She shushed the voice of reason in her head that told her to run for the door before they gutted her. Jacks aren’t craven. Now get in there, me girl.
Scared and breathless, she forced herself to her feet and crossed the room, trying to exude a confidence she definitely didn’t feel. Her legs trembled as sweat beaded on her forehead and upper lip.
For a moment, she feared she’d faint.
You can do this. Don’t you dare back out now. Patrick needs you. You’re all he has in this world.…
The moment she neared them, they fell silent and all three pairs of eyes pierced her with a malevolent glare she was sure had turned lesser beings into stone.
Or, at the very least, caused them to soil their breeches.
Captain Bane took a drink of his ale before he spoke in a voice so deep, it rolled out like thunder over a dark, stormy cove. “May I help you?”
She took a nervous step forward.
The brown-haired man pulled his sword and angled it at her neck. “That be close enough, lad. Declare yourself.”
She cleared her throat and met the captain’s gaze levelly. “I was told that you’re Captain Bane?”
Without confirming it, the one she was sure was he brushed his thumb over his bottom lip. “Why do you seek the good captain?”
“I was told that he … or you, rather, were part of the salvage for the Plate Fleet that went down?”
His mate stood and, with his sword, forced her to step back. “We know nothing of what you speak.”
Too late, she realized that they probably mistook her for one of the king’s pirate hunters who’d been tasked with going after the raiders of the sunken ships and their cargos. “It’s not what you’re thinking. Me brother was on one of the ships.”
Bane reached out to touch the man’s hand and force the point of his companion’s sword toward the floor. “And?”
“I was told he went down with his ship.” She choked on her tears that threatened to overwhelm her. Ever since she’d heard about her brother’s fate, she’d been unable to cope. Unable to breathe. Not after all the two of them had been through together. “Please. I have to know the truth.”
The wigged man spoke with a degree of sympathy in his voice. “Only one ship made it out.”
“Aye,” she whispered. “The Griffon. He wasn’t on that one. His ship was the San Miguel. He was the captain of it … Patrick Jack.”
Bane’s gaze softened. “Sorry. The captain didn’t make it out.”
As they began to ignore her, it angered her to be dismissed so casually, and Cameron stepped forward again. “If what you say is true, then can you explain this to me.” She tossed the bit of salvage that had been delivered to her door with a note from her brother.
It skidded across the table to land beneath the candle in front of Bane.
He and his companions froze for a full minute as she held her breath, waiting.
It was a worthless trinket that made no sense whatsoever. A strange bit of a charm designed in the shape of an ornate cup, with a pair of wings rising over the rim and a stake with ribbons that fell from the bottom of it. And marked with a fleur-de-lis in the center of its bowl. While it was pretty enough, she had no idea why her brother would have sent such to her. Why he would even bother.
Never mind anyone else. It would be all kinds of cruel were it a hoax.
The captain scowled at the necklace charm, but made no move to touch it. “Is this supposed to mean something to me?”
She shrugged. “No idea.” Slowly, she approached the table and held out the note that had been wrapped and sealed around the item. “This was what he used to hold it and send it to me.”
Bane took the crumpled parchment from her hand and read it. The letter was simple and heartbreaking. One she’d committed to memory.
Cam,
Forgive me for leaving you as I have. Know that me loyalty is with you. Always. Listen not to anyone. Keep your weather eye to the horizon and this to your bosom. Tell no one that you have it. Not even Lettice. Trust none at your back.
Ever yours,
