Charles hissed in fury at the sound of Anne's cry from upstairs, though the fact that she could sound it at least let the captain know that she lived. Although the crimson drops on Low's dagger made him want to charge forward and tear the man apart. But for all his own fury, Charles was still far more cold-blooded than the maniacal Ned Low.

"Play this smart, Low," Vane announced, his voice as rough and grating as the sound of a steel blade being sharpened, "and stand down. I'll kill you quick if you do. Otherwise, I'll be leaving Max with a terrible mess to clean up, and she'll make me pay extra for it."