Rue Allyn Read Free Page A

through the shadows toward the hold. He could do nothing to hurry the rescue along, but he could delay Duval and the Chinese man. Halting behind one of the stacks of crates littering the deck, Dutch drew his pistol and kept his eyes trained on the wheelhouse. Hiding his tall frame and nearly too wide shoulders behind the column of skinny boxes wasn’t easy, but he managed.
    The door opened.
    Lantern light preceded the two flesh peddlers.
    The shadows around Dutch deepened. He took careful aim.
Shoot straight
.
Don’t set the ship ablaze
.
Just put out the flame.
    With his target scant feet away, he fired.
    The light doused. From behind him, female screams followed the gunshot and the crack of breaking glass.
    “Dang it, no. Not that way!” Trey’s voice cursed in the dark.
    “I’ve got mine on the gangway,” shouted Smiley.
    Dutch grinned. His partner always knew which way to go.
    “Damn it, Yat Hwah; they’re escaping. Get another light. We have to catch them.” Furious was a good word for Duval’s tone.
    Dutch prayed that shooting out the light would give Trey enough time to round up the last of the women and get them off the ship.
    “Gotcha.” Trey sounded too close.
    A woman howled a rapid spate of angry Chinese.
    “Owww! Goldurnit, one of ’em bit me.” Trey swore.
    To head off Duval and her Chinese friend, Dutch moved toward his brother’s voice. He nearly tripped over three Chinese women huddled in mid-deck.
    Trey knelt on their far side, shoving at them to get them up and moving.
    A beam of light swept over the group.
    “After them,” shouted Duval.
    The trio of women split. Two scampered for the gangway. The smallest scuttled for the shelter of the crates Dutch had just left.
    “Go with them,” Dutch pointed his brother in the direction of the two disappearing down the gangway. “I’ll get the other one.”
    Trey scrambled after the pair.
    Dutch spun toward the crate.
    “I am afraid I must disappoint you.” The slim Chinese man held the sobbing captive in front of him, a wicked dagger pressed to her throat. The re-lit lantern rested on the deck.
    “You kill her; I kill you,” Dutch threatened, aiming his pistol at the man.
    The fellow smiled. “I do not believe you.”
    “You’re right, Yat Hwah. Mr. Trahern would only kill you as a last resort.” Cerise Duval stepped into view around the corner of the crate. She placed her derringer at the Chinese man’s temple. “However, I won’t hesitate. Drop the knife.”
    Dutch froze, uncertain what Cerise intended.
    “But your interests are mine.” Shock and fear tightened Yat Hwah’s voice. The dagger clattered to the deck.
    “Not when you lost most of my merchandise.” She smiled as if discovering a small, unexpected gift. “Besides, if you’re dead you can’t tell the Chinaman that I intended to double-cross him, and I can blame this entire debacle on Mr. Trahern and his brother.”
    For a small gun, at close range, the derringer’s report was plenty loud.
    Bits of skull and brain spattered from the side of Yat Hwah’s head.
    The Chinese woman fell to the deck in a faint.
    “Damn. She’s on top of the knife.” Cerise Duval trod on the corpse of her former compatriot and used her foot to shove at the woman.
    Dutch leapt forward. He smacked the butt end of his pistol against Duval’s temple. She crumpled to the deck. Though it pained him to hurt a woman, any woman, Duval was too much of a threat. A small part of him rejoiced at, for once, giving the procuress her due. He stared at her still form.
Lucky for me that girl’s on top of the blade, or I’d be dead. Duval taught me everything I know about knife work. Had she touched that dagger, I wouldn’t have had a chance even with a loaded pistol
.
    “Jeez, Dutch, what’d you do, kill them both?” Trey was breathing hard.
    “Took you long enough to get back here.” Numb, he stared at the gore caused by Cerise Duval.
    “I had to chase those two women half way to Nob Hill