Bollinger paled, gesturing at his footman. “Leave the bags. We’re getting out of here.”
As the two scurried off, Livy followed Ben to the cabin. The ship was eerily quiet, her heart thundering as they took the creaky steps down to the main berth. Reaching the door, Ben cocked his pistol, and she did the same. He pushed open the door, his firearm held at the ready…
No one was inside. The room had a bunk in one corner, cupboards along two walls, and a large table at its center. A pyramid of red snuffboxes sat on the table’s surface. Going over to the cupboards, Ben opened them, revealing an apothecary shop’s worth of powders and liquids upon the shelves.
“The makings of the Devil’s Bliss,” Livy breathed. “But where is our villain?”
She gazed over at the bed, at the black wig and costume laid atop it.
I just saw him, and he’ll kill us all…
She and Ben looked at each other.
“Bollinger,” they said.
They raced back up to the deck in time to see Bollinger and his man running down the pier.
“Angels!” Livy shouted. “Stop Bollinger! He’s Fong!”
She heard the affirmatives of her partners as she and Ben sprang onto the wharf. Fiona took aim and fired. Her shot whizzed past Bollinger’s shoulder, forcing him to swerve away from the steps. As Fi reloaded, Glory got off a shot, keeping Bollinger away from the steps. With his servant at his heels, he headed toward the nearest building…the blacking factory. He shot at the door, kicked it open, and the pair disappeared inside.
Moments later, the Angels and Ben arrived at the factory entrance.
“Glory and Fi, secure the perimeter,” Livy said. “Don’t let them escape.”
“Right-o.” Glory reloaded her pistol and put out her free hand.
Fi put her hand on top, Livy following suit.
“Sisters first will see us through!”
Livy parted from her friends and followed Ben into the building. Wall sconces cast a dim glow over the large square room, the air pungent with the smell of boot polish. The building was four stories high, a rickety stairwell winding upward at the center of the room. Floorboards squealed overhead, dust sprinkling from the ceiling. As Livy stepped cautiously forward, something scurried over her foot.
Rats. Ew.
“Stay behind me,” Ben said in a low voice. “I hear them on the floor above.”
She and Ben crept to the stairwell. He held his pistol out as he mounted the steps, and she did the same. She caught a movement on the next floor. “Watch out!”
At her warning, Ben dove forward. The bullet hit the banister where he had been seconds earlier, sending splinters of wood flying.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
He sprinted up the steps, with her at his heels. They chased Bollinger and his brute all the way up to the top floor. At the landing, the servant flew at Ben, tackling Ben to the ground. Livy spotted Bollinger a few feet away, his pistol aimed at the fighting men. She shot first, Bollinger letting out a cry as her bullet drove the pistol from his hand. His weapon skidded through the wide gap between the railing’s spindles and plunged over the edge, the loud thump echoing from four stories below.
Livy sprinted over to face Bollinger. “Give up. We have you surrounded.”
“I don’t think so.” He drew out a knife, his boyish features as menacing as the glinting edge. “I have no problem getting through you…by any means necessary.”
He attacked, his blade coming at her in a lethal arc. She dodged and spun, slamming her elbow into his ribs. He howled with pain but came at her again. This time she went low, kicking out and knocking him off his feet. He landed on his back, his blade skittering from his grasp.
She kicked the weapon aside and came toward him, fists raised.
Moaning, he said, “Bloody hell, I give up…”
“You should have done so in the first place,” she said.
She glanced over at Ben, making sure he didn’t need her help, and that was her mistake. Bollinger leapt up with startling speed, plowing into her with vicious force. She hurtled backward through the air. Her spine hit the railing, and a loud crack filled her ears. Suddenly, she was falling into space. She reached out wildly, her fingers somehow grabbing onto the edge of the floor. She held on desperately, dangling four stories above the ground, unable to pull herself up.
She was afraid to move, to even cry for help.
“Hold on, Livy. I’m coming!”
Ben’s voice reached her like a lifeline. Reminded her of everything that she had to fight for. She concentrated on following his command, battling gravity’s powerful pull with everything she had left. She heard shouts and thumps and didn’t know if seconds or hours passed as she clung on. As her fingers began to slip, Ben was there. He grabbed her wrists and hauled her to safety, dragging her away from the edge.
“You’re safe.” His arms closed around her like a vise. “I’ve got you.”
She clung to him, drawing deep breaths until her tremors subsided.
When she was sufficiently recovered, she peered around his shoulder. The servant lay unconscious on the ground. And Bollinger…he was lying on his back as well. His eyes were open, his blade protruding from his chest.
“He grabbed his knife and tried to kill me. We fought. I won,” Ben said flatly.
“Are you all right?” she whispered.
He stared at her. “You were dangling four stories above the ground, and you’re asking me if I am all right?”
She gave him a shaky smile. “Thank you for saving me. Again.”
“I had no choice.” He tucked a loose tendril behind her ear. “Since you told me there was no longer a debt between us, I had to find a new way to bind you to me.”
“Wouldn’t marriage vows suffice just as well?” she said with a muffled laugh.
“With you, they will.” The teasing light left his eyes, replaced by heart-fluttering intensity. “I love you, Livy, and I’m ready to start our happily ever after.”
“I want
