Page 111 of Crossbones
Aldric nods. “Okay, then you won’t mind if I shoot him right now?” He pulls his pistol and levels it at Blackwell’s head. My heart is thrashing in my chest—a deadly game of chicken—my mind is racing, trying to come up with a way out of this.
“Why would you do that, Aldric?” I rub a hand over my face. “I mean, fuck, this is the Stormbreaker—don’t you want to send a more public message against piracy?” I lean back, faking exasperation. “Don’t be rash because you feel the need to try and prove something here.”
A slow smile spreads across Aldric’s features and he looks at Blackwell.
Aldric chuckles. “Wow, he’s good, isn’t he?” He looks at me. “Only problem is I’m your brother, Caspian, and I can see the truth you’re trying desperately to hide.”
I fight through my growing anxiety. “And what truth is that, Aldric?”
“I think you found more than just a toy to keep you entertained, brother.” The air gets sucked from the room and I don’t dare look at Blackwell.
My jaw tenses and I fix Aldric with a cold stare. “Aldric, I told you—” He pulls the hammer back. “—think about the ramifications—” I’m trying to keep the panic from my voice but I don’t think I’m succeeding. “Wait—” I watch his finger squeeze the trigger—
“No!” The gun goes off and I’m on my feet.
Blackwell falls backwards and hands grab me, halting my progress as I step forward. Blackwell struggles back to his knees, gripping his arm where the bullet grazed him.
“Oops, missed,” Aldric says dryly, but the look in his eyes as he watches me is like a dog with a bone. I’m breathing hard, fists clenched at my sides—fuck.
I fucked up.
Aldric chuckles darkly. “Oh Caspian.”
He scratches his chin with the barrel of his empty gun and comes back over to the table. The guards force me back into my seat and Aldric sits on the edge of the wooden surface, staring down at me intently.
“You love him,” Aldric states.
“No,” I growl, fighting the urge to look at Blackwell. “He doesn’t mean anything,” I force out through gritted teeth.
“I don’t know if you’re lying to yourself or to me, but either way, this is how it’s going to go,” Aldric says. He gently shoves the empty gun into my chest as he emphasises his next words. “You’re going to choose—Foxhollow, or Blackwell.”
I scoff. “I’m supposed to believe you’d spare one?”
Aldric grins and lifts his shoulders. “I’m feeling generous today—must be all the money I’m about to acquire.”
He shoves the gun back into his belt and clasps his hands on his thigh, regarding me curiously.
“So, which will it be? Your little town of refugees? Or the pirate who stole your heart?”
“He didn’t—I can’t do that…” I risk a glance at Blackwell, even knowing it’ll damn me further. The rage and hurt on his face drives the knife into my chest deeper, slowly bleeding me of all hope. Aldric stands up and walks over behind Blackwell, grabbing his hair and yanking his head back. He leans in and forces Blackwell to look at me.
“You can, Caspian, or I’ll destroy them both.”
I study the man who tore away my masks and made me face him not as a Prince or a rebel, but as Caspian. He’s the man who demands my truths, saves me from my shadows and kisses me like I’m the only thing he treasures.
And I can’t choose him.The thought twists the dagger through my heart and I clear my throat as I choke on a breath that seizes in my chest.
I can’t choose him.
JAMES
Betrayal. It digs under my skin, clawing away at all the doubt—analyzing every moment, every touch, every word we’ve shared.
Was any of it real? Or was it all a manipulation?
I don’t doubt he cares for me, as much as he’s trying to hide it from his brother; it’s written all over his face. But the treasure hunt, telling me he didn’t want his brother and father to know—was that a lie? Was us developing feelings for each other just a sick and twisted coincidence? My arm throbs in pain but it’s dull compared to the ache in my chest.
“Come on, brother,” Aldric says. “What’s it going to be?”
