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

by Caylen McQueen

  “Your little buddy woke up five minutes ago. He hasn't said a word to me, though,” Carol told him with a pout. “I don't think he likes me very much.”

  “Don't take it personally. Flynn doesn't talk to women.”

  Carol snorted at the thought. “Well... that's kinda rude!”

  “He's not trying to be rude. I think he's physically incapable.”

  Flynn nodded at his brother's words, confirming his affliction to Carol.

  “Wow. So... how does that work, exactly? If there are lady parts in the general vicinity, he just... clams up?”

  “Something like that,” Josiah sighed. He wasn't especially interested in talking to a woman who held him at gunpoint. “He's really shy, especially around pretty girls. That's not to say you're pretty, but--”

  “You already did,” Carol interrupted him. “You just said I was pretty. Yep.”

  “No. I didn't.”

  “You kinda did.”

  “Look, lady, I'm not saying I think you're pretty. To be perfectly honest, I think you look like a lunatic,” Josiah coldly corrected her. “But my brother might think you're pretty, which is why he's currently speechless. Does that make sense?”

  Flynn nodded again, but neither of them knew what the nod was supposed to signify, and neither of them asked.

  “So... let me get this straight...” Josiah stroked his bearded chin as he tried to make sense of the situation. “You're the inventor of the hovertrain? Really?”

  “Right-o boy-o!”

  Carol's reply was so exuberant, it made him groan. “So... what money was I stealing? Was that your money?”

  “Oh, hell no!” Carol doubled over and cackled at the thought. “Honey, if that was my money, do you think I'd be sitting here right now? Nope. I'd be sitting on my own deserted island somewhere, sucking down tea and stuffing my face with cake. That was government money, and I'm just transporting it. Since this is the hovertrain's virgin voyage, I came along to make sure it went off without a hitch. And everything was going perfectly well... until you showed up.”

  Josiah kept glancing at the gun in Carol's hand. He wondered if there was a way to disarm her and turn the situation in his favor—perhaps he could kick it from her fingers? But there was a table between them, and her grip looked strong. Furthermore, Carol's gun looked lethal, and he didn't fancy a hole through his stomach. For the moment, the upper hand was solidly hers.

  “You keep looking at my gun,” Carol said when she caught him staring. “Do you like it? It's one of my own designs. I can sell you one, if you want.”

  Josiah grumbled. “Sure. Let me just get out my stacks of stolen money, because this seems like the perfect time to haggle.”

  “Oh, I already took the money out of your pockets,” Carol informed him in the politest possible voice. “I took all your weapons, too, but I bet you figured that out already.”

  “So... how bad is our situation?” As he asked the question, Josiah dragged a hand across his forehead. Ever since Carol's contraption pounded him, his entire head ached. “Are we arrested? Are you gonna hand us over to the authorities?”

  “I might.” A grin flickered onto Carol's lips. “Or... I might not.”

  “I prefer might not,” Josiah said. “How can I get you to choose that option?”

  “You two are outlaws, right? Cowboys?”

  “You could say that.”

  “Are you famous?”

  His answer was the same as before. “You could say that.” When Josiah removed his hat, Carol raised her gun, aiming at his face. “We're the Cole Brothers. Josiah and Flynn Cole. You've probably heard of us.”

  There wasn't the slightest spark of recognition on Carol's face. “Yeah... no. Sorry. I haven't heard of you!”

  “You serious?” Josiah chuckled. “Everyone from Busybee to Gravestone to Santo Feo knows who we are!”

  “Sorry to disappoint you, but your name doesn't ring any bells! Maybe you're not as famous as you think you are, Josiah Cole?”

  “That's a shame,” replied a grinning Josiah, “and it's a shock, quite honestly. I'm usually even more famous with the ladies.”

  His remark had Carol rolling her eyes. “All the ladies sigh-a for Josiah, huh? Well, I guess you're not completely without appeal. As far as handsome cowboys go, I'd give you maybeeee... a six out of ten.”

  Josiah's lips fell. He took it as an insult. “I'm worth more than a six, lady, and you know it!”

  “Okay, maybe I could squeeze out a six-point-five for you. If you didn't have that slightly pubic beard on your chin, I'd probably like you better.” She pointed at his gingery facial hair. “Right now, though, I'd have to say your brother is the cute one.”

