The Oilman's Daughter by Dickson Allison M. & Healy Ian Thomas

Author:Dickson, Allison M. & Healy, Ian Thomas [Dickson, Allison M.]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Local Hero Press, LLC
Published: 2015-09-29T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

An invisible elephant, like those he’d seen in the streets of Delhi, crouched upon Phinneas’ chest as he opened his eyes to darkness. He couldn’t manage more than shallow wisps of breath. It felt like breathing thick, soupy air through a narrow straw. As his struggles subsided, he realized he lay on a bed, with real sheets and a rough, homespun blanket that smelled of wood smoke and comfort. His heart hammered in his chest, skipping a few beats under the strain of what could only be Big Blue’s gravity. He reached for the key that always hung around his neck, to turn the gadget in his chest that massaged his heart, and was dismayed to remember Cecilie had stolen it.

Perhaps he was in hell at last. If so, many of his departed scallywags would be awaiting him, but he had a feeling he wasn’t so lucky. His good fortunes ran out the second he agreed to kidnap a certain French lass and deliver her to Houston, and now he was struggling to breathe on the rock he hated most, his meal ticket likely a pretty cinder blowing in the wind. Then again, if he was here, maybe she was too.

He struggled to sit up in the blasted bed, but his muscles quivered like a foal fresh out of its ma. Years of daily calisthenics were all for naught in Big Blue’s clutches. The area at the foot of his bed filled with the yellow light of an oil lamp, and he saw a vague silhouette. “You oughtn’t do that now, Mista.” The owner of the voice was husky, but unmistakably female.

He squinted at the light, trying to get a better look at the lass, but the shadows were too deep, and his vision was still distorted by the changes in pressure.

“Who’s there? Show yerself.” The dry croak of his voice shamed him. Instead of his regular booming authority, he sounded like a dying kitten.

The light grew a little bit brighter, sending shards of pain through his eyes and into his aching head. But after a spell, he could make out a pretty hourglass shape, and a thick braid of dark hair draped over one shoulder. He didn’t need to hear her voice to know it wasn’t Cecilie. No bony hips on this one.

She stepped closer, and Phinneas understood why he’d had trouble seeing her in the shadows; her skin was nearly as dark as his. Her language, plain dress, and lack of jewelry told him she was probably American, and likely a farmer’s wife or daughter, given the solid build of her. High cheekbones, almond-shaped eyes. A beauty if there ever was one. He guessed her to be just barely out of her teens, though it was hard to tell with the ones who hadn’t grown up soft. “Who’re ye, lass? And how do I get outta here?”

“I done spent the last week tryin’ to keep you alive, Space Man. Now ain’t the time to start actin’ a fool, or you’ll have wasted all my time and my Daddy’s.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.