A Pirate's Possession Read Free Page B

in the man’s eye that Nate could see and it gave him pause. Could it be that James also knew what was on the other half of the map, the half that Claire’s father had possessed?
    Nate finished his drink. “Then I hope they remember this half as well,” he said as he patted his pocket. “Thanks for the drink.”
    He unfolded himself from the chair and was heading to the doorway when his first mate and good friend, Vincent, strode into the tavern. The dwarf came directly at Nate, who was easy enough to spot because of his height.
    â€œWell?” he asked, hands braced on his hips. “Did you get what you came for?”
    Nate frowned. He hadn’t told Vincent or his crew about the treasure. Part of that was because until he had the last piece of the map, there was no point. The other part was, though he had no intention of mentioning Claire, he’d no doubt be thinking of her in the telling of the tale regarding the map and the treasure. Since he never gained any joy from thinking of her, and since she was already too much in his thoughts for his peace of mind, Nate delayed it yet again.
    â€œI didn’t come here for anything.”
    â€œThen why were you in such a bloody hurry to make port?”
    â€œMaybe I just needed to get away from your endless badgering for a few bloody minutes. What are you complaining about anyhow? I thought you had an errand to run.”
    â€œErrand? Oh, right. All done.” He took a breath; the smile he gave Nate was forced. “What did you mean, you needed to get away from me? Having me as your fist mate is the best thing that’s ever happened to you.”
    â€œSure it is. Right after scurvy.”
    For a moment it looked as though Vincent believed the words, but then he rolled his eyes. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”
    â€œIt’s not hard to see you were raised with a bunch of women,” Nate commented, referring to his friend’s need to know everything.
    â€œFine. I’ll tell you what.” This time Vincent’s smile was real. “You keep telling me there’s nothing, and I’ll promise to stop trying to get it out of you.”
    â€œI’ll believe that when I see it.”
    Vincent sobered. “If there’s nothing, then why do you look as though you’ve just lost something that mattered?”
    Because that was exactly as Nate felt. He’d been thinking of or searching for that treasure for years and he’d come to Nevis for the missing piece to the map. The map that would lead to the biggest treasure in the Spanish Main. He had it now; he should be pleased. The ironic part was that by having it, he was also reminded of what he didn’t have.
    Nate found a table, one as far from James’s as possible. Making himself as comfortable as the wooden chair allowed, he caught a passing barmaid and ordered two tankards of rum. Then, thinking that was a good start, he ordered one for Vincent as well.
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    Claire thrashed her way through the jungle and over the haphazard path she’d created a few days ago to the small camp that, as of Thursday, had been her home. The moon was nearly hidden by clouds and offered little relief to the cloaking darkness but Claire knew her way. She hadn’t kept herself alive this long by making a habit of getting lost.
    She arrived at the small encampment and saw, if only in her memory, a cold pile of rocks surrounding black coals and a small cleared-out area that was no bigger than the blanket she used to keep warm. Claire dropped to her knees. She’d put her hopes and efforts into locating the map. She’d worked until her bones ached, and more times than not, she’d fallen asleep at night too exhausted to undress. She’d trudged ahead despite fear and pain, loneliness and heartache, believing it would be rewarded in the end. Believing justice would prevail. Never, never, had failure entered her mind. If