Stark made it through the night. Dr. Gunnar assured Flynn that his stepfather was likely to make a full recovery. For some reason, the doctor seemed to think Flynn would view this as good news. Either Stark hadn’t taken the doctor into his confidence or the doctor’s whole concern was for the efficacy of his serum. Flynn suspected the latter. After getting Dr. Gunnar’s best estimate for when Stark would regain consciousness—about twenty hours—Flynn left the lodge by the servants’ exit.
He didn’t want to run into any of the guests. Or Nick. He didn’t have time to make a border run today, and he wasn’t sure his new Reaper friend would accept the delay gracefully. He would get Nick to the border. It just might take a day or two.
He might’ve spent years as an outlaw, but he did keep his word.
The butler caught the door before it closed behind him. “Founder Stark.”
Flynn turned, raising a brow in question.
The poor man looked flustered. He likely wasn’t used to such excitement. Stark rarely used the lodge, and never for a party of this size. “What am I to tell the guests when they awake?”
“Nothing,” Flynn said. “Or as little as possible. Offer them food and drink. Transportation down the mountain if they require assistance.”
“And if they ask to speak with you? Shall I tell them that you’ve gone away?”
“Tell them that my stepfather’s survival is questionable. That I am distraught and wish not to be disturbed while I care for him.”
The butler’s mouth pursed. “You mean you want me to lie.”
“Precisely.”
“And the Reaper?”
Flynn grinned. “The Reaper’s in charge until I get back. I would try to keep him happy.”
Flynn left the sputtering butler to his work and started across the lawn. Molly had gone ahead to commandeer an airship and should be… There she was, already airborne and coming his way. She hadn’t wasted any time.
He grinned when he saw the ship she’d picked out—scarlet and gold with gleaming mahogany trim. It was an old light corsair in the style of a half-century past. It looked like a pirate ship. The engine was too weak for its size, but that could be remedied. If she’d stolen it from one of Stark’s hangars, he probably wasn’t getting it back.
That caused his smile to fade.
She was welcome to the ship, of course. She was welcome to anything she might ask of him, but he didn’t want her to go. He’d been tempted, on seeing her rise from the bed that morning, to order Stark’s servants—his servants now—to place her in the cell next to Stark. That such a thought had even crossed his mind made him sick at heart.
She dropped lightly and released two hold anchors along with a ladder rope. Molly might have docked at the tower to make things easier for him, but then she’d have had to ask for help. It might not even have occurred to her to do so.
Flynn climbed the ladder and hauled himself through the open hatch. By the time he closed it, Molly’d already hit the lever to withdraw the anchor cables. He could hear the grind of the wheels below, winding the cables back into the belly of the ship.
“The gears need oil,” he said, taking the second’s chair and wiping his hands across the dash. There was a good quarter inch of dust.
Molly flashed a smile at him as she threaded the ship deftly between the lodge and the forest, aiming for the valley. “The whole ship needs an overhaul, but she’s a beauty, isn’t she? Stark had her locked down in the hangar where they keep spare parts. How much do you think Esther will charge me to replace the engine?”
“Have her send me the bill.”
Molly’s brows twitched together in a frown. “I don’t want your money, Flynn. That’s not what I was getting at. I’ll figure something out.”
“The least I can do is make sure the engine is working right before you steal the ship from me.”
“I’m not stealing from you. I’m stealing from Stark.”
Technically, she was stealing the ship from House Stark, of which he was the heir. Or he would be by day’s end if everything went smoothly. That’s why he was heading to Ballonet before his stepfather regained consciousness. He would rouse the lawyers from their beds and bribe whoever needed bribing in order to push the paperwork through to make it official.
He hadn’t changed his mind about claiming his inheritance. It was the only way forward. Either that or go back to smuggling, which he couldn’t do. Smuggling was no way to live, not when there was an alternative. He’d hoped to prove that to Molly on this trip. Show her that there was another way to live. He’d failed pretty spectacularly. The gentlemanly thing would be to let her go gracefully, but he was still enough of an outlaw to fight.
Running a hand through his hair, he said, “Mol…”
He trailed off, not knowing how to go on. Molly blinked like she had dust in her eyes. She probably did. He could see it drifting in the air between them as the rising sun poured through the window.
