The Emperor's Bride (Belles & Bullets Book 6)

by Caylen McQueen

“Violet. Like the flower! That's so appropriate. You're like a beautiful flower just waiting to be plucked.”

  “And you're not the first asshole who's tried that bullshit line on me.”

  “Is it... bad?”

  “It's worse than bad. It makes me cringe.”

  “Well then... sorry.” When Nicky tried to sit at her table, she lightly pushed him away. “So... I'm guessing you don't want my company?”

  “You just now figured that out, huh?” Vee kicked up her feet on the chair across from her, making it impossible for him to join her. “You're not slow at all, Nicky Gunn.”

  “Hey, why do you gotta be so mean?” Nicky whined. “You're hurting my feelings.”

  “Aww. Am I? Now that I've hurt you, how can I live with myself? How can I get you to forgive me? Do you want me to put you in a cradle? Give you a pacifier? Hold you against my bosom and sing a lullaby to you?”

  “The last one sounds nice.”

  “Ugh.” Vee brought her bottle of vodka to her lips and took a long swig. After being subjected to Nicky's company, a drink was sorely needed. “Listen, boy, you're wasting your time with me. I don't like men.”

  “Ohhh... so you... you like women?” Relief flooded Nicky's body, tingling all the way to his toes. She didn't find him unattractive, she simply couldn't find him attractive. His self-worth and ego were instantaneously restored. “Why didn't you say so in the first place, darling?”

  “I don't know, darling,” Vee repeated the word in the iciest of tones. “Maybe I don't feel like discussing my personal business and preferences with a complete stranger?”

  “I guess I can understand that.” As Nicky backed away from Vee's table, he tipped his top hat. In his mind's eye, he could see how gentlemanly he looked, and he impressed himself. “Well... I, uh... I guess I'll be seeing you around, Miss Violet.”

  “Vee,” she corrected him. “And I sincerely hope you won't see me around.”

  Nicky heaved a heavy sigh as he headed back to his own table. In an instant, Jun was back in his mind. He needed to forget. Women weren't an option, so he turned to alcohol and cigarettes. Whiskey and tobacco could block out anything.

  Nicky thought about flirting with a saloon girl, but a glance around the room ended in disappointment. Every female was already occupied by someone else. “I just need to get out of River Ranch...” Nicky whispered as he brought his cigarette to his lips. There were prettier girls elsewhere. Maybe he would have better luck in Busybee, Honeyman, or even his hometown of Gravestone?

  As Nicky took a drag from his cigarette, someone came up behind him and knocked it from his hand. When he turned around and saw the scowling face of Logan Hershall, all color drained from Nicky's cheeks.

  “Hello there, Nicky Gunn,” Logan slid an arm around Nicky's shoulders as he greeted him. Ed stood at his brother's side, ominously cracking his knuckles. A chill scurried down Nicky's spine as he observed their matching glares. They looked like twins—twins who wanted to kill him. “I bet you didn't think we'd find you again, huh?”

  “I, uh... heh... hehe...” Nicky gave his messy hair an anxious scratch. “You know, it's real real nice to see you two. How have you been?”

  Ed, who had always been the erratic brother, suddenly grabbed Nicky's hair and shoved his face against the table. “The money!” As he screamed in Nicky's face, a spray of spittle showered him. “Where's our money, boy? I know you took it!”

  “I didn't!” Nicky wailed. “I didn't, okay? Someone else must've stolen it!”

  Ed lifted Nicky's head and slammed it against the table a second time. “Don't lie to us, boy! We know it was you!”

  “How'd you afford something like this?” Logan relieved Nicky's pocket of his brand new gold watch. When he saw the initials NG, he tossed it against the wall, making it shatter. Nicky whimpered when he saw it break. “I bet you used our money to buy that, didn't you?”

  “No.” Nicky, whose cheek was still squashed against the table, scanned the room in a panic. He expected someone to come to his aid, but the saloon's patrons looked more amused than concerned. “I didn't take your money, I swear!”

  “Lies!” Logan buried his boot in Nicky's rear end, then Ed lifted him up and plowed a fist in his stomach. Nicky doubled over with a gasp.

  “Please, guys... you have to believe me! I didn't take you money!” He was lying, of course, but he wasn't going to admit it. If the Hershall brothers knew the truth, he wouldn't be alive much longer.

