Vivian started her work, pulling apart wires and plugging in the small device that she had hidden in her purse. Jerry turned everything on to make sure the ship ran. She couldn’t believe they had made it inside with no problems. She was so close to finally getting what she wanted.

  She stared out the front window, seeing the dock ahead of them and finding the authorities standing at the top of the pier. Her heart stuttered, and air balled up in her throat. She had no idea what to do, or if they were even coming for it. It wasn’t uncommon for authorities to patrol the areas, but to do it that day at that time was too much of a coincidence for her to feel secure in staying long.

  Perhaps Arloa had noticed she’d stolen the codes and had called the authorities on her. Pulling her lip between her teeth, Jerry glanced down at Vivian who lay on her side, half under the dash as she worked her magic. Jerry didn’t want to worry her just yet, so she held the knowledge inside and didn’t utter another word.

  She ran scans of the vessel, making sure no one else was on board with them even though she was pretty sure they were alone. Except…they weren’t.

  “Fuck,” Jerry muttered as she hit a few more commands into the system to find out exactly who was there and where they were.

  “What?” Vivian called from below.

  Jerry shook her head, not ready to answer that question just yet. She was about to hit a command when a cold, angry voice startled her.

  “Who the hell are you?” His accent was strong, thick, as though he hadn’t been in Raegina very long.

  Jerry spun on her toes, every nerve in her body telling her she was going to have to fight her way out of this one. She was going to have to win and pray to whatever damn deity was out there that the authorities didn’t catch on or that he didn’t hit a signal before saying something.

  “I’m Jeraldine Adelric.” Her voice was so calm that she wasn’t sure how she’d managed to keep it that controlled, because she felt anything but. “I’m here to take this ship.”

  “Like hell you are!” He shouted at her, his hands raised as if he was going to sock her in the side of the face.

  Jerry ducked, grunting as she stepped to the side and accidentally hit Vivian’s leg in the process.

  “Keep going, Viv!” Jerry ordered as she side-stepped another attempted hit. This guy was hardly worth his salt in security, and not for the first time, Jerry wondered who he was.

  He swung at her again, only this time, Jerry grabbed his arm and twisted under his reach behind his back, pulling his arm with her as she went. She held it at an odd angle as she reached to her side and grabbed her long knife, shoving it up against his jugular.

  “I told you, I’m taking this ship.”

  He growled, but he didn’t say anything else, which was wise. Jerry shoved him toward the door that would lead to the lower decks and pushed him against the wall right next to it. She found rope and tied his hands and ankles together. As soon as she had him done up, she put away her knife. He stood at the door, glaring at her.

  “This is a Kauket vessel, you know. They’ll ruin you when they find out.”

  A shiver ran up Jerry’s spine, but she held her ground with him, giving no outward sign that what he had said bothered her. She raised an eyebrow at him and stepped in closer, sweeping her boot under his tied up feet and knocking him to the deck with a loud thud.

  When she glanced at Vivian, her face was pale, and fear filled her gaze. “Ignore him.”

  “Kauket?” Vivian’s voice wavered. “You didn’t tell me—”

  “I told you to ignore him,” Jerry spat.

  “The Kaukets are a powerful family,” he tried again.

  Jerry hissed before kicking him in the face to knock him out cold. She was tired of listening to his voice, and since she had revealed her name, there was no turning back now. He would certainly come in handy later.

  Stalking to the dash and the wheel, Jerry crouched down and gave Vivian a sincere look. “I have pull with the Kaukets. Trust me, they won’t kill us for it.”

  “That’s not what I’m afraid of,” Vivian answered before turning back under the dash and completing her work.

  Once they hacked into the systems, Jerry took control of the wheel and pulled the ship out of the slip. Vivian stood up and moved to stare at the man who was still passed out near the door. “Who is he?”

  Jerry shrugged. “Look in the manifest. He was probably left here to make sure the ship stayed secure.”

  “That makes no sense.”

