When Whitley winds up on the top of a pirate hit-list thanks to her con-artist father, she must hide her identity and board another pirate ship, trusting in one shape-shifting pirate named Bluff to help her escape. Too bad you can never, ever, trust...
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Whitley
"You know you need to get off this ship, right?"
I pry my dry eyes open to see Jimmy standing before me, moonlight shining on half his face, the other half in shadow. I blink back the haze from my mind, realizing I must have dozed off.
"What?"
He squats down in front of me. "We'll be there probably before the sun rises, and they'll trade you off to Simon. This is your last chance at escaping." His voice is calm, but soft as a whisper.
"What time is it?" I ask, wondering if I slept for very long. Did I miss our chance?
"Just after eleven. We'll be passing a few islands that won't be tough swims... but you have to go now."
"Why... why would you tell me that?" I shake my head. We had a plan to escape, so this conversation is moot, except...I can't understand why he'd try to help me.
He stands and looks off into the distance. "Rosemera would have. And she'd want me to too."
I bite my lip. "But don't you want to save her?"
He looks down at me, his eyes heavy. Tired, but not from lack of sleep. "Of course. But I know her better than to think she wants us to sacrifice someone else for her. She'll want to save herself. She's not a damsel and doesn't ever want to be treated like one."
I pull my hands from my pretend knots and rub my raw wrists. Jimmy's eyes grow larger as he watches but otherwise shows no other reaction.
"Bluff doesn't think Simon even has her."
He tilts his head slightly. "Do you have a way to get to Bluff?" he asks, ignoring my comment. He focuses, rather, on my suddenly free hands.
I nod. Wondering if it's a mistake to give him this information. This exchange is a strange one. So calm. So matter-of-fact.
"Are you just going to let us go, then?" I ask.
"I'll be back to check on you in an hour and a half. I can't give much more than that." Jimmy's face remains passive as he turns and walks back to the helm, slowly. As if the whole conversation never happened.
I rub my palm over my face, trying to pull my mind back into the task at hand. My lips tremble as I take in a long breath. Then I rush over to the door to the berth. I knock the lock aside easily and run down the shadowed steps with as light a foot as I can manage.
Just as I reach the bottom, a pair of rough hands grabs me by both upper arms and pushes me up against the wall. His hand is pressed against my lips in an instant—as if I would scream. Which is better, one pirate or a dozen?
Still, my whole body is screaming for release. Throbbing heart feels louder than any call for help.
The man's chest presses against mine, and then I feel the sharp prick of a blade up against my neck. I squeeze my eyes closed and suppress a squeal. Where is Bluff? I silently beg.