  “You're such an arrogant little shit. You know that, right?” As he asked the question, Logan smacked the side of Nicky's head.

  “The world would be better off without the likes of you.” Ed Hershall pulled a large hunting knife from the pocket of his tatty brown coat and held it against Nicky's throat. “I doubt anyone would ever miss you.” When Nicky swallowed, he felt the ice cold metal of Ed's blade pressed against his neck.

  “But we're not going to kill you. Nooo... we've got plans for you, son,” Logan said, clapping a hand on Nicky's shoulder. “We're going to make you pay in the best possible way.”

  “Oh yeah, you'll love the punishment we've prepared for you.” Ed suddenly dragged his tongue along Nicky's blanched cheek. When Nicky caught a whiff of the Hershall brother's sour breath, he nearly retched, but his nausea was replaced by shock when Ed suddenly squeezed Nicky's bottom.

  In a gravelly, low voice, Ed Hershall finished, “I have a feeling I'm gonna love it too.”

  Thirty One

  When Josiah opened his eyes, hazy fragments of bad memories flooded his mind, and they were all pieced together when he looked down at his missing arm. It wasn't a dream. Jun was abducted, Santo Feo was lost, his brother was missing, and Nicky was gone. Worst of all, now that he'd lost a piece of himself, Josiah's life would never be the same. How could he be the same person? Who would fear an outlaw without an arm? His confidence—which, on most days, was already an affectation—was lost.

  On the table beside his bed, Gogobot was playing some light classical music. When he saw Josiah wake, he waved his metal arms.

  “Gogo...” Josiah sighed. “If you're here, I'm guessing Carol's close by, huh?” As his eyes scanned the clean, plush room, he wondered where he was.

  A few seconds later, Carol Cassady burst through the door with a squeal. “Josiaaaaaaah!” She screeched his name as she dove into bed beside him. “Oh my god, Josiah, you're finally awake! Thank god! When Gogobot told me you opened your eyes, I couldn't wait to see you!”

  Josiah's brow furrowed. “Gogobot told you?”

  “Oh... yeah. He sent me a message. It's no big deal.” As she stared into Josiah's eyes, Carol's smile kept widening and widening. “You have no idea how good it is to see you... and to hear your voice! You've been unconscious for two days! And gosh, you missed a lot. You missed the doctor on the train... you missed the ride to Santa Rosa... you missed the creep that wouldn't stop groping Gwen...”

  “What?” Josiah hissed.

  “Oh, don't worry, Gogobot and I already took care of him. Believe me, he's not going to be messing with any young girls anytime soon!” Carol gave Gogobot a wink and a thumbs up. He tried to emulate her, but without thumbs and complex facial features, Gogo failed.

  “Is Gwen okay?”

  “Oh yeeeeeah, she's totally fine! And I should probably tell her you're awake. She was really worried about you, you know! We both were!”

  Before Josiah could stop her, Carol sprang from bed and raced into the hallway. He had a ton of questions for her, but apparently, his curiosity would have to wait.

  Carol accidentally left the door ajar. If he listened carefully, Josiah could hear their conversation.

  “Don't get me wrong, Carol, I'm glad he's awake, but I just don't know if I want to see him right now.”

  “Why not?”

  “You know why...” Gwen's voice momentarily trailed off. “It just kills me to see him like that.”

  Josiah felt his stomach clench at her words. He expected th
e same reaction from everyone he knew. When they saw his missing arm, how could they not treat him differently? If he didn't feel like the same old Josiah, how could he be the same old Josiah to them? He could already see his friends' pitying glances, and it hurt his heart.

  “W-well... can't you just pop in and say hi?” Carol asked. “I'm sure he'd want to know you've been thinking about him.”

  “I can't, Carol. I'm sorry, but I can't!” Gwen was determined to whine her way out of an awkward encounter with a changed Josiah Cole. “I'm really glad he's awake, but I'm just not ready to see him.”

  A few seconds later, Carol stomped back into Josiah's bedroom. When her eyes met his, she sighed. “I'm sorry but, uhh... Gwen's busy right now.”

  If she didn't know he could hear their conversation, he wasn't going to divulge that information. He didn't want Carol to pity him any more than she already did, so he simply said, “Alright.”

