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“Even better,” she said and snuggled against him more. There was no place she wanted to be more than safe in his arms and soon no place she neededmore.
Chapter 9
Mia pacedthe dock and slapped the little wooden toy ship in her palm. This was ridiculous. This was the fourth time in less than three weeks her ship was being searched. As she looked up to see the vile red-coated men tipping over water barrels and chicken coops, she growled, swore under her breath and glared at the pompous ass of an army major standing just at the end of the gangplank.
“Steady Captain Cadley,” Mikah Pleash warned. And Mia turned to look at him and the rest of the crew from theVenture Pearlwho were forced off the ship when these men showedup.
“Anything?” Major Bennet called up and Mia watched a soldier’s head pop up and shake in the negative. The man’s eyes swung to Mia who didn’t so much asflinch.
“Are you quite done wrecking my ship, Major?” Mia asked as she stared the mandown.
“It seems your bill is in order and no contraband is on board,” the man said and pulled on his coat lapels. “We’ll let you resume your…work.”
“You’ll not find contraband on my ships,” Mia informed him, selecting her words carefully because it wasn’t like the ship didn’t carry some items not welcome in some ports it was just better hidden than on mostships.
“Well our sources havesaid—”
“Your sources have been wrong four times in three weeks, sir. Perhaps you should get a better source seeing as this one is a complete idiot.” The crew behind her laughed as the man went red in the face. “Perhaps you might better spend your time in pursuit of the destructive little monsters who did that.” She pointed to a ship docked not far from her that was set ablaze last night. The rumble through her crew was dark as no sailor stood for such acts. It had been her crew that rushed to help douse the flames before the ship was destroyed beyondrepair.
“I’m sure your harbormaster will be capable of finding that criminal. My duty is—” the man spokedryly.
“Your duty is to waste my time and the time of my crew and clients. Your duty is be nothing more than a crusty barnacle on the hull of hard working people,” Mia shouted then stepped up to the man clearly taken back by her demeanor. “Get your damn soldiers off my ship, you useless lubber, before I find a belaying pin and shove it up yourstern.”
Behind her the crew roared with laughter as did the several groups of observers who’d gathered when the major again marched his squad out on the docks and demanded the inspection. No one cared for the military meddling, it wasn’t only bad for business it was bad formorale.
Mia made to walk past, but the man reached out and grabbed her arm. “Better watch yourself, little girl,” hehissed.
“Better watchyourself,Major,” Mia replied without flinching. “I’m sure with enough complaints lodged you could find yourself out of acommission.”
His grip on her arm tightened. “You don’t have that kind of push here,bitch.”
Mia snorted and held his eye until he glanced away to see members of her crew closing in. “You’d be surprised the kind of…push, I have. Now why don’t you take your scrawny, useless ass and your ugly red coats and go find a horse to screw. Leave decent hardworking sailors be.” Mia pulled away, but the man again grabbed her arm causing several of her crew to rush forward. The soldiers on the docks aimed weapons and Mia held up her hand to hold the men. “Let go my person, sir,” Mia stated as flatly as she could. “Your very presence offends me. I’ll not have your filthy hands adding to this insult. Men like you sicken me. Your company is unwanted andunwelcome.”
“That isn’t the way I hear it, whore,” the man said but quietly enough only Mia could hear it. If he was expecting more of a reaction Mia happily disappointedhim.
“And your source in this is as clueless as your source claiming to know about my ships.” She jerked free. “I suggest you leave us all alone.Accidentsare common on thedocks.”
Major Bennet didn’t miss the implied threat and Mia didn’t mean he should, and as her crew was inching closer, his men were stepping back. The advantage went to Mia and those on the docks and he knew it. He straightened and cleared his throat but didn’t surrender. His next shot told Mia all she needed to know. “I’m sure there’s a way for us to civilly resolve this matter, Miss Cadley—” He brushed a knuckle down her arm making her skincrawl
“Captain… Cadley,” Miacorrected.
“As I was saying, I’m sure a civil solution can be had. Perhaps some sort of understandingbetween—”
“If you think I’ll sink so low as to pay you a bribe, you’re touched. I wouldn’t waste a shilling on a bucket of water if you wereaflame.”
“Such loathing from such a fine creature,” the man sneered. “What was it the bard wrote?She doth protest too much. Yes, I think that was it. A woman like yourself would be able to earn more than a shilling on your back, now don’t you think? Perhaps I could be persuaded to see you have a pretty little allowance for your… time andfavor.”
“I think I’ll pose the question to my husband first before I confirm or deny your notion as to my worth. Though he doesn’t care for me to spend extravagantly and my current allowance is quite enough,” Mia said easily. The major clearly hadn’t known she was married which meant he didn’t know to whom she was wed. But she’d hold that back for now as she saw Grim heading towards her with somepurpose.
“You’re married?” he gasped, and dropping his hand stepped back as Grim stepped behind Mia and put his arm protectively around her shoulders. Of course, he wouldn’t know if he was going by what was on her office window. She’d kept her mother’s name, with Devin’s completeapproval.
“Your sources didn’t tell you? A man of some rank in the Royal Navy.” Mia smiled knowing this man would either be fast to discover on his own a naval officer by the name of Cadley, or he’d be fast to ask his source and perhaps break ties withhim.
“Major?” one of the soldiers called, they wanted this matter done with now. Even the major’s aid was looking far less confident as he held out the thick stack of papers that were the ship’sbills.
Bennet snatched the papers then thrust them out for Mia to take, which she did. He tugged on his lapels again and without another word spun around and ordered his men to form up and move out. The cheers on the dock as they marched off were overwhelming. Another victory for men of the sea as far as they wereconcerned.
“Captain?” Mikah asked, steppingup.
