Livy saw that Ben had felled his opponent, and the two of them vaulted onto the boat. They saw Bollinger on the deck: he was gripping a large valise, as was his manservant behind him. They were blocking the way to the cabin.
“H-Hadleigh?” Bollinger’s features froze with shock. “What are you doing here?”
“Putting an end to the Devil’s Bliss,” Ben said flatly. “The drug has led to the death of multiple men, and you could be next if you don’t leave those bags and get off the boat.”
Bollinger’s throat bobbed. “Surely you don’t mean to cross Master Fong,” he said hoarsely. “I just saw him, and he’ll kill us all—”
“Get out of our way,” Livy snapped. “Or we will make you.”
To show him she meant business, she took out her pistol.
Bollinger paled, gesturing at his footman. “Leave the bags. We’re getting out of here.”
As the two scurried off, Livy followed Ben to the cabin. The ship was eerily quiet, her heart thundering as they took the creaky steps down to the main berth. Reaching the door, Ben cocked his pistol, and she did the same. He pushed open the door, his firearm held at the ready…
No one was inside. The room had a bunk in one corner, cupboards along two walls, and a large table at its center. A pyramid of red snuffboxes sat on the table’s surface. Going over to the cupboards, Ben opened them, revealing an apothecary shop’s worth of powders and liquids upon the shelves.
“The makings of the Devil’s Bliss,” Livy breathed. “But where is our villain?”
She gazed over at the bed, at the black wig and costume laid atop it.
I just saw him, and he’ll kill us all…
She and Ben looked at each other.
“Bollinger,”they said.
They raced back up to the deck in time to see Bollinger and his man running down the pier.
“Angels!” Livy shouted. “Stop Bollinger! He’s Fong!”
She heard the affirmatives of her partners as she and Ben sprang onto the wharf. Fiona took aim and fired. Her shot whizzed past Bollinger’s shoulder, forcing him to swerve away from the steps. As Fi reloaded, Glory got off a shot, keeping Bollinger away from the steps. With his servant at his heels, he headed toward the nearest building…the blacking factory. He shot at the door, kicked it open, and the pair disappeared inside.
Moments later, the Angels and Ben arrived at the factory entrance.
“Glory and Fi, secure the perimeter,” Livy said. “Don’t let them escape.”
“Right-o.” Glory reloaded her pistol and put out her free hand.
Fi put her hand on top, Livy following suit.
“Sisters first will see us through!”
Livy parted from her friends and followed Ben into the building. Wall sconces cast a dim glow over the large square room, the air pungent with the smell of boot polish. The building was four stories high, a rickety stairwell winding upward at the center of the room. Floorboards squealed overhead, dust sprinkling from the ceiling. As Livy stepped cautiously forward, something scurried over her foot.
Rats. Ew.
“Stay behind me,” Ben said in a low voice. “I hear them on the floor above.”
She and Ben crept to the stairwell. He held his pistol out as he mounted the steps, and she did the same. She caught a movement on the next floor. “Watch out!”
At her warning, Ben dove forward. The bullet hit the banister where he had been seconds earlier, sending splinters of wood flying.
“Thanks,” he muttered.
He sprinted up the steps, with her at his heels. They chased Bollinger and his brute all the way up to the top floor. At the landing, the servant flew at Ben, tackling Ben to the ground. Livy spotted Bollinger a few feet away, his pistol aimed at the fighting men. She shot first, Bollinger letting out a cry as her bullet drove the pistol from his hand. His weapon skidded through the wide gap between the railing’s spindles and plunged over the edge, the loud thump echoing from four stories below.
Livy sprinted over to face Bollinger. “Give up. We have you surrounded.”
