Page 35 of Crossbones
“And you do?”
In answer, he drops his feet off the desk and goes over to a cart with different bottles of rum and whiskey. He pours rum into two glasses and walks back over. Handing me one, he retreats to perch on the edge of his desk, swirling the golden liquid.
“I came by a map not only showing where Grythmoor is, but giving exact coordinates.”
“Where’s the map?”
“I burned it,” Caspian says, looking slightly apologetic about it.
“You burned it.” I shake my head. “And you expect me to justtrustyou?”
“Yup,” he takes a sip of rum.
I wait for him to continue but he doesn’t. We stare at each other. The rum is forgotten in my hands as my mind races.
What if itisreal?Even the slightest possibility of it being true is enough to create a spark in my veins—the thirst for adventure, gold and the unknown.Not to mention a way for me to escape the noose. There’s also maybe a part of me that wants to have more time with Caspian—you know, since I’m finally getting the answers I was looking for in the first place.
But I still have a massive problem—
“You’re a De’Vero. There’s no way I’m helping mysworn enemyget rich—no, not just rich—powerfulbeyond measure.”
“Right,” Caspian nods. “I was hoping our time together could have gotten us past that—”
“You’re a fucking De’Veroprince,” I interrupt sharply. “If you were just a noble,” I tilt my head. “Maybe—unlikely—but I will admit, I still hadn’t decided whether or not I was going to kill you.”
“And now you’ve decided?” Caspian says in amusement. I frown, and when I don’t answer right away, he smirks. “I see.”
He downs his rum and walks over to refill his glass. “Captain, you do remember I said I don’t want my father and brother finding out about this, yes?”
“Aye.”
“If I were going to make my Kingdom rich, don’t you think I’d include them in the plans? If I did, I’d certainly be able to make this an actual expedition—hell, I probably wouldn’t even need to ask for your help with all the resources I could have at my disposal.”
He has a point but the implications are making my head spin. I down the rum, hoping it helps. Caspian brings the bottle over to his desk with him. He takes a moment to refill my glass before leaning on the edge again. His face is serious now, in fact there’s a glint of steel in his eyes I’ve only seen once before—when I’d caught him fresh from a nightmare. It’s more pronounced now, more violent.
“I want to make something clear to you, Captain,” he says. “I do not want to make my kingdom rich. I don’t even want to make my House rich—this money will not be used to help those—” His words have venom in them but he cuts himself off and inhales slowly before speaking again, composed once more. “The split will be even. You would have enough money to counteract anything I do with my share, of that I’m certain. Not only that, but you’d then know the location of the gold and could potentially continue to return for more.”
I’m gawking at him. Openly, and without restraint, because I cannot believe what he’s just said. It’s downright unbelievable. I throw back my rum and he lifts the bottle in a question. I nod, still trying to wrap my mind around everything. He refills my glass and I sit back, shaking my head.
“How do I know you won’t double-cross me?” I ask. “There wasa chance I would have done that to you.”
His smirk returns. “You wouldn’t have double-crossed me.”
“Oh?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m fairly certain of it. But you’re right, it is a risk. For both of us.”
Caspian straightens and turns towards his desk where he fiddles with the book he pulled from the shelf earlier, tracing the cover with a finger before picking it up.
“But I think some things are worth the risk,” he glances up at me, his expression for once completely unreadable. “Wouldn’t you say, Captain?”
He holds out the book to me. “Some reading for you while you make your decision.”
I reach for the book, captivated by the intensity in his eyes.Can I look past who he is?
At least long enough to work together to retrieve the gold? More gold than I even know what to do with in fact. I’d been hesitant to kill him before; I could probably tap into that uncertainty again, until we both get what we want. Or if I want to be honest with myself—I’d say to tap into my curiosity.
I could also double-cross him. But dammit, he’s right; I wouldn’t do that. I don’t know why yet, just that the feeling it invokes in me doesn’t sit right. I shy away from what that means.
