Badlands Page 9

  Then she thought of the blades concealed in her boots and the mirth melted away. If there was trouble, they were all the protection she had to offer Laurette. Assuming she managed to find her at all. She’d always thought the fortress crowded, but it paled in comparison to this small circle of life in Philadelphia.

  Giving up on her fruitless wandering, Ever grabbed the arm of a passing man who saw no need to avoid her. He cast a disdainful glance at her calloused hands before lifting his amber eyes to her face.

  “I need to find a student.” She searched her brain for the false name. “Laura Marr.”

  He snorted. “I doubt very much Laura will be interested in whatever you have to say, but you’re in luck—I know her. Follow me.” He marched off at such a brisk pace Ever almost lost him in the sea of dark jackets. Buildings all looked the same here, and she wondered if he was leading her in circles. With every step, her wariness increased and her eyes began to dart about like prey that can smell the hunter but not see it. After countless twists and turns, during which she was certain he knew her identity and was an assassin sent to kill her, he stopped in front of a door and knocked.

  An older woman with a pinched face and tight bun opened it. “Yes?”

  “This…young lady…is here for Miss Marr.” He spun on his heel and left Ever staring at the matron.

  “I’m sorry, but Miss Marr is in the middle of a lesson. Might I ask what this is in regard to?” Her eyes narrowed to tight slits.

  Ever rubbed at her brace, wanting nothing more than to shove past the woman, grab Laurette and run. “It is a family matter. Her mother—” Ever’s voice cracked on the word.

  The old woman’s face softened. “One moment.”

  By the time the door opened again, she had composed herself. When Laurette appeared, her long chestnut hair piled on her head in a display that would have made Henrietta jealous, Ever almost wept.

  Laurette must have seen the pain in her face. “Something happened.”

  Ever nodded, choking down words she couldn’t say here. “It’s time for you to return home.”

  “Mother?”

  “The queen is dead,” Ever breathed, her eyes downcast.

  Laurette’s voice whispered against Ever’s skin like a ghost, “Long live the queen.”

  Minutes later, they were in Laurette’s room. “You do not have time to pack. Someone has already tried to kill me. I cannot be certain they didn’t follow me here. We have to get you to safety.”

  Stuffing a few more things into a bag, Laurette sniffed. “There is nowhere safer than wherever you are. I know you’ll die before you allow someone to hurt me.” She secured the bag and handed it to Ever.

  “And when they kill me? Then what?” Ever looped the bag over the shoulder of her already incapacitated left arm.

  Laurette reached deep into a trunk and stood, unraveling a small parcel. “Then we see just how well you taught me before I left.” The gun in her hand gleamed as if it had been polished every day since she’d departed the Badlands.

  Ever gave a tight nod and they left the building. With the gun carefully hidden in the folds of her skirt, Laurette led the way, dodging between steam-driven horseless carriages. Ever trailed behind like a servant, intent on every face and shadow they passed.

  Ever had rushed into the bank with a woman Spencer could only assume was the princess. One or the other of them withdrew the funds he needed, and Ever handed it over. The sum was more than the cost of the delivery.

  He grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. “Thank you for this.”

  She met his gaze and something cold and hard in her eyes melted, but the nervous fear he’d seen remained. “This is the least we could do. You may thank us when we all survive the return voyage.” Then she was gone, urging the princess on in a way not very befitting of a personal guard.

  Spencer shrugged it off. The people of the Badlands didn’t conform to what the States considered proper. Never had, likely never would. His lips twitched into a smile. It was probably one of the very things that attracted him to Ever.

  “You look quite pleased with yourself, Captain Pierce.” William Mason stepped into the bank carrying a stack of papers. “I’m afraid you won’t be as happy when we’re finished here. Might I borrow your desk, Jebediah?” he asked the banker.

  “Certainly, Senator. Everything’s locked up. You take all the time you need.” The slight man with the thinning black hair stepped outside, closing the door tight behind him.

