“I can’t believe it worked,” Joshua said under his breath to King.
“Neither can I.”
Joshua gave King a sharp look, but then both of them had to move aside or risk being trampled. The patrons of the Black Bear were not waiting for Resurrection Man to make his appearance. They were making their way out of the tavern.
This was exactly what King wanted. The fewer innocents here, the less likely anyone would be hurt when Violet started the fire. Speaking of which, he hoped she saw the people pouring out of the tavern. That was the signal.
King moved aside as Ferryman’s gang thundered through the door, headed toward Clover Lane. He hoped the Bow Street Runners were in position. With half his men gone, Ferryman was weaker than he’d ever been. Now to see if King could stir up some chaos.
“Do you smell that?” he asked a tavern wench rushing past him, trying to hold on to her tray of mugs.
“Smell wot?” she asked.
“I smell it,” Joshua added. “It smells like smoke.”
“Smoke?” the tavern wench said.
“Smoke?” A man trying to flee looked over his shoulder in search of the nonexistent smoke.
“Doyousmell smoke?” King asked another man.
“Fire!” a woman cried.
As far as King could see, if Violet had started the fire, it hadn’t spread to the public room yet, but he wasn’t about to contradict the woman.
“Fire!” a man echoed, and everyone who hadn’t been scared away at the mention of Resurrection Man rose and began pushing to get out.
“Sit down!” Ferryman bellowed. “There’s no fire.”
In that moment, a maid rushed in through the door to the kitchen. “Fire!” she cried. Behind her, King clearly saw black plumes of smoke.
“Good girl, Violet,” he muttered. “Joshua, I believe our work here is done.” He put a hand on the lad’s shoulder, and the two of them joined the crowds pushing out of the tavern. King really could smell smoke now. The fires Violet set in the back must have caught quickly and spread easily.
“Not so fast!”
King felt himself pulled back. He caught Joshua’s eyes and indicated he should run. Then he was swung around to face Ferryman and his swollen face.
“What is this?” Ferryman demanded. “You show up, and suddenly Resurrection Man is starting a war and then my place goes up in flames.”
“Bad luck.” King shrugged. “I’ve had it myself lately.”
“This isn’t bad luck. This was some sort of plan. But I’m not stupid.” Ferryman pulled out a dagger, and King, who had been expecting this, countered with the knife Violet had given him. Ferryman saw it and let out a derisive snort. He made a lunge at King, who tried to deflect and lost his knife. It went skittering across the floor toward the back. King followed it with his eyes then looked up and saw the flames licking at the ceiling. Violet had not held back when she’d set the fire.
He glanced back at Ferryman just in time to jump back before the dagger could graze him.
“I’ll enjoy killing you,” Ferryman said, baring his large yellow teeth in something between a smile and a grimace.
“Speaking of bad luck,” King said, backing up and beginning to feel the heat of the fire. “You know it always comes in threes.”
“What are you talking about?” Ferryman stalked forward.
“Your bad luck. First, Resurrection Man comes for you.” King held up a finger. “Then a fire starts.” He jerked his head toward the growing flames and held up another finger.
“That’s only two.”
“I don’t want to ruin the third surprise for you.” King feinted to the side as Ferryman lunged at him again and missed.
“You’re bluffing. There is no third thing.”
