CHAPTER 5
“I just had the most amusing thought. Do you want to hear it?”
Jeremiah glared at the smiling Lucas, but the gunrunner didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. The grin on his face was stretched almost garishly wide, teeth shining white in the dim light, as he stared at his larger brother. “The last time we were in this exact same predicament, our positions were reversed. Didn’t you have the gun pointed at me, little brother?”
“Loki...”
“Oh yes, I remember! You said I had to give you a good reason why not to kill me.” Lucas cleared his throat dramatically, the gun not wavering a bit. “So, dear brother, it’s your turn. Why shouldn’t I kill you?”
“For me,” I blurted out, trying to move around to the front. Jeremiah however shifted to keep himself between myself and the gun, effectively blocking my path. His response annoyed me, but I persisted. “Lucas, please.”
Jeremiah glanced back at me, and missed the brief disappointment that flashed across his scarred brother’s face. It disappeared almost immediately, hidden by that manic smile as if it never existed. “She said ‘please’,” he murmured conspiratorially, and for a moment I thought for sure he would tell Jeremiah about what had happened in that room only hours before.
“However, unlike my brother,” Lucas continued, lifting the gun to his shoulder, “I won’t actually shoot family.”
Jeremiah stepped forward the moment the gun moved toward the ceiling. I couldn’t even call what he did grappling; like magic, he tore the gun from Lucas’ hand, slammed the man against the opposite wall and turned the gun on him.
“My men however,” Lucas continued quickly, grunting at the effort of speaking with a compressed rib cage, “have a rocket propelled grenade aimed at your ship and if I don’t call them off in ten seconds they shoot.” He held up a radio in one hand. “Nine.”
“Call them off.”
“Ah.” Lucas glanced at the gun shoved in his face. “No. Threats like this tend to turn me into a rebel. Sorry.”
“Lucas...”
“Why yes, that’s my name, and you know I don’t bluff. Six.”
I stepped forward and grabbed Jeremiah’s elbow. “I’m fine, Jeremiah,” I said, a little desperate. “Let him go.”
The big man looked at me, eyes blazing, then back at his brother who held up a hand showing four fingers. Cursing, he released Lucas, lowering the gun, and immediately the gunrunner lifted the radio to his lips. “Give me another thirty seconds, and stay on them if they move.”
“Yes sir.”
Lucas lowered the radio. “Call your men off my ship, Jeremiah.”
The two were standing nose to nose in a battle of wills. Jeremiah’s hands worked at his side, clenching and unclenching like he fantasized of wringing his brother’s neck. Lucas seemed unfazed by the posturing, but a thick muscle in his cheek gave away his own tension. Seconds past, and I was ready to start wringing some necks myself when Jeremiah lifted a hand to his ear. “Pull out.” He paused. “I’m staying here. Pull back to the boat.”
I sighed loudly in relief, but neither man broke their stares. Figures appeared through the doorway, and I recognize Kolya and several others. They leveled their guns at Jeremiah as Lucas spoke into the radio again. “Let the ship go.”
There was a significant pause, then another, “Yes sir.”
“Strip him of his weapons and gear,” Lucas said, “then take him downstairs. Don’t take any shots at him, he holds grudges and doesn’t play fair when he gets payback.”
One of the men tried to grab Jeremiah’s arm but the black-clad commando slipped easily from his grasp. He didn’t protest however as they removed the assault rifle and sidearm, then looked at me. “Are you really okay?”
A lump formed in my throat at his simple question and the myriad complexities that came with it. “Yes,” I whispered, a queasy churning starting in my gut. Then, without any warning, Jeremiah swept me into his arms and pulled my lips to his.
The kiss was as strong and solid as I remembered. For a moment, I lost myself in his strength, forgetting my surroundings and the stress of the last few days. The second the kiss ended however, it all came crashing back, a jumbled disaster that made my heart sick.
Jeremiah pressed his forehead to mine. “I’ll get you home,” he murmured, big hands cupping my face. Stepping away, he moved out toward the gangplank without another word, the two men with guns following closely behind.
“Make sure everyone is accounted for,” Lucas told Kolya, who nodded and disappeared through the door.
I sat down on the bed, covering my mouth with one hand. I felt like I was going to be sick. Horror dawned as I was brought face to face with the potential consequences of my decisions, and I drew in several shaky breaths before I could look at Lucas. He said nothing, merely staring down at me in uncharacteristic silence. His mouth was set in a flat line, then without a word he left the room. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone with my misery.
What have I done? Not even three days before, I’d said words that came from the heart. Now, I was left to wonder what exactly those same words meant to me any more.
Falling back onto the bed, I pressed fingers into my temples to ward off the headache forming behind my eyes. What did I feel? Right at that moment, I wanted to feel nothing, but my heart wouldn’t allow that. Every emotion under the sun swirled inside me like a churning cauldron. There was no making sense of anything, let alone make decisions.
I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, wretchedly contemplating my future, before Lucas returned. A duffle was slung over one shoulder, and I watched as he stuffed clothing from the drawers inside without once looking at me. The lump in my throat grew bigger, and I had to swallow several times before I could speak. “Where are you going?”
“I’ll be bunking up top with Matthews and Frank. You can have this room to yourself.”
“Why?”
He said nothing for a moment, pushing clothes into the small sack. “My selfishness ruined the life of one innocent girl already.” His normally expressive face was carefully blank. “I won’t repeat that mistake again.”
I watched him move around the room, picking up things he would need. One guilty subject weighed heavily on my mind, and finally as he threw the bag over his shoulder, I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. “Does Jeremiah know about...” I started, but Lucas interrupted as though he’d been expecting my question.