“I’m not my father.”

“Not as skilled.” Tool shrugged. “But the potential is there.” He nodded at the black puddle around Blue Eyes and smiled, showing his needle teeth. “Blood tells. You have good potential.”

Nailer shuddered at the thought of mirroring his father. “I’m not like him,” he said again.

Tool’s smile disappeared. “Don’t be too sorry for Blue Eyes,” the half-man rumbled. “It’s human nature to tear one another apart. Be glad you come from such a successful line of killers.”

“Leave him alone,” Pima said.

“Where’s Lucky Girl?” Nailer asked.

“The rich girl?” Sadna pointed. “She’s gone down to the beach. Her people are here, looking for her. A whole clipper ship of them showed up an hour ago.” She looked over at Tool. “Richard was trying to meet with them, looking to broker a deal.”

“Her people are here?” Nailer glanced at Pima, puzzled. “She told us no one knew where she was…” He trailed off, wondering if he’d been lied to again.

Nita burst back into the clearing. “It’s them!”

“Your people?” he asked skeptically.

She shook her head, gasping. “The ones who were chasing me. Pyce’s people. And he’s got half-men.”

Sadna studied her. “The ones on the beach… they’re your enemies?”

Nita could barely get a breath. “They want me, for leverage against my father.”

“Well, they know you’re here,” Sadna said. “Richard as much as claimed it when they came ashore.”

Lucky Girl’s face took on a shade of panic. “I can’t let them catch me. I need to hide.”

Sadna and Tool exchanged glances. “If you go into the jungle-”

Tool shook his head. “Lopez will know to hunt for her. How will you supply her with food? Who will stand for her if he catches her? Better for her to flee.”

Nailer spoke up. “We were planning on catching the salvage train to the Orleans. She says she’s got crew there who would protect her.”

Sadna frowned. “You can’t go into the loading yards. No one gets in there without Lucky Strike knowing. And Richard and Lucky Strike are tight now.”

“We can catch the train outside, once it’s moving.”

“Dangerous.”

“Not as dangerous as waiting around to see what kind of deal my dad cuts with the swanks.”

Tool looked thoughtful. “It could be done. If they are quick.”

“She says she’s fast,” Nailer said.

“If she isn’t, she could die.”

“No worse than she ends up otherwise.”

“What about you, Nailer? Is that a risk you want to take?”

Nailer started to answer, then stopped. Was it? Did he really want to tie himself to this girl? He shook his head, irritated. The fact was, he had already set himself in conflict with his father. There was no hope of resolution now, no matter how much he might have wanted it. Richard Lopez would never leave an insult like the killing of his crew unanswered.

“It’s not safe for me here,” Nailer said. “Not now. He’ll come after me with everything he’s got. He can’t afford to lose this much face. Too many people would be laughing.”

Sadna shook her head. “I can’t do this thing. I can’t leave my crew. No one will be with you.”

“With me and Pima-”

Pima shook her head. “No. I’m not doing it.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m not leaving my mom.”

“But we talked about getting out. Getting away from here.” Nailer tried to keep the desperation from his voice. For some reason he had assumed they were crew and that they were together.

“You talked about it. Not me.”

Nailer stared at her. Pieces clicked into place. Pima had family. Something to cling to. Something solid. Of course she wouldn’t risk the run. He should have seen it. Nailer forced himself to nod. “Still, we can catch the train and make it to the Orleans in two days. It can’t be that hard.”

Pima held up her hand, showing him her splinted fingers. “You think? Reni had both hands for the jump, and he still ended up looking like ground pork.”

Sadna looked down toward the beach. “We can broker a truce with your dad, Nailer. I can protect you.”

“If you think so, then you really don’t know my dad.” Nailer shook his head. “Anyway, I don’t want that. I want out. Lucky Girl says she’ll get me out if I help her.”

Sadna glanced at the girl. “And you believe her?”

“I’m telling the truth-” Nita started hotly.

Sadna waved her to silence. “Really?” She looked at Nailer. “You’re sure she’s worth it?”

“No one ever is,” Tool rumbled.

“My father can pay,” Nita said. “He can reward-”

“Shut up!” Pima said. She turned to Nailer. “Nailer decides. He’s the one to take you. He’s the one to take the risk.” She grabbed Nailer and pulled him aside. She lowered her voice. “You’re sure about this?” She glanced back at Nita. “The girl’s sly. Every time she tells us something, it turns out it’s only half true.”

“I believe her.”

“Don’t. Swanks don’t think like us. She’ll have an angle. You sure you’re watching yourself?”

“There’s no risk. I’ve got nothing here. There’s no way I can keep clear of my dad if I stay.” Nailer shrugged, pulled away from Pima’s grip. “My dad will never forget this. No matter what anyone says, he’ll never forget.” He looked at Nita and spoke loudly to the group. “We’ll go. I’ll take her.”

A flurry of activity down below startled them all. Pima scrambled up on a boulder, peering through the foliage. “Get up here, Lucky Girl,” she said.

Nita climbed up beside Pima, and Nailer joined them. Out on the dark water, a pale ship was anchored, lights glowing like the day, bright LED spots sweeping the water, catching the shapes of boats rowing toward shore. Nita shook her head. “They’re coming for me.”

“They’ll pay a reward, too,” Pima’s mother said to Nailer.

“Mom.” Pima shook her head.

“We’re crew,” Nailer said stubbornly. “I’m not selling her.”

Pima’s mother studied Nailer. “You run and Richard Lopez will hunt you forever. You can never come back.” She looked down. “You can still make a peace. Broker a deal and sell the girl to those people down there, and Richard will forget. You don’t think so, but money will make him forget plenty. Moby and Blue Eyes and the rest are nothing in comparison to the amount of money we’re talking about.”

Nita watched fearfully. If he sold her, they’d be rich, for certain. He could buy peace from his father.

Lucky and smart. I need to be lucky and smart.

The smart thing was to give Nita up, to buy the safety he couldn’t beg for. But just handing her over to her enemies made him feel nauseous. The smart thing was to turtle down and let the girl go and make a profit in the bargain. Her fight wasn’t his. He looked to Pima. She just shrugged.

“I told you what I thought.”

“Blood and rust,” he muttered. “We can’t just give her to them. It’d be like giving Pima to my dad.”

“But a lot safer for you,” Tool suggested.

Nailer shook his head stubbornly. “No. I’ll take her to the Orleans. I know how to hop the trains.”

“This isn’t light crew and a short quota,” Tool said. “You won’t get second chances. You make a mistake now and you die.”

“You ever jumped the train?” Sadna asked.

“Reni told me how.”

“Before he went under the wheels,” Sadna said.

“We all die,” Tool rumbled. “It’s only choosing how.”

“I’m going,” Nailer said. He looked at Nita. “We’re going.”

Something in the way he said it got it through this time. No one tried to protest. They just accepted it and nodded, and suddenly Nailer felt as if he’d made the wrong decision. He realized that a part of him had wanted them to talk him out of it. To find a way to convince him not to run.

“You’d best be going, then,” Tool rumbled. “Richard will be coming to sell the girl soon.”

“Good luck,” Pima’s mother said. She dug into her pocket and offered Nailer a handful of bright linen Red Chinese cash. “Run hard. Don’t come back.”