  “Ohhh Josiah!” Carol leapt into bed with him again, and this time, she planted a kiss on his forehead. When he felt her lips crashing against his skin, he winced. “I'm just so glad you're okay! I'm so happy right now, I could cry! For awhile, I really thought you might die.”

  “Yeah. Me too.”

  “By the way, the doctor's got you all patched up. The doctor on the train was super nice, and there's also a doctor in Santa Rosa who checks in on you a few times a day. He's nice too, but he's got some body odor issues that you wouldn't expect from a man who looks as dignified as he does, so it's odd.” Carol's eyes lit up in the middle of her rambling. “Oh, but I'm not trying to be mean or anything! I'm really grateful to Doc Brock for helping us. That's what I call him. Doc Brock. Anyway, Gwen and I couldn't really pay him all that well, but he agreed to help us regardless. I mean... I guess I'm not broke, but most of my money is stashed in my shop back home. I don't trust banks.”

  Josiah only heard a portion of her babbling, since his mind was consumed by other thoughts. A bit timidly, he asked, “Have you heard anything about Jun?”

  “No. Not really.” Carol shrugged. “As you already know, Santo Feo's been taken over by Emperor Ju-long. It's big news. Huge news. Everyone's expecting Emperor Nico to declare war, but he's been dead silent so far.”

  “And where are we right now?” Josiah stared at the unusual art on the wall. He was pretty sure he was looking at an abstract painting of a woman's breasts. “This doesn't really look like a hotel room.”

  “It's not. I rented an apartment for awhile because I figured you needed a nice place to rest and recover.”

  “You're really sweet, Carol,” Josiah said. “I don't know what I'd do without you.”

  “Awwwwwwwwwww!” Carol's subsequent coo was so loud and prolonged, she almost made him regret his kindness. “That's, like... probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Josiah! Do you really mean that?”

  “Yeah. Of course.” The blankets around him were tightly tucked, so he had to struggle to free his arm. When he did, he reached for Carol's hand. As his thumb caressed her knuckles, he said, “Thanks for saving my life.” Despite his gratitude, a part of him would have preferred death. Learning to live with a missing arm wasn't a challenge he ever expected to face.

  “And I'd do it all over again, if I had to!” Carol declared. When she kissed his forehead a second time, Josiah's eyelashes fluttered. He wasn't often on the receiving end of affection. His interactions with women were mostly restricted to saloon girls, and none of them actually gave a damn about him. Even though Carol's kisses made him flinch, it was nice to know someone cared.

  “If I recall...” Josiah began, “you and I were going to part ways after Gravestone.”

  “Yeah... and?” Carol waited for him to explain himself.

  “I guess I... I guess I'm just wondering if you're going to... to leave me.” Josiah tried not to sound too disappointed, but he knew his voice sounded pitiful.

  “You really think I'd leave you after all of this?” Carol sat up, crossed her arms and frowned. “If you think I'd abandon my friend after a tragedy, then you don't know me at all, Mr. Josiah Cole!”

  “Is that what this is?” Under the blanket, Josiah wagged his bandaged arm—or rather, what was left of it.

  “Ohhh. Don't put words in my mouth! That's not that I meant!” If not for his injuries, Carol would have been tempted to whack him on the head. “That entire day was a tragedy, and that's what I meant! Your brother's missing, Jun's gone, you almost died, Nicky's--”

  “I know,” Josiah interrupted her. “You don't have to remind me. I already know the situation's bad.”

  “Well, JC, I should probably let you get some rest.”

  “JC?” Josiah's brow pinched as he repeated her odd nickname for him.

  “Yeah. JC. Josiah Cole. You're not really a fan of Jojo or Josie, so I thought I'd try something new.” Without warning, Carol turned to her robot and shouted the command, “Gogobot off!”

  Gogo's classical music stopped, and his eyes went dark.

  “Well... if I'm JC, you're going to be CC,” Josiah warned her. Even though his heart was consumed by a terrible and inescapable depression, Carol's unshakeable high spirits made him feel a little less hopeless.

  “I can live with that.” Demonstrating her endless energy, Carol sprang from the bed and skipped to the door. “I'll be back to check on you later, JC. Mwah!” She made a loud smacking noise as she blew him a kiss.