  Spencer clenched and unclenched his fists. “I have your money. The only thing you needed to bring with you was the contract and the Dark Hawk’s registry. What is all this?”

  “This, my dear boy, is a list of all the repairs you insisted the ship needed while in your care and receipts itemizing your share of the cost.” Mason spread documents across the desk. When Spencer didn’t step over to look, he continued, “I suppose this is the only one you need to see. This is what you owe me before I can sign the ship over to you.”

  Spencer grabbed the statement. Even the extra money Ever had given him didn’t cover it all. As hard as he fought to remain calm, the paper crumpled in his hand. “So I have to keep working for you in order to pay the charges.” He knew this had been too easy, knew Mason had something to hold over his head again. If he’d thought killing the senator would solve his problems, he would have done it without hesitation.

  “Nonsense.” He put ink to paper and signed his name in a great looping scrawl. “Your contract with me is complete. In fact, I don’t even legally own the Dark Hawk any longer.”

  “What?” If Mason didn’t own the ship, who the hell was Spencer supposed to pay? His pulse throbbed angrily in his temples, rage blinding him.

  Mason gathered up the pages, folded them and slipped them across the desk. “Since you didn’t manage to pay off what you owed me in the time we agreed upon, I signed the Dark Hawk over to my daughter. Henrietta owns your ship. You’ll have to make arrangements with her if you plan to fly it again.” He stood and smoothed his jacket before stepping to the door. “I’m sure you can work something out. Good day, Captain Pierce.”

  Spencer’s mouth went dry. If he’d thought for a moment there couldn’t be anything worse than working for William Mason, he was wrong. Henri would do her best to tie his hands completely.

  And somehow he had to convince her to not only honor the amount he had still “owed” her father but to allow him to return Ever and the princess to the Badlands.

  “No, Spencer. Why is that so hard for you to understand?” Henrietta tapped her foot against the gleaming dock.

  He thanked God Ever had secured the princess on board before Henri returned from seeing her father. For now, their secret was safe.

  “There’s cargo that has to be delivered to complete the run we were on. We have to return to the Badlands.”

  “From my understanding, the government of the Badlands has paid in full. It is not the fault of this ship or its company that their civil unrest made it impossible to deliver their goods. But don’t worry, I’m certain we can find another run. Something nice and short, so we don’t have to spend quite so much time cooped up on the ship.” Her fingers slid along the brass handrail toward his.

  She wanted to trap him. Henri knew full well Badlands runs paid the best. It would take months of short runs to the Confederacy for him to pay the debt he owed. There had to be another way. He closed his eyes and sighed. “What is it you want, Henri?”

  Her fingers found his on the rail and twined in them. “The same thing I’ve wanted since the day I joined your crew.”

  Spencer’s eyes flew open and he gaped at her. The ever-present coy smile, the corset that squeezed her waist so tight Zeke had once said he could fit his hands around it. She’d been presenting herself to him every day since they’d met. How she’d managed to get her father to agree to this was beyond him. William Mason didn’t exactly seem the sort to approve of his daughter’s attraction. He was surprised Mason hadn’
t signed over the ship just to keep Henri away from him entirely.

  He gave his head a slow shake. “You don’t want me for a husband, Henri. I couldn’t settle down into the life you expect.” And he didn’t want to. He wanted the woman who was striding across the dock toward them.

  “Then I guess you’ll just have to pay off the rest of what you owe.”

  “Is there some sort of problem?” Ever stepped up behind Henri, her gaze shifting to the Dark Hawk more than either of them.

  Henrietta smiled at Spencer. “No problem at all. It will just be a few months before Spencer has ownership of his precious dirigible. Until then, he answers to me.”

  Before Spencer had the chance to respond, Ever said, “Has the ship been cleared to depart?”

  “Yes, I took care of it before we left this morning.” Spencer cocked a brow at her, silently asking what she had in mind.

