He looked like he didn’t believe that I was capable of killing anyone. Little did he know that I had a lot of experience with it.
“I don’t have a lot of time. They will probably come to the bay soon. They weren’t that far behind me. I must get out of here. Please, you are my only hope of surviving. I will do anything you want.”
“Anything?” He smiled.
I sighed. “Anything.”
“Let’s start with your money.”
I looked behind me, sure that I was going to see the mob bosses racing towards me. They could be there at any moment. I had no idea where they were, but they were sure to come to the docks at some point.
I turned back while digging around in my pockets. I pulled out a bag of coins, and without counting it, I handed him the whole bag. He opened the bag and dumped the coins into his left hand. He looked long and hard at them, and I felt my blood pressure going up. I broke into a sweat and peered over my shoulder again.
“Please, Azil, we need to leave now.”
He looked up at me again. “I have to admit, lady, that I do enjoy the way you say my name.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes and allowed myself to smile at him. If flirting was what it was going to take, then I would do it.
“I’ll try to remember that… Azil.”
He turned to Xagon. “It looks like we are going to have ourselves a stowaway.”
I almost passed out from relief.
“Get that anchor up, Xagon.”
Xagon nodded and turned to shout to the other men. “Let’s get going, gentlemen.”
Azil walked away from me, and I quickly followed close behind him as he got back on the ship. I watched as the anchor slowly made it out of the water, but it felt like it was moving in slow motion. It was a sheer eternity before the anchor actually was settled aboard the ship. Why did it take so long? It was agony watching the process of the ship getting ready to leave the port. The mob would be there at any moment, I could just feel it. If we weren’t sailing away by then, I would be ripped off the ship and slaughtered. The boss’s men wouldn’t even care if there were witnesses, as long as they got me.
The workers on the ship sat in their position, ready to oar. The boat started to slowly move from the dock. I watched eagerly as the men’s shoulders and arms worked in perfect harmony together, and the ship picked up speed as we started sailing away.
I heard shouting and I turned to see the pier become clogged with the boss’s men. I gasped and I quickly fell to the floor of the ship, wondering if they had seen me. I moved to the edge of the boat so that I could peer over the side and watch the commotion on the docks. I knew they couldn’t see me in that position, but it didn’t stop my heart from hammering in my chest. Did they know that I was sailing away at that very moment? I peered up and watched as the boss’s men started questioning people, and I could have sworn someone pointed towards the Sirens ship.
“Brimstone,” I whispered. I flattened myself to the ship’s floor and literally stopped breathing. The ship had moved a significant distance from the dock, and there was no way they could stop the ship at that point. The Sirens would not return, even if they were called back. Would the mob bosses follow us? Would they demand to search the boat? The very idea had me terrified. I was sure that Azil would just turn me over if he was confronted with the boss’s men. I was nothing to him, and he wouldn't get into trouble over some stowaway.
“You look like a fool.”
I turned around to find Xagon behind me, looking down at me with scorn. “Yeah, thanks. Do you think they know I’m here?”
Xagon looked towards the docks. “It’s hard to tell. It appears as if they are still searching the docks.”
I let out the breath that I’d been holding. I was going to get away. I couldn’t believe that I was actually going to get away. Had the Sirens not taken me under their wing, I would have died on the dock.
“Come with me, we need to get you out of sight for now, just in case.”
Xagon was holding his hand out for me, and I reached up to grab it. He pulled me up and I followed him. He took me beneath the ship into the cargo hold.
“Stay put for now, and don’t do anything stupid.”
“I have no intention of it.”
I did it. I was free.