TWICE A HERO By Susan Krinard

But Liam moved. He dove for the knife Mac’s attacker had dropped, positioned himself, and threw it with deadly accuracy at the enforcer’s leg. It hit with enough impact that the tong man thought better of further argument. He dropped Caroline, tried to run, and fell with the knife still protruding from his calf.

Four tong enforcers lay on the ground in various degrees of unconsciousness or debilitating pain. Perry had Caroline in his arms, and she was clinging to him for everything she was worth, all but ignoring her guardian.

Mac more than made up for that lapse. She found Liam still on his knees, sucking in air, his hair tangled around his face and glued to a nasty cut near his temple. She hardly had time to move; he was already at her side by the time she forced her muscles to react. His hands clutched at her shoulders and he examined her with a thoroughness bordering on frenzy.

“Mac,” he said hoarsely. “Are you all right?”

“Yes, but—”

“Damn you,” he snarled. “Why did you come here? I didn’t need your help.”

“That’s not how it looked to me,” she retorted thoughtlessly. “Liam—”

He tried to shake her, but his grip had remarkably little power. In fact, his skin was draining of color, his eyes darkening with pain…

“Liam?” She reached for him and tried to focus. He was moving back and forth in her line of vision, undulating like a ship on the ocean. But it wasn’t because she was dizzy. He was the one doing the tilting—crumpling, falling, his coat sleeve awash in blood.

She thought she screamed, or maybe it was the sound of police whistles coming closer and voices calling out in warning. She felt the vibration of many footfalls through the ground beneath her, recognized Chen’s distinctive accent above the others. Uniformed men with guns and nightsticks swam in her vision.

“Miss MacKenzie!”

She looked up at Chen. “Please… get help. Liam’s hurt—”

After that she didn’t hear Chen’s reply, or any of the hubbub around her. She knelt in the sticky dirt, cradled Liam’s head on her lap, and stroked his wet hair away from his forehead.

“This is the last time I’m going to come to your rescue, Liam O’Shea,” she said, choking on tears that wouldn’t stop. “You’d damn well better recover, or I’m never going to let you forget it.”

For once he had no retort.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Time’s glory is to calm

contending kings,

To unmask falsehood and

bring truth to light.

—William Shakespeare

“HE’LL BE FINE, Miss MacKenzie, I do assure you. They are only flesh wounds, and you did well to stop the bleeding so quickly.”

The portly doctor closed his bag and gathered the other two watchers in with his gaze. “I’ll grant you, if the knife had struck a little more to the right, it might have been far more tricky. But under the circumstances, I’ve stitched him up and all he’ll need is a bit of rest.”

Rest, ha, Perry thought. Liam would be on his feet within a day, if Perry knew anything about the Irishman.

And he did. He’d come to know more about many things in the past two weeks—more about Liam, and Caroline, and himself.

As for Miss MacKenzie… She was wan and pale, a mere shadow of her usually robust self; she sagged in relief at the doctor’s news. She’d hovered at Liam’s side all the way back to his house, ignoring Chen’s anxious presence and Caroline’s questions and the police Chen had summoned.

Now the police were gone. Chen listened intently as Rose questioned the doctor at length; Caroline was downstairs with Mei Ling, comforting the girl as best she could.

Perry smiled softly. Caroline. She’d surprised even him today with her bravery and common sense. He’d been shocked to see her in Chinatown with Rose—and then not so shocked, knowing how much rebellion lurked under that lovely, delicate exterior.

But they’d both underestimated Caroline’s stubbornness. She’d had the sense to stay out of the fight until the hatchetman came for her; then she’d fought tooth and nail instead of swooning or screaming.

Perry was proud of her. He knew she must have followed him when he’d stopped to watch her house for a few brief moments before facing the ordeal in Chinatown; she’d followed out of concern for him. She’d stayed by his side, obeyed his instructions like a woman with twice her experience. Even when Perry had been helpless to save her from the hatchetman and Liam had thrown his knife, she’d never lost her courage.

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