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“Make me.”
A few of the men howled. A challenge had been issued, there was no mistaking that. I got the feeling that few people challenged the captain. But Julia squared off with him, not looking the least bit intimidated. I knew she could handle herself, even against Emerson, so I kept my seat. For now.
Emerson caught her arms, ducked down, lifted her up, and slung her across his shoulder. She yelped, obviously caught off guard, and started hitting his back. Having seen her fight before, I knew she wasn’t putting any real effort into getting away from him, though she made it seem like she was by how much she wiggled. “Put me down!”
He ignored her and turned back to our table, a glint of mischief in his eyes. “Goliath, I hope you have a pleasant evening. You are welcome to stay aboard our ship. Reuben will see to anything you need. And thank you again for helping us.”
Sosa seemed highly amused, and he sat there with a lazy smile on his face. “Of course, Captain. Thank you again for the hospitality.”
Emerson turned and headed for the door. “I’m going to teach you a lesson, woman.”
Julia growled. “I’ll claw your eyes out.”
I could only watch them go, feeling confused. Sosa leaned over and chuckled. “I thought she was your girl?”
I shook my head in confusion and stood up. “I’ll be back.”
Reuben gave me a warning look. “Speak with them in private.”
I nodded and headed for the door, trying not to hurry, and trying not to look like I was following them. For the most part, I knew my way back to the captain’s quarters, so I stayed far behind them, barely keeping them in sight. Emerson continued to carry Julia, screaming, all the way there.
I caught up with them in the hallway outside his room. Emerson punched in the code without a word. The door opened, and he stepped inside. He didn’t even glance at me when I followed. Once we were all inside and the door was closed, Julia cut off her protests and Emerson gently set her back on her feet.
“Was it really necessary to punch me so hard?” He rubbed his cheek and frowned at her.
Julia almost smiled. “You deserved it. Are you really going to tell me I managed to hurt you?”
He grunted. “It’s not like I can’t take a punch.” He turned to me. “I think we put on a pretty good show. What do you think, Ethan?”
“I think I’d like to know what just happened.”
Julia smiled and gave my arm a squeeze. “I’m sorry I didn’t mention this before.” She gave Emerson a flat look. “I didn’t realize we were going to continue this charade.”
Emerson rolled his eyes and walked away from us. “I’m serious about the safety of the people I bring on board. Are you trying to tell me you didn’t see Bram eyeing you? The second you left the room he was going to jump you.”
When she didn’t look surprised, I frowned. She sighed. “Okay, yes, but still. We didn’t need to put on a whole show. You could have just escorted me back here and been done with it.”
“Publicly marking you as mine makes you untouchable. You know that. All the men know that. It’s a pride thing. You don’t screw with the captain’s girl. If I have to fake a fight with you and throw you over my shoulder to be sure none of my men try to shove you in a closet, then that’s what I’ll do.” His face turned grim. “I’ve seen the aftermath of that, and it doesn’t end well. No one deserves to go through that.”
Julia gave him a curious look. “Did that happen to Cass? Steel’s girlfriend?”
Emerson pressed his lips together. His face and tone were serious as he told us the story. “I knew some of the guys had trouble keeping it in their pants, but I had always managed to control it before that. I never had an incident of that magnitude on my ship. Cass left the room for barely a minute, and she was gone. Steel practically went crazy. He found her, fast, but there was so much blood. Cassia’s a fighter. She almost killed one of the guys on her own.”
He paused, turned, and ran a hand through his hair, messing up his curls. “Steel killed one and drug the other one into the hall and slit his throat as an example to the rest of the crew. You should have seen his face. You think he’s scary now, imagine when he’s scared and full of rage and covered in blood. Everyone on the crew is scared to death of him, especially after I ‘accidentally’ let it slip that he was an assassin. No one messes with him. But since the incident, I don’t take chances.
“Just because I’m a mercenary captain doesn’t mean I don’t have standards. I don’t abide by that kind of behavior, and I would never let anyone be harmed in that way. Not ever. If that means causing a scene and letting you punch me then I’ll do it.” He met Julia’s eyes. “Cop or not, while you are on my ship you are under my protection. That is how this world is run.” He seemed to take the whole thing personally, almost as if there was more to the story than what he was sharing.
Julia nodded, slowly, almost as if maybe she was having the same thoughts as me. “I understand. Thank you.”
He nodded back. “Steel will show up before too long with a time for tomorrow. You and I are stuck in here, at least for a while, so if you wanted to rest then I suggest you do so.” He glanced at me. “Are you satisfied?”
“Yes.” Their behavior made sense. He was being vulnerable by sharing that story with us, and as a mercenary, being vulnerable was a hard thing to do. I suddenly realized that even though he and Julia claimed to be enemies, they were the same person, just on different sides of the law. Both were passionate and strong and devoted to the safety of others. I knew then that Emerson was a true friend, and I had a feeling that when he made friends with someone it was kind of a forever friends deal.
Emerson nodded and headed towards his bedroom. “I have some things to do. I’d appreciate not being bothered until Steel comes back.”
We both nodded, even though he wasn’t looking at us. I turned to Julia and gave her a hug. She returned it, and I kissed the top of her head. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Believe it or not, Emerson is a good actor, and he’s gentle when he wants to be.”