  Unless Arloa knew someone was coming, then it makes perfect sense. Though Jerry didn’t say that out loud or share that tidbit with Vivian. She didn’t need to know who Jerry fucked and who she didn’t fuck. However, the thought that the ship wasn’t actually Arloa’s but the Kauket family vessel was a different issue entirely. She didn’t mind stealing from her girlfriend who pretty much spurned her family name except when useful, but to steal a ship off the very people who founded, ran, and funded the glorified prison system in Raegina? That was a different story entirely. One Jerry was not comfortable being a part of.

  Yet it was too late to change her mind now. Jerry competently steered the ship out of the harbor and toward the open sea. The authorities never came closer to the dock, and by the time they were out of sight, Jerry breathed a sigh of relief.

  “He’s a vagrant,” Vivian muttered.

  “What?” Jerry turned on her.

  Vivian kicked his boot lightly. “He’s not on the manifest, and I took his print to scan for his identification. He’s a vagrant.”

  “Well, I guess that’s a bonus for us.” Jerry snorted as she picked up speed and headed straight to Beren Island.

  CHAPTER 15

  Rendezvousing with Calluna took less time than Jerry had anticipated. The ship they’d stolen had a good speed on her, far better than Calluna, so it was already looking up. As soon as they were out on the open seas and beyond Raegina’s borders, she and Vivian had taken the man into one of the empty cabins and left him tied and locked up.

  Vivian kept eyeing Jerry suspiciously, as if whatever image she’d had of Jerry prior to the man’s coming up and catching them had been shattered. Jerry didn’t envy her in that moment, though she’d learned throughout the years not to build up images of those she surrounded herself with. It was part and parcel of why she was never disappointed when someone fucked up.

  She settled the ship down right next to Calluna and hovered her over the water. She was too high up for the makeshift dock they had built in the last few years, so they would need to transfer everyone from the island to Calluna and then to the medical vessel. Which would be faster than any other plan she could come up with. She took off her jacket and rolled up her sleeves, eager to see how far they had gotten in filling Calluna’s storerooms with salt.

  After they double-checked to make sure the man was still locked away securely, Vivian followed her across the vessel’s open door to Calluna’s deck. It felt good to step on her, as if she was getting one step closer to home. Jerry kept that tidbit of information to herself as well, not needing to be reminded again what a disappointment she was to Vivian.

  Azar met her on the deck, wiping grease from his hands as he stepped out to nod at her. “I see you were successful.”

  “Yes,” Jerry answered. “And have you been?”

  He gave a nod but had a slightly pained expression, which told Jerry there was far more to that story than he was letting on. She would have to get it out of him later.

  “Getting the ship was rather uneventful, though we did end up with an extra passenger in the process. Seems a vagrant was staying onboard and was as shocked by us being there as we him.”

  “What did you do with him?” Azar tucked the greasy cloth into his waistline.

  “Locked him up for now.”

  “What will you do with him?”

  Jerry knew the answer to that, but with Vivian acting as oddly as she was, Jerry wasn’t sure she wanted to answer that question so vividly. She didn’t want to make death as stark as it was when there were innocent minds around.

  Vivian tried to step around them and down into the ship. Jerry sighed heavily, letting her go. She would figure out the plan for later. As soon as the young woman was out of ear shot, Jerry pinned Azar with a serious look. “I plan to eat him, and so do you.”

  His face fell, but he didn’t argue. They both knew they could be gone for a number of weeks, and they would need the sustenance in order to get through it.

  “How’s the mining going?”

  “They should be finished in a few hours, I believe.”

  “Good. Are you done with maintenance?”

  Azar frowned. “As finished as I can be. They’ll need a few more parts in order to completely solve the problems, but we can order those later when we have the credits.”

  “Very well.” Jerry sucked in a deep breath of the freshest air she had breathed in days. This was what she missed about the open waters.

