Free Corsets & Crossbones by Heather C. Myers Page B

“Miss me?”
    Charlie let out a mirthless laugh.  “Let’s not waste our time with formalities, Esmeralda,” he said, narrowing his eyes at the woman before him.  She was obviously incredibly attractive, but in his eyes, she was quite the opposite.  He knew her too well to consider her beautiful.  “Why are you here?”
    Esmeralda smirked again and she straightened her back.  “Always cutting to the chase,” she scolded, shaking her head.  “Charlie, you used to be fun.”  She paused, tilting her head to the side, a finger tapping against her chin as though deep in thought.  Charlie swung his feet down from the table, and interlocked his fingers before he rested them where his feet had previously resided.  He knew she was toying with his patience, but he waited for her to answer on her own accord.  “Well,” she said finally, her tone of voice lower, husky, “something is about to happen, and since we are close acquaintances, I wanted to warn you.”
    “We are not close nor acquaintances,” Charlie corrected her.  “You are wrong on two accounts.”
    “Tell me you are not bitter about our last meeting,” she said, pouting her lips in a teasing manner. 
    “If my memory serves me well, it is you who should be bitter,” he replied with a grin, flashing his gold teeth.
    “That is because you left me without a word, before I even knew you were leaving,” she snarled, her face suddenly contorting into a grimace that made her once beautiful facial features ugly.
    “I do happen to remember saying goodbye,” Charlie interjected quickly, raising both index fingers to the ceiling.
    “But I do forgive you for all your evil deeds,” Esmeralda said calm once more, her face returning to its normal state.  “Just like Jesus above forgives my sins, I forgive yours.”
    “Forgive me for saying, but I do believe you just compared yourself to Jesus Christ,” Charlie said.  “That’s a sin, is it not?”
    The woman before him ignored him and had to strain herself from rolling her eyes.  “I am here to offer you a place aboard my ship,” she continued.  “A place with a higher rank than everyone aboard, equal only to me.  If we joined forces once again, we would be the most powerful pair to be reckoned with.  Not even the Royal Navy could touch us.”  She paused and glanced around before staring at Charlie once again.  “Tonight, Port Royal will turn into a hell.  Buildings will be destroyed, people will die, screams will fade against the cannon fire.”  She leaned even further toward Charlie.  “A map is located on this island; a map leading to the greatest treasure known in the Caribbean.”  Charlie stared at the woman before her, his eyes widening in recognition.  “The Dead Man’s Tale.  If you joined forces with me, you would get forty percent of the profits.”
    Charlie pondered her offer for a moment.  He hated to admit it, but he was slightly tempted to take it.  He had heard of the Dead Man’s Tale and in the back of his mind, he had always wanted to stumble across it, but he never was presented an opportunity to.  Until now.  Charlie tapped his fingers on the wooden table, and after a moment he looked the woman straight in the eye.
    “Thank you for your most generous offer,” he said, standing up.  Esmeralda followed his suit, tall enough to meet his eyes.  “I am, however, sorry to say that I am not interested in this particular offer, nor any future offers you may choose to offer me.”  He grinned at her and began to walk away from the table and from the woman whose eyes were burning into Charlie’s back.
    “Goodbye, Esmeralda,” he called without turning around to look at the scowling woman. 
    Of course, his face was passive, showing no concern over the message he had just heard, but inside, his heart was beating with fear.  For some odd reason, his feet led him not to the docks to leave on his ship, but to the Cunningham’s home.  He had to find