Finn looked Selene up and down, folding his thick arms. “She could’na beatAlf.”
One of Oskar’s earliest pieces of advice: use their underestimation. Make it her weapon.
Still, the insult stung.
“Have you seen Alf?” Selene asked, then winced in Alf’s direction. “No offense.”
Alf’s mouth turned down at the corners, taking in both women and his shipmate. “I’m a damn good climber, and I’m stronger than I look.”
“The only thing I’ve seen you do well,” Selene said, “is chase that cat. I’ve yet to see you climb like one.”
“A couple of weeks at sea with me doesn’t make you an expert at what I’m good at,” Alf said.
“What’s going on here?” Thorne asked, appearing through the crowd.
The topic had drawn a lot of attention. Selene didn’t like the idea of involving the captain, but it was inevitable where she and Petrina were concerned.
Petrina turned bravely toward the captain. “I’m challenging Finn to a race up the rigging.”
“No,” he said simply, his word law, then started to turn away.
The unified groans and grumbles of displeasure drew him up short, and he swiveled to look at his men.
Thorne wasn’t unlike Augustus at times, though Thorne’s arrogancewas quicker to snap and draw blood. Augustus was like a predator who played with his food, and it could go either way for his prey. Whereas Thorne held his teeth to your jugular with every intention of biting down.
Selene, heart throbbing, shot Petrina a glance. For their plan to work, they needed these men to relax around them. Give them a little less attention. Andthis—silly as it was—might earn a little respect. Some favor. What better way to do that than to help a bored, disgruntled crew blow off steam? Even Thorne would benefit from a little fun.
Thorne met Selene’s eyes, and his mouth tilted into that damnable smirk. “Fine.” He turned his attention to Petrina. “But if you lose, you’ll dangle outside the ship tonight, scraping off barnacles until dawn.”
He was smart; Selene had to give him that. If Petrina backed down, it was her the pirates would blame. The eagerness for this race was like a static charge in the air.
“And if I win”—Petrina lifted her bound wrists, raw from the manacles—“you free me from these cuffs.”
“No.”
“Lighter duties then. Make someone else pump your bilge from now on.”
He straightened, mouth puckered in thought. “Fine.” Then, “Finn, if you lose, you’ll pump the bilge for a week.”
“I’ll’na lose, Captain.” Finn, grinning, rubbed his palms together. “You’ll be food for the sharks t’night, girl.”
Petrina held her cuffs out to Thorne for removal. “I can’t race without full use of my arms.”
Thorne obliged without argument. “Let’s make it even more interesting,” he said when finished. “Selene climbs with you against Alf.”
Selene froze. “What? No. I’m?—”
“You insulted the man,” Thorne said. “Everyone heard you. The least you could do is offer him a chance to prove himself.”
“My apologies to Alf then, but I’m?—”
“And,” Thorne went on, ignoring her, “To win, you must both reach the top before the men.”
Petrina hooked her now-free hands to her hips. “Deal. But Alf swabs the decks in Selene’s place after she wins. It’s only fair. And yes, before you say it, she can scrape barnacles with me if we lose.”
Having seen bloodeye sharks in action, Selene considered kicking Petrina in the shin.
Thorne gave Petrina a full, brilliant smile that brightened his eyes. “I would never risk Selene’s life like that. You’ll hang alone. By the wrists.”