“I was thinking about putting a Sylph engine in her,” she said finally, when the silence stretched uncomfortably. “They’re small, but pretty powerful. I saw one out in Esther’s salvage yard, starting to rust. If I sell off a few of the gowns, it might cover the price. I didn’t wear any of them more than once.”
“The gowns won’t be worth half what I paid for them. A good deal of the cost was in the tailoring. The seamstresses worked around the clock to have them done quickly, and they were made specifically for you.”
“Oh.”
Once they were clear of the mountain, Molly adjusted course for Ballonet. It was close. He could see Douglas Peak through the aft window. Wouldn’t take them more than an hour to get there. And then Molly would start shedding the skin she’d worn up here—getting rid of the gowns and all the trappings of a woman playing his wife. Sunlight glinted off the ring on her finger as she leaned forward to tap at a stuck gauge.
Something lodged in his throat. He couldn’t seem to swallow past it. There had to be a way to convince her to stay. He just had to look at it from the right angle.
He’d thought… He didn’t know what the hell he’d thought. That last night had meant something? Molly was a passionate woman. She’d never held herself back from him physically. Sex had never been the problem between them.
She locked the controls to hold course and then swiveled her chair around to face him. Her hair was pinned back. Sunlight caught the coppery strands and made them glow. Her gray eyes were calm, but resolute. It was the way she always looked when she’d set her mind to do something difficult.
The mark Stark had left on her cheek was beginning to bruise. He leaned forward to touch it. “I’m sorry for this.”
“You didn’t do it.”
“You wouldn’t have come up here if not for me.”
She looked at him intently, like she was waiting for something. He stared back helplessly, and she breathed out a sigh that sounded suspiciously like a curse. “I came because you asked.”
He nodded. “And I appreciate that. You’re probably thinking that it’s best to head on to Baxter directly from Ballonet.”
“Am I?”
“I can’t go back to smuggling.”
“You could,” she said. “You were damned good at it. There’s never been anyone better.”
“I won’t.”
“Because you want to be respectable.”
God, this was harder than he’d thought it’d be. He needed to make Molly understand, and this was his last chance. One wrong word and that would be it.
“I want to build something I can be proud of,” he said. “But the reason I can’t go back to smuggling is because it was killing me. I started making small compromises, but every year they got bigger. Before I knew it I was working with men like Gideon Moore, doing things I never thought I’d be a part of.”
“Gideon was an asshole,” Molly agreed. “I never did like him. I warned you about him.”
“You have a better head for it than I do. You stay who you are no matter what. You’re true to yourself and everyone around you. That life… It was changing me into a person I didn’t like. I was turning into a man like Stark, and that’s what I’d run away to prevent.”
She considered that for a long moment, chewing on her lower lip. Then her eyes hardened. “You think working side by side with Stark will make it any better?”
“I’ll be working against Stark, not with him. I’m just going to do it from the inside.” He smiled. “If I get confused about anything, I can always just do the opposite of what Stark wants. I’ll be able to help the forts. Stark and his friends won’t be able to make a move without me knowing about it. I can make sure this vaccine gets to the people who need it most.”
“And us?”
“You could let me make an honest woman of you.”
She laughed at that. Yeah, it was a stupid turn of phrase. Honesty had never been a virtue she’d held in high regard. She tipped forward in her chair to press a quick kiss to his mouth. When she drew back, she cocked her head slightly to the side. “How about we leave off the honesty part?”
“What do you mean?”
She grimaced. “Except with you, of course. I could promise not to lie to you. You always seem to know when I’m bluffing anyway.”
“Mol?” He shook his head. “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“You’re not making this easy, but I guess that’s fair.”
Sliding from the chair, she lowered herself to her knees. While he didn’t exactly mind seeing her in such a position, the earnest expression on her face made him think she wasn’t after a tumble.
“You know I love you,” she said, her wide eyes solemn. “I’ve loved for years. Since the moment I laid eyes on you. There…there hasn’t been anyone else for me, not even after I left you.”
