Page 122 of The Boxing Baroness

“Keep two guns on His Grace,” Dominic said to his men, his gaze sliding to the caravan that Barnabas had been driving—the one that belonged to Sin, Guy, and Elliot.

“If you made so much money then why all this?” Guy asked.

Dominic’s face flexed into a petulant frown. “Well, things didn’t go as well as I’d hoped.”

Guy chuckled. “Ah, your criminal associates double-crossed you, did they? What a shame.”

“I don’t really need you, do I?” Dominic raised his gun and pointed it at Guy’s face.

Guy just smirked, rather than look chastened or afraid.

Dominic sneered. “You always did have more looks than brains.” He turned to Sin. “I’m hoping—for both our sakes, Staunton—that my ten thousand pounds is somewhere inside that caravan. Because we found nothing in the other two wagons or in this little love nest of yours. So, where is it?”

“It’s easier to show you than tell you,” Sin said calmly, as if their plan wasn’t unraveling right before their eyes.

Dominic pointed to the men holding their guns on the duke. “Don’t hesitate to blow his head off if he so much as twitches. Go on, Your Grace.”

Sin went to the back of the caravan, opened the door, and then slid aside the panel that exposed the foot-high storage space. He stepped back. “It’s in there.”

Dominic motioned to a boy carrying an old musket that was almost as tall as he was. “Put that aside for a moment and go look.”

The lad hurried to obey, squatting down and peering into the hiding space. “There’s a trunk, sir.”

“Well, pull it out, you fool.”

The boy hurriedly reached inside and drew out a wooden strongbox reinforced with metal strapping. It hit the ground with a heavy thud that kicked up dust.

Marianne squinted into what she could see of the hiding place. Where was the enamel box? Where were all the pistols and rifles—at least a dozen of them?

She looked up and met Guy’s gaze.

He winked at her before turning back to Dominic.

What did that mean?

“The key to the lock?” Dominic asked.

“I have it in my pocket,” Guy said.

“Toss it to me—and don’t try anything foolish.”

Guy fished the key out of an inner pocket of his coat and threw it at Dominic, hard.

“Very amusing, Guy,” Dominic said when the key bounced off his chest and fell into the dirt. “Pick it up and unlock it,” he ordered the lad.

A moment later the boy flipped open the lid and Dominic gave a low whistle, a wondering smile on his face. “My, my, what a thing of beauty.”

“It’s a sad man who finds beauty in money, Dominic,” Sin said. “But then you never could discern diamonds from dross, not even when you were staring right at it.” He looked at Marianne.

Dominic followed Sin’s line of vision and his jaw sagged.

He looked from Sin to Marianne to Sin. And then he burst out laughing. “Lord,” he said once he caught his breath. “There’s something I never would have expected.” His eyelids lowered. “Although I’ve trained her up nicely for you, haven’t I, Staunton?”

The duke’s body jolted, and Marianne grabbed his hand and pulled, her forearm flexing until it hurt.

Dominic raised his pistol and came close, until the tip of the gun rested on Sin’s forehead. “You’d better heed her, Staunton.” He looked at their joined hands. He clucked his tongue and smirked. “Talk about inappropriate choices, my dear duke.”

Sin turned to Marianne. “On the contrary, I’ve never met a more appropriate woman in my life.”