  Azar led her inside, where she found Ursula waiting. Jerry was slightly miffed that Ursula wasn’t down helping the crew with the salt like she would have been, but then again, Ursula wasn’t her and she led in a very different way than Jerry did. Jerry nodded toward her.

  “Azar says she’s all fixed up.”

  “For now,” Ursula answered, that slight petulant tone back in her voice, but she seemed to school it quickly enough. “The crew will be done in a few hours.”

  “Good. Then we’ll do the transfer, and we’ll be on our way.”

  “Will I still be in charge?” Ursula asked it as though she was afraid of the answer, which she very well might be.

  Jerry held all the power in this situation as the owner of Calluna, but at the same time, what choice did she have? She needed Azar and Yafe with her in order to take back Yarrow. She had no idea if she was going to be coming back with two ships or three or just one, and she needed two people who were competent and understood orders well to make this trip a success.

  “Yes,” Jerry finally answered, giving in to Ursula’s nerves. “For now, at least. But I’ll be taking most of the crew with me in order to get back Yarrow.”

  Ursula nodded sharply and crossed her arms. “I’ll let them know.”

  “No, I will, once they’ve finished bringing in the salt for Morty.” Tension filled the air as there was another battle over control and power, but ultimately, Jerry won out. She would no matter what, because if she had to, she would delay the salt and leave Calluna stranded on the island if she had to. There was no doubt in her mind about it. Or better yet, she’d take them both.

  Jerry ignored her as she stepped up to the ladder and slid down it into the lower decks. She had to find Vivian, see if she wanted to continue with Jerry or if what she had witnessed turned her stomach. It didn’t take her long to find the young woman, already changing out of the beautiful dresses Jerry had purchased for her into something far more reasonable for a pirate. Jerry stepped up and helped her with the laces.

  “I wanted to check in before our next leg of the journey,” Jerry said, her voice soft, almost muted. She didn’t understand why she could be so gentle with Vivian, but with just about anyone else she was rough and pushy. She had no soft bone in her body except somehow Vivian managed to reach it. Though if she thought about it, others did too—Arloa, Whitney, Yafe, Azar. Cursing her own tenderness, Jerry clenched her jaw and pulled the corset from Vivian’s body.

  “You wanted to see if I still think I should join you,” Vivian stated succinctly.

  “Yes.” Jerry was glad that for once someone else was as straightforward as she was.

  Vivian’s lips thinned as she raised her gaze to meet Jerry’s eyes, a smattering of freckles along her cheeks and shoulders that Jerry hadn’t noticed before. “I know what you’re going to do to him.”

  “He can be useful to us.”

  “Not in that way.” Vivian’s eyes filled with water.

  Jerry understood the sentiment, even if she hadn’t said it. That had been her greatest struggle since they’d returned from the island. It had been necessary while marooned, but why in the name of a civilized world was it necessary elsewhere?

  “I know,” Jerry whispered, clasping Vivian’s shoulders. “I’m not happy about it either.”

  “I’m not unhappy, Cap. I’m disgusted, with myself, with you, with every single one of us.”

  Jerry nodded her agreement, not able to look into the sweet girl’s gaze again. “I know. It makes me hate myself even more.”

  “Then why are we doing it?” Vivian’s voice became low, barely audible in the closed cabin.

  “Because we don’t have another choice aside from insanity and tearing each other apart. What is one life for the survival of many? Hmm?”

  Vivian gasped, her full lips parted, and Jerry finally looked her in the eye.

  “Do you want to live or do you want to die? That’s the only question you need to answer. And believe me when I tell you that I will make his death as painless as possible.”

  “I suppose that’s a blessing in disguise.”

  She sounded so forlorn, and not for the first time did Jerry want to wrap her arms around her and hold tight, but she resisted the urge. She hadn’t been given permission, and she certainly wasn’t going to ask for it. Which reminded her—Jerry removed her hands from Vivian’s shoulders and pressed them down to her sides. “Do you need any more help undressing?”

  “No,” Vivian’s voice was gentle this time, a hint of something in it that Jerry was scared to label. “Do you?”