  Despite being silent, Flynn looked pleased with himself.

  “Anyway, back to the topic at hand...” Carol continued. “For the last few years, I've had this really weird dream that I've been dying to fulfill. I want to be a cowboy... er... a cowgirl, I guess? Is a cowgirl even a thing?” When Josiah didn't reply, she kept going. “Next year, I'm celebrating my thirtieth birthday... which, to be honest, isn't really something I want to celebrate. Before that birthday rolls around, I want to fulfill as many dreams as I can. And since being a cowboy is pretty high on the list, and you two are cowboys, I thought it was pretty perfect.”

  Josiah peered out of the hovertrain's window. At the moment, the train had halted in the middle of the desert. “What exactly do you want from me, Miss Cassady?” he asked with a sigh.

  “Welllll...” Carol's teeth were momentarily clenched. She seemed hesitant to ask her question. “I was kind of hoping you would... y'know... let me go with you? You could show me the ropes. Literally. Because cowboys like ropes, right?” Nervous laughter bubbled up from her throat. “If you let me join you on the road for awhile, I can make all this nasty robbery business go away.”

  “No.” Josiah's answer flew from his lips. “No way. There's no way in hell I'm taking you with me.”

  “What if I threw in a little bit of money?” Carol asked, removing a small stack from the pocket of her outlandish trousers. Tossing the stack on the table, she said, “Come on! It can't be that dreadful to let me tag along, can it?”

  Josiah nodded. “Nope. It really is that dreadful. I'd lose all credibility in a day.”

  “Well then...” Carol sat back and shrugged. “I guess I'll have to tell someone you were stealing from the hovertrain after all.”

  Flynn grabbed the bottom of his chair and scooted closer to his brother. Leaning toward Josiah's ear, he whispered, “I think you should take her offer.”

  “Are you kidding? It's the worst idea I've ever heard!”

  “I don't think so,” Flynn continued in a whisper. “I think going to jail has gotta be the worst idea I've ever heard!”

  Josiah gave his brother a frustrated shove. “We're not going to jail! I'll find a better way out of this. I always do.”

  “Patrick didn't find a way out of it,” Flynn reminded him. “He's been in jail for months now, and you haven't found a way to get him out.”

  At the mention of his best friend's name, Josiah groaned into the palm of his hand. The next time he glanced in Carol's direction, her lips wore the smuggest of grins.

  “I'm good with guns!” Carol claimed. “I'm not bad, anyway. If I had to partake in some rootin-tootin cowboy shootin', I'm pretty sure I could hold my own!”

  Josiah was desperate to talk her out of it, even though it was probably useless to try. “Lady, you don't know anything about me. For all you know, I might be a cold-hearted bastard. As soon as we're alone on the road, I might slit your throat while you're sleeping. You don't know me, and you don't know what I'm capable of!”

  “He, uh...” Flynn started to speak, though he clearly struggled with each word. With reddening cheeks, he finally completed his sentence, “Jo wouldn't do that.”

  “Dammit, Flynn!” Josiah gave his brother another shove. “You finally talk to a woman, and that's what you say? Why you g
otta make me sound like a pussy?”

  “Not a pussy,” Flynn was back to whispering in his brother's ear. “But you're actually kind of nice.”

  “Pfft. I ain't nice.”

  “But you are!” Flynn insisted. “Especially to women.”

  “That isn't a woman!” Josiah lowered his voice and pointed at Carol. “Look again! That's a damn clown!”

  “I dunno,” Flynn shrugged. “She looks kinda nice, if you ask me.”

  “Well, you're an idiot, Flynn.” Josiah's eyes were narrowed when he turned his attention back to Carol. “If we let you come, do we have your word? Can you absolutely promise we won't be arrested?”

  “I promise.” Carol pointed at her chest. “Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in your eye. Bake a nice warm crispy pie, Carol never tells a lie. I solemnly swear it on my soul, I will never betray a Cole!”

  Josiah groaned. “Are you done?”

  “I think so,” Carol tilted her head nodded. “I do like rhyming, though. You should try it sometime.”

