Page 64 of Escaping Pirates
Even better. “You don’t need to read it. I can just let you take it. We’re friends, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And friends help each other.” I wasn’t sure how I could make it out of this without manipulating Gil somehow. I would make it up to him. Once I was free, I could offer him a position, a reward, or whatever he wanted. But could I trust him to keep a secret?
“Yeah.”
“But we’re just going to keep this between us, right?”
“You bet.”
I had no choice but to trust him.
I spent the evening composing a letter to my father. I gave it to Gil, but then fretted about it constantly after that, even though Gil assured me that he’d placed it in a spot only he knew about. If Tyrone found it… With each passing day, my apprehension grew. What if Gil accidentally let slip my plan before we made land? What if someone else discovered it? Why hadn’t I been more patient and waited?
Tyrone continued to have me accompany him for dinner. He made no additional requests or advances, only polite conversation veiled with the threat of another flare. Occasionally, Tyrone insisted I watch yet another fight with him. Peter had surprised the entire crew and remained undefeated.
“What did you think of the fight today?” Tyrone askedme a week later. “I thought it was a good one, but a little too short-lived.”
“Peter fights dirty.”
Tyrone laughed. “Ah, you and your never-ending quest for moral superiority. How quaint. That reminds me, we’ll be headed back into Ebora tomorrow. I’ll need your assistance once more to put another deal through.”
CHAPTER 23
Tyrone’s business meeting was held over dinner at a shady tavern on the dock. The moment the other man entered, I knew he must be the person we were meeting. He had to duck under the doorway and must have been a full two heads taller than I was. Immediately, a few men near the door left their drinks and scurried away, and the tavern’s noise level dropped by half.
He was a large, burly man and wore a heavy fur coat despite the summer heat, with the thick collar turned up to obscure his neck. One of his eyes was clouded over with a scar cutting through his heavy eyebrow and running down his cheek to disappear into his thick beard.
“May I introduce you to my colleague—” Tyrone paused and looked at the other man. “What name are you going by in these parts?”
“Roderick Vane,” the man in the fur coat answered, holding out a large hand to grasp my own. I felt thick calluses beneath my fingers as I smiled at him. He raised my hand to brush my knuckles to his lips, but his beard was so bristly that it felt more like being scratchedagainst tree bark. “You found an enchanting woman, Tyrone. How did you manage it?”
“You don’t think it’s because I’m an equally enchanting man?” Tyrone quipped, draping an arm around my shoulders.
Roderick watched the way I stiffened at Tyrone’s touch then let out a deep, gruff laugh. “If byenchantingyou mean slippery and willing to blackmail, then yes.” He sat down heavily. “Let’s talk business. I don’t have much time. You said you would be able to ensure my shipment?”
“I can get Eastline to transport it with an armed escort. I already have the Arkwright approval thanks to my fiancée here. Elena, be a dear and draw up the contract for us.” Tyrone pushed parchment and quill at me before addressing Roderick again. “How many crates?”
“Three.”
“Three hundred, you mean?” Tyrone asked.
“No.”
Tyrone cocked an eyebrow.“Three crates? That’s all?”
Roderick’s smile was a razor-thin line.“Three’s a magic number, Captain. One to draw attention, one to mislead, and one that’s just right.”
“Well-spoken,” Tyrone chortled. “Elena, are you getting this all down?”
“Yes. And what shall I say the shipment contains?” I asked, jotting down notes to the contract.
Roderick’s mouth flickered into a slight smile, and his clouded eye drifted to stare to the side. “Porridge.”
Tyrone snorted in laughter and Roderick continued to watch me levelly. Certain they were having me on but unsure what to do about it, I slowly added it under the part about contents.
“And in return for the armed escort of the…porridge?” I asked. “What shall I put down as the payment?”
