Page 85 of Savannah Royals
“This is going to be a hard task,” I observe, watching Magpies carry crates of supplies up and down the gangplank. I point to the churning river, then the smooth wooden hull of the bobbing ship. “I can’t climb that. We’ll have to fight our way in.”
“You don’t need to sneak in, you just need to be able to get out,” Paul says, eyeing the ship’s rigging.
I study the complicated web of interconnected ropes, assess the distance of a swing from deck to shore. I gnaw on my cheek, mulling it over beforenodding. “I can extract quickly. But I have to getinfirst.” I gesture to the armed guards sitting dockside. “And they have guns.”
We’ve seen eight people man the ship during our stakeouts, always three standing watch outside while the rest cluster aboard. It’s a tall order but not impossible. The guns make me very nervous.
“I’m not sure about this, Paul.” I turn to face him. “Is it really necessary? We took out nearly half the gang at Farley’s, isn’t that enough? They’re crippled.”
“I don’t want them crippled. We made that mistake once before with Damien. This time, I want themgone. Their guns too.”
I nod, drumming my nails on my leg. Still worried.
Paul takes my hand to stop my fingers. He leans in and softly kisses me. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Kitty-Kat.”
“It’s not only me I’m worried about.”
“It’s a good plan, Kat. One we’ve used to great effect before.”
“For much smaller jobs, with far fewer guns,” I point out. “No guns, really.”
“We’ll disable the guns first. Abe will have your bag, and we’ll get you inside. The rest will be quick.”
“Okay.” I let him convince me.
“We’ll run the job next week,” Paul says. “In the meantime, Abe, pick someone to tail during the day. Start tomorrow. A different person each day. I want a better idea of what they’re doing and what they’re moving. I don’t want to run into any surprises when Kat gets onto the ship.”
“I can’t do it tomorrow,” Abe says, “but I’ll start the day after.”
All three of us turn to stare at him.
“I’m working tomorrow,” he explains carefully. “I picked up a job.”
“A job?” Tony asks. “Doing what?”
“It’s a security position downtown. Just for extra cash.”
“If you need scratch,” Paul says, “you got it. You don’t need to take a job, Abe. There’s plenty to go around.”
“It’s okay. I’m actually interested in the position. It’s a good opportunity. I’ll learn a lot.”
Paul is puzzled, but he doesn’t argue further. “Fine. Tony, you’re up tomorrow. Take your pick.”
“Tubby.” He points at a large lump of a man on watch now. He’s propped on a barrel with his head tilted back, half asleep on the job.
“Good choice.” Abe laughs. “He looks like a real go-getter.”
When we pack it in for the night, Paul walks to the streetcar with me. To my surprise, he rides back to the Academy, then walks me all the way to my window.
“Wow, full door-to-door service tonight,” I tease.
“If I could crawl up there and fall asleep with you, I would do that too.”
“Mellie would have a conniption.”
He smiles at me, and it’s achingly familiar, his crooked and shifty little grin.
“I’ve missed you so much, Kat,” he tells me again, stepping closer. He slides his arms around my back and tucks me into his chest. He breathes me in for a moment, and I do the same with him. Faded smoke and cedarwood, crisp air. Pure Paul.
