Page 7 of Stilettos & Secrets on the 7 Seas

“I wish you the best of luck.”

“Jen. Go home. Do the research. Figure out where that ship is headed. See if Sasha changed the history books. I’ll come home as soon as the next moon cycle opens. I swear I’ll make the jump. I just need some time to convince Sasha to come back with me.” He kissed the top of my head.

“I’ll die if something happens to you.” My face smushed into his chest. Scents of meat and fish hung in the air with the salty sea, but I inhaled only the scent of him. “Promise me you’ll come back, even if you don’t find Sasha. Because if you don’t, I’m coming after you.”

“Nothing’s going to happen, period.” He hugged me tight. A Marco hug, the way he used to hug me. His nearness warming my body and my fractured heart.

In the distance, waves crashed against the beach, boats creaked, men sang the tune of pirates, and a piece of my heart chipped off, like a broken seashell washed up on the beach by a supernatural force and forgotten.

Three

My outhouse hit the ground with a smooth whoosh. I thanked my lucky stars I’d nailed the landing. My focus wasn’t on my vessel. Marco’s red race car wouldn’t be on the landing pad next to mine, and the guilt gnawed at my gut.

I should have stayed with him in Nassau.

The door to my vessel flung open. Special Agent Jake McCoy stood in front of me wearing a black suit, hands on hips, short brown hair shellacked into perfection, and big brown eyes framed by irritated eyebrows. “Where the hell have you been? We saw Mortas on the travel screen. He’s been back for over an hour.”

“That’s impossible. I saw him minutes before I left.” Not exactly true since I spent time begging Marco not to stay in 1718. I got out of my vessel, pushed past Jake, and stepped down from my landing pad. “We had some trouble.”

“Jesus, Jennifer, the moon cycle is closed. You barely made it.” He glanced around the half-filled hangar. His eyes stopped on Marco’s empty landing pad. “Marco’s coming, right?”

I shook my head, fighting back guilty tears. “Marco’s not coming.”

“What do you mean Marco’s not coming?” Jake stared at me like I’d somehow fucked up the mission. “Did you find the eye?”

“Can you please come down from my landing pad?” I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to give any more details until he removed himself from center stage.

A few seconds later, Jake stood in front of me. “What happened?” His tone was smoother, soothing, but I could see he was waiting for a plausible explanation.

“We found Sasha.”

“Sasha?”

“Yeah, but we didn’t speak to her. She left with a band of pirates.”

“Pirates?” Jake repeating my words reminded me of the gypsy’s parrot.

“Before Marco could woo her with his Romeo words, she got into a boat with pirates. They rowed toward a ship. It was all I could do to keep Marco from swimming after them.”

“Shit. Marco stayed.” Jake took a minute to process then his hands closed into fists. “Why can’t my travelers be compliant, for fuck’s sake!”

“I’m compliant.” I paused, trying to find the words to explain. “Marco stayed to complete the mission.”

Jake gave me that calculated stare he used when he knew I wasn’t giving him all the details. “And your take on the situation?”

I bit into my trembling lip. I didn’t want to tattletale, but if Marco didn’t return, I wanted to go back and help him. I couldn’t keep Marco’s secret for fear Jake wouldn’t send me the next moon cycle. My shoulders slumped, and I took on the posture of a bowed board. “He’s compromised. He has feelings for Sasha and wants to rescue her from the pirates.”

Jake narrowed his eyes in an I-can-read-between-the-lines stare. “Does Sasha need rescuing?”

Here it came. The moment I could lie for Marco or tell the truth and get him in loads of trouble. Maybe I could ride the fence, fuzzy up the details until we knew more. My inner voice held up a paint swatch that showed shades of gray.

I gave a little throat-clearing cough into my fist. “It’s unclear whether she went on her own accord or if she was coerced. Sasha was dressed like a man.” A very petite, feminine man.

“A man?” More parrot talk.

“A disguise. We also discovered she was possibly taken aboard Charles Vane’s ship.” Possibly was a very gray word. I mean, could we really trust a toothless gypsy?

“TheCharles Vane?” Jake’s eyes widened to the size of ding dongs. “The ruthless pirate who tortured his captives and murdered members of his own crew?”

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