He’d always wondered if she’d taken other men while they’d been apart. He’d decided it didn’t matter, but he was happy to hear that there hadn’t been anyone else. A truth like that deserved to be met with truth.
He cupped her cheek. “It broke my heart when you left, but I never thought to replace you. That’s why I came after you.”
“I thought I was doing the right thing by leaving. I didn’t see a future for us.” She gave him a wobbly smile. “You were always too fine for me, Flynn.”
“Don’t say that. I’m not. I never belonged in House Stark. The people on the border didn’t accept me either. I never fit anywhere except with you.”
“I was scared and I bolted. I’m not proud of that.” She lifted her chin. “I think you should claim your inheritance and take over the family business. It’s your right. You should have a wife who understands how to live here too, who wants to live in the city. You should know the idea of staying here terrifies me. I won’t ever be a proper lady, and I don’t want my children to grow up as Scrapers.”
He stopped breathing. Children?
Before he could say anything, she continued, “I don’t want your money or your pedigree. But I do want you. Forever. And I suppose I can learn to live with being called Lady Stark if that’s the price I have to pay. No corsets though. I’m drawing the line there.”
“Molly, are you asking me to marry you?”
She gave him an exasperated look. “What do you think I’m doing down here?”
Laughter welled up inside him. He caught her hands. “You’re sure about this?”
She nodded. “You won’t ever let me down.”
“Never. At least not on purpose.”
“And you’ll stay with me through thick and thin.”
“Forever.”
“Then nothing else matters.”
“Our children…” He choked a little on the word and swallowed. “We could live on the plains. I was going to suggest that. We could live on the plains and only travel to the city as necessary. Our children would still be half Scraper, but they don’t have to grow up here.”
“I don’t think any child of mine would ever truly be a Scraper in their heart. And maybe not all Scrapers are so bad. Look at you. You turned out very fine. You’re the best person I’ve ever known.”
“You’re serious about this,” he said.
“I’m sorry it took me so long to see it your way.” Her gaze softened. She looked vulnerable. Molly never let herself be vulnerable around anyone. “Are you going to give me an answer?”
He drew her up, into his arms, onto his lap. Burying his face in her neck, he released a shuddering laugh. “Yes. Of course, the answer is yes. How could you doubt it?”
She’d worried her lower lip plump and pink. He smoothed over the spot with his thumb and then dipped his head to kiss her. Molly rose up to meet him as she always did. She opened herself to him, trusting him. He wouldn’t betray that trust. She was bound to question her decision to stay by his side every time she was confronted with another Karl or Freddie, but Flynn would do everything in his power to make sure she never truly regretted it.
After a time, Molly settled in his arms and rested her head against his chest. He nuzzled the hair at her temple. “What was it that changed your mind? Did you ask me to marry you because I’m about to become the most eligible bachelor in the seven cities?”
He felt her smile by the movement of her cheek against his collarbone. “I figured you were going to need someone to watch your back.”
He laughed, though it was true. He still didn’t know who’d sabotaged the ship at Esther’s. It was unlikely to have been Stark. It was unlikely that he’d ever find out who’d been behind the cowardly act. He had enemies, both as Cassius Flynn and as the heir to Anson Stark.
“It will be dangerous,” he admitted. “Being my wife won’t be easy.”
“Good to see you’ve finally figured out what that word actually means.” She lifted her head and trailed a finger down his chest. “You don’t need to worry about me, Flynn. I don’t need easy. I don’t even think I’d like easy much. And I’ve a knack for trouble.”
He didn’t expect that just because he’d finally convinced Molly to marry him that theirs would be a quiet life. “You have a knack for getting out of trouble too.”
“Do you really think a street rat and a Founder can have a happy ending?”
“You’re not a street rat. You’re perfect.” He caught her chin and lifted her face. “I love you.”
“And I love you.”
He touched his mother’s ring, glittering on her finger. This was real. It was happening. Molly was his, and she wasn’t going to leave. She’d help him keep a leash on Stark. She’d guard his back even as he guarded hers. She’d share his bed, and together they could terrorize the mountains for a change. “We belong together, Mol. Never doubt it.”
She smiled. “We’ll be the scourge of the seven cities.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “And we’ll make our own happy ending.”