as a precaution. As for the crew, they value their jobs and will
discreetly attend to their duties. A few of them will even enjoy
watching.“ He flung his arms wide as they reached the deck.
„You see, I’ve already prepared the stage. We want our
audience to be able to see every detail.“
A multitude of lanterns lit this end of the Texas deck. They
hung on the rails and sat on the deck and on the stairs leading
to the pilot house. The entire area was as brilliantly lit as the
stage to which Bassinger was comparing it. A roughly clad
young man with a scarred cheek was lighting another lantern,
and looked up to smile at Bassinger. „All set, sir. Almost as
bright as day up here.“
„Good. Oh, how rude I’m being. This is one of my
employees, Henry Bracken,“ Bassinger said smoothly as he
pushed Silver toward the rail at the rear of the boat. „Henry
has tastes similar to my own, and I often allow him to watch as
I chastise my little girls for their wickedness.“ He stood beside
her at the rail and pointed to the white riverboat gleaming in
the darkness a few hundred yards distant. „There’s the Rose.
It’s too far away for you to see if your lover is in the pilot
house watching us, but I assure you he’ll be there.“ His gaze
didn’t leave her face as he held out his hand. „The rawhide,
Henry.“
Henry Bracken hurried forward and placed the long leather
strap in Bassinger s hand. Bassinger quickly knotted the
rawhide over the ropes binding Silver’s wrists and then bound
her to the rail. „And he can see you very clearly. How
fortunate that you’re wearing red. That costume should be
quite visible from a distance.“ He stepped behind her, out of
her line of vision. „The whip, Henry.“
„Right away, sir.“
Silver inhaled sharply. He was going to beat her. She
should have expected this. She braced herself.
„Ah, you’re getting ready for the first blow. What a
beautiful sight that is. But it never does any good to prepare
yourself, the pain is just as bad as if you don’t. Thank you,
Henry.“ A whistling sound snaked through the air. „It’s a fine
whip. It will leave lovely crimson weals, but won’t scar your
permanently. That will come later.“
„There won’t be a later,“ Silver said, tugging futile-ly at the
rawhide strap. „I’ll kill you, Bassinger.“
„They all say that, don’t they, Henry?“ Bassinger’s laugh
was high and excited. „First there’s anger, then the pain, and
then the screaming.“ His voice lowered. „And then the
pleading. I’m going to enjoy that most of all. When you’re
down on your knees offering to do anything I want if I’ll only
stop the pain.“
„I’ll never go down on my knees to you.“
„Yes, you will, but first I want to make you scream very
loudly so Nicholas can hear you.“ The whip whistled again. „I
have a fancy to let his highness know how much I’m hurting
you. Scream high and sweetly, bitch.“
The whip struck her back, slicing through the velvet as if it
were only mist. The sudden pain caused her to gasp and reach
out blindly to grab the rail and hold on tight as waves of agony
rolled over her. She would not fall. She would not scream. It
was the only victory she could wrest from her helplessness.
She would not give Bassinger that triumph.
„Scream!“ The whip struck again.
She gritted her teeth and looked blindly out at the river as
the hot agony scalded through her.
„Scream!“
The lash struck again.
„I’ve told them to keep the boilers going full blast.“
Valentin rushed into the pilot house, skidding to a stop as he
reached Nicholas. „I think we’re drawing closer but – “ He
stopped as he gazed at Nicholas’s face. „What’s wrong?“
Nicholas didn’t reply, his agonized gaze riveted on the
riverboat ahead of them.
Robert finally answered for him. „Bassinger has tied Silver
to the rail,“ he said hoarsely. „He’s using a whip on her.“
Valentin’s gaze followed that of Nicholas and Robert to the
brightly lit Texas deck of the Mary L. He swallowed. „Christ,
how long has it been going on?“
„Five minutes, maybe a little more.“ Robert looked away,
his hands tightening on the wheel. „It can’t go on much longer.
She’s a woman, for God’s sake. She’ll collapse and that will be
the end of it.“
„She won’t collapse.“ Nicholas’s eyes were glittering in the
lantern light. „I wish she would. She won’t give in to the pain
until he kills her.“ He turned to Robert with barely leashed
violence. „He’ll kill her, dammit. We can’t let that happen. Get
me closer so that I can use this rifle on him.“
„I’m trying.“ Robert’s face was taut with strain. „I can only
go as fast as the boilers will let me. The Rose is heavier than
the Mary L. We’re edging up on her and I should have you
within range in another few minutes.“
„A few minutes!“ Nicholas looked at him incredulously.
„He’s beating her to death with that whip.“
„Nicholas,“ Valentin’s voice was very gentle. „He can’t do
any more than he’s doing right now.“
Nicholas began to curse beneath his breath, his dark eyes
wild in his pale face. He strode across the room and jerked
open the door. „I’ve got to do something. Do you know what
it’s like to have that lash flaying your back? We may not be in
range, but we’re close enough so that a few shots may gain his
attention. Maybe he’ll decide to postpone his demonstration
until another time.“ He ran down the steps to the Texas deck
and then to the rail at the front of the riverboat. He knelt,
steadying the rifle on the rail. Dear God, what if Bassinger
ignored the shots? He swallowed as the bile rose to his throat
at the thought. His hands were shaking and he tried to steady
them on the rifle, his gaze on Silver’s straight, rigid figure at
the rail of the Rose.
He could hear Bassinger yelling something over and over
as the whip cracked on Silver’s slender back. What kind of
whip was it? Igor had used a knout on him. Ten lashes with a
knout were supposed to kill a man, but thirty hadn’t killed
Nicholas. She had taken more than ten lashes now. Pray God,
it was another kind of whip Bassinger was using on Silver.
God, why did she stand there so proudly? The silent
defiance of her stance was all that crazy bastard needed to
keep that lash ripping at her. There was a blurring before
Nicholas’s eyes and then he felt two tears run slowly down his
cheeks. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve before he took aim
with the rifle.
The shot startled Bassinger enough to cause him to freeze
and peer out into the darkness. He turned to Henry. „How
close are they?“
„Not close enough,“ Bracken said. „That shot couldn’t
have come within fifty yards of the Mary L.“
„But they’re growing nearer.“ Bassinger hesitated. „Tell the
pilot to put on more steam.“
„They’re going at almost full steam now,“ Bracken said. „I
don’t know – “
„Put on more steam,“ Bassinger said between his teeth. „I
know you’re enjoying this pretty little slut’s punishment but
she’ll still be here when you get back.“
She might at that, Bracken thought. Silver’s spine was still
as ramrod straight as when Bassinger had started, though the
scarlet velvet was now almost completely cut away and her
golden back crisscrossed with angry red weals. „I wanna be
here when she breaks.“