Warren slipped out from under the horse and got up to run. He limped at first, but soon found his footing to get away from the men behind him.
Noah’s horse was none of Warren’s concern at the moment as getting far away from the duke’s men was all he could think of.
Reed enjoyed the chase.
Reed was tired from having to find Warren after the mess he made at the ball, and then watching him from afar to see who he met with. Now was the best time to capture Warren so he could be taken to Edgar.
"Don’t let him reach the road!" Reed yelled to his brother.
It was daytime, so there was a high chance of someone spotting them if Warren made it to the main road, which was away from Ronan’s land.
Caleb smiled as he went ahead to catch up with Warren. He was enjoying himself since he was the one who succeeded in getting Warren’s horse to fall.
Warren gritted his teeth as he ran, his gaze set on the roads where there should be carriages passing by. He might be so lucky as to lose the men behind him in the trees ahead of him.
If he were luckier, Warren could make it back toward Amelia’s home and inform her servants of Edgar hunting him down.
Surely, this was something Amelia would like the town to know.
Warren changed courses when a horse came to block his path, but he halted when he was surrounded by another and when he turned, he was blocked again.
This was the one time Warren hated that there weren’t many homes around like the busy part of Lockwood where he resided.
Warren stared at the men who were always at the duke’s or duchess’s side. "Kill me!" he yelled, ready to die.
If they were standing in other parts of the town where homes were close together, these men wouldn’t have been so bold to chase him .
For once, Warren wanted to see Edgar be so bold as to attack someone where others could see it.
"I’ll die knowing the men employed by the duke are cowards! You’re attacking me when I don’t have-"
Warren was silenced after being struck on his head by something hard.
Reed frowned, looking at Caleb, who was the culprit.
"How did we share a womb?" Reed wondered.
"He’s not dead. Look," Caleb said, getting off his horse. He poked at Warren with his shoe. "He’s still breathing. Edgar said to bring him back alive, and he’s alive."
Caleb used his foot to roll Warren over so he wouldn’t lie on his face. "We’ve been tailing him for over a day now. I want to go home to my wife and children."
Reed shared the same sentiments, but he thought there was a better way to silence Warren. A little harder, and Warren would be in an eternal slumber.
"Bring the cart," Reed instructed the guard.
Reed slid off his horse to help drag Warren to where he would be out of sight from anyone passing by.
It was risky to do this in the day, but this was the first time they followed Warren where he was away from prying eyes.
Reed noted the home Warren had visited. The nearby land was owned by the Prescotts. Once being Penelope’s guard, Reed knew the young miss from the Prescott family was a troublemaker.
Caleb grabbed Warren’s foot and dragged him toward the trees before Reed could help him. "Get the horses before they run off. I am not in the mood to run back to the estate."
Reed wished he could take off his shoe to throw it at Caleb, but he promised his mother he wouldn’t fight anymore.
Reed grabbed the horses as Caleb wanted and walked to the trees to tie them as they waited for the cart.
"Home at last after this," Caleb said, letting go of Warren’s foot when they reached the shade of the trees. "When was the last time we followed anyone? I thought we were messing up, but he didn’t notice us."
Caleb thought of Warren as a fool. Warren poked at Edgar and foolishly roamed the town without a weapon from that day onward.
"He didn’t go home. What business does he have lingering around the red light district?" Caleb wondered.
Reed kept his hand to his side. "You can’t put together why a man would be lingering around women whose work is to sleep with men. Must I truly help you with this?"
"I know what men go there for, you rude bastard. I am going to tell mother tomorrow that you are being rude again. We’re lucky this ended today, so we can show up at her home tomorrow," said Caleb.
Caleb could still hear his mother’s scolding from the last time they were late to meet with her.
Reed looked at his brother, puzzled as to what gathering he meant.
"What are you talking about?" Reed asked.
"Mother asked that we bring our wives and daughters tomorrow. She will give them advice for the season so they can find a good match. I am not thrilled to sit through it, but Ally is excited," said Caleb.
"I wasn’t invited and neither was my family," Reed said, not surprised.
Caleb didn’t believe it. "Maybe it slipped Eleanor’s mind."
Reed sat down under the cool shade of a tree. "Nothing concerning our mother slips Eleanor’s mind. Julie doesn’t want to find a husband, so let’s leave that as the reason she wasn’t invited. Wake me when the cart arrives."
"Don’t," Reed interrupted Caleb. "I’ll deal with matters concerning my family alone. Enjoy your time with her."
Caleb still thought there was something he could do. "You know, it doesn’t bother her that Eleanor’s family still has a business in the red light district. She would have stopped you two from getting married if she felt that way."
"Leave it at what I said," Reed said, closing his eyes.
Caleb frowned. "How can you sleep at a time ? We have to cover him with the hay in the cart."
"Do you see a cart?" Reed asked, his eyes still closed. "Then I can rest. Don’t bother me and don’t do anything foolish. Just keep an eye on him."
Caleb mumbled what Reed told him, but still kept watch of Warren.
Caleb sat down, deciding to rest now that he had the chance. He glanced at Reed, trying to understand the reason his mother would leave Eleanor and Julie out of her plans.
"Stop talking," Reed said, gripping his gun. "Let me rest for an hour before you bother me again. Eleanor and Julie will be fine."
"I hope so," Caleb said, trusting it will all work out. "I think you should be the one to tell Edgar about Warren going to Ronan’s home. I did my part by knocking Warren out."
"I’ll knock you out if you don’t let me rest," said Reed.
"Fine, fine, fine," Caleb repeated.
Caleb kept an eye out for the cart and for anyone passing by who might spot them.
It wasn’t long before the guard returned with the cart stacked with hay, which would be used to hide Warren.
"What about his horse?" Caleb asked, looking ahead at the horse back on its feet.
"What about it?" Reed replied, only interested in the task at hand. "We have a job to get him to the dungeon, so move."