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He finally glanced up at the face of the other man and blinked in surprise.
"Too bad you're not a heavy drinker," Tyler said, his expression hooded. "If you made an
ass of yourself I wouldn't need to interfere."
Lucas struggled to comprehend the words and the implied threat. "What do you mean?"
"There's only one First Mate on the Dread Destroyer and that's me."
"It's only a pirate show, Tyler--"
"That's where you're wrong, and that's why you don't deserve to be here." Tyler stood up,
his body blocking Lucas' view of the stars. "I'd piss on your face if it wouldn't get me in trouble
with Adam," he murmured, as if he were considering doing it anyway.
Lucas waited, prepared to explode out of the sand if Tyler's hand moved anywhere near
his shorts.
"Go back to the mainland," Tyler muttered. "Go back or I'll send you there myself."
"The hell I will," Lucas replied. "I'm here and I'm staying."
He thought he saw Tyler scowl, but the other man didn't say another word. He turned on
his heel and walked away, leaving Lucas buried by himself in the sand.
"Damn it," Lucas whispered to himself, staring at the stars again. "Way to charm 'em,
Lucas. Way to go."
CHAPTER FOUR
Lucas dreamed of Chicago and he dreamed of Lisa. The two of them were at Millennium
Park, standing together before the giant art sculpture the Chicago Bean which looked like a
silver-plated legume the size of a house. Their reflections were warped in it, much like looking
into a funhouse mirror.
But this wasn't fun. Lisa's hand was small and soft in his hand. He could feel the
'friendship' ring that he'd given her on their first anniversary pressing against his middle finger.
Her perfume was strong in the humid summer air. It nearly made him dizzy.
Everything suggested that it was her beside him, yet in the curved reflection of the Bean
Lucas wasn't holding hands with his ex-girlfriend, he was holding hands with a man. He couldn't
make out the face and the hair color could have been anything from dark blonde to dark brown.
But it was a man. There was no doubt about it.
Dream-Lucas didn't freak out. Not even when the silver bean began to stretch and
elongate, twisting into sharp angles. Eventually it morphed into a silver clipper ship. A silver
pirate ship right in the middle of Chicago. No one else in the park noticed.
Adam stood at the rail. He was decked out in a tricorn hat and breeches and boots. His
chest was broad and bare. At his hip swung a golden cutlass.
"Pirate, come aboard," he ordered.
"I have to say goodbye to her," Lucas replied.
Adam nodded. "Then say goodbye to everything. You're one of us now."
Lucas turned to the side where Lisa had once stood. She was there again, her hips
unarguably feminine beneath his palms. He closed his eyes and leaned forward to kiss her... but
she was gone again. His lips landed on a firm mouth. Stubble abraded his chin.
"You're one of us now," Adam called from the ship.
Lucas opened his eyes--
And found himself staring at sunrise in Hidden Idol Bay. Sand was cold and hard around
his limbs. He shivered, but it wasn't entirely from the chill.
What kind of dream had that been? He'd been holding hands with a guy? He'd kissed
one? Lucas wished he could blame it on heavy drinking, but the truth was that he really hadn't
drunk that much last night.
As he waited for the distressing dream to fade from memory, he took more notice of his
surroundings and realized he wasn't alone. Someone was sitting cross-legged in the sand beside
him, drawing patterns in the sand with his fingers. Tattered canvas shorts, a fading red T-shirt,
and hemp bracelets on both wrists all held the lingering sweet smell of marijuana. From behind a
curtain of lank, straight brown hair, an equally nondescript brown eye glanced over at Lucas.
"Hey."
"Hey." Lucas watched in bemusement as the other man turned his head and went back to
drawing in the sand.
Lucas tried to shift out of his prison of sand. He couldn't move.
"What -- what time is it?" he asked, swallowing and realizing how parched he was. The
last thing he'd had to drink was the sip of beer Tyler had given him.
The other man shrugged and raised his head to the sky, studying the low position of the
sun and the swathes of pink and purple still streaking above the water. "Dunno. I'd guess around
eight or so."
The slow and slightly husky voice brought back memories. Lucas squinted. "You're --
Hewie?"
"Got it in one, dude."
"Is anyone else awake?" Lucas strained to see to the fire pit. It was empty, the coals long
since put out. The beach appeared deserted except for the two of them.
"Everyone's up. The crew always takes the newbie out for breakfast on the first morning."
Hewie looked up at the cottages. "They're slow, though."
Lucas' stomach rumbled. "I'm not surprised. I mean, you guys should be hung over."
"Nah. We have a lot of practice drinking rum." The other man gave him a quirky smile.
"Pirates and all."
Lucas grinned. "Pirates."
A screech from the vegetation behind the cottages had Lucas craning his neck to see what
had caused the sound.
"Howler monkeys, dude. Nothing to worry about."
Howler monkeys. Right.
"So how'd your night go out here, dude? Lotta stars, right?"
"Yeah, it was beautiful," Lucas said, recalling the incredible nightscape he'd gazed at last
night. "Can't see that back in Chicago. The city's just too bright."
"Santa Monica's the same way," Hewie agreed.
"How'd you end up out here?"
"Peter brought me out. I was planning on boarding the rest of my life. Just chillin'. But he
dragged me along with him." Hewie smiled as if remembering something. "I'm kinda lazy. I
thought it'd be too much work being a pirate. But I like it. I wouldn't want to do anything else."
He shrugged. "And the bud here is awesome."
His long, slim fingers moved lazily through the sand, carving out a Zen-like sand garden
before he wiped the slate clean with a swipe of his palm. "You had a good time last night? You
cool with all the guys?"
The back of Lucas' head was sore. A couple of hours of lying on sand had begun to feel [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]