Page 47 of Regal Queen

The boat finally slowed, and Bourbon wrapped an arms around my waist. He gave me a rough kiss before standing, letting me go to grip the side of the boat. His face was focused now. Ready for battle.

In a flash, Bourbon was gone, climbing up the precarious ladder to the deck of the ship. He quickly disappeared from sight, along with the rest of his men. The only people left on my boat was the captain, Knight, and me.

Even though Bourbon allowed me on the boat, I still couldn’t go inside. I was to wait here until they killed Dimitri, then they would bring his dead body to me.

"Knight," I decided to take advantage of the only time I would probably ever be alone with him. "I just want you to know--” Dark eyes met mine, combined with a ferocious gaze that made my words falter. I forced myself to press on, “—that what you did for me-“

"Stop." That sharp word sliced through me. "I did it for Coulter and Bourbon. I’ve sworn to protect them and their interests.”

"Oh." Their interests. I suddenly felt very stupid. Of course he did. He was one of their top leaders, wasn't he?

"But that doesn't mean I didn't do it for you, too," he added softly, "though in the end, I didn't do much."

“No. You did." I stood up, coming to sit next to him. “You have no idea how scared I was. How much courage you gave me, just by being on that plane. I couldn’t have faced it if it hadn’t been for you.”

He didn't look at me now, his eyes staring down at the floor, his fingers tight on the rifle in his hands and his voice husky. “Really?”

"Of course. You have no idea how much your presence gave me courage.”

He stared for a long moment, then finally met my eyes again, and something had softened in them. "Okay."

It wasn’t much of a response, but it was everything at the same time.

Leaning forward, I wrapped my arms around him, needing to touch him to really let him know how I felt. After only a brieft moment of stiffness, he returned the hug, and we held each other for just a few moments, bonding over what we'd gone though together.

When we pulled back, he had a small smile playing at the edges of his lips and a mischievous glint in his eyes--a look I hadn't seen from him before.

He stood up. "You ready to bust this popsicle stand?”

"What about Bourbon? He’ll kill you if you take me up there.”

He held his hand towards me. “Fuck them. This is for you, isn't it?"

Fear wretched up inside me but a strumming, thrumming need to take control of my own destiny overcame me.

Knight was offering me something I never thought I'd feel in a long time, the power to do whatever the hell I wanted, instead of waiting for permission to act.

"Hell to the yes." I grinned, I jumped to my feet and took his hand as we walked across the boat towards the great carrier ship.

With great difficulty and Knight's help, I managed to leap across to the ladder and climb up it. When I got to the top, I was immediately overwhelmed with the sight and sounds of their battle.

There was fire everywhere, and dead bodies lined the top deck. I caught sight of someone I recognized and, leaving Knight's side, ran towards him.

I didn't know his name, but he had definitely been one of the men who'd tortured me with Dimitri.

I met Knight's gaze across the dead body to see that determination had filled his.

He recognized the man too.

This was the right ship.

We fell in together as if we'd known how to work with each other for our whole lives. Guns out, he lead the way with me closely behind him. We ran across the deck, quickly flinging open the door hatch and lumbered down the stairs to the large space below deck.

Shots fired from all directions, the sound loud and glaring. The smell of gunpowder filled my nose. The ship was huge, filled with rows of containers and we could easily make out Dimitri's men once we reached the lower levels.

"Follow me," Knight said. "I think I may know the way."

“How?” I yelled over the noise, but he didn’t answer. He walked with a stealth that was admirable, seeming to know exactly which turns to take. As for me, I was lost in the maze of rows, people running, shots firing and men fighting. My heart was pounding a million miles a minute. My breathing sounded like I had just run a hundred miles really fast. I searched for Bourbon and Coulter every step of the way but they were nowhere to be found.

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