I held the kiss a little longer, giving her time to get the key securely under her tongue. Then I broke it off. I wondered what Cordelia was thinking.

“Have a nice life, Karen,” I said as I backed away. “Wave good-bye to New Orleans.” I pointed in the direction of the city, giving her some indication of which way to head for civilization. I hoped Quince and his boys assumed that I was having a sadistic time of it.

“You want to light the fire now or should Tilman wait until we cast off?” Quince asked in a detached voice. He could be asking if I wanted a roast beef or ham po-boy.

“Let’s cast off first. On the off chance that anyone sees the fire, I don’t want to be around.”

Quince nodded, then said, “You heard her, let’s go.”

Tilman was the kitchen drunk. Not part of the crew, he tottered along behind us. Several other men led the way, Cordelia and the children between them. I followed, with Quince and Vern behind me.

I had miscalculated, I thought as I watched them walking before me. I didn’t think that Karen knew enough to be a threat. But these men were ruthlessly thorough. She could identify Joey. That was enough of a loose end that it had to be tied up. And because Joey had scared her, and I probably did, too, she had turned to the one person she knew she could depend on. Cordelia. No, not her, I suddenly wanted to scream, grinding my teeth to keep silent. I had been the one to suggest that Karen stay with Cordelia. Now Cordelia became another loose end.

We walked silently through another fifty yards of forest until we came to the levee. On the other side of it was a small dock, dwarfed by the broad expanse of the Mississippi River. Tethered to the wharf was a large yacht, probably eighty or ninety feet in length. It was a handsome ship, looking the part of a small cruise boat. As I came down the levee, I read her name, Earthly Delight.

“You need to get secured,” Quince said to me, with a nod at Cordelia and the kids. “Vern can show you where,” he added as he passed me on the gang plank.

“Hurry up, I got other things to do,” my good friend Vern snarled. He ducked into a entryway, not waiting for us to follow.

“This way,” I said as I tried to follow him.

“And if we don’t go?” Cordelia said coldly.

One of the men was on the dock below us. Other voices were close. I couldn’t tell Cordelia what was really going on. “Just do it,” I said, taking her arm.

She jerked away from me, then picked up the sick girl and carried her into the passage. I ushered the rest of the children in behind her.

We were in a narrow hallway that cut across the ship. It led to a center hall that ran the length of the boat. Vern was waiting impatiently for us at the end of it.

“In there,” he snapped, kicking open the door of a cabin.

Wordlessly, Cordelia and the children filed in.

“Here.” Vern shoved a padlock into my hand. “Keep ’em locked in. Your cabin’s here.” He jerked his head at the one across the hall. “And stay out of our way.”

He pushed past me, “accidently” running his hands across my breasts as he went by.

It wasn’t a smart thing to do, but I lost control. I kicked Vern in the back of the knee, then grabbed his hair, jerking her head back as he went to his knees. I put the barrel of my gun against his cheek, just under his eye.

“Don’t you ever fuck with me again. You behave yourself and maybe I’ll forget what an asshole you are and I won’t tell Joey you’re too much of a fuck-up to have on this boat.”

Vern started to struggle, but I shifted my gun so that it was pointing at his eye.

“Look, sorry. I had a few beers,” he mumbled.

“Just stay away from me and we’ll both be happy.” Then I shoved him down the hall, but kept my gun out.

Vern stumbled to his feet and with a backward glance at my gun, hurried out. I stayed where I was for a few minutes, making sure he was gone.

Cordelia was standing at the door of her cabin, watching me. “Was that necessary?” she asked harshly.

“Yes, it was,” I defended, although I wasn’t sure I’d done the right thing. Vern might leave me alone or he might be out to get me.

“Why didn’t you use your gun to save Karen?” she spat at me.

One of the other men came in the hall. “Hey, Quince wants to talk to you,” he called to me.

“Is there anything you need?” I asked Cordelia. The man was waiting to take me to Quince.

“Other than the obvious? Karen alive and the children off this boat?” She glared at me for a moment, then said, “If you have a medical kit anywhere, I could use it.” She went back into the cabin.

“I have to lock you in,” I said as I started to shut the door.

“Whatever,” she answered, but she didn’t look at me.