“But where is he?”
They were in a residential neighborhood now, and the streets were quieter here. A few well-dressed people strolled along the sidewalk, but the busiest time of the day was over now. People were heading to their homes. The cab suddenly stopped in front of a brownstone. She thought they were in Murray Hill.
Fletch jumped out and handed the driver a wad of bills. The other one grabbed her arm and jerked her out of the cab and onto the sidewalk. Fletch came around and took her other arm. Together they guided her up the front steps.
She could have screamed, but she doubted anyone in the surrounding houses would hear or come to investigate even if they did. People in neighborhoods like this minded their business. Besides, one of the thugs would probably have hit her, and she didn’t want to be injured when she saw Thornton. She’d need all her faculties if she hoped to survive.
The front door opened before they reached it, and Thornton stood there, watching with his piglike eyes. The advice she’d given Anna back at the workhouse echoed in her head. Don’t let them see your fear. She couldn’t quite manage a smile, but at least she was sure she didn’t look as terrified as she felt.
“Good evening, Miss Perkins, or should I call you Miss Miles?” he said, stepping back so the thugs could push her into the house. One of them closed the door behind them.
“You may call me either one,” she said.
Thornton wasn’t amused. “Which one is your real name?”
“Perkins, of course. I gave a false name when I was arrested so you wouldn’t be able to find me.”
“That was very clever, Miss Perkins. In fact, it was too clever for the innocent young woman you were pretending to be when I met you and your brother on the train.”
“And yet that’s exactly what I am.”
He slapped her then. He just wanted to frighten her. And it worked. She clapped a hand to her burning cheek as every thought in her head jangled in protest. For a full minute the pain literally blinded her.
“Take her in there,” Thornton said, and the thugs grabbed her arms and dragged her into the parlor, where a straight wooden chair had been placed in the middle of the floor. They forced her down onto it.
By then her jangled thoughts were settling and her vision had cleared. The stinging pain in her face would at least keep her alert. “What do you want with me?”
“Haven’t you figured it out yet? I want my money back.”
“But I don’t have your money. You lost it on those stocks.”
“No, your brother lost it, or at least he said he did. He said he bought the shares when Coleman had told him to sell, but do you know what? After you and your brother disappeared, I went back to the brokerage. They told me he never bought any stock at all that day.”
Elizabeth gritted her teeth to hold back the curses she wanted to heap on Jake’s head. That’s what happened when you played it against the wall. If they’d had a setup with a fake brokerage, Thornton would have found an empty office when he returned. Instead they’d only pretended to buy and sell stock at a real brokerage. “If he didn’t buy stock, what happened to the money, then?”
“Oh, Miss Perkins, you lie so prettily,” Thornton said. “Don’t you think so, boys?” The boys nodded, their ugly faces grinning stupidly. “You know perfectly well what happened to the money. He kept it. He kept it all, my fifty thousand and Coleman’s ten. Maybe he even kept yours, too, for all I know.” At least he hadn’t realized Coleman was in on it.
“If he kept it, then you should’ve found it on him when you beat him up.”
“That’s what we thought, too, but since we didn’t, I figured you must have it.”
“Me? How would I have it?”
“I’m sure he figured out some way to get it to you, and now I want it back.”
“But I don’t have any money at all. And even if I had it then, what would I have done with it? I went right from the hotel to the White House, where I got arrested. Your boys here saw it themselves. Then I went to the workhouse. If I had fifty thousand dollars—”
“Sixty.”
“Sixty thousand dollars, what would I have done with it while I was in jail?”
“She’s right, boss,” the one named Fletch said. “They never would’ve let her keep that much cash.”
“Shut up,” Thornton said.
“So if I don’t have it and Jake didn’t have it, he must have lost it buying the stock, like he said. I don’t know what else could’ve happened to it, and Jake is stupid like that.”
“Where is Jake now?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been in prison, remember? I hope he’s at home, but I didn’t have any money to get home to find out. That’s why I’ve been staying with Anna Vanderslice. Maybe you’d lend me train fare, and if I find him, I’ll let you know.”
For a second Thornton looked like he wanted to tear her head right off, and she knew real fear. Then he smiled, and her blood practically froze in her veins. “I’m going to let Lester here hit you a few times, and when he’s finished, I’m going to ask you again where my money is. If you don’t tell me, Lester and Fletcher are going to tear your clothes off and each of us will take a turn with you. After that, I imagine you’ll do anything I ask, but if not, we’ll dump you naked in the gutter in front of some brothel and you’ll have to beg them to let you in.”
Elizabeth was quaking now, but even if she did tell him, he wouldn’t like the answer, and as soon as she did, he’d still do all those things and probably kill her in the bargain.
Thornton stepped back and Lester stepped forward. He’d taken off his coat. Fletcher wrapped an arm around her neck to hold her in place and Lester drew back his fist.
“Wait!” she cried. “If you hurt me, David Vanderslice will never help you sell those rifles to the army!”
CHAPTER TEN
Thornton grabbed Lester’s arm. “What did you say?”
“I said you’ll never sell your Ross rifles to the army if you hurt me.”
“What do you know about that?”
“I know everything. I know you need David Vanderslice to help you sell them, and I also know David promised Gideon Bates not to help you.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I heard them talking on the train yesterday. David is going to string you along, but he’s really going to make sure the army never buys anything at all from you ever. That’s what he promised Bates, and that’s what he’ll do unless I help you.” This was a bit of a stretch, but he had to think she was his only hope.