Cash Remington and the Rum Run (Sexy Dreadfuls Book 2) (6 page)

“Some days more than others. Yes.”

Shade walks in and perches on the arm of his chair. Her short skirt gives me a great view of her long, tan legs.

“But there are some things on the mainland that make the sacrifice worth it.” He pats her ass, then turns a serious eye back to me. “Let’s talk business. A little birdy tells me you’ve set your cap for the Gloomy Lotus.”

I ignore Shade’s smirk. “Yes, Captain. I think you know I’ve wanted that ship from the day you finished her. It just so happens that I can afford her now.”

He crosses his arms over his chest. “The rum trade that profitable these days?”

“Not the rum trade.” I dig inside my shirt and pull out the pouch. Like any pirate, Captain Lament’s eyes light up at the sight of possible treasure. I don’t blame him; my heart speeds faster, too.

I shake the gem from the pouch and cradle it in my hand. It catches the light and sends a blue prism onto the bookshelf behind Captain Lament.

He stands and holds out his hand. “Let’s have a look.”

I pass it to him, and he holds it up to peer at it, turning it every which way. My eye is drawn to the imperfection at its core, and I can only hope it won’t harm the price too much. As long as it’s enough to buy my ship, I don’t care about the rest. I’ll make my fortune on the sea.

The Captain taps a finger on his chin. “Something about this is familiar. Something…” He hobbles to a bookshelf at my back, the steady thunk of his peg leg faster than usual.

I rise and follow him. He runs his fingers over several books; their spines written in Latin or Greek that I can’t read. He seizes one and pulls it down before taking it over to a map table near the sunny window. He sets the gem beside the book and flips through its pages.

He runs his finger over the text on certain pages, then shakes his head and keeps searching. The sun slips behind a cloud, and the wind starts to pick up. He flips through the pages faster. Shade hovers at his elbow, watching him work.

An uneasy feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. “Captain, what is it?”

“Shh. I need to think.” He keeps flipping past images of sea monsters I can only imagine. Things even more hellish than the Kraken or the six-headed creature. “No, scratch that. Talk.” He shakes his head. “What destroyed your ship?”

“It was a… I don’t know. There was an enormous whirlpool and some sort of monster. We were trapped between the two. The whirlpool kept expanding, so we had to cut too close to the monster. It had these heads. There were—”

“Six of them.” Captain Lament stills, and his face turns a lighter brown as the blood drains from it.

Thunder rumbles over the island and the sky grows even darker.

I cock my head at him. “Do you know what it was?”

“Scylla and Charybdis.”

“What?” My confusion only grows with each word from his mouth.

He grabs the gem and peers at it again, staring hard at the center. “Where did you get this?”

“A shipwreck. There was a girl—”

“A girl?”

“Yes. She said the gem belonged to her.” My face grows hot when I remember how I tricked her. “But I took it. Now it’s mine.”

“Give it back.” He holds it out to me.

“What?”

“Give it back, and get the hell out of here. Get as far away from here as you can.” He shoves me away from the table. “Go!”

I’ve never seen him like this. His fear is palpable. “Captain—”

“Look!” He shoves the book at me. Thankfully, it’s in English. A drawing of the stone takes up one entire page. On the other, a description is written in neat letters.

The Kraken Stone

The Kraken Stone is rumored to belong to Poseidon. The name is a misnomer. It’s not an actual gem or stone. Legend states that the Kraken Stone contains the very last Kraken. It is, in essence, an egg. Poseidon treasures it above all other items, because the ability to create another Kraken, if need be, is a great source of power.

A deep roar cuts through the air. Captain Lament thumps his way across the room and yanks his scabbard down from behind his desk.

I skim the rest of the entry on the Kraken Stone, my eyes unbelieving. “Captain, what in the ninth circle of hell is going on—”

“Cash?” A breathless Hannah leans against the doorframe, her bosom heaving over the top of her corset. “The girl. She’s…” She takes a huge gulp of air.

I dash to her. “Where? Where is she?”

“She’s here.”

Nere walks in behind Hannah. She’s dressed as a boy, her hair pulled back in a topknot. She’s still beautiful, and only a fool would think she were a man. I run to the window, but the cliff obscures whatever is making the deafening sounds. I hear splashes and stones falling.

