Arthur simply nodded.
“What the hell for?”
He shrugged. “He stopped by, and I asked ‘em if he wanted a drink, but he oddly declined. Asked me about some girl.”
A girl? Caspian Vayne isasking about agirl?
“In what capacity?”
Wiping his thumb across his lips, he craned his head to the side. “In exchange for information, you’ll have to buy?—”
I retrieved a dagger from my hip, burrowing it into his matted beard to find his throat. “I do not believe you are in any position to try to negotiate with a pirate. Nor do I feel it is wise that you’d evenattemptto do so with me.” My tongue trailed over my canines as I narrowed my glower. “I will not ask you again, Arthur. If you wish to keep your esophagus intact and continue scamming the pitiful morons that walk these filth-ridden streets, tell me what Caspian wanted and what information you provided.”
He groaned, looking up at me. “He was after a beautiful copper-haired woman. She’d run through the night market practically unclothed, likely from Seirdra’s Veil. There was an air about ‘er, as if The Tide Eaters resided within ‘er, craving retribution for all the ways men have harmed their mothers.” A devious sneer coated his expression as he continued, “Yourenemymay have gotten himself into a handful of trouble.”
I loosened my grip, shoving him away from me. “Where was he ported?”
“Same place as always.” His fingers lifted, pointing toward where we’d docked our ship.
“And when did they leave?”
“Dawn, sailing northeast.”
Pulling a pouch of coins from my pocket, I tossed it at him. “Get me my usual.”
“Not going to stick around for a drink either, huh?” he asked, turning his back to me to grab the most potent and expensive rum and whiskey he always kept in stock for me.
“Sorry, Arthur,” I hummed, lifting my chin skyward. “There’s far too much blue to sail to hunt down the man who nearly cost me my life. Knowing he may have a potential weakness, I won’t waste another second on land.”
Caspian had wished for war the day he’d left me bleeding at sea, stealing the treasures we’d acquiredtogether,with a crew he still brainwashed into standing beside him. And now that I’d deciphered his location after searching for him for eight years straight with no success in taking his life, I refused to let him slip through my fingers again.
It was time for me to wage my wrath accordingly, for he’d hidden from mefor far too long.
CHAPTER 7
Overpriced Liquor
SYORAN
Nursing a new glass of whiskey, since I hadn’t been able to enjoy the one in the brothel, I lifted my gaze to the man of the hour.
Seated behind his desk, he pinched the needle between his lips. As he secured the gauze against his side, I extended a piece of tape, and he took it without reply. Once he’d secured all four corners, he glanced up at me, the glasses he rarely wore settling on the bridge of his nose.
“What?” he questioned, lowering his shirt to conceal the various scars adorning his body—some aged by a decade, others far newer.
I merely shrugged, my eyes shifting to the bottle of liquor I’d stolen from Seirdra’s Veil. Hell, we were pirates for a reason. Plundering and theft were inherently second nature, and I sure as fuck wasn’t about to miss out on the sharp burn of pricey alcohol.
“Oh, nothing,” I answered, taking another swig.
He reached forward for the bottle, and I went for the knife on my hip. Slamming its sharpened tip between his middle and forefinger, it deeply penetrated the dark oak with an unspoken warning.
“Not in the mood to share?” he crooned, crimson irises igniting with the challenge.
“More than happy to,” I started, my tongue trailing across my lips. “Once you inform me who the fuck the woman is that you brought on this godsdamned ship.”
“I already told you?—”
“Cut the bullshit.” The snarl tumbled from me as I leveraged the hilt to angle the sharpened edge against the webbing between his fingers. “Sure, entertainment is a warranted excuse, but Iknowyou, Vayne, and you don’t act without purpose. So, do you want to tell me who she is? Or should I list off everything I know about Ms. Rohen Levitte?”
