Free Pistons and Pistols by Tonia Brown

it. What could we do? But you…” He paused to smile at her. “You were never afraid.”
    Rose shook her head as best she could from between his hands. She whispered, “You’re wrong. I was scared of him. God, I was so terrified of him.”
    “But you never let it show. You were always so strong. So proud. You stood up to him when a crew of grown men couldn’t. Wouldn’t.”
    Rose closed her eyes as Jeb skirted around their terrible shared secret. “I did what I had to.”
    “You set us free, Rose. You did what we all wanted to do.” His voice filled with disgust as he recalled those dark times. “What I should have done the first time you came out of his cabin beat all to hell.”
    Tears rolled across Jeb’s fingers as Rose wept for her sin. She didn’t come here to beg for money or cry over distant times. Yet here she was, trembling and weeping and remembering, and oh but didn’t it feel good?
    “Every time you showed up with a black eye or your arm in a sling, I promised that would be the last time he laid a hand on you.”
    “Don’t,” she whispered.
    “But I didn’t do anything about it,” he said over her, still holding her between his now-shaking hands. “None of us did. We just ignored it and let you drag yourself back in there to take it again and again.”
    “Jeb, please.” She looked up at him, drowning in the sorrow between them. It was amazing how a man so long dead still controlled their lives. “Don’t. Just let it go.”
    “No. I need to do this for me as much as for you. Take the money, Rose. Don’t make an old friend beg.”
    Rose smiled, then nodded.
    The next thing she knew, Jeb’s mouth was against hers in a quick, hot kiss. The action was a long time coming, but still it took her by surprise. It was something they had never dared when Bill was alive, and after his death things never seemed to work out between them in that kind of way. Even as he kissed her now, she knew it was neither sexual nor romantic. Just a kiss to seal the deal. A kiss between old friends. And that was quite all right with her.
    Jeb pulled away with a loud smack as his goofy grin spread wide. “That’s my girl.” He patted her cheeks once before he turned her loose. “Now take that and head due north of here. About fifty miles or so, there’s a small town named Ironstation built around an even smaller coal mine. You might be able to negotiate a decent price since you’re buying straight from the source.”
    Rose wiped at her tears, hoping she didn’t look as terrible as she felt. The last thing she needed was for her girls to worry. “Is it maintained by the Mechanics? Because I’d rather go on sails then deal with them.”
    The big man shook his head. “Nope, it’s independently owned.”
    Such a mine was unheard of these days. “Really? By who?”
    “You ain’t gonna believe this, but some crazy professor runs the mine. Otto Von Maxwell is what they call him. Rumor says he uses the coal to fuel his scientific experiments. Weird science that is.”
    Rose had to laugh at that. After sheltering Jayne for the last year or so, then welcoming Atom onboard, she felt like science couldn’t get any weirder for her.
    “Laugh all you want,” Jeb said. “But he’s got what you need. He might not part with it willingly, but there should be enough there to make him at least think about it.”
    She patted the envelope. The thickness of it made her sicker than the thought of taking it with her. How much was inside? She dreaded counting it. “Are you sure you can part with it?”
    “Sure. I’ll just say you broke in and robbed me.” He let go a bark of laughter. “Maybe I’ll rough myself up a bit, unless you want to.” Jeb held his arms out as he added, “What do ya say? Want to take a shot for old time’s sake?”
    “You shut your mouth.” But she was laughing with him, and it felt good.
    Jeb’s gentle chuckle wound down to a sigh. “I reckon I’ll think of something to tell the