last, they stabilized enough to keep me upright. I leaned against the wall, taking one step toward the door, then two. My hand went to the metal handle.
Evan’s hand rested on top of mine, gently, delicately, the touch of a mother robin’s wing sweeping over the fragile blue eggs of her children. His voice was low and rich with emotion. “Amanda, please wait.”
I stared at his hand as if it were a viper’s head. “Nothing you could say will make me change my mind.”
His breath eased out of him, and tension sung in every muscle in his body. He gazed into my eyes as if it were the last sight he would ever see.
And then he spoke.
“Amanda -”
I turned the handle.
The door burst in on me, knocking me back, and I sprawled on the metal floor. Jeff strode in, his eyes sweeping from Evan down to me with sharp fury. He called back over his shoulder. “You were right, Mikey. We’ve got them now.”
There was a movement behind him. Five large men filled the doorway, creating an impenetrable barrier between us and the safety of the world beyond.
Jeff slipped his hand into his back pocket, coming out with a set of brass knuckles. He slowly settled them on his right hand. His eyes pinned me like a bully’s knife deliberately spearing a butterfly to a wooden fence. “You watch this good, Mandy,” he ordered. “You watch your playmate get pummeled into red jelly. Because, once he’s dumped on shore, and our ship leaves dock in four hours, it’ll just be you and me the whole cruise home.”
Book 2: Wine-Dark Dreams
Chapter 1
I have dreamt in my life,
dreams that have stayed with me ever after,
and changed my ideas;
they have gone through and through me,
like wine through water,
and altered the color of my mind.
-- Emily Brontë
Jeff and his five burly goons stormed into the mechanical room, water cascading down their bodies from the monsoon which hammered just outside the open door. Evan stepped before me in the same instant, his body shielding mine as I lay, stunned, against the metal floor. Then the door fell shut behind the last muscle-bound man and for a moment the only sound was the thrumming of the pipes along the walls.
Evan flexed his fingers, his body settling into a crouch as he scanned the opponents before him. “Jeff, this is between you and me. Let Amanda leave. I’ll face you on whatever terms you want.”
Jeff’s marble eyes shone in the fluorescent lighting of the room; he settled his brass knuckles firmly on his fingers. “Let her leave? This whole situation is her fault! It’s time she learned her lesson. If she’s going to dumpster-dive with trash like you, she’s going to be shown the consequences. Maybe that will teach her not to whore herself out ever again.”
His voice dropped into a snarl. “She belongs to me. I’ve been far too lenient with her. That ends now.”
I could see the ripple of anger course down Evan’s jaw, but when he turned to speak to me his voice was calm, almost soothing. “It’ll be all right, Amanda. See that trio of pipes on the back wall? Think you can wedge behind them?”
I pushed up to my feet, shivering. My t-shirt and sweats were soaked through; the frigid cold sapped my energy with every passing second. I carefully approached the large conglomeration of machinery. It took a moment, but I was able to wiggle past the metalwork and ensconce myself neatly behind a large rectangular grid of thick tubes. There was no way any of the men could reach in to me or fit in themselves.
Evan nodded in grim satisfaction. “You’ll be safe there. No matter what happens, in under an hour one of the ship’s mechanics will be up to make his rounds. You just stay put until then.”
My throat closed up. “Evan –”
Jeff’s voice was a high mimic of mine. “Oh, Evan, Evan.” He rolled his shoulders. “Don’t worry, Mandy baby. The first part of this will be quick. Then we’ll
Evan’s hand rested on top of mine, gently, delicately, the touch of a mother robin’s wing sweeping over the fragile blue eggs of her children. His voice was low and rich with emotion. “Amanda, please wait.”
I stared at his hand as if it were a viper’s head. “Nothing you could say will make me change my mind.”
His breath eased out of him, and tension sung in every muscle in his body. He gazed into my eyes as if it were the last sight he would ever see.
And then he spoke.
“Amanda -”
I turned the handle.
The door burst in on me, knocking me back, and I sprawled on the metal floor. Jeff strode in, his eyes sweeping from Evan down to me with sharp fury. He called back over his shoulder. “You were right, Mikey. We’ve got them now.”
There was a movement behind him. Five large men filled the doorway, creating an impenetrable barrier between us and the safety of the world beyond.
Jeff slipped his hand into his back pocket, coming out with a set of brass knuckles. He slowly settled them on his right hand. His eyes pinned me like a bully’s knife deliberately spearing a butterfly to a wooden fence. “You watch this good, Mandy,” he ordered. “You watch your playmate get pummeled into red jelly. Because, once he’s dumped on shore, and our ship leaves dock in four hours, it’ll just be you and me the whole cruise home.”
Book 2: Wine-Dark Dreams
Chapter 1
I have dreamt in my life,
dreams that have stayed with me ever after,
and changed my ideas;
they have gone through and through me,
like wine through water,
and altered the color of my mind.
-- Emily Brontë
Jeff and his five burly goons stormed into the mechanical room, water cascading down their bodies from the monsoon which hammered just outside the open door. Evan stepped before me in the same instant, his body shielding mine as I lay, stunned, against the metal floor. Then the door fell shut behind the last muscle-bound man and for a moment the only sound was the thrumming of the pipes along the walls.
Evan flexed his fingers, his body settling into a crouch as he scanned the opponents before him. “Jeff, this is between you and me. Let Amanda leave. I’ll face you on whatever terms you want.”
Jeff’s marble eyes shone in the fluorescent lighting of the room; he settled his brass knuckles firmly on his fingers. “Let her leave? This whole situation is her fault! It’s time she learned her lesson. If she’s going to dumpster-dive with trash like you, she’s going to be shown the consequences. Maybe that will teach her not to whore herself out ever again.”
His voice dropped into a snarl. “She belongs to me. I’ve been far too lenient with her. That ends now.”
I could see the ripple of anger course down Evan’s jaw, but when he turned to speak to me his voice was calm, almost soothing. “It’ll be all right, Amanda. See that trio of pipes on the back wall? Think you can wedge behind them?”
I pushed up to my feet, shivering. My t-shirt and sweats were soaked through; the frigid cold sapped my energy with every passing second. I carefully approached the large conglomeration of machinery. It took a moment, but I was able to wiggle past the metalwork and ensconce myself neatly behind a large rectangular grid of thick tubes. There was no way any of the men could reach in to me or fit in themselves.
Evan nodded in grim satisfaction. “You’ll be safe there. No matter what happens, in under an hour one of the ship’s mechanics will be up to make his rounds. You just stay put until then.”
My throat closed up. “Evan –”
Jeff’s voice was a high mimic of mine. “Oh, Evan, Evan.” He rolled his shoulders. “Don’t worry, Mandy baby. The first part of this will be quick. Then we’ll
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