She grinned. “Your replacement.”
His face fell and for a split second, she almost felt sorry for him. He didn’t even see her swing the mop handle. The blow took him by surprise and he crumpled to the floor.
“Skip, is that you?” The cook. She grabbed the cabin boy under the arms and dragged him into the tiny closet.
Dropping him, she took out a vial. “Sorry about this.” She emptied the liquid into his mouth and he coughed and sputtered as it went down.
“Skip, you’re going to be late.”
The cook’s voice jerked her into action. She tugged the boy’s shirt off and ripped her wet one free. No time to change anything else. Pulling the dry garment over her head, she sent up a silent thanks it fit well and checked her hat once more before darting into the kitchen.
The big man didn’t even turn from his pot. “You’ll be getting a whipping if you don’t hurry.”
She grabbed the tray and goblet. If her timing was right, there were only minutes to spare. Once back in the hallways, she balanced the goblet on the tray and emptied the other vial in it.
None of the crew seemed to give her more than a passing glance as she made her way back up to the main deck. Still, her heart slammed against her ribs and the tray trembled in her hands. A moment later, she stood in front of Thorne’s cabin. Too late to back out now. She took a deep breath. Knocked. Opened the door.
He sat at a desk, his back to her. His quarters were clean and tidy and she blinked in the darkness. Thank goodness he only had a few candles lit at his table. Still, she’d expected... More. He was a notorious pirate. There should be treasure adorning every nook and cranny.
The plate clattered on the tray as she shut the door behind her.
Click.
“You’re late.”
He snapped a pocket watch closed and swiveled to face her with raised brows. Right. His dinner.
She rushed forward and set it on the table, clearing her throat to lower her voice. “There you are.”
As soon as she released the tray, she pivoted and headed back toward the door. But she only made it a few steps before Thornecleared his throat.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” She turned to stare at his outstretched hand and her stomach dropped.
“The keys, Skip.”
The keys. The ones still on Skip’s belt.
Thump.
Thump.
Her heart slammed inside her chest.
“I—I...” His eyes narrowed and she backed away another step.
“I left them in the kitchen.” Her words came out in a strangled whisper. “I got distracted. I swear, I didn’t mean to. I’ll go get them right away.”
“What could possibly distract you from the most important job on this ship?”
She swallowed and wracked her brain for a worthy excuse. “The prisoner.”
Thorne’s gaze zeroed in on her. “What about him?”
“He said something. It was nothing, really. Doesn’t matter,” she mumbled.Stop blabbering and get out. She took another step toward the door.
The captain drew a dagger from his boot and studied the pointed blade. “Tell me.”
She said the first thing that came to mind. “He threatened my family.” She winced when her voice cracked and coughed to cover the higher tone.