  Ever brought her arm up and swung it. The butt of the pistol in her hand hit the base of Henri’s neck and the tiny woman crumpled into Spencer’s arms. He turned wide eyes on Ever. “What did you do?”

  “I made it possible for us to both depart now and for you to answer to her later. At the moment though, it would seem imperative we get her on board and leave this place before anything else goes wrong.” She strode away from him, stuffing the gun back into its holster.

  He swept Henrietta’s limp form into his arms and followed Ever, wondering if he was making the right decision after all.

  Chapter Ten

  They’d been in the air with no obvious sign of pursuit for a few hours before Henri’s screams garnered Noah’s attention. “Captain? I hate to be a bother, but Henri’s been howling like a banshee for a while now.”

  Spencer’s jaw clenched and the muscles across his back tightened. His crew might not like Henri all that much, but they didn’t need to be party to what he and Ever had done.

  Before he could say anything, Ever spoke up. “Yes, I think it is time we spoke to her. Perhaps you could take care of dinner since it does not seem like she has any intention of leaving her quarters?”

  Noah shrugged and walked off toward the mess. Ever tipped her head in Spencer’s direction. He swallowed hard, unsure if he really wanted to be part of this discussion. But he’d made his choice and—God forgive him—he had no regrets.

  He fell into step with Ever as she strode from the bridge. “Should the princess be present for this?”

  Ever’s voice was tight. “She will have her own problems to deal with when we land. If she needs to know anything, I will tell her.” She passed her cabin without so much as a backward glance.

  “The two of you have an interesting relationship considering your social status.” He wanted her to open up to him, to stop hiding behind this veil of duty.

  “Yes. We do.” She pushed into Henri’s stateroom, and the screams hit them at full volume. While Spencer shut the door and tried to rein in his frustration at her evasive answer, Ever stepped over to where they’d bound Henri and slapped her across the face.

  Henri glared at her. “What do you think—”

  Ever pulled back and hit her again. Spencer didn’t say a word, and this time Henri was smart enough to follow his lead.

  “Better,” Ever said. “We are going to have a little chat.”

  “Are you going to let her—”

  This time, Ever pulled out a knife and laid it within easy reach. Henri’s mouth snapped shut. “When we landed in Austin, you sent a message.” Eyes wide, Henri nodded. “We need to know what it said.”

  Her gaze darted to Spencer. “I contacted my father. I was still angry about her coming aboard and upsetting everything.”

  Knowing now that Henri had designs on marrying him, he could only imagine what she’d noticed in his interactions with Ever. “What did you tell him?”

  When he spoke it seemed to give her strength, and Henri fixed her gaze on Ever, voice tinged once more with malice. “I won’t talk as long as she’s here.”

  Ever snatched up the blade and pressed the tip to Henri’s cheek. “You so admired my marks before, but I never told you the method we use when there are no artists available to paint us. We carve out slices of skin with our blades. They heal as the most glorious scars. Truly beautiful. Perhaps you would like one.”

  Henri trembled and a sob escaped her lips. “I told him we couldn’t land and Spencer rescued some barbarian woman with tattoos all over who didn’t even have the decency to cover herself around the men.”

  Ever’s eyes darted to Spencer.

  Mason was the only one outside his crew who knew Ever had been aboard his ship. He had the information and the technology in his own lab necessary to have attacked her with the clockworks.

  Spencer’s throat constricted and a sour taste filled his mouth. It took every ounce of willpower he had to not strike out at Henri himself, if only because she was the closest he could get to her father at the moment.

  No. Regardless of her part in this, the essential theft of the ship, the threat on Ever’s life and the attack on the Badlands were all her father’s responsibility. Henri shouldn’t have to pay for that, but Spencer hoped when the time came to put a bullet in the senator’s brain, he was the one pulling the trigger.

  While he might not fully appreciate Ever’s methods, he nodded at her to continue—they needed these answers. And Henri still deserved some punishment for what she’d done.

