If You Give a Rake a Ruby Read Online Free PDF

could outrun the men, and even if she did, there was no guarantee of safety on the other side.
    Her last option was to stand and fight. She wouldn’t have minded the last option if she had any sort of weapon, but all she had was her reticule, and she’d dropped that sometime between James’s grab for her and Tom’s first charge.
    Her best hope appeared to be to try for Lucifer’s Lair and hope Fitzhugh was already there and the door was unlocked. Certainly she could find something in the building to use in her defense. She clenched her fists, trying to decide the best time to move, when James shook his head and started for her. Now both men advanced. Steadily.
    Now was as good as any time. Without warning, she turned and ran toward the end of the alley.
    â€œShe’s getting away!” one of the men called.
    â€œShe won’t go far,” the other answered. Fallon heard the echo of their rapid footsteps as they followed her. Her breath came quickly by the time she reached the stairs, drowning out the sound of the men’s approach, and she wasn’t certain how close they were. She didn’t have time to look, either. She vaulted down the four steps, slammed against the door, and tried the handle.
    Locked.
    Bloody goddamn hell!
    She hit it with her fist then glanced quickly about for some sort of weapon. A rotting board had come loose from the side of the building, and she grabbed it, working it back and forth to try and pry it off. Thank God for her gloves, but the thin kid leather was no match for the splinters in the rough wood. She heard one of the men say, “There she is,” and Fallon jerked at the wood in desperation.
    It stubbornly held on. “Come on,” she muttered. “Come on.” She leaned back and pulled on the wood with all her weight. Just as the men’s shadows crept over her, the board came off in her hands.
    She whirled, held it in front of her, and waved it at Tom, who was advancing down the stairs. “And what do you think you’re going to do with that?”
    She didn’t know. Her arms ached, and she was still trying to catch her breath. If she didn’t strike decisively, Tom would merely grab the board away and use it against her. She bit her lip as he came down another step. He was higher than she was and moving downward, whereas she was low and looking up. He had every advantage. If she attempted to swing the board at him, he would grab it for certain.
    And so Fallon did the only thing she could—though it would doom her when James came for her. She raised the board and hurled it at Tom.
    It struck true, knocking him squarely between the eyes. He hadn’t been expecting that and lost his balance, tumbling down the remaining steps, clutching his face. Fallon jumped out of the way, but the space was cramped and he fell against her legs. She needed maneuverability if she were to fight James, but Tom grabbed at one of her ankles and she couldn’t shake him off. James was already on the stairs, and their gazes met.
    â€œGet her,” Tom said, his voice wracked with pain.
    At least she had caused some damage, she thought, as James reached for her.
    ***
    Warrick unbolted the door, opened it, then jumped back as Fallon and two men tumbled inside. He’d been on one of the upper floors when Fallon approached and had seen the beginning of the confrontation. He’d been about to rush to her defense when she kicked one of the men in the face and slammed the back of her head into the other one.
    Warrick had been rendered completely immobile and utterly stunned. He watched as she deftly defended herself, two against one, and only when he finally realized she was in trouble did he snap to attention and sprint down to open the door.
    Now he lifted Fallon from among the tangle of arms and legs and quickly scanned her face and arms for injury. She looked to be all in one piece.
    â€œWhat…” She paused to catch her