“Why didn’t ye tell her?” Cullen asked, holding tight to Braham.
David shrugged. The movement was tight, impatient. “It’s a device. I didn’t know if it would work here or not. Besides, knowing she had the implant could have given her a false sense of security, and we didna need her going off half-cocked.”
Outwardly, McBain appeared unruffled, but a small tic in his jaw as he ground his teeth told Braham the lad was truly worried about Charlotte. Braham’s eyes stung, and he turned away, noticing for the first time one of her shoes peeking out from under the sofa. Fear settled on his shoulders like a confining cloak he couldn’t shake off. “If ye know where she is, then let’s go.”
David shook his head. “I need backup. We’ll wait for Gaylord.” He left the room and leaped up the stairs, taking them three at a time.
“Do ye think the signal will lead us to her?” Cullen’s voice held doubt.
“I drove five hundred miles from Mallory Plantation to MacKlenna Farm, and Jack and Charlotte found me using a similar device. It fit in the palm of my hand. I hope the one Charlotte has implanted is a wee bit smaller,” Braham said.
“Henly’s forcing ye to choose one Mallory or the other.” Cullen’s voice was low and gravelly.
“Whichever one I don’t fight for, he’ll kill, or, in Jack’s case, perjure himself and let the commission send Jack to the gallows. When I get my hands on Henly…”
Cullen squeezed Braham’s shoulder. “We’ll rescue her, and ye’ll destroy Henly on the witness stand and exonerate Jack.”
“Let’s get the lass back first.”
David reentered the room dressed in black pants and shirt, plus a black cap, and he’d covered his face with black paint. He hoisted a bag over his shoulder. “Braham, if ye’re coming, ye have to stay out of my way. I have no doubt ye could rescue Charlotte if I weren’t here. But Jack needs ye more than she or I do right now. I can extract Charlotte and set up reconnaissance to catch the kidnapper. But I can’t do it if ye’re in my way.”
“If ye’re expecting me to stay here, ye’re wrong.”
“Ye can go. But when I tell ye to stay put, ye stay. If ye get shot, Jack’s chances of beating these charges diminish. Gaylord’s out back. Let’s go.”
David hustled out of the room. Braham turned to Cullen. “If anything happens to us, get Jack out and take him home. He’ll see ye get back to MacKlenna Farm.”
Cullen nodded. “I’ve no heart for traveling to the twenty-first century, but I’ll see to it.”
They hugged each other, slapping backs. Braham left the house by way of the rear door, and found Gaylord in the barn with David.
“Where’re we going?” Gaylord asked.
David led his horse out of the stall and tossed on its saddle blanket. “Two miles in a northeasterly direction. What’s over there?”
“It must be near the docks. One of my investigators discovered Henly has an interest in a vacant apartment building, unless he’s lost it at the gaming tables, too.”
“If that section of town closes at night, it will be to our advantage.” David lifted the saddle, placed it gently on the horse’s back, and tightened the cinch. “Where are the rest of yer men?”
“Canvassing the city. As soon as we know Miss Charlotte’s location, I’ll pass the word.”
As soon as Braham saddled his horse, the men mounted up and David led the way. The moon appeared only as a sliver, thin as a nail paring. The pattern of stars which formed the Big Dipper was clearly visible in the night sky. They rode through the city in silence, and fear tightened in a band around Braham’s chest.
A wire stretched from David’s ear to his watch. He stopped at intersections to study a map, using a small light which snapped on and off with a click of his finger.
They traveled down a street lined with residences, businesses, and a few warehouses, sticking to the shadows cast by gaslight. The traffic was light, with only a rare carriage or a man on horseback. David stopped on the side of the street, dismounted, and signaled for Braham and Gaylord to wait for him. He took his bag and disappeared into the darkness.
Braham dismounted, his heart squeezing in his chest. He was responsible for this. He should have been honest with Charlotte from the beginning and explained she couldn’t stop him from returning to his time, and assured her whatever happened was not her responsibility. But he hadn’t done it. Instead, he’d endangered the lives of both Charlotte and Jack.
David returned after several minutes. “Found her. She’s in a root cellar beneath a three-story building. She’s alive.”
A small shudder of relief skimmed through Braham, gradually releasing the tightness in his neck and shoulders.
“There’s a guard sitting in a chair next to the outside cellar door. The first floor is unoccupied. I’m going to break into the building, cut a hole through the first floor, and bring Charlotte out through the hole. Gaylord, ye keep an eye on the guard. If he attempts to enter the cellar, take him down. Once we get her out, we’ll plan twenty-four-hour surveillance of the building until we catch the men responsible.”
“Is she hurt?” Braham asked.
“I can’t tell. She is lying on the ground and not moving, but she could be asleep.”
“Did ye see her through a window? I’ll stay out of yer way, but I have to see her for myself,” Braham said.
“Come on,” David said. They went around to the opposite corner of the building from where the guard was positioned. David gave Braham an odd-looking pair of binoculars. “Ye can see her lying curled on the ground.”
Braham saw a reddish-yellow human figure, curled in fetal position. “How do ye know it’s her?”
“The signal puts us in the right location.”
“How do ye know she’s
