Page 90 of The Worst of Them

“Per the governor’s orders, it is my duty to make an example of anyone.”

She exhaled at the sound of the voice that drifted down the hall from behind them. Though the deep timbre came with a lilting Spanish accent, its familiarity wrapped around her heart and sent a relieved, lovestruck flush over her skin.

A hush fell. The sun had set fully by now, and the moon was beginning to rise, illuminating a tall officer in the middle of the corridor behind them. His hat was pulled low, shadowing his eyes but leaving the irritated cut of his mouth visible. Deep scars ran over his face, slicing through his nose, his lips, his chin, his neck, as though some great monster had torn him apart.

She’d seen Jack dressed this way plenty of times, but she’d never watched him embody the officer. He was every bit as disturbing as the islanders said.

The captain was the only one who didn’t seem intimidated. “Officer Marín,” he said, like he greeted a friend. “It appears we have would-be thieves at our door. I was handling it.”

Marín’s lips curved down. “With all due respect, I was brought here for the sake of your guards and your thieves. I’d be remiss if I allowed you to do my job.”

Though he said nothing inherently violent, the promise of it hung over them like cold steel. He moved forward with slow, assured steps, and the guards parted to allow him through. Once he reached the captain, he stopped, standing directly before Cecily.

“It appears these men broke protocol and are bothering you with a matter that belongs to me,” Marín said. “Allow me contend with them, and neither of these oversights shall happen again.”

Cecily lowered her gaze, staring at the captain’s boots. She didn’t need to feign her apprehension. If Jack couldn’t get them out of this, there was no telling what punishments the governor would bestow on would-be thieves after six years of robberies.

The captain considered with pinched lips. Sternly, he said, “I’ll answer to the governor for this. If this isn’t handled perfectly…”

Marín smirked, and there was so much Jack in the expression. “I assure you the governor will have no complaints.”

The captain looked as though he wanted to argue further, and for a moment Cecily believed he might. But then he sighed. His exhaustion returned, deepening the dark circles beneath his eyes, and he waved his hand. “Do as you see fit, Marín.”

Marín gave a firm nod. The captain returned to his office, and Cecily hardly dared to blink in case it might break the spell and bring him thundering back with designs to punish them himself.

His door shut. Silence stretched for a few seconds, and when the captain didn’t return, the anxious bands around her ribs released.

But then Marín whirled on Cosme.

“Was it you who broke protocol?” he demanded in a low, lethal purr.

The guard recoiled. “Sir, if I may, this laundress⁠—”

“That’s no laundress,” Marín hissed. He towered over the Cosme, and Cecily could feel him shaking. “That’s Hein’s girl. Or were you too witless to notice?”

“I-I didn’t⁠—”

“You can’t trust any pretty face that comes to our gates,” Marín snarled, “especially if they’ve been with Hein. Have you not seen the kind of filth he cavorts with?”

The guards remained silent, the tension thick enough to crack.

“How did they get past the front gate?” Marín asked, deathly quiet once again. No one answered.

The gate guards were currently unconscious, thanks to Greyson and Frederick, who’d gotten to them before Killian could. Of course, none of the guards here knew that.

“How?” he demanded, so abruptly that some of the guards flinched. When still no one gave an answer, he angled his head toward Cecily, the motion unsettlingly snakelike. “You’ll tell me.”

She couldn’t see his eyes, but she stared into the shadow beneath his hat. He was very good at this, she thought. His mask was flawless, and were it not for the familiarity of his expression earlier, she might have wondered if it was indeed him.

He waited for her to respond, having challenged her on purpose and trusting that she would make the right decision to sell their ruse.

She wouldn’t let him down, or any of the others. So she twisted her lips into a scowl and spat at his boots. Beside her, Cosme stiffened, and with a low snarl, she said, “Go to hell.”

Many of the guards shuffled backward or shook their heads. Cecily didn’t take her eyes off Marín. His lips twitched, but he pulled the amusement into a cold grin.

His hidden gaze blistered over her skin, making her heart race. “Lock the trespassers in separate rooms,” he said. In a flash, his hand clamped on her upper arm, hauling her away from Cosme. “I’ll have the defiant one first.”

Her chest heaved as she glared at him, feeling light and lovely in his grasp, even as she spat, “You bastard⁠—”