A Kiss in the Wind by Jennifer Bray-Weber

sorry about your place, Lansky.” He placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. Lansky stared at his burning livelihood, his eyes heavy with grief. “Don’t worry, mate. I’ll see to it that the bakery will be rebuilt. On my honor.”
    And he would. Having any dealings with the ship would likely result in a date with the executioner. Blade and the Rissa crew made sure those who precariously allied themselves with their ship reaped protection and a tidy compensation. It was an unspoken gift in exchange for whatever services her captain and crew might require from loyal friends. For Lansky, it would mean keeping him from homelessness and starvation.
    Lansky turned sharply to him, smiling, shaking his hand. “Oh, thank you, sir. Thank you.”
    Blade nodded. “Go see Kate down at The Harpy Wineskin. Tell her I sent you.”
    “Yes, sir.” Lansky bowed, not letting go of Blade’s hand. “Yes, sir.”
    “We’d best be on our way, then.” Blade looked toward the docks and the concentration of billowing smoke smothering the night sky. “Before one of us takes a wayward bullet.” He pulled on Marisol’s wrist.
    “I’ll take my chances,” she contended.
    “Aye, you will. With me. Come.”
    She pulled back, releasing herself from his grip. “No.”
    This woman made no bones about testing his temperament. She must have coughed up her scruples from the caustic mixture of smoke and flour if she thought he would allow her to merely leave. “You have stolen not one, but several items that belong to me. You wounded one of my men. And…” He stepped in close to her, close enough that her breath fell on his face. “You tried to kill me. I don’t believe you are in a position to argue.”
    “Maim you.”
    “What?”
    The tips of her lips curved up into an impish grin. “I tried to maim you.”
    What a devil of a woman. Cloaked in beauty, she was wicked. Wicked and deceptive and, oh so close to finding herself naked beneath him. He groaned inwardly. He wanted her, despite the urge to strangle her. And that peeved him.
    “If I wanted to kill you, I would have aimed higher.”
    Blade smiled at that. “Not likely, love.” He grabbed her again by her wrist and her other arm. “Whatever it is that you’ve gotten yourself into has ensured that you belong to me.”
    She struggled against his hold. A new fire raged. It fumed in her eyes, her expression. “I belong to no one.” She swung her free fist but their closeness kept her from hitting anywhere but his shoulder.
    “Aye, keep fighting me, chit.” His skin prickled with both anger and arousal. “Make it easy for me.” He enjoyed the control over her, enjoyed letting the ire course through him. “You gave up your freedom the moment you chose to steal from me.” He enjoyed feeling her strength slacken upon his words. Never had he let iniquity obscure his mind. He was a better man than that. Yet he was beginning to see how weaker, evil men could lose their temper, their morality on a witch of a woman like Marisol.
    He laughed. “Aye, your freedom is mine.”
    She stopped squirming. Her jaw set rigid and her expression turned cross. “Never.”
    Wooden crossbeams moaned and cracked as fire ate away at the bakery roof. It collapsed a moment later. The heat from the flames grew in its intensity and Blade knew the four of them would have to vacate the relative safety of the alley.
    He drew his pistol. “Let’s go.”
    Marisol gave him no resistance and he pulled her along, hurrying to his ship. His crew would be waiting for his return, ready to move out of the bay, and armed for anyone anxious enough to lose their life trying to board her unwelcomed.
    In and out of side streets and alleys, they hurried. The closer they came to the docks, the more the melee thickened. Thieves ransacked homes and businesses, laying waste to everything in their paths, taking anything they desired or could turn a coin on. He held Marisol tightly by his side, pulling her through the