  Despite his rolling eyes, severed arm, and stabbing pain in his side, Josiah had to smile. “Thanks, CC.”

  “Oh, and... Josiah...” All of a sudden, Carol sounded unusually serious. “This might not be the proper time to bring this up, but... I've got plans for your arm. Big plans.” In the room's pale light, Carol Cassady's eyes sparkled maniacally. She had been named The World's Most Innovative Engineer in Science Monthly not once, but twice. And there was a good reason for that. Josiah's new arm could be nothing less than perfect.

  “But for now, get some rest,” Carol added with a smirk, “we can talk about that later.”

  Thirty Two

  For two days, Shuchun Jun was locked in a pitch black room without any food or water. Despite her growling stomach and parched throat, she didn't care about herself. Her thoughts were consumed by Josiah Cole. In her mind's eye, she saw it happen again and again: his arm severed, the red bloodstain expanding across his shirt, the life draining from his body as Prince Feng knocked him to the ground. Jun's dry throat was choked by sobs every time she pictured it. She loved him, but he was dead. Even worse, he died while trying to protect her. How could her heart ever recover?

  Jun smacked the tears from her cheeks and sat up. She thought she heard footsteps behind the door, but she wasn't sure. After two days in solitary confinement, she was already losing her mind. Not being able to see anything around her made it even worse. The previous night, she thought she felt a rat chewing her hair, but she didn't know if she was imagining it or not. After two days of darkness, she longed for even the tiniest flicker of light.

  So when the door finally opened, and a sliver of light spilled into the room, it was the most radiant thing she had ever seen.

  Until she saw Prince Feng on the other side of the door.

  As he strolled into Jun's tiny cell, the hard heels of Prince Feng's boots smacked against the floor. He crouched beside her and held up a lantern, illuminating Jun's face. She had been in the darkness so long, the light burned her eyes.

  “Wow...” Prince Feng whispered. “You really are a rare and incredible beauty, Shuchun Jun. Even after all this, you're still as enchanting as ever.” When he tried to stroke her hair, Jun rolled away from him. She didn't want to be touched by Josiah's killer.

  But the prince wouldn't be denied. He pinned her down and forced the affection on her. As his fingers sifted through her long black locks, Jun shivered with disgust.

  “Are you thirsty, darling?” Feng whispered the question. When Jun nodded slightly, her captor returned to the door, grabbed a mug from one
of his servants, and offered it to Jun, who immediately brought it to her lips. As she gulped the water, Feng chuckled. “You poor thing. You poor poor thing. What kind of monster would do this to you, huh? What kind of monster would leave you without food or water?”

  Jun's eyes narrowed. He was the monster, of course. She didn't know why he was toying with her.

  “I'll tell you what kind of monster would do this...” Feng's thumb stroked her cheek as he answered his own question. “A man who's trying to save your life.”

  “What do you mean?” Jun tried to look him in the eye as she asked the question, but every time she saw his face, she felt ill. All she could see was Feng's sword plowing through Josiah's abdomen. She never liked Prince Feng, but now she hated him. In fact, the word hate was too gentle for him. He was repellent to her. She abhorred his very existence.

  “My father desperately wants you dead,” Feng explained. “That's no exaggeration. He despises you. You insulted him worse than anyone ever has. No woman has ever rejected him. You do understand that, right? My father might be fat, old, foul and generally a disgusting human being, but he is an emperor. And even though he's a tyrant, most women would jump at the opportunity to be with him.”

  “Not me,” Jun softly responded. “I only ever wanted my freedom.”

  “Indeed, you were the exception. And I'm sorry to say this, but your freedom is a thing of the past, my dear.” When Feng patted her arm, she swatted him away. “My father wanted you executed immediately, but I convinced him to lock you up. And while you were locked away, he was the one who insisted on making you starve, so don't blame me!”

  “So... what?” Jun groaned. “Should I be grateful to you or something? Is that what you think?”

  “Indeed you should. While you were imprisoned, I not only convinced him to spare your life, I convinced him to let you walk free... on one condition.”

  Jun could guess what the condition was, but she needed Feng to confirm it. In a tremulous voice, she dared to ask, “What condition?”