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There was nothing she wanted more than to slap the smug look off his face, but what other choice did she have? Swallowing hard, Nicola held out her hand.
“Deal?”
He studied her, then shook it.
“Deal.”
His hand was large, engulfing hers. It was also warm, shocking her when it seared through her skin. Belatedly, it registered that there were only four fingers, his thumb grazing her palm and his pinkie nowhere to be found. She broke the handshake first, fisting her hand as an electric charge bloomed.
“What happened to your…?”
“Let’s make one thing clear here: the deal doesn’t constitute many questions from either end. You may go.”
She grimaced, then took his dismissal and stalked off. When she wrenched open the door, Maddox was there, fangs and nails ready. She tapped his arm and shook her head.
“There’s a deal in place. Leave him be.” Then, more reluctantly. “We need him.”
Nothing could have made her throat taste more bitter.
Nicola waited for the deal to break at some point, with Isaiah ousting them to the crew and weaving a tale about their cruel intentions so they could be thrown overboard. But nothing happened on the first week of their deal, with the captain keeping busy in his cabin at night and her safely tucked in her cabin during the day.
The next thing she waited for was a slice of his reputation: killing creatures they captured in the ocean, harassing other pirates, or perhaps kidnapping humans who made it into their world. The last one was a rare shot considering most humans were either employed in Ostrov Krov or blissfully unaware in their human world of this world’s existence.
None of that happened, and the monotony of the cruise and their daily tasks was almost nerve-wracking.
“Have you guys kidnapped anyone before? Smuggled humans in and out of islands?”
Moon peered at her over the sack he was carrying to be taken to the livestock area below deck. She took it from him and heaved it over her shoulder, pretending to struggle despite it being light as a feather.
“Do you mean slave buying?” he asked, picking up a smaller sack and wrinkling his nose. He exchanged the sack with hers, and she relented. “That’s a notorious practice, but it’s not done in these waters. It’s on the other side.”
“The other side?”
“We don’t pass by there. It’s rife with trouble, and the captain gets mad when his deals with his clients don’t go through.”
“Import and export?”
“With the shifter islands, yes. With Centro, too. It’s mostly import with Ostrov Krov. They have the highest demands and make the highest pay, and the captain has decided that it’s easier work than stealing.”
“So, you never stole?”
Moon laughed. “Oh, we stole. Some ships deserve it. Wait until we come across a bastard ship. It will be glorious.”
“Bastard ship?”
“That’s what we call ships that are up to no good. The captain especially likes to take those down.”
She could understand how others relished destroying others, considering some houses in her kingdom did exactly that. She bit back her distaste, wanting more information.
“I guess it’s adrenaline rush, huh? And he has got to keep that notorious reputation up.”
“It’s not like he has a choice.”
“What?”
“Are you two going to gab the whole night long like little girls?” There was a snigger before Wheeler stepped into view, scrutiny landing on her immediately. His eyes lit up when he caught sight of the sacks. “Nic, you little shit. Are you seriously going to let a teenage kid handle all that weight?”
“I’m not a kid,” Moon protested.
