To Kill a Kingdom(64)

I pray to the gods that Madrid’s finger slips on her trigger.

“How’s it taste?” Rycroft asks.

Lira brings the goblet to her lips and inhales. I’m not sure if she’s smelling for poison or if she actually wants to savor the drink, but she closes her eyes and waits a few moments before bringing the goblet to her mouth. There is a spot of blood on her tongue when she licks her lips, from the shards of gold that dance inside the bottle.

When Lira runs her tongue over her lips, my hands unclench and the anger seeps from me. Everything she does is sensual, playing her part as perfectly as she can. Or maybe she doesn’t need to act and simply enjoys the lustful way Rycroft’s teeth scrape his lip when he watches her.

“It’s perfectly lovely,” Lira says, her voice almost unrecognizable.

“Good.” Rycroft’s smile could cut through steel. “I wouldn’t want you to be unsatisfied.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that,” Lira says. “Not now that I’m in such good company.”

Rycroft’s eyes fill with a calculating lust. He blinks at her, then turns to me. “Are you gonna tell me the reason for your visit?” he asks. “Or shall we keep playing this game?”

There was never an option to stop playing. String him along and let his suspicions get the better of him. Let him think that I’m up to no good while Lira plays to his ego and swoons on his every senseless word. Let him think that he needs to watch my every move and scour the docks where my crew waits. Let his attention be on everything but the newly demure Lira. The harmless arm piece I’m flaunting in front of him like the jackass prince I am.

“Actually,” I say, swirling the goblet of rum, “there is something.”

Rycroft leans back and hoists his feet onto the table. “Spit it out,” he says. “If it’s a trade you want, we can come to an agreement.”

His eyes flicker to Lira and she smiles coyly. I didn’t realize she was capable of looking coy, but it seems I’ve underestimated her skills of deceit. She wraps a winding piece of hair around her finger, so convincing that I have to do a double take to catch the clamped fist she’s concealing under the table. Her face betrays nothing of it.

“A yellow sapphire amulet disappeared from the Midasan royal vaults,” I say, recalling the lie verbatim as we practiced. “I was hoping you might know something.”

Rycroft’s strange features fill with delight. He arches his arms behind his head. “So you’ve come slinging accusations?” He looks far too pleased by it.

“It’s precious to me,” I tell him. “If it were to suddenly reappear or if you caught word of where it might be, the information would be very valuable. Priceless, one might say.”

I can almost see Rycroft weigh the options of whether he should pretend he has something of mine, just to watch me squirm, or offer to help me find it for a fee as large as he would like.

“I don’t have it,” Rycroft tells me, like a moth to the flame. “But I’ve heard whispers.”

Lies, I think. Such bullshit lies.

“It’s possible I know where it is.”

I swallow my smirk and feign intrigue at the chance that he could have the location of my imaginary Midasan heirloom. “What would that information cost me?”

“Time,” he says. “For me to check my sources are correct.” For him to actually gather sources. “And I think I’d also like your ship.”

I knew it was coming. For every unpredictable thing Rycroft did, there were a hundred more easily guessed. What better way to make a prince suffer than to take away his favorite toy?

I let a flicker of practiced irritation cross over my features. “Not going to happen.”

“It’s your ship or your amulet,” Rycroft says. “You have to decide.”

“And how do I know you’re not the one who has it?” I time my anger in perfect pulses. “I’m not paying you to give me back something you’ve already stolen.”

Rycroft’s eyes go dark at the insinuation. “I told you I didn’t have it.”

“I’m not going to take your word for it.”

“So, what, you want me to take you belowdecks and let your sneaky shit fingers trawl through my treasure?” he asks.

Which is exactly what I want. The entire reason we came here and talked our way onto his ship was to get a look at his spoils and confirm that Sakura’s necklace is among them.

“If you think that’s happening,” Rycroft says, “then you’re stupider than you look.”

“Fine.” I glare. Spoiled, impatient. Playing my part just as he would expect. I wave a dismissive hand over to Lira. “Let her look instead. I don’t care either way, but unless one of us has a peek at the unmentionables you’re hiding, you can keep your ship and watch the Saad sail off into the sunset without you.”

It was always going to be Lira, of course. I knew there wasn’t a chance in hell Rycroft would let the captain of the Saad into his treasure trove. But to let one of the Midasan prince’s captivating floozies take a quick look around? Maybe.

“Her,” Rycroft repeats with a snake smile. “How will she know what she’s looking for?”

“It’s yellow sapphire,” I tell him. “She’s not a complete idiot.”