  “Yeah, that ain't gonna happen.” Josiah hopped to his feet and pocketed Carol's stack of cash. “Now, if we're done here, I'd like to get back on the road as soon as possible. I want to put this failure behind me.” Unfortunately, it would be impossible to forget his failure as long as Carol was following them.

  “Yeehaw!” Carol jumped from her chair and slammed a hat onto her head. It was shaped like a cowboy hat, but in Josiah's eyes, it looked like an abomination. The hat was teal, and there was a giant peacock feather on the front of it. “Let's get goin', partner! Let's go shoot up some stuffs!”

  “When we get into town, I'm buying you a new hat,” Josiah said with a solemn shake of his head. “And lady... if you ever say yeehaw again, I swear I'm leaving you behind.”

  Seven

  Several hours later, Jun's stagecoach finally stopped. When she was sure the driver wouldn't see her, she climbed out to stretch her legs. “Goodbye, chickens,” she whispered to her traveling companions before they parted ways. The ride was so long, she amused herself by giving them names. “Cluckers” and “Dan” were her favorites.

  As Jun sauntered away from the stagecoach, the gravel poked her bare feet. Since she was no longer on the run from Prince Feng and his men, she finally had time to stop and soak in the scenery. The box-like wooden buildings, cacti and horse-drawn wagons were completely foreign to her. When she saw the sign at the town's entrance, she was suddenly grateful to her grandmother for teaching her to read.

  Welcome to Busybee - Population: 400

  Her eyes scanned several signs as she traveled the dusty road. There was a livery stable, a general store, a gunsmith, a hotel, and a place called “Shady Lady Mercantile.” Without any money in her pockets, Jun wasn't sure what to do. She wasn't even sure what Columbigan money looked like. When she picked up a discarded penny on the side of the road, for all she knew, it might have been worth a fortune.

  She needed a plan, and she needed help. Ten years ago, Jun's uncle, Shuchun Weng, moved to Columbigo to find work. Though she barely remembered him, finding him was probably her best bet. For the next few minutes, Jun sat on a bench and tried to remember the funny name of Weng's hometown. Santa Fo? Santi Fi? While she was lost in thought, a ratty mutt shuffled over to sniff her legs. Jun scratched his ears, but he didn't stay long. He was more interested in finding food than affection—and Jun could certainly relate. Every so often, her empty stomach rumbled uncomfortably.

  “Excuse me!” Jun called to an old woman, but the woman kept walking. “Excuse me, I need to ask you a question!”

  When the woman refused to listen, Jun tried to stop another passerby. “Excuse me, sir?” This time, her target was a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman. “Can I please ask you a question?”

  The man looked busy, but she asked the question so politely, he couldn't ignore her. “Yes, ma'am?”

  “I need to get to a town called... um... Santo Fee?”

  “Santo Feo?” he corrected her.

  “Yes! That's the one!” Jun tried to charm him with a smile, which usually worked on men, but his annoyed expression didn't crack. “How far are we from Santo Feo?”

  His answer was depressingly curt. “Pretty far.”

  “Do you know how I can get there? You see, I just arrived in, uh, Busybee, and I don't know how to--”

  “I'm sorry, ma'am, but I've really got to go,” the gentleman interrupted her. “Best of luck to you.”

  “Gee...” Jun's bare toes kicked a pebble as she reflected on their brief exchange. “The people here are so rude!” When she finished sulking, she rose from the bench and continued forward, as aimlessly as ever. She was starting to wonder if freedom was preferable to being the emperor's wife, so she closed her eyes and tried to picture Emperor Ju-long's hands gliding along her naked body. Suddenly, she no longer questioned it. Being a vagabond in a foreign country was a blessing by comparison.

  “You!” A woman with bright copper curls suddenly burst from one of the buildings and flitted over to Jun. “I've been wondering when you'd finally show up! I feel like I've been waiting forever! Come in, come in!”

  The woman seized Jun's shoulders and steered her in the direction of one of the buildings. As they passed through its double doors, Jun barely had time to glance at the sign above them. They were entering a seedy-looking establishment called “The Hole.”

  “You're the exotic one we've been waiting for, right?” the woman asked as she pushed Jun through the room. Noisy piano music filled her ears, while dense clouds of cigarette smoke assaulted her nose. “Oh, the boys are going to love you! Just so you know, we don't require our girls to trade favors for money, but it's definitely encouraged. It keeps the men happy, and it keeps them coming back.”

