Engine No. 9 by Samantha Kane & Mari Freeman

Author:Samantha Kane & Mari Freeman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: SK Publishing, LLC

Ships in the Night

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Lucy marched in and slammed the door. “How dare you break into my private quarters?” She grabbed the book from his hand. “Are you snooping? Through my things?”

“Yes.”

His response seemed to startle her, but only for a moment. She shook it off. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

Had he? He thought so. He’d come here looking for answers to questions he didn’t understand. Instead he’d answered the biggest question of all, which was why he was still here and why he cared. And the answer was the woman standing there glaring at him.

“I don’t want to pass you in the night,” he told her simply.

“I—,” she broke off in mid-sentence at his statement. “What?”

He started to repeat the Longfellow passage. “’Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,’” he began, but he stopped when her eyes flew wide and she took a hasty step back.

“You read Longfellow?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Doesn’t everybody?” He glared at her. “Or is it the reading you’re surprised by? Yes, I can read.”

“No,” she rushed to deny it. “I knew you could read. What good is a telegram to a man who can’t read?”

Ryder slid his hat back on his head, perplexed. “Well, you got me there, Lucy. Sorry I jumped on you like that.”

Her expression turned suspicious. “What’s going on? What do you want?”

“Well, now,” he said, “five minutes ago I would have answered that question differently.” He started to walk past her and she snatched her shift from his hand.

“Give me that,” she barked at him.

Ryder laughed and sat down on the edge of her bed, settling in comfortably. “Sorry about that, too,” he added, but he didn’t mean it.

Lucy threw the shift and Ryder watched it float to the floor. When he looked back at Lucy he was looking down the barrel of her .38. “You better tell me what you were looking for and what you saw,” she threatened him. “I am not in a pleasant mood.”

There was a loud banging on the door. “Lucy? You all right?” a feminine voice called through the door.

Ryder put a finger to his lips to indicate silence and shook his head. He could see the struggle on Lucy’s face. At her silence the knocking came again. “Lucy?” The voice was louder. “I’m coming in there!”

“No!” Lucy called out. “No, Rose, I’m fine.”

“If you say so,” Rose called out, sounding unconvinced. “You know what to do if you need me.”

At that Ryder raised his eyebrow and made an interested face but Lucy just scowled at him. “Not ready to tell me all your secrets, yet?” he asked quietly with a grin.

“I’m not going to tell you any of my secrets ever,” Lucy told him with disdain. “Spill the beans, Ryder.” She gestured with the gun. “What are you doing here?”

Ryder took his hat off and tossed it aside. He managed to get it smack down in the middle of the chair seat and smiled full out at Lucy’s frown.

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