Dru dodged just in time and the lamp only grazed her shoulder as it flew past and hit the wall behind her, shattering into a million beige pieces.

  However, she did not manage to hold onto the safe and it fell to the floor behind her back in a loud crash and rattle, blending, but not masked by the noise from the lamp.

  “I would be tempted to say you’re trying to assault me.” Dru said slyly, hoping to distract her.

  “What was that? What did you have?” the woman asked.

  “What do YOU have?” Dru pointed at her, taking a step forward. “I’m just minding my business.”

  The woman picked up the hem of her long nightgown and came boldly toward Dru, peering around her to see what was on the floor.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” Dru asked. She was sweating at this point. Should have just taken the damn safe out with her.

  “Thief! Thief!” The woman backed up and pointed at Dru. “I should have known he would never – Not with someone like you anyway!”

  “Wait a second now, what’s that supposed to mean?” Dru asked. “What’s wrong with me?”

  “What is wrong with you!? I’ll have you thrown in the brig for this.” The woman turned to go, then hesitated, seemingly unsure whether to leave Dru alone to steal while she was reporting it or what. “You’re – you’re coming with me.” She demanded, her voice quivering a little.

  “Look, lady,” Dru said, very reasonably, “Your fiancé stole from me, and don’t say he wouldn’t do it. I think you know what kind of a man he is, deep down. You’re not stupid, you know what he’s like. I wasn’t going to take anything accept my own stuff back. If you turn me in to the ship’s police, or whatever, I will turn him in at the same time.”

  The woman clutched something on a chain around her neck, reflexively, as though trying to hide it from Dru. “If that was an option, you would have done it already!” She almost spit the words but there were tears in her eyes.

  Dru felt sorry for her. “You need to get rid of him. Once and for all.” Dru said. She meant, break up with, but realized it had an ominous note to it after the words were hanging in the air between them. Like, get rid of in a permanent and irrevocable fashion.

  Aster wondered how much time they still needed to kill, surely Dru had completed her mission by now? She drug her feet, walked slowly, pretended to look at things. Kit was laughing it up with Lane, as though his genuine intention was to go back to his room with him. Aster was no longer sure it wasn’t. She supposed Lane Brock was a better looking and funnier man than she had thought he would be. Weirdly charming. As wasn’t uncommon for these grifter types.

  Still, her mind ran through scenarios wherein she could invent a sudden emergency to get Kit away from him. In the meantime, she took hold of Lane’s other arm and batted her eyes at him. “We might not be able to stay long.” She cautioned.

  “What, do you have to get back home to your mothers?” Lane teased. “Grown women like yourselves? You can do what you want. You’re free!” He flipped his hands upward, since his arms weren’t free.

  Kit laughed. “Our mothers aren’t on the ship.”

  “That’s what I thought.” Lane winked. “Of course you’ll only stay as long as you like and not one minute more.” He winked. “Well maybe ONE minute or TWO, but no more.”

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  “Long laster are you?” Kit teased. He was definitely a little drunk, and still stinging from the rejection from his schoolmate.

  Aster would have to keep him safe, and redirect his attention if possible. It was a beautiful night. “Let’s take a few laps around the deck, sober up a little.” Aster suggested.

  “No need.” Lane assured. He guided them down the hall to his room.

  Lane was all smiles, right up until they heard a terrific crash coming from somewhere down the hall. To his credit, he let go of their arms and held them back as though preparing to protect them from some unknown horrors. “Stay here.” He said.

  Lane walked off toward the sound, neither hurrying nor hesitating, but walking steadily as though to demonstrate his even keeled solidness to them both.

  Of course, Aster and Kit immediately followed, hurrying to catch up.

  Lane Brock burst open the door to his room, accidentally hitting his night gown clad fiancé, Alicina and knocking her to the ground.

  Aster was sure he had never seen the daughter of a third price brought so low, figuratively and literally.

  Dru made a sheepish face at Aster. “Hi.” She said, with a little shrug, as if to say it could have gone worse. Aster did not see how.

  “Oh darling! What are you doing here? And who is this?” Lane reached down to Alicina, while at the same time squinting sideways at Dru. “Hey, aren’t you –”

  Alicina allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, as she blinked tearfully at her lover. Then, she saw Aster and Kit in their tarted up finery, clearly straight from nothing good and nowhere decent.

  “You bastard.” She growled.

  Lane stumbled backward, the lightning in her eyes as good as fists, and Kit and Aster backed up out of his way, until the four of them all ended up back in the hallway. This time, Lane looked as though he would hide behind Kit and Aster gladly, if given half a chance.

  “Now, sweet one, let’s not make a scene.” Lane said, all reason and mindfulness for what’s proper all of a sudden.

  “You son of a bitch.” Alicina laid into the word bitch like she had been saving it up for her entire life, just waiting for this opportunity. Even her hair seemed to almost stand at attention on its follicles. “I will kill you.”

  “Now now.” Lane murmured. “Perhaps you’re tired? This isn’t like you.”

  Alicina lunged toward him.

  Kit stepped out in front and put his hand on her arm. “Not like this.” He said, very seriously. “You don’t want to get in trouble over him. He isn’t worth it, none of them are.”

  Aster felt a swell of pride.

  Alicina pushed Kit out of the way, so she could be face to face with her fiancé, but it was clear some of the fire was out of her. Tears sprung to her eyes once again.

  Dru took this moment to squiggle out of the partially opened doorway, looking like she would creep away while the creeping was good.

  “Whatever you’re angry about, it’s not what you think.” Lane said firmly. “These two, I don’t even know them.”

  Which was true, Aster supposed, but she hardly saw how it helped.

  Apparently Alicina agreed. She turned away from him and took a few hurried steps down the hall.

  “Don’t go!” Lane called.

  “You are never to speak to me again.” Alicina reached behind her neck and unhooked a necklace, throwing it down the hall toward Lane. “We are finished.”

  Dru scurried forward, as though a stagehand trying to move something but not get in the way of the scene, she grabbed the discarded necklace from the floor and moved back to the wall out of the way.

  While Alicina hurried away, clearly not intending to wait for a response, Lane looked from Kit to Aster, and with a sideways glance at the Dru who was trying to blend into the hallway wallpaper.

  “Well, I’m sure you’d like to be alone with your thoughts now.” Aster declared. She took Kit by the arm and made a shooing motion at Dru to encourage her down the hall ahead of them.

  “Good luck picking up the pieces of that.” Kit said. “Phew. Wouldn’t want to be you.”

  Aster stifled a giggled. “I’m sure we’ll see each other around!” She called to the stunned Lane Brock, as the three of them made their getaway.

  When they were safely away and standing near the ship’s balcony, watching the stars, Aster turned to Dru. “I guess that was a bust.”

  “It was funny though.” Kit said, looking like the mirth from the alcohol was chemically bonding to the mirth from seeing the bad man be cussed at by the proper lady, until it was bubbling out of him like freshly popped champagne.

  It was probably even funnier to him, Aster figured, having been brought up around those types.

  “Pretty much. But not entirely.” Dru held something up to the light, and it was Aster’s diamond apple hanging from its delicate chain. “Guess he gave it to her, then.”

  Now it was Aster’s turn to feel tears in her eyes, as Dru hooked the necklace in place around her neck.

  “Yaay.” Kit clapped, then hiccupped adorably.

  “I guess my luck is finally turning back around!” Dru said, just as smug as if she had planned it this way and it had all gone accordingly.