past a group of young women who were foolishly trying to get their attention by posing and preening. “He’s headed for the stairs to the beach.”
“He won’t get away now,” Lord Clerkenwell vowed.
David prayed the man was right. He prayed that Lionel’s strength would keep up as they switched to a full run, gaining on Chisolm slowly but surely. Lionel’s face had gone red with effort, but his gaze was locked on Chisolm with enough determination to bring the stars down out of the sky.
“Stop!” Lord Clerkenwell shouted when they came within earshot of Chisolm. “Lord Chisolm, you are under arrest by order of Her Majesty’s police.”
Chisolm had nearly reached the stairs. He jerked to a stop, spinning to face the three of them as they sprinted closer. David was surprised at the change that had come over the once refined and mighty lord the moment he saw Chisolm’s face. Gone was any sign of smug authority. In its place was pure fear and a feral look of desperation. It was the look of a man who knew he was caught.
Rather than charging down the stairs, Chisolm ran on, fumbling for something in his jacket.
“Where is he going?” David asked aloud, picking up his pace.
No one answered, and Chisolm sprinted ahead as the ground sloped up slightly, dashing for the far end of the cliffs. Perhaps there was a second set of stairs on the other side, a boat that would—
Without warning, Chisolm stopped, whipped to face them and fired a gun that was suddenly in his hand. David remembered the warning of the officer from the jail that Chisolm was armed as the crack of the gun startled him. His foot hit a rock on the path, and he stumbled, crashing to his knees.
“David!” Lionel screamed behind him. “Oh, God, no, David!”
Lionel flung himself to his knees by David’s side, throwing his arms around David and sheltering him as though Chisolm would fire again and he was the only thing standing between David and death. David could feel Lionel’s entire body shaking as he embraced him.
“No, no, no,” Lionel wailed, fumbling to pull David up straight and raking his hands over David’s chest and arms, looking for injuries. “I’ll kill the bastard if he hurt you. Please don’t die.”
“Lionel,” David panted.
“I can’t live without you.” Lionel gasped for breath.
“Lionel,” David raised his voice.
“If he shot you—”
“I tripped,” David admitted.
Lionel froze, his mouth open in a sob and his eyes bright with sudden tears. His expression widened to incredulity.
“I tripped,” David repeated, wrenching himself to his feet and bringing Lionel with him to prove it. “I’m not shot.”
Lionel snapped his mouth shut, his brow furrowing. “As soon as I am finished with Chisolm, I’m going to kill you too,” he promised in a hoarse voice, then turned to sprint off after Lord Clerkenwell.
Lord Clerkenwell had continued the chase when David fell. Chisolm hadn’t stopped running, and as he neared the edge of the cliff, he turned to fire again. Lionel flinched as he ran ahead of David, but Lord Clerkenwell didn’t miss a step. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a pistol of his own, taking aim at Chisolm and firing.
The shot couldn’t possibly have been aimed to kill, otherwise Chisolm would have dropped on the spot. Instead, Chisolm merely jerked to a stop, spinning to face Lord Clerkenwell. His arms shook visibly as he held his gun out toward Lord Clerkenwell. David and Lionel caught up to Lord Clerkenwell’s side.
“Let me go,” Chisolm shouted. “I can make you all wealthy men. I have contacts, influence.”
“You have a warrant out for your arrest,” Lord Clerkenwell told him. “Your accomplices in the child kidnapping ring have already been captured and are awaiting trial. Come quietly and the House of Lords may be lenient with you.”
“I seriously doubt that,” Lionel muttered by David’s side with a ferocity David rarely heard from him.
“I’m not a fool,” Chisolm said with a hysterical laugh. “If I surrender to you, my life is over. Don’t think I don’t know how these things work. The second I have my back turned, you’ll stick a knife in it and call it an unfortunate accident.”
“That may be the way you operate,” Lord Clerkenwell said with an ominous scowl, “but that is not how officers of Scotland Yard conduct themselves.”
“And what about them?” Chisolm shifted to point his gun straight at David’s heart.
David raised his hands instinctively. He’d never had a loaded gun pointed at him by a