Page 8 of Delirium

It probably came along with seeing so many people come and go on my cruise. You learned pretty quickly who was a good egg, and who was rotten.

James was one of the odd cases. Cold exterior. Not a crack or flaw in his porcelain mask. But beneath it, sometimes he warmed up, just enough.

Now, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t kick Camp off the boat without a second thought. If he felt like Camp was the slightest threat to his mission, Camp wouldn’t know what hit him.

But what Camp had done didn’t make him a bad person, at least by my standards.

Completely the opposite, I had a feeling Camp could’ve told Scarlett he’d murdered an innocent man just for a slice of pizza, and Scarlett would sympathize, offer him her own slice of pizza, and her room on the boat to boot.

I knew this, because I had the same kind of heart. Soft. Too soft, probably, for a man of my stature, who’d been through the experiences I had.

It never bothered me.

What I told Scarlett was true—I was the last boat to launch out of the docks before the rainy season. The weather became too unpredictable once the rains started, and the currents turned nearly impassable. Unfortunately for me,Carpe Diemneeded some fixing—fixing that could only happen downriver, and I’d only be able to afford the repairs with the money I was making on this current cruise. She’d make it there no problem, and as long as there weren’t any unforeseen issues, we would make it to the next docks with no trouble at all. I’d done this trip a thousand times. One last trip, a bit of cash in my pocket, andCarpe Diemand I would both be shining.

I kept my gaze focused on the river, steering around the hidden rocks I had mapped out like the back of my hand. Getting out of the marketplace pier was tricky, but usually from there on out it was smooth sailing—pun intended. Once we got deep into the hike, where the rainforest turned to jungle, that was where things got tricky again. Luckily, I didn’t have any concerns with James or Scarlett. As I navigated the familiar waters, my mind wandered to the dark-haired beauty, wondering why a girl as delicious as herself was on my boat in the first place.

Drifters, I got most often. Adventurers, they called themselves, or travelers. But they were all the same. Looking for an adventure so they didn’t have to settle down in a rhythm of life where they lost themselves altogether. Sometimes people booked my cruise because they were running from problems—not the law, but breakups, or deaths. Sometimes I got people starting over.

Instead, this time, I had James, who really should’ve chartered a private boat to take him to his investment, and Scarlett, who looked all too put-together to be running away from anything. A strange mix for sure. For a moment, I let my mind wander, roving over the effortless way she’d pulled her hair up, exposing the delicate skin on the back of her neck. In the 1800s, surely that would’ve been a scandal, to see such a hidden flash of skin. I could understand it though. In a way, the small glimpses of her flesh were sexier than if she’d been in front of me in a miniskirt and heels. Not that I would’ve minded that either.

But Scarlett was a mystery, one I didn’t have a map to, and one I wanted to explore every inch of, if she’d let me. Of course, alone time on the boat was going to be few and far between. Luckily, it was my boat. I could find ways.

As if she could hear my thoughts blasting out of my skull, Scarlett sidled up next to me, filling the air with the sweet scent of vanilla. I tried to stop the blush from heating my face, but it was futile. Hopefully, she wouldn’t notice.

“Are you really going to send him back to be arrested?”

I glanced down to see her frowning up at me. “I’m assuming you have a better solution?”

I didn’t want to send Camp back to the authorities either. Everyone deserved a second chance. But it wasn’t just my opinion that mattered. Everyone in the market now knew I was harboring a fugitive. Besides, I was curious how Scarlett wanted to spin this.

She shrugged. “Let him go. He’s right, you know. He’s not hurting us. He didn’t hurt anyone except a pipeline, so at worst, he might have lost some rich guys some money. But he looks so young, and I don’t know if sending someone that young to jail for years would sit right on my conscience.”

“Young?” I laughed, looking Scarlett up and down, estimating her to be barely out of her twenties, if that.

This time, it was her turn to flush. “Younger than me, by any means. But seriously, Nash, I just don’t know if I could stomach being the one to send him back. I know we didn’t make the decisions, but it still feels like we’re the ones hanging the noose, you know?”

I did know, because I felt the same way. I wasn’t built to be an executioner, let alone the jury and judge.

But explaining this to James would be another matter entirely.

“I don’t think you’re wrong, darling,” I said softly, kicking myself at the endearment that seemed to roll off my tongue all too easily in her presence.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her look up at me. “Do you call everyone that?”

I kicked myself again, and once more for good luck. “Call everyone what?”

“Darling,” she said. “You’ve called me it a few times.”

“Have I now?” I could play this one of two ways. I could pretend I didn’t know what she was talking about, and I called everyone darling, or I could own up to my actions. I didn’t know which she would take more kindly to, but I only knew one way would feel right. “I guess you’re just bringing out my sweet side.”

She laughed, and I relaxed. “I haven’t seen anything other than a sweet side.”

I shrugged. “Only because you haven’t been on my bad side.”

“You have one of those?”

“Everyone does, don’t they?”

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