“Who’s the boy?” Captain Lament asks.

“Nere is her name.” I back away from the window.

“
Nere
?” His eyes narrow, and he points his sword as another roar sounds even louder. “Nereid! What have you brought on us?”

“Give me the stone.” Nere holds her hand out. “I’ll go. Just let me have it. Please.”

I snag the gem and stuff it into my pouch. “What do you mean Nereid?”

“There’s no time!” Captain Lament grabs my collar and pulls me with him into the foyer. “Give her the stone. Take the Gloomy Lotus and get the hell out of here.”

I would smile if I weren’t certain a monster was scaling the cliff just outside. “It’s mine?”

“It’s yours. Go! Go or the beast will destroy the entire town trying to find it. To find
her
.” Captain Lament releases me and stumps out the front door.

I follow him onto the porch just as a tentacle flops over the cliff ahead of us. I recognize it right when the beast’s stench wafts over us. The Kraken. I’ve never heard of it haunting waters this shallow, much less taking to land.

Captain Lament rushes forward with his sword drawn as more dark green tentacles appear over the edge and snake toward us. I start to follow him, always up for a fight, but his words about getting Nere away from here to save the town echo in my mind. I grab her hand and yank her down the gravel path.

Nere tries to pull away from my grip. “The stone, please—”

The Kraken roars as the captain slices through a tentacle and swings his sword at another. The sky darkens and thunder rolls as I keep a quick stride toward the water.

“Cash, please. I can explain.”

“Shut up, and I hope you know how to fucking swim.” I pick up my pace and glance back. Captain Lament is dwarfed as the Kraken finally hauls its gelatinous body to the top of the bluff.

“You scabby sack of shit-knickers!” The captain stumps forward with his sword raised as I lose sight of him.

We run down the hill toward town until the slope on the left is smooth enough for us to veer from the path. We skid to the water, weaving through the native plants and vines until we hit the beach. The Kraken still sits atop the bluff, its roars growing louder. A handful of fishermen stand to watch.

“You three! That ship—” I point to the Gloomy Lotus “—I need deckhands. If you stay here, you’ll perish in the Kraken’s gullet! Come with me and enjoy wine, women, and coin.”

I don’t wait for their answers. Nere stumbles in the sand. I pick her up and sling her over my shoulder. The water laps in small waves as lightning strikes on the bluff, the deep rumble of thunder shaking my chest. I walk into the low waves, pushing until my feet no longer touch bottom.

“Can you swim?”

“Yes.” Nere kicks, and I let her go. She swims out ahead of me, her strokes easy as she maneuvers gracefully through the water.

The men from the beach splash behind me as we all strike out for the ship. Movement on the deck catches my eye. I’d recognize those legs anywhere—Shade. She’s dashing back and forth, tying off the sails and readying the ship. We were both boatswains for Captain Lament once upon a time. She posed as a boy for years until her body changed and she sprouted a perfect set of tits and ass.

“Come on!” Nere swims ahead of me. I’ve never seen a person who could swim faster than me, but Nere cuts through the water with supernatural grace.

Another roar overcomes the burst of thunder, and the Kraken slips from the cliff, its tentacles grasping at stones as they give way. The wave it will set off when it hits the water is sure to drown us. I kick harder and catch up with Nere. A rope ladder hangs at the ready.

I push her up, and she grabs hold as the Kraken plummets the rest of the way to the water. It hits with a loud crash and a rumble. “Faster!” I climb behind Nere and hurry her up the ladder. We reach the top and I shove her over and onto the deck. The three fishermen ascend behind us.

I run to the foredeck and watch as the wave swells, headed right for the ship. We have only moments. I dash back to Nere and drag her to the mast. I lash both of us to it, running the rope around our waists and the wood. Shade does the same on the foremast. The last fisherman makes it onto the ship right as the wave crests, higher than the decks and moving fast.

“Hang on!” I wrap my arms around Nere. She screams as the wave crashes down, and we’re lost in a wall of water.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“
W
E NEED TO GET
underway. Now.” I untie the soaked rope from my waist.

