Mistaken Identity (Saved By Desire 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

only the water that captured his attention. It was the cluster of rooftops alongside it which drew his horrified gaze. He had no idea which village it was, but that was insignificant given the dangers that could lie within the shadowed and unfamiliar streets. If the man lived in the village, he would undoubtedly know every nook and cranny, hiding hole and shadow anyone could hide in. That would give their quarry a distinct advantage, and potentially leave Marcus and Joe unable to find him again, especially since neither had seen the man’s face.
    As yet, Marcus had only ever seen the back of him, so he had no idea what hair or eye colour he had. In a village the size of the one up ahead, it would be impossible to find someone he had only ever seen from the back, on a horse, shrouded by a voluminous cloak.
    “The last thing we need is a blasted village,” he grunted.
    Joe cursed and studied the area around them.
    “I don’t know how much longer we can carry on,” he murmured. “These horses are exhausted.”
    Marcus had to agree with him. He was weary as well. So tired, in fact, that it was difficult to stay upright in the saddle. The work of late had involved long, arduous hours, and the strain was starting to show on all of the men from the Star Elite.
    “What the hell?” he growled as he frowned off into the distance, and tried to remember when he had last slept.
    “What’s that?” Joe asked, tugging the hood of his cloak over his head to protect himself from the rain that had started to fall around them.
    “I am just trying to remember when I last had a good night’s sleep.” He stared into space as he counted the number of nights it had been since had been at Jeb’s father’s house. “I can’t remember.”
    “Neither can I,” Joe sighed.
    “What do we do?” Marcus whispered.
    The man, now several feet away, took a bend in the path that led to the village.
    “It appears that our boy is heading home,” Joe murmured softly.
    “Or he is going for a change of horses?” Marcus replied.
    He wished he could ride up ahead, get the man off his horse, hand him over to the magistrate, and then go to sleep for a while.
    “Smothey,” Joe murmured, nodding toward the small road sign nestled in the undergrowth beside them.
    Marcus barely gave it a second look. His gaze remained on the man who had just turned into the yard of a small inn up ahead.
    The village was deathly quiet. The only sound they could hear was the soft snicker of a horse in the stable yard. Was the thief waiting for them to ride past? Did he plan to try to ambush them?
    Marcus checked his gun, and flicked his cloak back so that it was accessible should he need it. With a nod to Joe, they quickly dismounted and hurried on foot toward the tavern. Thankfully, the gates had been left open, which afforded them a good view of the interior without venturing too close.
    Either the villagers are extremely trusting, or the tavern owner is expecting someone to arrive in the middle of the night, Marcus noted thoughtfully.
    He crossed the quiet street and buried himself in the shadows as close to the tavern entrance as he could get. His annoyance grew when he took a look inside the cobbled courtyard and found it empty.
    “For the love of -” He listened for the sound of footsteps, but there were none.
    Wondering if the man had decided to spend the night in a stable, Marcus swiftly crossed the road again. Before he got half way across, he caught sight of the flurry of movement at the far end of the street.
    The man stopped still in the middle of the road and stared at him. Marcus wondered if he was taunting him. Before he could move, the man spun around and disappeared down a side street. Joe immediately left the shadows further down the road and went after him.
    Marcus stopped only long enough to check the stables. As soon as he saw that the tavern yard was empty, and only horses lurked in the stables, he hurried after Joe.
    It was a good half hour by