She meets my eyes, hers watery and dim. “Moira?”
“Yes.” I lean closer to her. “It’s me, Mom. Hi!” I can’t stop my eyes from watering.
“It’s you.” She reaches for me, her hand cool against my face. “My darling.” Her hand falls away, and she turns her head toward the wall.
“Mom?”
I run around to her other side. “Mom?”
She stares at the cinderblocks, her eyes vacant.
“Mom?” I pat her cheek. “Mom, come back.”
Her chest rises and falls. Her heart continues beating while mine crumbles and lands in jagged shards at my feet.
Chapter
Nine
“You have to warm up.” Hook sits me on the table in his cabin. “You’re soaked through.” He goes to one of the hidden cupboards in the wall and pulls out a small bottle and a piece of cloth. “Take off your clothes so I can?—”
“No.” I flinch back and wrap my arms around myself.
He sighs, his back expanding and then lowering. “I’m not going to hurt you, lass.” When he turns to me, his gaze goes right to my mouth, and then he wets the small square of white cloth with the liquid from the bottle.
“This’ll help.” He walks to me and dabs the stuff along my lip. It stings a little, but I suppose that must mean it’s working. His thumb drifts to my cheek. Ire kindles in his eyes, fire in an endless pool. “That fucking bastard.”
“I’m okay.”
“You’re not.” He runs a hand through his wet hair and slings the water towards the windows. “I should’ve come up to check on you. He never would’ve gotten his hands on you if I’d stuck close by.”
Does he know that I escaped all on my own? I don’t know, but I’m definitely not going to mention it. Not after what he did to Calico Jack.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” He rubs his thumb gently across my cheek once more before stepping back.
“No.” It’s not entirely true. My ribs are sore from when Cock and Balls threw me in the rowboat, but I’m not going to show him the injury, and I don’t want him ordering me to take my clothes off again.
“You’re not good at lying, lass. There’s no point trying.” He dabs at my lip a little more, then pulls the cloth away, a few traces of blood on it.
“I’m not mermaid-bite injured. Just regular injured. Nothing serious.”
His jaw tightens, but he doesn’t push farther. He strides to the door and opens it. The accountant-looking pirate is stationed outside again.
“Smee, tell Cookson to bring up the firepot and get a small one going on deck. Grab a cannonball and put it right next to it so it can warm up.”
Smee looks nothing short of confused, but all he says is “yes, Captain” before turning on his heel and heading below deck.
“Fire on a wooden ship? Doesn’t sound very safe.” I rub my upper arms, the same seawater chill I remember all too well seeping into my bones.
“Cookson is the only one I trust with a flame.” Hook goes to his closet and pulls out one of his white shirts, then digs toward the back, rummaging until he stands up with a pair of gray pants inhis hand. “These won’t fit.” He spins again and digs around some more before pulling out a worn leather belt. “But you can use this.”
“I told you, I’m not taking my clothes off.” I slide off the table and back away from him. “Not happening.”
He moves toward me slowly and lays the clothing on the bed. “I’m going to see about the fire. Change in here. You’ll be safe. No one will bother you. I can even send Widow in if you like.”
“Yes.” I think having that fierce pirate in here might help settle my nerves. Because, at the moment, I still feel Calico Jack’s hand at my throat. I lift my hand to my neck and brush my fingers along my skin.
“There’s a mark there, lass.” His anger rises again, but he pauses, clearly making an effort to temper it. “Not a bad one. Should fade in a few days.”
