Read One Penny Surprise (Saved By Desire 1) for Free Online Page B

he threw her a warning glance. It was then that she realised he was waiting for her to answer him. With no idea what he had just said, so nodded absently. Thankfully, it appeared to be the reply he expected because he turned his attention to hauling the body onto the riverbank beside them.
    “Give me a hand,” Luke grunted as he stepped down the bank as far as he dared go without getting his boots wet. The body bobbed and dipped beneath the end of the stick and threatened to float further downstream, but he continued to prod at it until it began to float toward them. It soon became evident that this was not going to be as easy as he had first thought. If he had any chance of getting the dead man ashore, the mysterious lady had to help.
    Glaring at her bag, he nodded toward it. “Put that damned thing down and give me a hand,” he ordered in his sternest voice.
    Without bothering to wait to see if she was going to comply, he began to hook the stick into the shirt collar like she had done. He had no idea how she had used the stick at all with one hand still on her bag but if she could do it then he could too.
    “I’ll haul him closer. As soon as he reaches the bank, grab his shirt and hold on. We can then haul him out and get a better look at him.”
    While prodding the body, Luke began to wonder whether this was the work of the older gang of pick-pockets. Since moving into the area they had certainly built a reputation for being ruthless, but were they cold-blooded murderers? Luke threw a glance in the direction he had chased the youngsters earlier. From the age of that group it was highly unlikely they were the culprits. That left Luke with more questions than answers. The first and most important question he needed answers to was how the dead man had met his end – whether he had been murdered, or had just fallen into the river and drowned while drunk, or something.
    Eventually, the woman snapped out of her daze and deigned to help him. They worked together for several long moments to get the body closer to the riverbank. It was evident from her hesitation that she was reluctant but at least she did assist him, even if she didn’t put her bag down to do it.
    “What on earth is in that bloody thing anyway?” he grunted when he was finally able to drop the body at his feet. He took a moment to catch his breath and glared at the offending carpet bag. He nodded toward her precious cargo and wondered whether he should just wrestle the damned thing off her and take a look inside it himself.
    “It’s personal and private to me,” she replied cautiously, clutching it protectively against her middle as though she had just read his thoughts.
    He mentally swore. Everything about her entire behaviour rang alarm bells with thundering certainty. He knew, deep in his gut, that she was up to her eyes and ears in mischief. He just hoped it wasn’t anything to do with the corpse at his feet. It would be a crying shame indeed if someone so beautiful had resorted to such desperate acts of criminality. Still, his time within the Star Elite had taught him that women could be just as treacherous as men and, for the majority of criminals, the prettier the woman the more dangerous they tended to be.
    “Do you know who it is?” She asked, desperate to get the man’s curiosity off her bag. She nodded toward the corpse and had to fight the urge to take a worried step backward. “Don’t do that,” she whispered when Luke bent down to turn the man over.
    “I have to,” he snapped impatiently then sighed when he glanced up and noted just how pale her cheeks had gone. He sternly reminded himself that if he wanted her continued co-operation he had to soften his stance toward her or else she would be apt to walk off in a huff. 
    “Can’t the magistrate do that?”
    “What? Take a look at him?” Luke shook his head at the weakness of females and promptly heaved the body over before she could raise further objection. He stepped back