“Been talking to Daniel?” It was more of a statement than a question. Jax reopened the door with a sigh, then sat down at his desk and opened a ledger.
“Jimmy’s?”
“Aye. If you have some thread, I can move the buttons over so they fit me better and I can give you back your belt. Dr. Kirk had needles in his bag, but only catgut for sewing wounds.”
Jax set down his quill and opened a drawer of his desk. He handed her a small wooden box. It contained everything she needed.
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked.
“Aye,” she met his gaze. Her pulse increased as she peered into his handsome face, with those amazing steely blue eyes. She found it difficult to stay mad at him when she wanted to feel his lips on hers. “But I’m mostly past wanting to hurt you.”
“Mostly?”
A half-smile surfaced. “Aye, mostly.”
They each returned to their respective tasks. A few minutes passed before Jax spoke. He did not lift his head from his task.
“I’m curious about this Morty you mentioned.”
Charlie was glad he didn’t look up because she couldn’t hide her smile. Was Jaxon jealous of Morty?
“What about him?” she said nonchalantly.
“You said he loves you.”
“Aye.”
“Do you love him, too?”
Morty was her closest friend. Of course she loved him. She loved him the way one might love a brother. “Aye.”
Still angry, Charlie would answer truthfully, but she wasn’t going to voluntarily give him any information he didn’t ask for. She knew how it sounded and hoped she was making him jealous.
Jaxon raked his hand through his hair. “So it’s safe to say he knows you’re female?”
“Aye.”
“You’re just not going to make this easy on me,” he said tersely. He set the quill down hard and turned in his chair so he could see her. His eyes seemed to have lost some of their color leaving them an icy gray color.
“I’ve answered your questions,” she said with a little smirk. “I dare say I’ve been more honest than you. If there’s something you want to know, keep asking your questions. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
Jaxon met her eyes and held her gaze. His blood boiled with her game. He wanted to know everything about his rival.
“Do you think he’ll know it was not your body we gave him?” He wanted to understand how familiar was this man with her body? Had he kissed her? Had he held her in his arms? Had he made love to her?
Charlie felt the wind leave her sails. He wasn’t jealous at all. He just wanted to know if she thought they were still being pursued. It had been satisfying to drag out his torment when she thought he was jealous, but now she realized it was all for naught. Charlie frowned.
“I don’t know. The last time I saw Morty, he was locked up in the brig. It’s possible he wouldn’t have seen the corpse at all,” she said and realized she wasn’t sure she even wanted to go back to the Arcadia. “They would have released him as soon as they remembered he was there. But Mr. Byron is the one who wanted me gone. It would be within his power to keep everyone away from the Jimmy.”
“What did he do that he ended up in the brig? Did he attack you? Is he the one who put those bruises on your back?” Jaxon sounded angry.
“Morty would never hurt me. I put him in the brig when I realized he knew I was not a man. We were going to put him ashore in Portugal. I’m sure that’s why the crew went along when Byron set sail without me. They’ve been really upset because we gave them no reason why I locked him up.”
“You locked him up because he found out your secret?”
“Every plan my father had for me was based on that lie. No man will follow me if he knows the truth.” Her eyes suddenly welled up and she blinked back the water. “He is the best friend I ever had. Do you think I liked what I did? Everyone likes Morty. He’s always making everyone laugh and he’s loyal to his mates. He’s the kind of man you want beside you in a fight; because you know he would take a bullet for you.”
Charlie didn’t see the look of hurt that crossed Jaxon face as she described Morty because Jaxon intentionally turned his head away. He heard the sincerity and admiration in her voice and wanted to slam his mouth on hers to drive the word away. They were like a knife in his heart. He could never remember wanting a woman more and she was in love with another man.
“Do you think the ship came back for you because they let him out of the brig?”
“Aye. I don’t know if he would tell them why I locked him up, but he never held any animosity towards me. He knew I was only trying to protect myself and he would never intentionally put me in danger. Aye, it would have been Morty’s doings that turned our ship around. But I don’t think it would occur to him that someone would try to pass off one body for another. His mind doesn’t work that way. Mr. Byron is in control and since Dr. Kirk was shanghaied. I was his only obstacle to full possession of the Arcadia. It is only a matter of time before he gets through the lock on my father’s door and locates my father’s coffers. Luckily, it has not been so long since we were in homeport, so I know most of our money is in the bank there. Perhaps when you have replaced me, you can take me Charleston rather than leaving me elsewhere.”