Page 68 of Escaping Pirates
“We can pay triple.”
Korth made a noise of protest but was forestalled by a look from Dahlia.
“Ain’t worth my time, even at triple,” Gil said with a shrug. “But if I was given part up front, though…”
“And we’d never see hide nor hair of you again,” Korth grumbled.
Gil shot him an expression through narrowed eyes. “I’m an honest bounty hunter, I am.”
Just as honest as much as you are a boy, I thought privately.
“How about twenty-five percent up front and I don’t tell your little secret to the world?” Dahlia shot back. “You aren’t the only one who grew up in the rebellion.” She then copied the same series of motions I’d seen Tyrone do, first touching her earlobe, then lips, then forehead. “I never forget a face,Jill.”
Gil’s eyes widened and the boyish guise flickered.
Dahlia nodded to Korth. “Go get the extra.”
Korth looked at her as if she were insane. “I’m not leaving you alone with a bounty hunter. I’ll stay and you go get it.”
“That works too.” Dahlia disappeared back into the palace and Korth crossed his arms, watching us closely.
“What happened to the letter I gave you?” I asked Gil.
“I sold it to Dahlia.”
I wondered if I was going to pass out. Harlan wasn’t safe. He’d never been safe, and now, my own safety made it worse than ever for him.
My shaking hands pressed against my face. A bitter laugh slipped through my lips. “Fool,” I whispered to myself. I had been a gullible, naïve fool all this time.
Heat built behind my eyes, but I was done crying. Tears accomplished nothing. Fury filled my chest so quickly that my blood could have boiled. Not just fury at Gil or Tyrone or Harsh, but at myself.
No more waiting and wondering.
No more letting anyone else steer the course ofmylife.
“I’ll help you,” I told Gil. “Take me with you to get Harlan.”
Gil shot me a withering look. “Look, I’m sure you want to think of yourself as a hero, but I’ve been watching you for weeks. You aren’t any sort of knight in shining armor. I hadmy orders, and I delivered you safely to your purchaser. Nothing more.”
“I can offer you information about Harsh,” I told her in a rush. “His habits, routes, priorities, weaknesses… You may not know much about him, but I do. I lived on his ship for months. I can tell you which of his men are loyal and which ones flinch when he walks by. I know how he thinks.”
“If you’re after the reward?—”
“You can have all of it. I’ll sign a contract promising that I won’t ask for any if you need me to. I just want Harlan to be safe.”
Korth watched our exchange volley back and forth, his face unreadable.
“I’m not agreeing to anything unless there is a benefit for me,” Gil said, looking at both me and Korth before glancing around to see if Dahlia was back yet.
“Instead of just my bounty, you can have three. Mine, Harsh’s, and Harlan’s. You can have it all if coin is what you’re after.”
Gil tilted her head to the side, considering. “I can’t promise your safety. You’d be a liability on a mission like this.”
“But I can also be an asset.” If Gil dropped me and left, I didn’t have anyone else to turn to. “I have valuable information. I’d wager that there is even information about Tyrone and Roderick that I know and you don’t.”
“I doubt it,” Gil told me, but curiosity gleamed in her eyes. “I’m fairly astute.”
“But I know things about Harsh and theKraken’s Revengethat you don’t. You need me.”
