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.“

„Then hurry.“ Bassinger turned back to Silver. „She can’t

last much longer.“

Bracken gave a last reluctant glance at Silver and then

hurried down the deck toward the staircase leading to the pilot

house.

A second shot echoed over the river.

„Nicholas must be very perturbed to try anything so futile,“

Bassinger drawled. „It has to be annoying for him to feel so

helpless. But you’re not helping me, my dear. One shrill,

agonized scream would increase his pain tremendously.“ He

drew back his arm. „I’m done toying with you.“ The lash came

down with his full strength behind it, breaking the skin and

causing a tiny river of blood to run down her back. „Scream,

you strumpet!“

A shudder of agony wracked Silver’s body.

She did not scream.

„We’re not gaining on them.“ Nicholas ran up the stairs to

the pilot house. „We’re supposed to be gaining on them. What

the hell is wrong?“

„They’re putting on more steam.“ Robert’s gaze was fixed

in horror on the Mary L and his voice was only a level above a

whisper. „My God, they were going at almost full steam and

they’re still feeding those boilers.“

„Then they’ll pull away from us,“ Nicholas said hoarsely.

The pilot numbly shook his head. „No, I don’t think so.“

Hope leapt within Nicholas. „Why not?“

„Lord.“ Robert closed his eyes. „The Sultana.“ His eyes

flicked open and he swerved the wheel violently to the left.

„What the devil are you doing?“ Nicholas shouted.

„I’m getting out of the way.“ Robert didn’t look at him as

he veered toward the eastern bank of the river. „And’hoping to

God I’m in time.“

„Out of the way of what?“

„Those boilers are going to blow. The Mary L can’t take

that much steam with those faulty boilers. They’re going to

blow up and take the Mary L with her.“

„Blow up?“ Nicholas could only stare at him. „Silver is on

the Mary L. It can’t – “

The Mary L exploded.

11

Who was screaming? Silver wondered dazedly. She knew it

wasn’t herself; she had kept all the screaming inside, where it

could give Bassinger no pleasure. Yet these screams held all

the pain and desperation she had refused to release.

She opened her eyes. Smoke. Black smoke. A red glare.

Fire? She struggled up on one elbow. She was still tethered to

the rail, but now a section of the rail was on top of her, torn

from its moorings by the explosion.

Explosion! The memory brought her sitting bolt upright

and she gasped with pain as she once again became conscious

of the fiery throbbing of her lacerated back.