He continued sifting through the shelves, but there were no secret texts or books or anything that would hint at what Sabine might know of the map.
Thus far his search had been futile. He should probably turn and leave. Chances were if Sabine had something to hide, she kept it upstairs in the living quarters, and he couldn’t risk sneaking up there. But he’d never been able to walk away from a worthy puzzle, and it would seem that Sabine Tobias might be the most interesting mystery he’d come across in a long while.
He took steps toward the front of the shop. Perhaps there would be something hidden in those cupboards. The floor creaked beneath his weight. He stilled. There was yet another noise.
The doorknob jiggled from behind him. Someone else was trying to get in. Perhaps Miss Tobias returning home late from another game of chance? Quickly, Max moved to the other side of the stairwell and hid in the narrow cubby beneath.
The door jerked open, and two men lumbered in. Max could hear a third voice outside the door. Three men, one outside to keep watch. Sabine Tobias’s shop was certainly gaining in popularity. What a pity he hadn’t thought to bring along a couple of thugs himself. Max withdrew farther into the shadows.
If he hadn’t been certain before that Sabine Tobias was hiding something, now it seemed quite evident. From beneath the stairwell, Max couldn’t see much of what the men were doing, but he could make out a few words of their hurried whispers. They didn’t sound educated, and they didn’t seem to know specifically what they were searching for. They’d obviously been hired to break into the shop. In Max’s experience, “employees” of that nature were highly unreliable. They took no personal interest in their assignments and generally proved to be rather unmotivated. Not to mention a bit dim. No doubt their search would not be thorough.
Max settled his back against the wall, prepared to simply wait them out. However, when the stairs above him shifted slightly, Max moved to the edge of the cubby to get a better glimpse. Delicate, pale ankles attached to feminine bare feet crept down the steps.
Bloody hell! Miss Tobias. Did the woman have no sense at all? What was she doing sneaking down to investigate? Surely she did not intend to fight off would-be thieves in nothing more than her nightrail.
He craned his neck, looking for the thugs in the unlit storeroom. Thank goodness, they were busy rifling through the cupboards. He positioned himself, and once the lady came within reach, he clamped a hand across her mouth and pulled her into his hiding place. Her muffled protests were punctuated by those delicate feet kicking into his shins. He stifled a groan of his own.
He turned her around to face him, careful not to uncover her mouth. Sabine Tobias stared up at him, her eyes wide and angry. He frowned at her, then leaned close to her ear.
“Kick me again, love, and I’ll let the wastrels get you,” he warned in a whisper.
Her lovely, expressive face tensed.
He nodded to the noise around the corner from them, then pulled them farther into the darkness beneath the stairs, thankful that the thugs were making enough noise to cover the sounds of his own struggle with the little minx. Idiots to think they wouldn’t be discovered, making all that racket.
He put one finger up to his lips. “Shhh.” Once she nodded, he removed his hand from her mouth. But he made no move to release her. She had enough fire in her to do something foolish in the name of bravery. If she let on to their hiding place, she could get them both hurt. He’d taken on two men in a fight before, but three was asking a bit much. So he held her firmly against him.
While he wasn’t visually able to enjoy Sabine’s flimsy nightgown, pressing her this close against him left little to his imagination. She was plump where a woman should be, rounded hips, lush breasts, soft bottom. He tightened his grip on her narrow waist, enjoying the feel of her soft curves. She smelled of fresh herbs and warm bread and felt just as delicious. He inhaled slowly.
One of the men ran into a shelf and a glass fell to the floor, shattering. Sabine sucked in a harsh breath and nearly said something.
Far be it from Max to miss an opportunity. So with that thought, he threaded his other hand into the back of her lustrous hair and pulled her face to his. A moment later, he tasted her just as he’d done the night before. This time, though, her soft lips opened, probably more from shock than desire, but an invitation was an invitation.
He deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue between her gently parted lips. She tasted of chocolate and cinnamon. He’d intended only to kiss and quiet her, but the feel of her made desire surge through his legs and into his groin.
Her hand slowly slid up his arm. He cupped her bottom and pulled her closer, pressing her to him. Then she pinched the skin at his bicep. It was not enough pain to cause much damage, but he did jerk back from her.
She glared up at him, then opened her mouth to say something.
But before she could, the man at the door stuck his head in the storeroom. “Hurry.”
If the man had looked a little to his left, he would have been able to see the white of Sabine’s nightgown billowing out from beneath the stairs. Max grabbed the fabric and cinched it by her hip. No doubt her lovely leg was nearly completely revealed, but at least her nightgown was no longer waving surrender from beneath the stairs.
“We go upstairs,” another of the men said in a harsh whisper. “We haven’t found nothing yet.” He started up the staircase.
A choked sound squeaked from Sabine’s throat. Her eyes widened with fear, and her mouth formed two silent words, “My aunts.”
Bloody hell! Looked as if he was going to have to take a chance with those odds after all.
Max grabbed both of Sabine’s arms and switched their places. “Stay,” he whispered. Then he crept out from his hiding place and grabbed the leg of the man on the lower stair. Max pulled sharply. The thin man fell onto the stairs, hitting his head on the hard wood. The other man turned and ran back down the stairs, heading straight for Max.
It took one solid blow to the man’s nose to bring him down. Blood sprayed as the bone and cartilage shifted.
“You broke my nose,” he howled. “You son of a bitch.”
“Watch out,” Sabine cried.
But it wasn’t enough warning for the punch to Max’s left kidney. Pain radiated up his back and down his hip. He groaned, but shook it off and turned to meet his assailant. Another punch headed his way, but he was able to duck and slam himself into the man, knocking the thug off his feet.