Page 76 of If I Go Down with This Ship

“I’m not from this time.”

He blinks.

“Did you hear what I said?”I ask.

Smoothing a hand over his stubble, Silas squints at the horizon.“This time?”

“What year is it?”I ask instead.

He swallows before he says, “It is 1717.”

My hands shake as I dig my fingers into the sand, the pieces fitting together.“And the month?”

“December, nearing the end of the month.”

December 1717.No.No, it can’t be.George’s words come back to me, and I press a hand to my chest, vision blurring with tears as I struggle to catch my breath.What was the date?Damn it, what was the date?

“Laszlo?What’s going on?”

January 6, 1718.The day New Providence gets a newgovernor, the day pirates lose their stronghold.Silas watches me with a mix of confusion now, brow knit in worry.

The day he dies.

I stand, my chest squeezing tight, making it difficult to breathe.What did George say?Something about a deception, a pardon, and three ships in the harbor.But what can I do to stop it?What power do I even have?Can I change the trajectory of this crew?Can I save him?

Or will that mess with time?

It’s worse knowing when he’ll end, when all of this will end.I’d forgotten, somehow, I’d forgotten, and the thought of this reserved, kind man being killed to protect his crew and ship makes my heart snap in two and my knees go wobbly beneath me.

No more Silas.No moreShe Deceitful.No more us.

“Laszlo.”He stands and crosses to me, and then his hands are on my shoulder, tilting my chin up.“Laszlo, what is it?”

I want to tell him, but how do you tell the love of your life that they are going to die?That you knowpreciselyhow it will happen—

Love of my life.I blink at him, the words caught in my throat.It’s true, though, isn’t it?Even though I’ve only known him for a brief time, I can feel it.In every touch, every caress, every kiss.In the way I hold him, the way he holds me.I want to spend every waking moment at his side.Ilovehim desperately.

There are no words for this, though, nothing to tell me how to move forward.Where isTime Travel and Other Complicated Discussions When You Fall in Love with a Pirate for Dummieswhen you need it?

I stare at him in silence.Heat builds behind my eyes, my face flushing as I bite down on my bottom lip to keep fromspeaking.But before I can stop myself, my lips are parting and—

“This isn’t going to make any sense, but I’m from the future, and you and everyone aboardShe Deceitfulare going to die, and I think there’s a way to stop it.”

25All Tide Up at the Moment

Silasdrops his hand.“What are you getting on about, Laszlo?”

“Silas, it’s true!”I move toward him, but he steps out of reach, confusion written across his features.My fingers reach numbly for my phone, turning it on discreetly.It buzzes in my hand as the picture of him against the sunset pops up as my background, and I tilt the screen toward him.“Look,” I say, pointing to the calendar.“When I left London, it was 2025.”

He shakes his head.“Laszlo, you’re not making any sense.”

“Please.If you’ll just hear me out, if you’ll just listen for a moment, Silas.”

“No, no, this can’t be true.It’s… impossible.”

He turns to go, but I reach out and take his hand.It’s limp in mine, and when I meet his gaze, there is heartbreak there.He doesn’t believe me.

“I was… depressed,” I start, squeezing his fingers.“I waslosing my love of travel, my love of writing.I had a deadline to meet for my book, and my sister took me down to the pier where a replica pirate ship was waiting to try and help.”