Valentine stared at her in mute shock before rushing over to where she stood like a deer frozen in the shine of a lantern, frowning ferociously at the man she’d shot as if daring him to rise. “Run!” he rasped, taking hold of her arm in an unyielding grip and ushering her from the open square. “There are more of them, including that big beast from the tavern.”

“What are you doing here?” she bit out over her shoulder as she hurried to keep up with him.

He glared down at her. “Looking out for your fool self.”

“Last I checked, I didn’t need much looking after, Your Grace,” she shot back, even though he’d seen the gratitude and the fear in her expression. “I’m not the one bleeding like a stuck pig or who would have been shot through the gut. I was quite fine in my quiet little hiding place.”

“These men are not playing parlor games.”

She let out a gasping snort. “Is that so? Because I could have sworn he invited me to play whist right after a game of blindman’s bluff.”

“Put that vigor toward running instead of nattering, and we just might make it out of here.”

“You’re bleeding,” she panted, eyes slicking over him again.

His neck stung, but he could pay it no mind. It was in one of those places that bled profusely because of the thinness of the skin, but he hoped the injury wasn’t anything more than a scratch. He suffered worse and lived.

And besides, they were moving much too slowly. While the lady was commendably fast on her feet, he could hear the indistinct shouts of their followers, which meant they weren’t far behind. Thankfully, he knew Philadelphia well enough to figure out which routes to take, but they wouldn’t have a hope in hell if they didn’t pick up the pace.

The big man from the tavern hadn’t been that far from Valentine’s heels, but he’d managed to throw him off near Market Street. In the process, he’d lost Bronwyn, and it was only by sheer luck that he’d come upon the two bully ruffians who’d stopped for a cigarette in that square. Was it also by luck that she had saved his life twice now? The first time with the shout and the second with that rather excellent shot. Had she meant to shoot the man in a place he might survive?