Voyage in Time: The Titanic (Out of Time #9) (16 page)

Elizabeth grinned and looked at Simon who nodded his assent.
 

“You wanna bet?”

After the next day’s fleecing was set, the three of them said their goodnights.
 

“You are very good at cards?” Niels asked Elizabeth as headed for the doors to the deck.

She smiled and shrugged.

Niels looked back over his shoulder at Sheridan, who waved off his wife as she tried to help him heft himself out of his chair. “I should like to sell tickets.”

Simon chuckled. “Perhaps we should.”

They started toward the door when Kimball’s voice boomed across the nearly empty room. “Cross! You have a minute?”

How did this man know just when he didn’t want to talk? “One. It’s rather late.”

“I will wait for you there,” Niels said, quickly making his escape to stand near the doorway. He found Kimball as tiresome as Simon did. The man had an endless supply of questions.

Elizabeth turned to join Niels, but Kimball called out, “You, too, Mrs. Cross. I was just wondering,” he said. “Are you two going tomorrow? I don’t know if I am or not. I mean, he seems like a decent enough guy. Russian but decent.”

Simon was tired and spoke more tersely than he probably should have. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You weren’t invited? Now, I feel like an ass—sorry,” he added with an apologetic look toward Elizabeth. “I just figured. Sergei Katarov’s hosting some cocktail party. Some big deal. I’m sure you’re invited. You two are great,” he said and for added emphasis squeezed both of their arms.

“Invitation’s probably just in the mail, you know?” he added

Simon didn’t know and didn’t care. “Yes,” he said and turned to leave. “Well …”

But Kimball held his arm. Simon looked down at it and he released him.
 

“Sorry, I just thought—I don’t know if Katarov and I would get along and I’d feel better—

“With all due respect, Mr. Kimball, I would feel better with a good night’s sleep. If the lack of invitation is merely an oversight as you said, it can be dealt with tomorrow.”

“Right, sure.”
 

He sniffed then and his eyes narrowed as a sneeze snuck up on him. He quickly patted his pockets down, but didn’t find a handkerchief and had to sneeze into his hands.

Simon winced, pulled his own handkerchief out of his pocket and held it out to Kimball.

“Thanks,” the man said as he took it and blew his nose.

He laughed, a little embarrassed.

“Good night,” Simon said and taking Elizabeth’s arm, turned away.

“Yeah, thanks,” Kimball said, waving the soggy hanky. “You have a good night!”

“That man is unbearable,” Simon said softly.

Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped. He looked over at her, but she kept her eyes ahead.

“Simon.”

He followed her gaze to see what had upset her and realized instantly it wasn’t something, but the lack of someone. Niels wasn’t standing by the doorway waiting for them. Simon turned to quickly look around the room, but he wasn’t anywhere. Niels was gone.

They hurried to the doorway. Simon pulled it open just in time see Niels at the other end of the long corridor being shoved into the revolving door by the German. He turned back and saw them, flashing the pistol in warning then shoving it back into Niels’ ribs.

“Simon,” Elizabeth gasped next to him and he instinctively reached out to stop her from moving toward them.

His heart thumped in his chest as he had to stand there and do nothing but watch. Finally, they passed through the revolving door. The German paused a moment and turned back to look at them.
 

As soon as he turned away, Simon and Elizabeth ran down the hall. Simon pushed the revolving door, but it didn’t move. The bastard must have wedged something into it. He pushed again, but it wouldn’t budge.
 

He looked through the glass, but he couldn’t see Niels anymore. The only other way out was through the opposite end of the lounge but that would have put them on the other side of the ship and wasted precious time.

Elizabeth hit her fists against the door and called out. “Hello? Is anyone there?” hoping someone in the entryway might hear, but it was late and the deck was nearly deserted.
 

Simon moved her aside and stepped into the open alcove on their side of the door. He pressed his back against it and placed a foot on the wall opposite. With all his might he pushed backwards and finally whatever had been blocking them gave way and the door turned. He stumbled back, but righted himself and pushed the door around. Elizabeth was close behind.

