A Thin Line Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Excerpt - A Traitorous Heart

  Excerpt - To Love and Protect

  Excerpt - Taming the Wicked Wulfe

  Excerpt - Seducing the Ruthless Rogue

  A Thin Line

  The Reluctant Lords, Book 2

  By

  Tammy Jo Burns

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  All Rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.

  A Thin Line

  The Reluctant Lords, Book 2 ©2013 by Tammy Jo Burns

  Excerpt of A Traitorous Heart,

  The Reluctant Lords, Book 1 ©2013 by Tammy Jo Burns

  Excerpt of To Love and Protect,

  The Reluctant Lords, Book 3 ©2014 by Tammy Jo Burns

  Excerpt of Taming the Wicked Wulfe,

  The Rogue Agents Trilogy, Book 1 ©2014 by Tammy Jo Burns

  Excerpt of Seducing the Ruthless Rogue,

  The Rogue Agents Trilogy, Book 2 ©2014 by Tammy Jo Burns

  Cover Design by The Killion Group

  http://thekilliongroupinc.com

  Dedication

  To Dad. Thank you for everything! You are one of a kind. Love you!

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you Dene’ & Mary for all that you do.

  Also, thank you to a special friend growing up that allowed

  me to “see” her sightless world.

  She was (and is) an inspiration to us all!

  Chapter 1

  “Damn him!” Kala’s raspy voice resonated in the empty room. Most would think she had a cold or the ague, but no, this was her new voice courtesy of the villain who had stalked her sister-in-law. Who knows? she thought, momentarily distracted. Perhaps I will start a new trend among the ton.

  Back to the matter at hand. She had found Gabriel Hawke, the Duke of Hawkescliffe to be a traitor in the true sense of the word. She had argued with herself for the last week that she had misunderstood what the voices on the other side of the door had been saying the night of the ball for her brother, Derek and his new wife, Tessa. As many times as she tried, she could not deny overhearing him share troop movement, nor could she come up with a plausible answer for his actions.

  The man had given away government secrets to a French harlot. What made the treason so much worse remained the fact that Gabe and Derek were best friends. Her brother's best friend, a traitor to king and country. And to make matters worse, at one time she thought herself madly in love with him. He had definitely ruined that possibility for both of them. No way could she even stomach the idea of being married to him now. She could barely look at him. And to think, he had once stood alongside Admiral Nelson at Trafalgar.

  She pushed herself out of the big bed, paced to the window and threw back the curtains. The moonlight streamed into the room but did nothing to calm her. The rare cloudless and fogless night in London showed off the true beauty of the city, but she failed to see it. She had too many thoughts wrestling about in her mind for superiority.

  “How could he?” She muttered helplessly, pressing her forehead against the cool pane of glass. He had witnessed the heartache Derek had gone through when he believed his wife to be a traitor. Thank goodness all that had turned out to be false. So how could he, Derek’s best friend, do something like this? The man must have lost all the good sense he had been born with.

  She shook her head sadly replaying that awful night in her mind. So many things had happened that night. Tessa had been kidnapped for one. But first she had heard Gabe giving information on troop landings to that exotically beautiful woman. She had a French accent, claiming to be an émigré to all other members of the ton. And there lay the crux of the matter. He divulged information to the enemy. The enemy was beautiful and seemed to have him firmly in her clutches, if the way the woman adjusted her dress before leaving the room had been any indication. She thumped her hands on the windowsill and let out a little growl of frustration. She had to decide what to do about this matter and soon.

  One thing had made itself abundantly clear though. “She can have him. I’m through with him.”

  “Through with whom?”

  Kala whirled around and clutched at her throat with one hand. “Dru, you startled me. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “I couldn’t sleep. Indigestion,” Kala’s aunt explained as an aside as she patted her barely there tummy. “Now what has you in such an uproar?”

  “Oh, I’m just excited over all the events of the last few weeks,” Kala stuck as close to the truth as possible.

  “It has been quite an adventure, hasn’t it?”

  “Yes. Derek and Tessa will be leaving for the country once more. Then we will all gather there for Christmas in a few months.”

  “Now what are you so worked up about?”

  “I can’t tell you, Dru,” Kala said, her shoulders drooping.

  “What? You used to tell me everything. I am your favorite aunt, you know,” she waggled her brows for effect.

  Kala giggled but shook her head adamantly. “No. This is something I must figure out and address on my own.”

  “If you insist. Just keep in mind there is a thin line between love and hate. Often times that line becomes blurred.” She reached into the pocket of her dressing robe and took out a deck of playing cards. “What do you say we pass the time with a few games?”

