CHAPTER 9: [9] CHECKMATE, IDIOT

"Halfsies, huh?" She tapped the flat of the blade against her palm. "You know what? Sure. I could use a big strong and handsome man like you to carry all this treasure to my escape boat."

She slowly sheathed the dagger at her thigh and leaned back against the captain’s desk, arching just enough to pull her shirt taut across her chest.

"It’s quite heavy," she said, gesturing toward the bulging sacks with a tilt of her head. "I was wondering how I’d manage it all myself."

Pierre’s eyes flickered to her cleavage before returning to her face. The corner of his mouth twitched upward.

If I didn’t already know she was planning to ditch me with an empty sack that little display might have worked.

Might have.

Probably.

Okay, definitely would have worked. But that’s not the point.

"Happy to help," he said, keeping his voice casual. "Though I’m curious about this escape boat. I didn’t notice one when I came aboard."

Raven’s smile never faltered, but something shifted in her eyes—a quick calculation.

"It’s on the far side of the ship. Small rowboat, easy to miss in the dark."

"Smart," Pierre nodded appreciatively. "The Navy patrols these waters. They’ll be here soon, responding to the distress signals."

Her eyes narrowed slightly at his mention of the Navy. "You have a name? I’d hate to just call you ’handsome’ the whole time."

"Pierre," he said, watching her reaction carefully. "And you are?"

"Lily," she replied without hesitation, a sweet smile spreading across her face.

Lily? LILY? What kind of bullshit is that?

"Lily... what a beautiful name."

"Thank you," she said, pushing herself off the desk. "Now, shall we get moving? Those sacks won’t carry themselves."

Pierre stepped further into the cabin, moving toward the largest of the treasure sacks. As he bent to grab it, he kept Raven in his peripheral vision. She circled around behind him, and he tensed, half-expecting to feel her dagger against his spine.

Instead, she hefted one of the smaller sacks and moved toward the door. "Two trips should do it. Follow me."

Pierre lifted the heavy sack. For a sack full of gold this is lighter than I thought it would be...

Gold coins shifted inside, clinking against each other. He followed Raven out of the cabin. On the deserted deck, the wind carried the distant shouts from the Mariana and the salty tang of the sea.

She led him toward the stern, away from the boarding planks connecting to the Mariana Cruise.

"So, Pierre," Raven said over her shoulder, "what brings you to the Mariana? Business or pleasure?"

"Neither, really. Just... transportation."

"To where?"

"Wherever life takes me next," he said vaguely. "I’m something of a drifter."

She glanced back at him, her expression skeptical. "You don’t look like a drifter. Your clothes are too nice, despite the blood."

Pierre looked down at his outfit—simple but well-made clothes that had appeared on his avatar during the character creation process. "Appearances can be deceiving."

"That they can," she agreed, stopping at the railing. She set down her sack and pointed to a small rowboat tethered to the side of the ship. "There’s our ride."

The rowboat was real enough, though it looked barely large enough for them, let alone the several sacks of treasure.

"Seems a bit small for all this loot," he observed.

"It’ll hold," she said confidently. "You first," Raven said, gesturing to the rope ladder hanging over the side.

"With this?" Pierre hefted the treasure sack.

"Just drop it down. I’ll guide it so it doesn’t capsize the boat."

Pierre hesitated, weighing his options. If he went down first, she could simply cut the ladder after he descended, leaving him stranded in the rowboat while she disappeared with the rest of the treasure. If he insisted she go first, she’d know he didn’t trust her, potentially ruining any chance of recruiting her.

I need a third option. Something unexpected.

"Listen, Lily..."

"I was wondering where you scurried off to, Red Hair."

Pierre turned to find three men emerging from the shadows, their silhouettes backlit by the distant fires burning on the Mariana Cruise. The largest one stepped forward, a burly man with a shaved head and gold rings piercing his eyebrows. Two others flanked him – one thin and wiry with a face like a ferret, the other squat with arms as thick as tree trunks.

"Seems you found yourself a friend," the leader said, eyes fixed on Raven. "And quite a pretty one at that."

Raven’s hand moved to her thigh where her dagger was concealed.

The leader’s gaze slid from Raven to the sack in Pierre’s hands. "Captain Redbeard would be mighty interested in both these treasures, I reckon."

"Fantastic timing," Pierre muttered, loud enough for only Raven to hear. Then, louder: "Actually, we were just discussing what to do with all this gold."

He took a step toward the pirates, dragging the sack behind him as if it were impossibly heavy. The coins clinked together noisily.

"How about a deal?" Pierre suggested, gesturing toward Raven with his free hand. "You let the girl go, and I’ll hand over all this treasure. Seems fair, right?"

The squat pirate snorted. "Why would we make deals when we can just take both?"

"Because I’ll dump every last coin into the ocean if you try," Pierre replied, edging closer to the ship’s railing. "Your captain would love that explanation, I’m sure. ’Sorry boss, we let some random passenger throw away a fortune because we wanted to chase skirts.’"

A vein pulsed on the leader’s temple, his jaw tightening as he glanced from Pierre to Raven, then to the sack of treasure.

"Fine," he growled after a moment. "Hand over the gold first, then she can go."

Pierre shook his head. "Not how this works. She leaves, you get the gold."

"Don’t be stupid, boy," the leader said, drawing a curved dagger from his belt. "You’re in no position to make demands."

From the Mariana Cruise came the sound of splintering wood and shouting. The fight between Jack and Captain Redbeard had begun. The three pirates glanced toward the noise, momentarily distracted.

Pierre seized the opportunity. "Look, I don’t care about the gold. I just want to make sure she’s safe." He took another step forward. "How about this – I’ll bring it to you. Right now. Just back up a bit."

The leader shot a look at his men. The ferret-faced one offered a dismissive shrug. "Let him come."

"Fine," the leader said, taking two steps back. "Bring it here. No sudden moves."

Pierre dragged the sack forward, making a show of struggling with its weight. He hunched his shoulders, letting out small grunts of exertion.

"Heavy, isn’t it?" The leader smirked. "Gold always is."

"Worth it though," Pierre replied, drawing closer. He could smell them now – sweat and wine and something sour beneath.

"Hurry up, boy."

Pierre stumbled forward, closing the final distance between them. He let the sack slip from his shoulder, as if losing his grip.

"Careful with that!" the leader barked, reaching forward.

Pierre gripped the bottom of the sack and swung upward with all his strength. The heavy bag connected with the leader’s jaw, the impact sending coins spilling across the deck. The pirate’s head snapped back, blood spraying from his mouth as he collapsed.

Checkmate, idiot.