AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She didn’t say her last name,” Enzo hedged, trying to think if he’d heard the name Santo Ferrer before. Perhaps Big Joe had done business with the guy, but for Cam to look spooked, the guy had to be a real monster.
“Santo Ferrer is not a guy to cross,” Cam finally said, his voice hard.
“She ran from him, Cam. Got in that cargo hold because she was scared of what he’d do to her. Sounds like she was afraid he’d rape her.”
The captain flinched at Enzo’s words and sank onto the berth. “That guy is a whack job. I stopped doing business with him because he liked to change the conditions of deals on a whim, and when people refused, he had no issue slitting their throats,” he finally said with a grim expression on his face.
Enzo closed his eyes, his stomach turning at the idea of sweet Rosalía at the mercy of a creep like that. “We can’t just send her back to him.” When Cam looked in the other direction, his expression torn, Enzo knew he’d gotten through to him a little bit. “She’s a singer,” Enzo added, and Cam let out a long breath.
“She said that.”
“Did she say her father promised to take her to New York when she turned twenty-one but died before her birthday?”
When the hell had Enzo found the time to get all this from the girl? Camden wondered. Maybe he’d been down there talking to her before he’d stuck his head between her legs. Unlike Cam, who had fucked her barely a minute after he’d walked into the cabin the night before.
“She’s a good enough singer that her father promised to bring her to work with a group out there. But her brother refused to honor it.”
Cam’s face heated from shame at how he’d just spoken to her. Not that this changed anything. “She can’t stay on this boat, Enzo. I have enough trouble brewing here as it is. The last thing I need is Santo Ferrer coming after us. This is not up for discussion. She is staying in Nassau, and you are staying out of my way while I try to get this fucking rum for your uncle.” He didn’t look at Enzo when he said it, but Cam heard the disgusted noise from the other man.
“You know,” Enzo said, turning back to Cam when he reached the door, “I understand why you’re ruthless, I respected that about you. That you did your job at any cost. But sending her back is cruel.” His curls were like a fluffy halo around his head. He looked like one of those Roman youth sculptures in the Metropolitan Museum. That unhappy pout on his mouth made Cam’s pulse race. The boy was too beautiful. “You’re a lost cause, Cam,” Enzo said before walking out of the cabin.
By the time Cam calmed himself down and exited his cabin without any idea of what to do, the sun was low on the horizon, and the heat of the afternoon was giving way to a lighter breeze. Laughter drifted his way, and he looked over to find Rolly manning the helm while Butter dished out food. Enzo and Rosalía—who was now wearing another frumpy jacket over her dress—huddled together, their heads close as they talked.
Jealousy sliced through Cam. He wanted to be between the two. One arm around each of them. Rosalía on his lap while Enzo made his dumb jokes. Wanted to take them both belowdecks and have them take turns on his dick. Instead, he walked past them and went straight to Rolly.
“Go eat. I’ll take over.” Cam clenched his jaw when Rolly gave him a suspicious look.
“I’m supposed to be on until midnight,” the older man argued. “Rosi said she would sing for me then.”
“It’s Rosi now?” Cam was truly losing his patience. “Didn’t she stab you yesterday?” His first mate blew away Cam’s words with a flick of his hand, before sending a besotted look in Rosalía’s direction.
“We sorted that out. I was out of line. I scared her.” Rolly was rewarded with an encouraging smile from Rosi, who was practically on Enzo’s lap. Cam, on the other hand, got a very unfriendly look and a cold shoulder.
“When have you ever wanted to work more than you have to?” Cam barked, then forcibly removed Rolly from the helm, while the others stared at him like he’d grown horns and fangs.
“Go chow down, Rolly,” Cam muttered, flustered beyond belief.
“You reek of sex,” his first mate observed, his nose scrunched up. He didn’t sound too put off about it, but Cam’s face still darkened with fury.
Rosalía was thankfully distracted talking to Butter, but Enzo had clearly heard and opened his mouth, likely to say some smart-ass comment. Cam sent him a look that clearly said, I’ll kill you.
“I don’t have to explain myself to you, Roland,” Cam shot back.
The older man walked away laughing, and Cam focused on scowling at the expanse of water in front of him.
He almost wished he could jump into the sea.
Chapter
Six
The sun had gone down when Butter pulled a guitar from under a blanket.
Rosalía’s face immediately brightened. “Oh, Abelardo, that is a beautiful guitar.”
The cook glowed under her praise, clearly just as infatuated with her as the rest of them. “I thought you’d sing something for us, Señorita Rosalía,” he said as he strummed the chords.
“She promised me some Gardel,” Enzo offered in a friendly tone. He had been an irreverent asshole to everyone when he’d boarded the schooner, mostly to piss off Cam, but he was slowly trying to make amends with the crew.