  “Yes, but no bets this time. Derek yelled at me for an hour for losing my quarterly pin money to you,” she shook her head sadly. “I had a winning hand. I still don’t understand how you beat me,” she lamented.

  “Derek is a spoilsport.”

  “Derek is right,” a deep voice drawled from Kala’s doorway.

  “Richard, I hope you didn’t miss me.”

  “Of course I did, my love.” He dropped a kiss on her lips and then covered her stomach with one of his large hands. “Is she keeping you awake?” Richard felt convinced their fourth child would be another girl so they would have a ‘matching set’.

  “Yes.” Kala watched the byplay unashamedly and with a great deal of envy. She had been raised in a household like this one, with parents that adored one another and touched and kissed. She had hoped that she and Gabriel could have had something like this, and perhaps they could have if he had
never become the Duke of Hawkescliffe. He had changed drastically after receiving the title, a title he never should have had to don. A large part of her mourned that fact. Another part of her knew she must get on with the job of living.

  “Richard, please stay and keep an eye on Dru. I think she cheats,” she whispered loudly.

  “Kala, I’ll let you in on a little secret,” Richard replied.

  “What?”

  “I know she cheats.” The three stayed up until early morning playing, laughing, and talking.

  ***

  The next morning, Kala quickly dressed in a plain, serviceable dress and scampered downstairs before anyone else arose. She asked a footman to call for a carriage. He performed the task reluctantly, seeing a dressing down in his future for letting her leave the house unescorted. Miss Kala would be the death of them all in his lowly opinion.

  The carriage arrived and Kala embarked on a journey across town to the Horse Guards. She left the conveyance and paid the driver. She paced back and forth in front of the building, chewing on her thumb as she tended to do when nervous. Her sable hair fell in loose waves down her back in a most improper way. Her thick, black lashes fluttered, hiding the mercurial changes of her hazel eyes.

  She marched to the door with the look of a soldier preparing for a court-martial. As she neared, it swung open and a footman stood sentinel. “Is Director McKenzie available?”

  “Not as yet, madam.”

  “Thank you. Please send him to me as soon as he arrives. I will be over there,” she waved absently towards the side of the building. Mikala spun away and spent the next fifteen minutes pacing and rehearsing exactly what she would say.

  She needed to speak to Director McKenzie as soon as possible and silently cursed the man for choosing this morning to not arrive before everyone else to the War Office, the central headquarters where plans were made to defeat Napoleon, and as she so recently found out where her brother and Gabe spent most of their days, which of course is how Gabe retrieved the information from the French whore.

  So caught up in practicing her speech she did not hear the brisk footfalls until they were upon her, “What do you think you are doing here?”

  “Director McKenzie, the Duke of Hawkescliffe is a traitor,” she said as she turned around to look at the man. Her mouth fell open in horror as she realized she had just told the information to the suspected traitor himself.

  “Now that you know, what am I going to do to keep you silent, Pest?” Gabriel Hawke, the Duke of Hawkescliffe snarled as he pulled her close, the scar that slashed down his right cheek made him appear menacing. Kala did the only thing she knew to do, she raised her knee and in his moment of agony, she tore free of his hold and ran for her life.

  The thundering of footsteps followed her too quickly, and she knew he would gain on her in a matter of seconds. She would never be able to outrun him. Mikala found an alley and quickly ducked in it moving to the darkest corner possible. She held herself still, biting her lip to keep from shouting as she felt something scurry across her foot. Make that several somethings; she cringed and fisted her hands. Gabriel ran past her hiding spot and she let out the pent-up breath she held. She remained hidden for several more minutes until she could no longer hear the pounding of his feet.

  Mikala took a step out of her hiding place and heard something squeal as she put her foot down. She jumped, landed oddly and felt her ankle give out causing her to crumple to the filthy ground. She struggled to her feet and hobbled towards the darkness again only to feel the steel band of an arm firmly around her waist lifting her up in the air.

  “Put me down,” she yelled, kicking his legs and clawing his arm.

  “Don’t make me throw you over my shoulder.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  “After you just attempted to unman me? I find there are a lot of things I am thinking about doing to you right now, and none of them are pleasant,” he growled menacingly. “Now, this is exactly what we are going to do. I am going to escort you to a carriage and then to your brother’s house. You will go along without attracting any unwanted attention. Do you understand?” She remained silent. “We can do this easily or not, the choice is yours.”

  “Fine.”

  “Good,” he said and lowered her until her feet touched the ground. He quickly grabbed her upper arm and led her out of the alley before she could dart away. “What did you do?” He queried when he noticed her limp.

