“You don’t know why he went overboard. Look, whether he went into the water because of your words or because he was trying to get away from us, it doesn’t matter. He knew the risks when he took the job for your father. He wasn’t a good guy and doesn’t deserve your pity.”
Hollyn met his gaze once more and shook her head back and forth slowly before she said, “You don’t know my father. He can be very persuasive, but even if he knew what he was getting into and shouldn’t be pitied, it’s my choice to en-trance him that I’m worried about. What if I don’t want to be a bad guy?”
Kai sat all the way up, touching his hand to the back of his head. He pulled his fingers away and stared at them in the dim light. Hollyn didn’t notice any blood on his hand, but his head would probably still be aching from such a blow. Seemingly satisfied that there was no permanent damage, he stood all the way up and reached down to pull her to a standing position.
Once she stood in front of him, he rested his hands on her shoulder and ducked his head until they were face-to-face. He said, “Trust me, I know bad guys. You are not bad guy material. If anything, you really need to embrace more badness in your life. It would do you good.”
“Do you know how crazy that sounds?”
“Yes. I also know that we’re surrounded by men who want to kill me and do horrible things to you. I’m a good fighter, but there are far too many of them for me to take on my own. We aren’t going to get to the island unless you incapacitate some of them with your song.”
Hollyn wanted so badly to tell him exactly what he wanted to hear, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. “I just can’t. I don’t want anyone else to die because of me.”
“Even if that meanswedie?”
She pulled back, and his hands dropped from her shoulders. She raised a hand to her forehead and pushed her hair back. He was right. Of course, he was right. But why did it feel so wrong to think of using her ability like that? Could she do it if it was a life-or-death situation? Wouldn’t count on it.
But she didn’t have a chance to answer. They both turned as a loud screeching noise sounded from somewhere above, like a heavy, metal hatch being pulled open. They both backed deeper into the shadows as the clang of a key was pushed into a keyhole and turned. The door protested with a heavy groan as it swung inward, and the captain, wearing a confident smirk, along with several of his crew stepped through the door.
“How do you like your accommodations?”
Kai stepped out of the shadows and asked, “Do you seriously have to do that? I mean, come on, man. We just have to get to that island. I’m sure we can come to an agreement of payment of some sort.”
“Oh, you’re going to pay, alright. And, maybe when we’re done with you, we’ll dump you on the island. Or, at least what’s left of you.”
The captain’s grin widened, and the crew laughed a heavy, menacing chuckle. The sound made Hollyn’s skin crawl.
“What will it take for you to let us go?”
The captain paused, as if he were really thinking about the question. His grin slipped, and a criminal look came into his eyes as he answered, “We’ve been out of the seas for a while now, and we’re at least a week away from making port. My crew is getting restless. I was hoping you could provide some entertainment for them.”
“Entertainment? What kind of entertainment?”
“I don’t know. What talents do you have? I hope it’s something my cultured crew can appreciate.” The captain’s gaze seemed to search the shadows until they landed on Hollyn. She didn’t like the thought of his crew’s idea of entertainment.
“I can fight.”
The captain’s gaze swung back to Kai. Hollyn didn’t like where this was going either.
“That’s something. But my men are really bored. How many men do you think you could take on?”
Kai sighed heavily. “As many as you send my way.”
The captain laughed heartily. “Do you hear that, boys? He’s going to fight the whole crew. What do you think of that?”
The group of men around the captain cheered loudly for several seconds before a crewman rushed in and whispered in the captain’s ear. All the humor dropped from the captain’s face as his gaze raked over both captives.
“Well, that will have to wait. Seems we will have to deal with a few airplanes circling the boat. Do you know anything about that?”
Kai shrugged noncommittally, and Hollyn wrapped her arms around her midsection once more as the huge, metal door slammed closed again, and the sound of the key putting the locking mechanism in place reverberated off the walls of the hold.
Hollyn rushed to Kai’s side and, in a hushed tone, asked, “Are you crazy? You can’t knock out every member of the boat’s crew? They’re going to murder you.”
“You feel like warming up your voice?”
He turned and walked toward the door. Every muscle of his broad back tensed beneath his dark blue T-shirt as he ran his hands over the metal.
“If it comes to that...well, let’s hope we can find a way out of here before it comes to that.”
