Davies, Corinne - Steam-Driven Seduction [Steampunked Lust 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (19 page)

He got up and paced the length of his office. Knowing that Miguel was with Kassandra eased his mind somewhat. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing either of them. How had he managed to survive two years without either of them?
Perhaps because until now I didn’t realize how many risks she’s taken with her life.
It would be impossible to make her stay here like the porcelain doll she accused him of treating her as. But, if he could get her promise to stay safe?

A repetitive clicking noise had him swinging around.

“Mr. Miller, is there any reason why you didn’t leave with the
Aphrodite
?” Julien looked closely at the weapon the shorter man held on him. It looked to be a regular six-shooter that was so popular in the West. “You do realize that if you fire that weapon in here the bullets will bounce around, ricocheting off the walls?”

“I’m not stupid, I don’t plan on missing your heart.”

“It’ll take more than that to put me down, Walter.” Julien put as much derision as he could into his tone when he said the man’s name. If he could get him off balance, he might have a chance…

“See this?” Walter Miller held up a small brass device in his palm.

Julien recognized a detonation device when he saw it and his blood ran cold. There were many innocents on this ship. His crew was a ragtag bunch who’d made the decision to trust him and followed him out into the middle of the sea. They were people he trusted, and over the years they’d grown into a clan of their own, a family by choice and not obligation who trusted and cared for each other. “Why?
Atlantis
isn’t a battleship, it’s meant to be a safe harbor.”

“We don’t like who you harbor. Dirty Old Worlders and abominations to nature.” Walter paced opposite to Julien, not allowing him to get an angle on the door. His attitude revealed his true intentions.
Atlantis
had become a meeting point of Old World pirates and rebels against the New World militia over the years. He should have paid closer attention to Hedon Dubrova’s excuse for his unscheduled visit.

“This Gomorrah has become a beacon of evil and should be purged from the seas.” Walter raged, “Then your kind won’t pollute our lads and we’ll make an example out of those who have.”

“How can you justify killing innocent people in the middle of the sea?” Julien placed his hand on the edge of his desk, pressing a button on the underside that would alert the crew of danger. “Most don’t believe in our existence.”

Walter shrugged and thumbed the switches on his device.

“No!” Julien lunged for the man, but
Atlantis
lurched to the side as the rumble of an explosion shuddered in the walls around them. He fell across his desk as all his papers and notes scattered to the floor. The cup of tea he’d been drinking, along with the pot, crashed against the carpet. A second explosion caused everything to violently tilt back, throwing them off balance again. A sickening lurch drove him to his knees, and Julien felt the pressure of his ship rushing for the surface.

“You blew the ballasts?” He didn’t understand. All that would do was force them to the surface. There had to be more to this. “What was the point of forcing us to surface? Didn’t you arrive on Dubrova’s ship?”

“Dubrova is a pathetic Midnighter with delusions of grandeur. He’d no chance of infiltrating your ship, but he didn’t hesitate to sell us the coordinates to where you were and accepted money to bring me here. All I had to do was board while his arrival distracted your crew.”

Julien hoped Hedon didn’t waste any time spending the money the militia paid him. Because the next time their paths crossed, he would kill him. The rocking of the vessel calmed down, and Julien got to his feet again. He could still feel them rising and knew they’d breach the surface any moment.

“We have no plans to kill the crew right away.” Walter’s evil smile made Julien’s blood run cold. “We’ll gather them up and make an example of them. Some will be sold for profit. The others will be burned or hung.”

“That will not stop the fighting. You have no right to dictate how human beings are allowed to live.”

“Those that follow the Old World dictates are nothing more than animals.”

“Then I’ll fight you with my last breath.”

Walter narrowed his eyes and sneered. “You just took it.” He whipped his pistol up and fired.

Julien heard the explosion almost the same moment the impact hit him in the chest. He felt weightless for a moment and then crashed back into the floor.

Chapter Ten

Few things were more impressive than the sight of
Atlantis
rising from the depths of the sea, but Kass watched in horror as the vessel lurched to the surface like a ship caught in a violent storm.

The flight here was treacherous and they’d almost been shot down over the militia stronghold, but thankfully her theory was correct. By the time the soldiers had assembled enough to fight back, they’d been out of range. The couple of shots they’d gotten off had fallen short of the ship and the
Aphrodite
had carried on.

“Incoming!” Raz hollered and angled
Aphrodite
into a steep dive. Kass gripped the navigational table in front of her. She reached over and hit the master alarm switch. A loud alarm sounded, alerting the entire crew. Red lights flashed on in the corner of the room and across the entire ship. This way her crew would be ready for anything.

Miguel made his way over to her. She was amazed at how gracefully he moved under the circumstances. He stood behind her like a wall, gripping the table on either side of her hands. If she lost her grip, she would fall back into him and not the floor. “I’ll always have your back.”

A deafening explosion vibrated the ship. She quickly checked the panel of lights on the wall. No warning lights of a hull breach came on. “That was close.”

