it said. I will not back down from what is right.
Tahnee had to agree with the sentiment – but still, she would really rather not get squashed by ginormous evil thugs if she could help it. It had already been one hell of a day, after all.
She wondered if it would be better to try to use the momentum of the nearest goon to flip him over, or if she would be better off just jumping out of the way and hoping for the best. Because there was no way Tahnee was ever going to be able to take either of them on in a fair fight, and especially not when they had the advantage of speed.
She was just starting to duck down when, with an impossible burst of acceleration, Rhys joined the fray. He nudged her out of the way with a smooth professionalism that she couldn’t help but admire, even as she bristled at being removed from the action without so much as a by your leave.
She watched as Rhys – who, no small man himself, was still somewhat dwarfed by the sheer size of the Hargreaves thug – used the thug’s momentum against him, twisting around with fluid ease and flipping him neatly onto the ground in what Tahnee could admit was a much better job of it than she would’ve managed.
It wouldn’t be enough to keep the goon down, Tahnee knew, but it was definitely a good start.
The other Hargreaves thug had been intercepted in a similar fashion by the unknown woman who had asked Tahnee to take part in the ‘play’, who had somehow managed to get Robb out of the way as well.
Tahnee watched her now, concerned, as the thug bore down on her – but then, just at the moment the two were about to make sickening, bone-crunching contact, the woman disappeared.
What the –?!
