He faced me and lifted a brow. “You won’t even tell me your real name.” Before I could come up with a good response for that—there wasn’t one—he waved it off and added, “You don’t need to. Trust me, I understand wanting to keep your name to yourself.”
Huh. Was it possible that Reaper and I had more in common than I thought? “You’re running away from something too, aren’t you?”
He stared at me for an uncomfortably long time again before sighing. “I suppose I am.”
This time, I hummed. “Well, if you can keep my secret, I can keep yours. How’d you wind up on a pirate ship?”
“There was nowhere else I could go.”
I really wanted to push. I really wanted to hear his story, but we didn’t know each other well yet, and I understood not wanting to share. If I pushed for his story, he’d push for mine, and I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to deny him if he asked.
Loneliness was doing funny things to me, and I had a feeling that the first person to make me feel even a little bit comfortable here was going to wind up hearing my entire life story.
And that would be bad.
That would bereally bad.
So I cleared my throat and asked, “Do you think Sage will give us more pastries if we beg him?”
He chuckled. “I’m not sure, but it’s worth asking.”
With a small laugh, I stood. “Be right back, hopefully with pastries in tow.”
His smiling face was the last thing I saw as I moved over the side of the crow’s nest. Whether I had pastries or not, I was definitely coming back up here. This was the most relaxed I’d seen Reaper since I’d been onThe Black Wraith, and I really wanted more of this side of him.
Come to think of it, it was the most relaxed I’d been too.
I wonder if he’ll mind company every night he’s on watch?
I could certainly stand to make a friend, a true friend, on the ship. Why not start with the sexy pirate I couldn’t seem to stay away from?
8
Maximus
Jimmy’s large hands gripped the hem of Willy’s shirt and ripped it clean off in one violent motion. The fabric tore with a sound that cut through the morning air like a blade.
If only the boy removed it himself rather than begging for mercy.Willy was only making this harder on himself.
He stood there, shoulders hunched, his knitted brown cap still perched on his blond head like some pathetic shield against what was coming. The circle of pirates around us shifted restlessly. Hawk-eye’s face had gone pale, while Greybeard watched with the detached interest of someone who’d seen this dance too many times. Patty couldn’t even look, her gaze fixed firmly on the deck planks.
I crossed my arms and kept my expression neutral, even though every instinct screamed at me to intervene. But Butcher had followed protocol—sought the captain’s permission, presented his case with witnesses. When I’d questioned it, the bastard’s justification had been solid enough.
“Boy wasn’t where he was supposed to be,” Butcher had explained with barely concealed satisfaction. “Found himhelping Sage in the galley instead of checking the powder stores like he was supposed to. When I confronted him about it, little whelp called me a ‘bullying pig’ right in front of Moonie, Sprocket, and Jimmy. I’m not having the crew thinking they can mouth off to their superiors without consequence.”
Viper had nodded, his gold tooth glinting. “Ten lashes should remind him where he stands.”
I could have pushed harder, could have argued that Willy was just trying to be helpful. But overriding Butcher’s authority as boatswain would undermine the entire chain of command—including my own position. The crew needed structure, needed to know their place, or chaos would follow.
It didn’t make watching this any easier.
Butcher hefted the cat-o’-nine-tails, testing its weight with obvious relish. The leather strips swayed in the wind as he positioned himself behind Willy, who had his hands pressed against the mainmast. The boatswain’s balding head gleamed with sweat despite the cool morning air.
“Ten lashes for insubordination,” Butcher announced to the assembled crew, his voice carrying across the deck. “Let this be a lesson to anyone else thinking of abandoning their duties.”
He raised the whip high, muscles bulging beneath his shirt, a gleeful expression spreading across his scarred face as he prepared to deliver the first strike.
The first lash cracked across Willy’s bare back like thunder, and the boy’s sharp cry cut through me worse than any blade. I kept my face stone, arms crossed, but inside, something twisted and bled.
