Page 67 of A Pirate's Pleasure
“It’s fine, Lief,” Zephyr said. “They want to check that our stories are the same, that’s all, and they will be because it’s the truth. Neither of us has anything to hide.”
“Wise man,” Reeve said, his tone so carefully modulated that much as I searched for the sneer in it, I couldn’t find it. Knowing it was an argument I couldn’t win, I nodded, and let myself be led away. The room I was ushered into was small, very little in it except for a table and two chairs on opposite sides. I’d obviously pulled the short straw, my interrogator none other than Reeve himself.
He lowered himself into one chair and gestured at the empty one. Fighting the urge to say that I’d rather stand, I accepted the offer, doing my best to look unfazed despite the sweatiness of my palms and the racing of my heart.
“I have to admit,” Reeve said once we were both seated, “that I didn’t think our paths would cross again. Most perpetrators don’t return to the scene of the crime.”
“Most perpetrators,” I said coolly, “aren’t framed by a cousin whose existence they weren’t even aware of.”
Reeve sat back in his chair. “Why don’t you tell me all about it and make sure not to leave anything out?”
Hours. That’s how long I’d spent repeating the same things over and over again, and answering the same questions asked slightly differently. It hadn’t just been Reeve. Other men had come in throughout the afternoon, none of them polite enough to introduce themselves. I’d assumed they had something to do with the court in Elderborough, but they could have been anyone.
They’d given me water, but nothing else, my stomach starting to grumble about the lack of food. There were no windows in the room, so I had no way of knowing whether the day had already turned to night or it was just my mind playing tricks on me that made it feel like a great deal of time had passed.
They also left me alone with nothing to do but think for short periods of time. Like now. Whether to play mind games or because there were discussions going on that I wasn’t privy to, I didn’t know. They hadn’t mentioned Zeph. And the only mention of Baravor had been by me as I painted him as the instigator of the whole thing. I’d asked about Zeph many times, but they always ignored my question, the conversation quickly returned to going over the same things again until it was all I could do not to scream. I assumed Zephyr was receiving the same treatment. As for Baravor, who knew what he was saying? He could be lying through his teeth and claiming we’d kidnapped him and were trying to set him up.
I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes. The chair wasn’t comfortable enough to allow sleep, but resting my eyes was good. How much longer would they keep me here? All night? It was a possibility. If they were hoping I’d slip up, they were in for a crushing disappointment. Was it a good sign that they hadn’t thrown me in a cell yet, or was I clutching at straws?
The creak of the door opening once more had me opening my eyes and sitting up straight as Reeve re-entered the room. Just Reeve. No one else this time. I eyed him warily, biting back the urge to ask how much longer they intended to keep me here. There was no point when I’d asked before and the answer had never strayed from “as long as we need to be sure we’ve understood what really happened.”
Reeve resumed his seat, an awkward silence descending on us as we stared at each other, seconds passing in nothing but silent contemplation. I sighed, irritability getting the better of me. “I’ll save you time, shall I? No, I really didn’t know that someone had claimed to be my uncle’s son. How would I when I’d never met my uncle? Yes, my dagger really did get stolen. Yes, that does seem awfully convenient, but apparently I was drunk. No, I’m not in the habit of drinking to excess and losing track of my personal possessions. I’ve never done it before or since, but that’s what happened.”
I paused for breath before launching back into it, not a shred of emotion showing on Reeve’s face. “No, I really hadn’t gone home that night, so I was unaware Baravor had lured Erolith to my home. No, I don’t know how he did it. You’d have to ask Baravor. Yes, I’m telling the truth about not having seen the body. The first I heard about it was when I discovered the authorities were looking for me. Yes, I ran. Not because I was guilty of anything, but because I was scared that no one would believe me, and I was proved right about that, wasn’t I? And yes, we did come back to Silkdrift to find out who the real perpetrator was because I didn’t frame myself, so it had to be somebody. It’s a shame no one thought to check on the house or you might have worked it out for yourself.”
Reeve gave a sniff. “I was simply going to say, Lord Cooper, that you’re free to go.”
Oh, I was lord again, was I? I blinked at him, the rest of what he’d said taking longer to sink in. “What?”
“Baravor has made a full confession about his part in the proceedings.”
“He has?”
Reeve nodded. “He wasn’t overly keen on doing so at first, but with the right methods of persuasion employed, it turned out that he had quite a lot to say on the matter.” I winced. It didn’t take a genius to work out what sort of “persuasion” they’d used. “He will be put on trial for both the murder of your uncle and of Erolith Magran.”
I stood, almost surprised when my legs were strong enough to hold me. “So I’m really free to go? Just like that?”
Reeve stood too, his lips twisting sardonically. “Haven’t you spent hours telling me you’ve done nothing wrong, that you’ve been the victim of a terrible miscarriage of justice, that I can’t keep an innocent man here?”
“Well, yes, but…”
He stalked over to the door and held it open. “I would leave, Lord Cooper, if I were you, before I change my mind and find something else to hold you for.”
It was good advice, and I took it, retracing the route until I was back where we’d first entered the building. There was no sign of the red-headed man in the small reception room. He’d probably gone home hours ago. There was no sign of Zeph, either. I stood and waited, expecting one of the other soldiers to bring him out to join me. A minute ticked by and still no Zeph.
“You’re still here, Lord Cooper.”
I turned to find Reeve standing there, the soldier having followed me. “I’m not going anywhere without Zephyr. Did you forget to give the order to release him, too? Perhaps you could see to it and then I’ll be glad to get out of here.” I already had plans for the two of us. We’d take a long soak in the bath together, where we’d share a bottle of wine—my uncle having cultivated quite the wine cellar—and then I’d get the cook to rustle us up something suitable for a celebration, because what better occasion could there be than my name being cleared and no longer being a wanted man? And it was all thanks to Zephyr. I intended to show him my gratitude in every way possible, but particularly in bed. I’d wring as many orgasms as I could from him, and then I’d start all over again until he begged me for mercy.
The corner of Reeve’s lips lifted in a smile. I’d never seen him smile, and I didn’t like it one little bit. “You may be free to go, Lord Cooper, but he, however, is not.”
A buzzing started up in my ears. “What do you mean?”
“Baravor is not the only person being put on trial. Zephyr Chase will also join him.”
The buzzing grew louder. “For what? He hasn’t done anything.”
A noise at my back alerted me to the other two soldiers joining us. They crossed their arms and stood there, the silent threat all too clear. Reeve’s smile grew wider. The fucker really was relishing this. “Where do I start? By helping you, he obstructed the letter of the law. And I’m sure as an intelligent man, you don’t need me to point out that the manner in which he did so was unnecessarily brutal. One does not turn nature itself against the authorities and expect for there to be no repercussions.”