Constantine Capers: The Pennington Perplexity by Natalie Brianne (new ebook reader TXT) 📕

a hand on the back of her neck, a slight pressure, and then all went dark.

When Mira woke, her head throbbed, and everything felt cold. She opened her eyes, surprised by the amount light. Blinking a few of times, she tried to sit up. Her whole body ached with a freezing soreness. She used the wall for support and then examined her surroundings.

She was in a small, stone lined room. The light came from a barred window near the ceiling that was eye level with the street. Straw and wood shavings from the floor clung to her clothes and scratched at her legs. A few crates lined the wall. The door was solid wood, with bars in a small slot near the top.

She stood, shaking. Her headache intensified with height, but she needed to determine where she was. She strained to look out the window to the street, but she couldn’t recognize any signs or buildings. Footsteps echoed from the hall outside and she collapsed again, pretending to still be unconscious. The footsteps stopped at the door, the door creaked open, and she felt the presence of two people in the room with her.

“She was found on the Horizon then?” A woman’s voice asked.

“Yes ma’am. Sam and I found her while we were moving the goods.”

“And you say she only speaks French?”

“From what we can tell. We don’t know who she is or how much she knows. For all we know she was just taking free passage to London.”

“Either way, she’s seen something. Pity she’s still asleep.” The woman paused and came closer to her. She leaned over and moved a bit of hair out of her face. Mira tried to stay relaxed and maintain slow breaths. The woman walked back to who she presumed was Joe.

“Let me know the moment she wakes up. We can’t have any more breaches in security. After that Pennington issue we need to keep our guard up. If word gets higher up, we’ll all face the consequences.” She walked out. The man paused a moment.

“Of course, ma’am.” Then he walked out, and the door closed behind him.

Mira didn’t dare move. As soon as she did, they would know she was awake, and the questions would start. Eventually she would slip up. Her French wasn’t perfect, and it was improbable anyone experienced would take her as fluent. However, she couldn’t lay there forever. She had to find a way out. Why on Earth had she insisted to come with Byron?

Eventually her stiff limbs couldn’t bear it any longer. Her headache faded, and her thoughts cleared. She waited until she felt certain that no one was watching her and then she sat up again and stretched. Heavens, it felt good. Once she had full circulation in her appendages, she searched along every inch of the cell for some inconsistency, any weakness. Footsteps fast approached the room. She considered feigning sleep again, but she knew she couldn’t do that forever either. She resigned herself to her fate.

“She’s awake!” The man called Joe opened the door, traversed the distance between them with a single step, and grabbed her by the wrist. She resisted initially, but he twisted her arm and grabbed at her hair with his other hand. She cried out, and he pulled her from the room. He led her down a few hallways. The building was smaller than she had anticipated, but she had little time to map it out. They reached his destination, and he knocked on the door.

“Come in.” It was the woman’s voice from before. He opened the door and pulled her in with him.

A short woman with long, brown hair sat behind the desk. She dressed nicely, but not in an extravagant way. Her stout, limber, frame made her look fit, and her facial features seemed familiar. She smiled when she saw Mira and started to speak French.

“Ah. I see you are awake. How nice.” The woman gestured to Joe. He deposited Mira in a chair and then closed the door, blocking it on the inside with his large frame. Mira watched his movements with caution as she nursed her wrist. The woman’s voice drew her attention once more.

“Might I ask what your name is?” Mira faltered for a moment, translating her moment of hesitation into fear.

“S…Suzette.”

“Suzette. What a beautiful name. Suzette, what were you doing inside of that airship?” Mira hesitated again. Her answer meant life or death. An incorrect answer could be lethal.

“It was warm, Madame. I didn’t realize it was going to take off so quickly.”

“Where are you from Suzette?”

“Lyon, France.” Mira was surprised by how quickly her responses came out of her. Based in the woman’s speech pattern, she wasn’t French either. Hopefully, the woman wouldn’t notice her inaccuracies. She couldn’t tell if the woman believed her, and that caused her anxiety to rise. Luckily, Suzette had as much reason to be afraid as Mira did.

“Do you not speak English?”

“No, I do not.”

“Tell me how you came to be on the ship.”

Mira swallowed. “It was late at night. I was wandering the streets and came to the docks. I saw men loading crates onto the ship. It was cold, and I snuck inside. I must have fallen asleep behind one of the crates. When I woke the door was closed.”

“You don’t know what was in those crates then?”

“No, Madame. I do not.”

The woman paused for a moment thinking. Then she turned to Joe. “Take her back to the holding cell for now. She knows nothing; however, I would like to question her more once I have more facts. She dresses like a thief, so she may be lying. We can hold her until we find out. I doubt she will be missed until then.”

Joe nodded and grabbed her wrist again pulling her to her feet.

“Please, Madame, what are you going to do with me?”

“Don’t worry your pretty head, Suzette. You are in good hands.” The woman smiled, and Mira’s stomach churned. Joe pulled her from