For a second, Pisces only stared at her, but then she gave the barest nod of her head. She had seen her, she had understood her, and she would pass that message on to their sisters.

They weren’t prepared, but Caledonia would make sure they got prepared. Fast.

“Gloriana,” she said, eyes still pinned to the ship carrying her sisters out to sea. “When is the next low tide?”

“Close to midnight.”

Caledonia nodded. “That’s our mark. We’ll get the bombs to you in two hours. Plant them, open the jetty walls at midnight, then get to the ship.”

“I’ll see you soon, Captain,” Gloriana answered, turning swift steps away from the wharf.

Caledonia was filled with a terrible kind of hope as she watched the ship carry her sisters past the jetty walls toward the tide cans. They would be locked inside, and there would be no way to open those hatches again once the tide came in. They would have to endure a full tide before she could reach them. That would have been a challenge for many of them when they weren’t starving and weakened by days of abuse. In their current state, this could kill them.

“Hold on,” Caledonia whispered. “I’m coming for you.”

Chapter Twenty-four

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Caledonia spent the rest of the day aboard the Beacon ensuring it was ready for what came next and mapping out the plan for Sledge.

“Say it again,” he said, huddled in the small chamber beneath the bridge.

“At midnight, Gloriana will open the jetty walls for us. As soon as they realize what’s going on, the Bullets will start to close them again, but we’ll already be moving. We have five minutes to take the Beacon through, and when the walls close behind us, we blow the arms. The walls stay closed. We free my crew and sail out of here before anyone can pursue.”

“You make it sound so simple,” he grumbled. “But how can you be sure we’ll get through? What happens if we’re too slow?”

Caledonia offered a tight smile. “We can’t afford to be slow. No delays.”

He leaned back, giving her a long look. There was more distance between them now, a prodding staff that pushed them in opposite directions. Oran was out there with her crew. Sledge might not like it, but he wasn’t ready to openly defy her. Instead, they let the subject sit silently between them. It was uncomfortable, but manageable. At least, for now.

There was a cursory knock on the door, then Triple slipped inside. A fresh sheen of sweat stood out on her brow, darkening the hair at her temples. She tossed a remote to Caledonia with a confident nod.

“I handed the explosives off to Gloriana,” she said. “She’ll have them placed inside each jetty tower before she meets up with us tonight.”