things from your brother. What he stole from me, which is a document, a journal.
A valuable artifact connected to that journal, which is an emerald. And five million, to compensate me for killing my cousin,
who was a nice guy. There. Isn’t that simple?’
‘You’re fucking crazy. My brother doesn’t have what you’re looking for, and he wouldn’t hurt your cousin or anybody else.’
‘Isn’t your brother a little interested in treasure hunting? Hasn’t he filled a goddamn library full of books on it?’
‘Just as a hobby. Jesus.’
‘Hobby. It’s gone past that. Time for Stoney to pay the piper. C’mon.’ Claudia heard Ben yanked to his feet, his shoes scuffing
the carpet near her knees. Wetness landed on the back of her neck. Ben’s blood.
‘Gar, put Claudia in the stateroom,’ Danny ordered.
Hands hoisted Claudia up in the air, crushing against her breasts and her hips, hurried her like a battering ram down the
small flight of stairs and through the stateroom’s entrance, heaved her onto the torn mattress. She twisted as she fell, rolling,
facing the ceiling.
‘Give me a moment, Gar,’ Danny said. The stateroom door closed. But she heard gentle breathing nearby, near her face.
‘Claudia.’ It was Danny. ‘I am truly sorry.’
‘You sound like a reasonable man,’ Claudia lied. ‘Stop this. Let us go. Please.’
‘If you and Ben are innocent in all this, well, then I’m sorry. But how much do you know of Stoney Vaughn’s life?’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Day-to-day living. Does Stoney help old ladies across the street or knock them out of his way? Pet dogs or kick them?’
‘I really don’t know him,’ she said.
‘Do you think Stoney could commit murder? Kill a man in cold blood?’
Her throat dried. ‘He’s a respected businessman …’
‘Ah. His money makes him a saint?’ A sarcasm she didn’t like at all tightened his voice.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Just as this mistake you’re making doesn’t make you a bad person, Danny. Please. Stop this.’
Long silence again, the only sound the slap of waves against the hull. ‘What’s done is done. Life doesn’t offer erasers.’
‘No. It offers choices. You can choose to let us go. Piracy is a federal offense.’
‘Piracy?’
Danny giggled, a short, sharp laugh. ‘Tell me, do you think of us as
pirates?
Because I love it, Claudia. You’ve made my day.’
‘Let us go, right now, and—’
The door opened again.
‘She behaving?’ Gar’s voice, low. ‘Or you just copping a feel?’
‘Save your crudity for your friend,’ Danny said.
‘I want to have a private chat with her,’ Gar said.
‘Private about what?’
‘Don’t get your dick in a knot, man. I’m not gonna hurt her. Go on.’
Claudia stayed very still.
‘You don’t tell me what to do,’ Danny said. ‘You work for me.’
‘You want to know where these goods are, right? I can get her to tell without hurting a hair on her head. If she knows. Just
give me a minute. You need to go help with Ben talking to Stoney.’
The bedsprings creaked as Danny stood up. ‘I’ll be back later, Claudia. You’ll be fine,’ he said. And then she heard the door
shut.
A thick fingertip cruised along her scalp, parting her hair. The fingernail, hard and uneven, gouged into the tender nape
of her neck.
‘You fought us,’ Gar cooed. ‘A little fishy like you. That pisses me off.’
‘Sorry.’
Gar daubed his finger at the blood drop on her neck, smearing it along her flesh like finger paint. Slow. Gentle. Suddenly
he tangled his fist in her hair, slamming her head hard against the bed’s headboard. Her teeth knocked together, her jaw,
already bruised, throbbed. She winced but didn’t cry out.
‘You don’t mess with us, okay, fishy? You don’t fight us. You don’t talk unless you’re talked to. Understand?’
‘Yes,’ Claudia said.
The end of the bed creaked under his weight. He took hold of her bare foot –
A valuable artifact connected to that journal, which is an emerald. And five million, to compensate me for killing my cousin,
who was a nice guy. There. Isn’t that simple?’
‘You’re fucking crazy. My brother doesn’t have what you’re looking for, and he wouldn’t hurt your cousin or anybody else.’
‘Isn’t your brother a little interested in treasure hunting? Hasn’t he filled a goddamn library full of books on it?’
‘Just as a hobby. Jesus.’
‘Hobby. It’s gone past that. Time for Stoney to pay the piper. C’mon.’ Claudia heard Ben yanked to his feet, his shoes scuffing
the carpet near her knees. Wetness landed on the back of her neck. Ben’s blood.
‘Gar, put Claudia in the stateroom,’ Danny ordered.
Hands hoisted Claudia up in the air, crushing against her breasts and her hips, hurried her like a battering ram down the
small flight of stairs and through the stateroom’s entrance, heaved her onto the torn mattress. She twisted as she fell, rolling,
facing the ceiling.
‘Give me a moment, Gar,’ Danny said. The stateroom door closed. But she heard gentle breathing nearby, near her face.
‘Claudia.’ It was Danny. ‘I am truly sorry.’
‘You sound like a reasonable man,’ Claudia lied. ‘Stop this. Let us go. Please.’
‘If you and Ben are innocent in all this, well, then I’m sorry. But how much do you know of Stoney Vaughn’s life?’
‘I don’t understand.’
‘Day-to-day living. Does Stoney help old ladies across the street or knock them out of his way? Pet dogs or kick them?’
‘I really don’t know him,’ she said.
‘Do you think Stoney could commit murder? Kill a man in cold blood?’
Her throat dried. ‘He’s a respected businessman …’
‘Ah. His money makes him a saint?’ A sarcasm she didn’t like at all tightened his voice.
‘No,’ she said. ‘Just as this mistake you’re making doesn’t make you a bad person, Danny. Please. Stop this.’
Long silence again, the only sound the slap of waves against the hull. ‘What’s done is done. Life doesn’t offer erasers.’
‘No. It offers choices. You can choose to let us go. Piracy is a federal offense.’
‘Piracy?’
Danny giggled, a short, sharp laugh. ‘Tell me, do you think of us as
pirates?
Because I love it, Claudia. You’ve made my day.’
‘Let us go, right now, and—’
The door opened again.
‘She behaving?’ Gar’s voice, low. ‘Or you just copping a feel?’
‘Save your crudity for your friend,’ Danny said.
‘I want to have a private chat with her,’ Gar said.
‘Private about what?’
‘Don’t get your dick in a knot, man. I’m not gonna hurt her. Go on.’
Claudia stayed very still.
‘You don’t tell me what to do,’ Danny said. ‘You work for me.’
‘You want to know where these goods are, right? I can get her to tell without hurting a hair on her head. If she knows. Just
give me a minute. You need to go help with Ben talking to Stoney.’
The bedsprings creaked as Danny stood up. ‘I’ll be back later, Claudia. You’ll be fine,’ he said. And then she heard the door
shut.
A thick fingertip cruised along her scalp, parting her hair. The fingernail, hard and uneven, gouged into the tender nape
of her neck.
‘You fought us,’ Gar cooed. ‘A little fishy like you. That pisses me off.’
‘Sorry.’
Gar daubed his finger at the blood drop on her neck, smearing it along her flesh like finger paint. Slow. Gentle. Suddenly
he tangled his fist in her hair, slamming her head hard against the bed’s headboard. Her teeth knocked together, her jaw,
already bruised, throbbed. She winced but didn’t cry out.
‘You don’t mess with us, okay, fishy? You don’t fight us. You don’t talk unless you’re talked to. Understand?’
‘Yes,’ Claudia said.
The end of the bed creaked under his weight. He took hold of her bare foot –
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