Page 19 of Drift: Willa & Koy

“If you’d like, we can take care of the body,” Koy said.

I shivered. It wasn’t the first dead man I’d seen. Far from it, in fact. But the significance of the timing made a chill creep over my skin. I could feel it. Something about all of this wasn’t right.

“I’d appreciate it.”

“And we’d appreciate your discretion.” Koy’s voice deepened with meaning.

“As far as I’m concerned, you two have done right by theIris. No reason to muck that up now. But this happens again, and we’ll be having a different conversation.”

I nodded in agreement. We were responsible for what happened in our harbor just like he was responsible for what happened on his ship. If it got around that crews were disappearing on our docks and washing up on the beach, that would be a problem. One that could sink us before we even really got our legs beneath us.

“If there’s nothing else, I do need to get the ship underway.”

“Of course.” Koy gave the helmsman a grateful nod and the door opened again, flooding the cabin with bright light.

We didn’t speak as we crossed the deck and climbed down the ladder. We didn’t so much as look at each other until we’d reached the main dock, theIrisout of sight.

“What the hell is this?” Koy muttered through clenched teeth.

“How long did you stay with Coen last night?”

“What?”

I stopped, turning toward him.

“When you left last night,” I whispered, “did you see where he went? Did he go back to his room or to the harbor?”

Koy was trying to follow my thinking, but he was coming up short. “I have no idea. What does it matter?”

“I think.” I paused, weighing the cost of what I was about to say. “I’m pretty sure he heard the same thing I did last night.”

He stared at me.

“When I looked back at him after the deckhand said what he said, he had this expression like he was as shocked to hear it as I was. But then he smoothed it over, like he hadn’t heard, and I thought I’d imagined it.”

“Maybe you did.”

A woman with a string of fish passed, eyeing us as we fell quiet. I waited until she’d reached the next bay before I continued.

“If you didn’t see where he went last night, he could’ve have followed that man.”

“But why kill him?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. To make sure he doesn’t repeat what he said?”

Koy wasn’t buying it. “You think the deckhand was murdered by that tidy merchant’s son?” Koy laughed. “I doubt he can even throw a punch, Willa.”

I shook my head. He was wrong about that. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did. There was an edge to Coen beneath his charm. A coldness brimming beneath that look in his eye.

“Just… just tell Raef to stay away from him. I mean it, Koy.”

Koy looked at me for a long moment before his eyes went over my head. “Great. What now?”

Down the dock, the helmsman of a schooner called theGrousewas stalking toward us, three of his crew on his heels. Even from here, I could tell he was furious.

I positioned myself next to Koy and when the helmsman reached us, he tossed a coin purse to the dock. Its contents spilled out, falling through the cracks. It was nothing more than what looked to be lead pellets.

My gaze lifted to meet his.