began to feel a tiny bit fuzzy. Fuzzy was a silly word, but his mind seemed suddenly full of wool. Warm, fuzzy wool. It was getting damn hard to string any thoughts together.
He looked about the tavern, but his throat felt sick, and his tongue was swollen. Something was wrong. He’d never been drunk like this on so little alcohol. He’d barely even had half of that fourth drink. He had to find Rafe.
Brodie stumbled across into the hall to search for his friend.
“Need some help?” A man appeared at his side.
“I’m fine,” he growled. The man had the air of a cutpurse about him.
“Seems to me you’re not. Christ, you’re a big bloke, ain’t you?” The man’s hands barely closed around Brodie’s upper arm.
“Let go of me.” Brodie jerked free and turned away but stumbled into the wall, leaning heavily on it for support. Three more men filled the hallway, blocking his exit.
“You better get out of my way,” Brodie warned, his hands curled into fists.
“Now, now, ’tis easier if you just come with us.” The man behind him grabbed his arm again. Brodie didn’t waste another second. He swung a fist, catching the man on the jaw. He went down like a rock, thudding on the floor.
“Bring him down!” someone shouted. An arm grabbed him around the neck, trying to choke him. Brodie tightened his neck muscles and slammed the man against the nearest wall. The other two men converged on him, striking every spot they could reach. To his horror and shame, Brodie sank to his knees, still gasping for breath as the world blacked out around him.
He came to minutes later it seemed—or maybe it was hours. His limbs were stretched out, and his body was being roughly handled as he was dragged down a darkened hallway. His vision tunneled in and out as he struggled to stay conscious, but it was no use. Whatever these men had done—and he knew they had indeed done something to him—he wasn’t able to fight back.
Having finished relieving himself in a chamber pot, Rafe came out into the hall, only to see something he’d never expected to see in Bath. Four men were dragging Brodie away like a stunned calf.
His friend hung limp as a sack of flour in their hold. Another man might have run at them or cried for help, but despite his reputation, Rafe was not so reckless as many believed him to be. He followed the men into the street, sticking to the shadows in order to remain unseen. They lifted Brodie into a hackney.
“Bloody hell.” This was no simple brawl Brodie had somehow lost. This was an abduction. Rafe glanced about and saw another passing coach. He waved it down and instructed the driver to follow the abductors at a discreet distance. Once settled inside, he wondered what the devil Brodie had gotten himself into.
When the coach stopped, Rafe slipped out and handed the driver his fare before he got his bearings. They were at Royal Crescent, the most expensive and exclusive area in Bath. Not at all the sort of place one expected to see four rough men hauling an unconscious Scotsman out of a coach. The men carried him up some stairs and into one of the elegant homes on the curved street.
Rafe waited several long minutes in the mews two houses away while he decided what to do next. The front door opened again, and the four men left. There was no sign of Brodie, which meant he must still be inside.
Rafe crept along the street until he was standing in front of the residence. A few lamps were lit near the windows facing the street, but he could see no one inside. There had to be a way into the house. The servants’ entrance, perhaps? He would find a way inside to rescue his friend. He could only hope that the bastard who’d taken the Scotsman had no immediate plans to harm him.
Brodie groaned as he came awake and tried to clear the fog in his head.
“How long will he be out?” a voice asked. A familiar voice.
“I’d say he’ll be in and out for another half hour. Better give him a mouthful of this if he gets rough,” a scratchy voice said. Brodie recognize that voice as well. It reminded him of dark halls and choking hands.
“Er . . . Right. Well, thank you, Mr. Webster. Here’s the remainder of your payment.”