  “Nothing,” she replied, refusing to show any weakness in front of him. Kala could hear him muttering under his breath, but could not make out exactly what he said and decided she didn’t really care. He quickly hailed a hack and helped her inside before giving the driver directions and climbing in. As the carriage lurched into motion, Mikala looked around the inside, looking for a possible means of escape.

  “Don’t even think about it.” Mikala gave him a mutinous look before crossing her arms and sitting back against the squabs. They spent the journey to Derek’s house in silence, sizing up one another. A short time later the conveyance came to a stop and a familiar face opened the door.

  “Ramsey, please get my brother immediately and have him send for the authorities!”

  “Yes, Miss Mikala,” Ramsey replied before turning to go into the house.

  “I ought to turn you over my knee right here and now,” Gabe snarled as he descended from the carriage. He turned to help her down, but she jerked out of his hold. “Fine. Fall on your face,” he said as he paid the driver then turned on his heel and entered the house. Kala managed to exit the carriage under her own power, but if anyone had been passing by at the moment, she would have been extremely embarrassed. She limped into the house and shut the door to see Derek and Tessa coming down the stairs, both having appeared to have dressed hastily.

  “What’s going on?” Derek bellowed.

  “Your sister is a menace!”

  “Your best friend’s a traitor!” Both yelled at the same time.

  Chapter 2

  “I think you should both calm down,” Derek interjected, shaking his head as he observed two of the most important, and stubborn, people in his life. “Please, let us retire to the study where we can talk about this calmly and rationally.”

  Tessa rushed to Mikala, and put an arm around her waist when she saw her limping.

  “I’m fine, I just turned my ankle.” Tessa exchanged a look with Ramsey and Kala knew that in a matter of minutes there would be a compress on her elevated ankle. Tessa quickly helped Kala get situated and did indeed prop up her ankle on an ottoman. “Thank you,” Kala said quickly, refusing to let on how it had begun to throb.

  “Ummm, what’s that smell?” Tessa asked delicately.

  “Who knows?” Mikala replied flippantly. “I had to duck in an alley to hide from this bore.”

  “Now, why don’t one of you tell me what exactly happened,” Derek suggested.

  “I found your sister pacing outside of the Horse Guards at an absurd time this morning. When I came upon her, she shouted at me, ‘The Duke of Hawkescliffe is a traitor.’ Then she tried to unman me and took off running.”

  “Mikala, where did you get this ridiculous notion?” Derek asked aghast.

  “It is not ridiculous! I overheard him myself plotting with that French harlot at your ball last week!”

  “You should take her over your knee now, Derek, before her behavior becomes any worse.”

  “Mikala, things are not always as they seem,” Tessa broke in gently.

  “Not you, too! I know what I heard,” she growled.

  “I don’t doubt what you heard,” Tessa tried to explain before breaking off when Sara brought in a poultice for Kala’s ankle. Once the maid had left again, Tessa continued. “There are things that you don’t know and it is better that way. Safer for you. Do you understand?”

  “No. And I wish everyone would stop treating me as if I were a child. I am twenty-four! I am not the child that followed the two of you everywhere. I am a woman a
nd should be told the truth.”

  “You think you’re a grown woman? Then act like one!” Gabe said. “If you have concerns, address them as a woman should, through your nearest male relative. Do not go gallivanting in the early morning hours attempting to solve problems you know nothing about. Not only are you going to get yourself hurt or worse, you are liable to have far reaching consequences you cannot even begin to fathom. Do you understand, Pest?”

  “I hate you,” she turned her full venom on the man standing before her.

  “Good. Now maybe you will stay out of my way. Derek, I expect you will clear up this issue,” Gabe said before turning on his heel and walking out of the room leaving the three others behind.

  “Mikala,” Derek began.

  “I don’t want to hear it. If you are going to take his side, you can go hang. I know what I heard that night, and nothing you say can convince me otherwise.”

  “Perhaps you should return home, and I do not mean simply to Dru’s house.”

  “Excuse me?” She asked aghast.

  “You heard me.”

  “You may be my brother, but you are not my father, or my keeper. I will do what I please, and it currently pleases me to stay for the rest of the Little Season. And unless you clarify for me what I heard at the ball, I will continue to try to determine what is going on. I will also see the proper authorities are notified, if necessary, even if that means requesting an audience with the King!”

  “Derek, please just tell her.”

  “No. She must trust my judgment on this matter. Kala, I will have my carriage return you to Dru’s. I will write a letter to Papa and inform him of my opinion in regards to you staying the rest of the season. Never before have we crossed ways to this extent, and it saddens me now that it has come to this. Just know that I love you, and I am only looking out for your welfare.”