I wished my mind weren’t too murky to see the final piece of the puzzle he painted for me. It was a testament to how malnourished I was that I couldn’t keep up. I knew Rose stole the money. I knew it was her sending it, but the world thought her dead. She was safe.
Ain’t no one safe if their heart still beats, Bash, you know that.
Billy was dead and at the bottom of the sea.
“I can see you are struggling. Let me be clear, I’ve had all of the Baileys watched, which is a considerable feat as there are far too many of them. None have done anything so exciting as staying up past ten o’clock. Which means someone else is invested in their continued survival. I can only think of one who might.”
I swallowed hard, my throat already going dry. Billy was right. No one was ever truly safe until they were dead. No, not Billy. That was me. My mind, conjuring his voice. Billy was dead.
“I think that will be enough for today, except to say I believe I have found your weakness at last, Captain. I’m ashamed it took me this long.” He stood and wiped the dust from his uniform. When he raised his eyes to mine, I was sure I’d been outmatched. “It would seem the mythical Captain Flynn is just as human as the rest of us.”
He opened the door and didn’t bother turning around again.
Only a muttered, “How disappointing,” echoed in my ears.
He knew.
Chapter seven
To Stay
Rose
Of all the tempests that drag a sailor under, none pulls harder than desperation. The Deep can smell it long before the waves break.
— An Old Mariner's Warning
The worst part was waiting.
I would rather have tangled with giant sea turtles a thousand times over than sit on my ass waiting for something to happen.
The schedule was wrong. I miscalculated. It was all for nothing.
I paced back and forth on the deck of the Sea Wraith, only pausing to raise my spyglass to my eye and confirm the horizon was still empty.
“You are going to wear a hole right through to the hull, and then Bash will be extra grumpy when he gets back,” Val said from where she sat cross-legged, tying a rope like she had all the time in the world.
I couldn’t take for granted what she’d done just then, though. Couldn’t do anything but appreciate the hope that surged in me. We were close. Only Val was brave enough to say his name and talk about him like he wasn’t dead. The new crew members I’d convinced to join were too scared to say his name, and the rest thought they were showing me respect by not.
“When he gets back, I’ll be sure to apologize,” I said.
I rubbed my hands together and blew into them, creating a small stream of smoke in the chilly air. We were just outside London, so close I could practically feel him. We’d been here for a week, though, and still The Bane had yet to show. She was supposed to be returning from the North Sea.
“Someone must have caught on that we knew the schedule and changed it. James is an idiot, but he’s smart enough to know what losing the Bane would cost him,” I said.
“You said the Bane was the only ship he had that could stand against the Wraith. That investors wouldn’t risk putting out anything smaller after three losses,” Val said.
I turned on my heel and glared at her. “I know what I said.”
She nodded and continued threading. “Oh, good. So, you know that we are in the right place, and that you're wearing a hole into the deck is impractical and unhelpful. Also, you are making the crew nervous.”
I bit my lip, a low growl breaking from me. My entire body hummed with restless energy that I needed to expel. Usually,that ended up with my creating a terrible plot, but I was already in the midst of one.
Val sighed with the weight of the sea and set the rope down like this was all a wild inconvenience. Before I could snap at her that she didn’t need to babysit me, she stood and leaned over the Wraith.
“Do you know why I’ve always liked you?” she asked.
I arched an eyebrow and, despite the anxiety floating through my blood, my lips pulled up in a small smile.
