The Reluctant Knight Read Free

in, but she did her best to fight it off. It wouldn't do
her any good to let panic overwhelm her, but this wasn't like the
previous attacks she'd faced. These men had tried to kill her on
previous occasions, and unlike her stalker only months earlier,
Amelia knew there would be no talking her way out of this one. She
was alone and there would be no direct help from the Holmes
brothers.
    She exhaled,
noticing her nose was starting to block up from the tears
threatening to fall. In such a short space of time the wad of cloth
in her mouth had dried it out soaking up all the moisture and
swelling to fill the space so completely if she couldn't breathe
through her nose she'd suffocate.
    Amelia reminded
herself that this might all be a test and felt herself relax her
tense muscles a little. If Myron wanted to see how she'd perform in
this situation she wanted to leave him stunned by how well she
coped. And if it wasn't a test, her life depended on her
coping.
    After focusing on
her breathing for several minutes, she felt much calmer and
returned her attention to the task of escaping, or getting a
message to Myron. She could only hope he noticed her absence
swiftly. After all, she'd been taken from a hotel he probably
owned.
    For a few seconds
she considered trying to work out where she was going, but she knew
she just didn't know London well enough. Even if she did, she'd not
taken notice of the first few turns. It would be Myron who would
have to trace the journey. She needed to focus on escape. While her
hands were tied in front of her she couldn't do much with them, but
her feet were untied, and that meant she could run.
    Somehow, she'd
need enough time to pull the bag off her head as she doubted they
were going to remove it soon. While she was thinking about this, it
occurred to her that she would need even longer. Her eyes would
need to adjust. She'd spent long enough in the dark that her vision
would be blinded by daylight. Once more, she wished she'd performed
better at Tom's last lesson.
    Time seemed to
stretch out as Amelia went over the same few thoughts again. She
knew she needed to try and escape and she needed to try and get a
message to whoever might be coming after her, assuming this wasn't
a test. If it was, no one would come after her.
    Eventually, she
noticed she was going in circles and getting nowhere. She stopped
thinking about all the same thoughts and tried to think of a
different angle of attack. A book she'd once read came to mind. The
book itself was long forgotten, but she knew the characters, once
captured, had taken stock of what they had on them that might be of
use. Several items had come in handy when it came to their escape
plan. Somehow, she might be able to achieve the same thing.
    Not long after she
thought this she remembered they'd left her handbag behind. She was
wearing nothing but a flimsy dress and her coat.
    When she thought
over the matching underwear underneath, she let out a muffled laugh
that she had no doubt would have sounded crazed had it not been
hindered. Her best-friend, Sophie, had once joked that the best way
a woman could protect herself against rape or kidnapping was to not
wear matching underwear. After all, women who did have this sort of
thing happen to them, in books or on TV, always wore matching
underwear. She chalked it up to mistake number one.
    Bringing her back
to her situation, the van slowed and turned sharply to one side.
The guy beside her then shuffled closer, and she realised something
was about to happen. She might not be able to escape, but if she
was going to try and leave something for Myron she needed to decide
what now.
    A light went on in
her head as she remembered she had two of the bugs Myron had given
her in her right-hand pocket. She could try and hide one of them on
herself and turn it on. She was assuming he'd given her working
models. The other she could drop somewhere he might notice.
    While the driver
got out of the van and shut the door behind