The Treasure by Iris Johansen Read Free Book Online Page B

sure Kadar explained everything to you. I must go with him. Don’t worry, he’ll take good care of me.”
    “She’ll be safe.” Kadar took her arm. He ignored her immediate stiffening as he added, “Tell Lord Ware he has my word on it.”
    Haroun nodded jerkily. “I know he values your word. But Lady Thea will not—”
    “You’ll have to hurry,” Selene interrupted. “We sail soon.” She handed him the note and brushed her lips across his cheek. “Go with God, Haroun.”
    He gave her one last agonized glance, then turned and ran down the gangplank.
    Her breath expelled in a burst of relief. It was done.
    “You did very well,” Kadar murmured.
    She shook off his grasp and stepped back. “Now, let’s put to sea before Ware has a chance to ride here and try to change my mind.”
    “I captain this ship,” Balkir said testily. “No woman tells me when to sail.”
    “You’d rather have to fight a battle? It doesn’t surprise me. I’ve noticed you have the brain of a—”
    “Hush.” Kadar scooped her up in his arms and started down the deck toward the cabin.
    “Put me down.”
    “When I have you safely behind a closed door. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re outnumbered, and I doubt if I could keep Balkir from strangling you if you persist in antagonizing him.”
    “He’s an idiot.”
    “Granted. And he’ll get his just desserts. But not now.” He opened the cabin door and set her on her feet. “Go lie down while I help the ‘idiot’ get under way. I’ll be back as soon as I can. We have to talk.”
    She shook her head.
    He closed the door and leaned against it. “Stop treating me as if I were your enemy. Nothing’s really changed. I’m the same man you’ve known all these years.”
    “Yes, you are.” She crossed the cabin and sat down on the bunk. “Exactly the same.”
    “But now you wish nothing to do with me.”
    “You were going to leave me.”
    “I had to leave you.”
    “Without telling me? Without giving me a choice? You promised me once that if you ever went back to Sinan you would tell me. You lied.”
    “Yes.” He grimaced. “I thought it was safer.”
    “And it was your decision. It’s always a man’s decision. If he wishes to take a woman’s body, he does it. If he wishes to desert her later, he does it.” Her hands clenched at her sides. “Well, I won’t sit meekly and let a man make my decisions. I won’t let you have my body and then go away whenever you wish. I won’t care. I’ll
never
care again.”
    “The devil you won’t. You can’t change what’s between us.”
    “I can. I will.” She lay back against the pillow and closed her eyes. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
    “I almost wish I’d let Balkir strangle you,” he said through his teeth.
    “The usual solution to any man’s problems.”
    “Selene, this is difficult enough. We need to—You’re not listening.”
    “My head aches and I’m sick unto death of listening to you. Go away, Kadar.”
    He muttered something beneath his breath and then she heard the door slam.
    She opened her eyes. Difficult? It was almost impossible to uproot all the years of feeling. Build the wall higher. She could do it.
    She had only to keep him away.
    It was a quarter of an hour later when the anchor was lifted and the ship eased away from the dock.
    It was five minutes later when she heard the shouting on the deck.
    Oh, God—Ware? No, he’d had no time to ride from the castle.
    She jumped up and ran out on deck. She could see Kadar and Balkir in a crowd of sailors at the far rail. Angry sailors. Balkir was angry too. He lifted the club in his hand.
    Kadar caught it and spoke rapidly to Balkir.
    She ran toward them. “What is it? What’s—” She stopped short as she saw the huddled figure in the middle of the crowd. “Haroun?”
    The boy was sopping wet, his eyes wide with terror as he looked from Kadar to Balkir.
    “What are you doing here?”
    “He swam out and grabbed the anchor