The Kraken flounders in the shallows, its tentacles whipping in a frenzy. It’s only a matter of time before it finds deeper water, and based on what Captain Lament said, it’ll be coming for us.

Lightning flashes and rain pelts down from the heavens. The storm’s winds should blow us from port as soon as we ready the ship.

“You all right?” I wipe the loose hair from Nere’s face. I have more questions, but they can wait until we’re sailing away from the port.

“What can I do to help?”

She’s so small that the question is ridiculous, but I humor her. “Mind the helm.”

“Helm?” She looks up and down the decks.

I point. “The wheel up there. It steers the boat.”

“Okay. I will.” She walks on unsteady legs as I scale the shrouds to the mainsail.

Shade is already loose and climbing to the mizzenmast. She ties off the sail with an expert knot. The black canvas catches the wind, and the ship strains to move, but the anchor is still engaged.

Two of the fishermen survived, though one is already bent over the port side and hurling up his guts.

“You two, weigh anchor!”

The closest man nods. I drop to the deck with a thunk and walk to him. Only inches from his face, I glare down as he shrinks away. “When I give you an order, you answer with ‘Aye, Captain’.”

“Apologies. I-I mean, aye, Captain.” He grips the front of his red top and squeezes the water from it onto the deck.

I box his ear and fist his shirt. I lift until his feet dangle and his eyes are wide. “Don’t you
ever
do that again. Respect this ship, or so help me, I’ll throw you overboard!”

He shakes in my grasp and tries to stutter another apology. I drop him and give him a scowl that could kill a small child.

“Aye, Captain,” he finally manages to squeak out.

I doubt these fishermen will last two days at sea, but they may as well get a taste of the pirate life before they drift down to Davy Jones’ locker. “Weigh anchor then, you crusty cock coddler! And be quick about it!”

He runs toward the bow.

I shake my head. “Aft, you idiot!”

He turns and drags his green companion with him.

The winds pick up even more as the Kraken roars and slinks farther into the bay. Time to go.

Shade hops down to the main deck as the rain sets in. “Ready to make way.”

The Kraken finally drags its gelatinous mass into slightly deeper water, and one of its eyes seems fixed on the Gloomy Lotus.

I dash up the stairs to Nere. The ship shifts, and the glorious feeling of anchors aweigh sends a ripple of pleasure up my spine. The fishermen keep hauling the anchor, but we’re ready to sail now that the metal hook no longer chains us to the ocean floor.

I unlock the helm and set course for the open sea. The rain falls in thick sheets, and the Kraken disappears under the surface as we move at a fast clip. I man the helm, Nere at my side as Shade climbs to the crow’s nest.

The storm rages overhead and the fishermen finish raising the anchor. The hiss of the water parting for the ship makes my heart swell. I’m finally where I was born to be—at the helm of the Gloomy Lotus. It would be sweeter if the Kraken, and God knows what other creatures, weren’t out to get me. But a pirate’s life has taught me that you take the good when it comes and revel in it.

“This is amazing.” Despite the rain and the danger, Nere closes her eyes and smiles as we cruise through the choppy waters with ease.

I’m still angry with her, and I need to know what the fuck is going on. But she seems to hear the song of the sea, the same one that’s played in my heart since I was a wee lad. So I let her enjoy it. If only for a few moments.

The opening to the bay is ahead, and we fly past it, the sails in full bloom.

Shade slides down from the crow’s nest and hurries to my elbow. “Can’t see a fucking thing in this rain.” She leans forward and stares at Nere, whose eyes are still closed. “We need to talk.
Nere
, don’t you agree?” she sneers.

Nere opens her eyes and sighs. “I just wanted freedom. That’s all.”

“What?” I steer toward starboard, heading away from Port Royal or any other populated areas.

“She’s a Nereid. A daughter of the sea.”

“Like a mermaid?” I glance at Nere’s legs, though I already know she doesn’t have fins. Seems like I would have noticed that when I was pounding her pussy.

“No, she’s a daughter of Nereus, the most ancient of all sea gods. I’ve seen her likeness in Captain Lament’s books.”

That explains her swimming ability, at least.

Shade walks around me to stand next to Nere. “Why do you have the Kraken Stone?”