  Jun was puzzled. “Favors?”

  “Uh huh. Don't worry, dear, you won't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. That's what the bouncers are for.” The copper-haired woman directed Jun's attention to the two large men who guarded the doors. “If one of our patrons starts to get handsy and you didn't give him permission, just signal one of the guards, and they'll break some fingers.”

  As she listened to the woman's speech, Jun's confused expression was only more confused. “Uh... okay.”

  “I'm Sasha, by the way.” The woman shoved Jun into another room and steered her in the direction of the desk. “The contract's already on the table. You just sign right here, and that'll be that. It's okay if you can't read and write, dear. You just have to make some kind of mark.”

  “Um...” Jun leaned over the desk and studied the paper. “I can read.”

  “Oh, really? Then you're more educated than most of the ladies here. Educated or not, you look confused. Here, hun, lemme help you.” Sasha dipped a quill and forced it into Jun's stiff hand. Then she pushed Jun's hand toward the paper, encouraging her to make a swirl on the line. “Well... it looks like that's done! I should take you to your accommodations. You'll be staying on the second floor with Flora and Ginger. What's your name, sweetheart?”

  “Uh... Jun.” As Sasha steered her toward her next destination, Jun longingly eyed the saloon's front door. Somehow, she needed to evade the wild-eyed woman and return to the outside world.

  “June? That's perfect, honey. I was thinking I'd have to give you a new name, but we have an April too. We'll have to pair you up. Some of the guys might get a kick out of having an April and a June at the same time.” Sasha laid a hand on Jun's back as they climbed the saloon's rickety staircase. “First thing's first... we've gotta get you out of these clothes! It looks like you're not that busty, which is unfortunate, but I've got a corset that'll make you look bigger up there. I don't think I'll have to tie it too tight, though, since that waist of yours looks tiny.” When they reached the top step, Sasha lightly poked Jun's stomach.

  “Um... you know...” Jun shyly spoke up. “I really think there's been some kind of mistake.”

  “Oh, sweetie, all the girls thi
nk that in the beginning!” Sasha's hand fluttered against Jun's cheek, making her flinch. “But... trust me, after awhile, you'll learn to love it here! You really couldn't ask for a more comfortable life.” Sasha pushed Jun into her unwanted new bedroom. “Hmm. It looks like Flora and Ginger are gone. Why don't we borrow one of Ginger's dresses? She's tiny like you are.” Sasha practically skipped to a wardrobe and extracted a racy black dress with red lace trim. “Here! I think this'll suit you nicely.” As soon as she shoved the dress into Jun's hands, Sasha sashayed to the door. “I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes, sweetheart! I'll be giving you a few pointers on how to properly flirt.”

  When Sasha was gone, Jun's nose puckered as she studied the dress in her hands. It was much more risque than anything she would usually wear. The low cut collar was especially unsettling, but Jun didn't have much of a choice. In her foreign guardsman uniform, she had no hope of blending in with the Columbigan people. Sighing, Jun stripped off her clothes and donned the racy garment. As soon as she saw her reflection in the looking glass, she gasped. She looked like an entirely different person. She looked like a--

  “Hussy,” Jun settled on the word with a sigh. The dress was so low-cut, her breasts were in danger of popping out. She felt a bit relieved when she found a red silk scarf in Ginger's drawer, which she used to cover herself. After stealing a pair of slippers, Jun left the room and tiptoed down the stairs, hoping Sasha wouldn't see her. Before the flirting lesson was forced on her, she needed to escape The Hole.

  When she reached the saloon's swinging doors, one of its two guards blocked her.

  “Hey!” Jun shrieked when he nearly knocked her down with his outstretched arm. “What are you doing? Am I not allowed to leave?”

  His answer was short. “Nope.”

  “What? Why?”

  In a thick drawl, he replied, “Ya'll signed a contract, din't you?”

  “What? That piece of paper?” Jun pouted. “She made me sign it!”

  “Well, boo hoo to you. Ain't that a damn shame. And it ain't got nothing to do with me. I'm just doing my job.” Using his gun's barrel as a finger, the guard pointed at one of the saloon's tables. “Go sit down and wait for Miss Sasha to deal with you.”