  “Oh.” Jerry’s cheeks heated, and she looked toward the small door. Yafe was still on the island, mining salt to bring back for credits, so it was going to be either she stayed dressed until Yafe returned or she acquiesced and allowed Vivian to help her. “Sure.”

  Turning around, Jerry waited for Vivian’s skilled fingers at the ties of her skirts and corset. She could likely have gotten them undone by herself if she tried hard enough, or took a knife to it—which was her preference—but the dress was nice and she didn’t want to have to buy a new one. Since she’d been in it nearly all day, Yafe had made sure to tie it tightly.

  As soon as the material was loosened, Jerry turned around and held it against her front so it wouldn’t sink lower. The thought struck her that Vivian was not the person who should be doing this. She wasn’t the one Jerry wanted to be helping her undress.

  “Thank you. I’ll see you topside as soon as the others are back so we can start.”

  “Aye, Cap,” Vivian answered.

  Jerry walked out of the cabin as swiftly as possible. She went straight to her own, struggling to hold her corset together as she climbed the ladder up one level. When she was changed into her normal garb, she packed up what little belongings she had and transferred them onto the new medical vessel. She repeated the actions, with Azar’s help, for all of the crew who would be joining her on the next part of her mission.

  Hours later, Yafe and Ursula joined her topside, and they sat around while the others changed and cleaned up to get ready for the journey. Jerry gnawed on the inside of her cheek as she raised her gaze to meet Vivian’s eyes. It would be so easy to take her, and she was pretty sure it would be welcomed, but at the same time, she realized fully then that she didn’t want Vivian. She wanted Arloa.

  “Vivian, will you be able to work on a virus?”

  “What kind?” She was back to her cheery calm self.

  “One that will stop the engines on Yarrow. I can give you her codes and back up codes. I doubt they’ve changed everything over yet since we usually work on the fly.”

  Vivian nodded. “I should be able to do that with the codes. We’ll have to get onto the ship in order to implement it.”

  Jerry frowned. They would need a diversion to be able to sneak on board. At that point, it might be easier just to take the vessel by more traditional methods than to rely entirely on Vivian, though she would always have more than one plan in her pocket. “Work on it.”

  “Aye, Cap.” Vivian stayed put.

  Yafe raised an eyebrow at her, salt in her hair, showing the work she had done that day. “How far out do you think they are?”

  “Our information tells us they were in the Jackimore Sea last. I’ll need to double-check with our contact to make sure that’s still true, but if they are, it’ll be four solid days of traveling before we’ll reach them. We don’t know for certain if Yarrow is with them.”

  “So will you torture him to get information?” Yafe pressed.

  “If necessary,” Jerry countered. She would do anything to get her ship back at this point. She wanted her home in her possession as soon as possible. “Azar will need to run diagnostics on Yarrow as soon as we get a chance to set her down, just to be sure there haven’t been any dangerous modifications made, or trackers placed.”

  She added the last part, making sure they were all on the same page, although she didn’t plan on leaving Blaise alive long enough to take her ship back or follow her again.

  Ursula was being persistently quiet, and it set Jerry on edge. Normally she had no problem inserting her opinion into the conversation. Then again, Jerry had been particularly hard on her since her return, and she had taken complete control over everything that involved Ursula’s livelihood, giving her no choice except to submit or leave.

  Azar spoke up. “So plan one is to insert a virus to stop Yarrow in her tracks. What is the backup plan?”

  “We take her the normal way. Board her.”

  “And if we cause more damage?”

  “Then we fix her.” Jerry pinned him with a sharp look. Based on how they had left Yarrow it wouldn’t be that hard. She would have to have been fixed up before she would fly again. Blaise had put at least five holes in her hull based on Jerry’s memory of the capture. She remembered every vibration as it struck, as it ricocheted right through Yarrow’s floorboards and into her bones. She never wanted to experience that pain again. “We do right by her, get her back in safe hands, and then we will heal her.”