They were in the entry hall now and the German could have gone in any direction, up or down the grand staircase, down one of the cabin halls or—

“Outside!” Elizabeth called as she ran over to the doorway to the promenade.

He didn’t ask how she knew; he just followed.

They ran out onto the covered deck and into the cold night sea air.

Simon looked up and down the deck and saw two men in the distance.
 

“This way,” he said and ran after them.
 

As he got closer, he could see that the German had Niels at gunpoint and was motioning for him to climb over the rail. It was clear that the choice was either do that or be shot.
 

Simon called out to them and they both turned. When the German did, Niels took advantage of the distraction and reached for the gun. They grappled for it, but the German was bigger, stronger. He bent Niels back over the railing, one hand struggling for control of the gun and the other pushing Niels’ head down and back. His feet were lifting off the deck. He was just about to flip over the side when Simon grabbed ahold of the German and yanked him back around.

Simon barely registered the feet flying past his face as Niels tumbled over the railing.
 

He heard Elizabeth scream right next to him and lunge forward.

The German’s face twisted into a grimace of anger, his normally pale skin bright red. Simon had hold of his gun arm, trying to keep it pointed away from the ship, but the man was unreasonably strong.
 

The German’s other hand wrapped around Simon’s throat and squeezed. Simon couldn’t pull it away without letting go of the gun hand.

“Hold on!”

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elizabeth leaning over the railing. Was she holding Niels up? Could she? She seemed to move farther over the railing. In that instant, Simon started to let go of the gun arm, to let go of everything, to grab on to her. Suddenly, something, a fist, he realized, collided solidly with the side of the German’s face.

It was enough to make him let go of Simon’s throat. Simon turned and saw Elizabeth helping Niels pull himself up.

The German recovered from the blow and turned the gun toward Niels. Someone grabbed onto the man’s shoulder at the same time Simon hit him square in the jaw with everything he was worth. It was apparently enough.
 

The German flipped back over the railing, the gun falling from his fingers, and both plunged into the icy water below.

“Blimey.”

Simon glanced over at Edmund who stood stunned at the railing before hurrying over to Elizabeth and Niels. Niels was clinging to one of the support beams that held the deck above, his feet struggling to find purchase on the large rivets on the side of the ship.

Elizabeth was halfway over the side, straddling the railing like she was riding a runaway horse, holding on to Niels as best she could.

Simon moved to the other side of the pole and grabbed Niels’ arm. Edmund eased Elizabeth out of the way and onto the deck and grabbed onto Niels’ other arm. Together they pulled him back up onto the ship.

All four of them stood there gasping for breath.

Simon took Elizabeth by the arms. “Are you all right?”

She nodded and swallowed.

“Thank you,” Niels said, still breathless, and then looked at Edmund. “All of you.”

“Shouldn’t we tell somebody about …” Edmund’s voice trailed off as he looked at the ocean streaming past below.

Niels looked nervously at Simon.
 