“It’s going to get closer.” Gabe strapped himself into a seat. Raz leveled out and arced the ship in a wide turn, giving them a view of what was happening. Three large ships were approaching
Atlantis
and firing on her. Kass could see the explosions on the surface of the vessel.

“It looks as though the ballasts have been activated.” Gabe pointed to the side. “They must’ve surfaced in a hurry.”

A large machine rose up from the center of the ship. It unfolded in an impressive display of technology and turned on one of the ships.

“That’s the biggest cannon I’ve ever seen,” Miguel commented. But as the cannon launched its first attack, the other two ships retaliated. “What do we have for weapons on this ship, Kass?”

“We have some, but Raz will have to get us closer to use them. I have a few bombs, but again those ships are equipped to fight against large ships.”

“A small vessel might manage to pass their defense mechanisms, but
Atlantis
doesn’t have any. We’re going to have to do our best with what we have.”

Kass turned and grabbed Miguel by the lapels. “Strap in and be careful. I’m going down to help the crew.”

Miguel opened his mouth to argue, but she pressed her fingers against his lips. “I have the best sense of timing. We don’t have many chances and can’t waste a single one.”

“You remember your promise to me, Kass.” He fingered a curl that lay against her neck.

“I’ll never forget it,” she replied, knowing damn well she was about to break it inside of five minutes. Her heart clenched as she looked up into the emotion shining in his eyes. “I love you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them. Even though she hadn’t admitted it to herself it didn’t make it less true. If the worst happened, she wanted him to know the truth. His smile made her heart skip a beat. He pressed a quick passion-filled kiss against her lips. “I love you, too.”

She reached over and pointed to a button on the table. “This will give you direct communication to the lower level.”

He stepped back and gave her room to move. “You had better answer, Kass.”

She winked at him and then ran for the door. “Raz, give me a minute to reach the lower level before you make any drastic moves.”

“Yes, Captain.”

Kass ran for the pole next to the stairs and dropped to the lower level. The crew had already gotten what bombs they had in position. The bay doors had been opened and wind tore through the space like a tornado.

“Weapons ready, Captain!” Connor shouted over the noise.

“Kass.” Miguel’s voice came through the speakers.

“Weapons ready!” she called out. “Make the first pass as smooth as possible.”

She watched as the sea whipped below them and one of the ships approached. It got larger and larger as it approached. Kass could already smell the acrid stench of smoke in the air from the weapons that had been fired.

Several of her crew fidgeted in place. “Steady, everyone,” Connor called out. “Let him get us in place.”

Kass was a moment away from shouting
launch
when there was a flash from the ship and a screaming noise coming straight for them.

“Brace yourselves!” Miguel’s voice shouted through the intercom. The ship angled sharply to the left. This time the explosion was a little farther away and didn’t endanger the ship as much. As she feared, Raz couldn’t get them close enough to one of the ships to deploy one of their weapons.

“Connor, we need to get closer.” Kass pointed to the flight room.

“We’re going to try to time the next pass when they’re reloading.” She appreciated Miguel giving her updates of their plans, but she had a better idea.

“They have an automated system, Miguel. We won’t make it,” she called out, knowing that Raz and Gabe would hear her. “They’re prepared to battle a larger ship. If the
Apollo
was here, we might have a chance, but they’re at least an hour out.”

Connor came back with a harness that Kass quickly began to strap to herself. “A smaller target has a better chance of slipping through their defenses.”

“We don’t have anything like that.” Kass heard the mumble of the twins’ voices in the background and knew they were telling on her.

“Kass, don’t you dare!”

She heard the fear in Miguel’s voice and understood, but she had to do this. She knew she could help. “Keep the weapons steady. Be ready to launch when you get close enough.”

The members of her crew nodded and turned to watch. They had faith in her as their captain to succeed, and she hoped this wasn’t a mistake that cost her life. She followed Connor into the flight room and locked the door behind them.

He was already wearing a pair of wings and held up a second set for her. It took a moment to strap them on and then attach the belt of ammunition to her waist. He opened the launchpad and she gripped the wall to keep her balance as the wings on her back shuddered.

“You head for the one on the right. I’m aiming for the left.”

Connor held out his hand. “I don’t agree with your plan, Captain, but I hope you survive it so you can answer to your men.”

“I’m proud to do this with you, Connor. You’re a good man and I hope you survive so you can help me hide.”

She smiled at him and then turned and ran down the metal dock, throwing herself off the edge, spread eagle. She felt the sickening drop in her stomach and the instant panic she always did. The wind roared in her ears and the thumping of her heart pounded against the inside of her chest. She felt as though the water was racing toward her faster than it should be. A second later the feathered apparatus snapped open. The wings expanded and picked up on an updraft that angled her away from the sea below.

She squeezed the hand grips and the wings responded perfectly to her directions. She arced up to the side enough to look over and see that Connor’s wings were working perfectly. She checked for any flaws or equipment failure but didn’t spot any. He swooped up over her and returned the favor.