  “And when you met your father earlier, what did you discuss?”

  When Henri didn’t respond quickly, Ever pressed on the blade hard enough it bit into her skin. A trickle of blood marred her pale cheek as tears filled her eyes. “He said I could have the ship if I agreed to delay this trip. That’s all I was supposed to do—slow you down.”

  Did Mason know about the princess then? If all his information came from Henri, he couldn’t.

  Her voice hard, Ever leaned close and hissed in Henri’s ear, “So why does he want to destroy the monarchy? Why did he have our queen killed?”

  “He didn’t! He wouldn’t!”

  Regardless of the damage Henrietta had done, Spencer knew she believed what she said. To a degree, Henri was a pawn in this game, just as he had been. As Ever pulled her hand back to strike, he stepped in and grabbed her wrist, shaking his head. He wouldn’t argue with her here, but he wouldn’t let this go on either. “Henri, I’m sorry, but you’re confined here until things are set right. You can be quiet, or I can leave Ever to keep you quiet.”

  He pulled Ever through the door and shut it tightly before heading back toward the bridge.

  Down the corridor, she shoved him against the wall. “Why didn’t you let me kill her? She betrayed you. She’s part of the plot that set this all in motion.”

  Ignoring the anger flashing in her brilliant green eyes, Spencer ran a hand along her cheek. “Because she did something stupid and selfish, but she didn’t know.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “The same way I was sure that trusting you was the right thing to do.”

  Ever introduced the princess simply as Laurette. She charmed the crew with her stories of university life. By the time they retired for the evening, Mahala and the men adored her.

  “You handled that well. You’ll make a wonderful queen.” Ever tugged her boots off.

  “It isn’t as if I had much choice in the matter. Someone had to succeed Mother and her other children weren’t exactly fit for the role. I just didn’t expect it to happen this soon.” Laurette took a silver-backed brush from her bag and ran it through her hair. “You look awful, by the way. Did you bring nothing with you when you left?”

  Ever shrugged. “I brought what I needed.”

  Laurette wrinkled her nose and scoffed, “No clothes, no toiletries. How many weapons?”

  Lying back on the edge of the mattress, Ever huffed, “Does it matter? I brought the tools necessary for my job. Besides, when the attack happened, that was all I had time to gather. I was fighting when—” her
voice caught, “—when it happened.”

  Laurette lay next to her and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. It was insensitive of me to make jokes.”

  “How can you be so calm? She is dead.” Ever hadn’t realized how badly she’d needed someone to talk to, someone who would understand.

  “Because she suspected something. Travelers from the States requested permission to journey through our lands several years ago. More followed. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

  Ever had known but, like the farmers who settled along the borderlands, Queen Lavinia had never made more than a passing mention of the men, simply issued the order that they were to be left alone. “She never said she considered them a threat. Why would she tell you and not me?”

  Laurette gave a wan smile. “Because she didn’t know what the threat was, only that something wasn’t right. There were whispers of untapped wealth in our borders but nothing more.” She sighed. “You need an enemy to fight, Everette. Phantom worries don’t fear blades or guns. She told me so I’d be prepared, in case.”

  It wasn’t good enough. If nothing else, as a commander in the queen’s army, Ever should have known. Her hands balled into fists, the braced one resisting the motion. She wanted to strike out at someone, specifically the dead queen, but that wasn’t possible, and she didn’t want to take out her anger on Laurette. She pushed up from the bed. “I do not feel the need for sleep tonight. Rest well. I will be nearby.”

  “With the captain?”

  Ever froze, her hand on the door. “What did you say?”

  A small bell-like laugh sounded from the bed. “I’ve seen how you look at him. It’s the first time you’ve favored a man with that particular expression.”

  Her muscles clenched tight and she fought back the few delicate memories of the kisses she’d shared with Spencer. “It does not matter. My duty is to you and the Badlands. I will not be with Captain Pierce. Get some rest, Your Highness.” The laughter followed her into the hall.