“It’s complicated.”

~~~

Simon stood staring at the cold, empty fireplace in their sitting room. The others had gone to bed over an hour ago and, despite his assurances to Elizabeth that he would be along shortly, he knew he wouldn’t. Even though the German was out of the way and no longer a threat, Simon wasn’t resting easy.

After rescuing Niels, they’d spent the next half hour trying to explain who they were without saying who they actually were. Although, to keep the confusion level to barely manageable, they did tell Edmund Niels’ real name. It meant nothing to him, but it was one less thing they had to lie about. The trickiest part was explaining why they were doing what they were doing without actually saying what they were doing. In the end, the only person who didn’t mind the convoluted mess of a conversation was Edmund.
 

Edmund asked a few questions, and no matter how little sense their explanations made, he believed them. There was enough truth in them, Simon supposed, to keep them from falling completely apart, but Edmund never tugged any loose thread, never probed deeply. He trusted them. If they said they were working for the government and that Niels needed to be kept safe, that was enough for him.
 

It wasn’t that he was simple-minded, far from it. He said he trusted his gut and his gut trusted them. It was that simple for him.
 

Simon envied him that. The only thing Simon was sure of with such unwavering conviction was sleeping in the next room; and, as he paused to listen, snoring.
 

He smiled to himself and moved to peek through the bedroom door.
 

Elizabeth lay curled on her side, sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the maelstrom inside him. He’d been faced tonight with the question that haunted him before they’d left: What would he choose?

He’d been ready to let the German go to save her. Let everything go to save her. He would have if Edmund hadn’t intervened.

Elizabeth mumbled something in her sleep and rolled over. Simon eased the door so it was nearly closed again and started back over to the sofa. But he stopped midway. He didn’t want to sit. He needed to move, but he knew that if he did so here, it would invariably wake her.
 

Grabbing his coat, he quietly let himself out. He had no intention of going anywhere in particular and was wholly unsurprised to find himself on A Deck where so much had happened so few hours ago.

In his mind’s eye, he saw Elizabeth hanging from the railing, willing to sacrifice everything to save Niels.
 

“She’s far too good for me,” he said softly and leaned against the very same railing she’d clung to hours earlier.

“Couldn’t sleep either?”

Simon started to turn around, momentarily startled, but he knew that voice.

“Hello, Edmund.”

He turned back to watch the black water below.
 

Edmund came beside him and mimicked his pose. Simon glanced over at him and saw his brow furrowed in thought.

“I suppose you have questions.”

Edmund shook his head. “No, not about … It’s stupid.”

Simon straightened and faced him. “I doubt that.”

Edmund shook his head again and smiled almost embarrassed. “You really love her, don’t you?”

Simon frowned in confusion. “My wife? Yes.”

“I just thought …” Edmund said. “I don’t know, that rich people didn’t love each other as much as poor people or something. But …” He glanced over at Simon. “I told you it was stupid.”

Simon leaned back onto the railing. “People are people, Edmund. Rich or poor, the heart wants what it wants, doesn’t it?”

Edmund nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re not going to America just for a job, are you?” Simon asked.

Edmund gave a small laugh. “No.”

“A girl?”

He nodded.

“I thought as much. Not many men will risk everything for the possibility of a job when they already have a decent one. But for a woman …”

Edmund blushed. “Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “I quit my job. I left my family. I left my whole life. I’m crazy, right?”

“Just in love.” Simon smiled to himself. “If the woman I loved were out there,” he said, looking out across the water, “I assure you, no ocean could keep me from her.”

He glanced over at Edmund. “So, if you’re crazy, you’re not alone.”

Edmund nodded and then grinned.

“How about fathers?” he said. “Clara’s isn’t crazy about me.”

“That can be more difficult,” Simon said, matching his smile. “But you’ll do all right, I think.”

“Yeah?”

Simon nodded.
 

They both stared out at the ocean.

“If you had a daughter, you’d be okay if I—”

Simon frowned. “Let’s not get carried away.”

Edmund laughed. “Right.”
 

He took a small necklace from his breast pocket. “Spent everything I had on this,” he said. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

Simon admired the simple locket and smiled. “I do.”

Edmund grinned and stuffed it back into his pocket. “I hope you’re right.”

They watched the water in silence for a few moments.

“It must be hard for you,” Edmund said. “All this dangerous government business and her right there in the mix.”

“It is.”

“Why do you do it?”

Simon asked himself that daily and the answer was always the same. “Because it’s the right thing to do. And it needs doing. And no force on earth can stop Elizabeth when someone needs help.”

Edmund smiled and seemed to understand. He nodded and then he turned to rest his back against the railing. As he did, his expression changed.

Simon followed his gaze. “What is it?”

There was nothing on the deck but stacks of folded deck chairs.

Edmund shook his head and narrowed his eyes. “I just remembered where. I thought I’d seen that man before, but—”

“Where, what? What man?”

“Where I’d seen that man before, the German,” Edmund said, his eyes shining with excitement.