Whirlpool (Cutter Cay Book 6) Read online

  How had this dependency crept under her usual defenses so quickly?

  Drawing comfort from being anchored to him, in anticipation of a potential shitnami, was simply another thing that was wrong in her life. Dragging him blindly into the middle of her complicated revenge plot, she realized too late, was unfair.

  His lifestyle made it clear that he wasn’t permanently affixed to anything, except his goals of reaching the most distant horizon of space. And even that horizon constantly shifted, farther and farther away, as he accomplished each lofty objective. Without a deep breath, or counting to three, she took the dive. Probably into a pool with no water. "I'm the captain of Sea Witch."

  Dead silence.

  Numb with anticipation, it took a moment to realize that Finn had actually released her hand, not squeezed it in solidarity. It had simply been a figment of wishful thinking.

  He knew about the thieving pirate on board Sea Witch then. Of course his best buddies the Cutters had told him about her stealing from them over the years.

  Even though she knew Finn would distance himself, her heart sank. It hurt, damn it. He didn't say a word as her gaze roamed the room; from Cutter blue eyes, to Cutter blue eyes, to gauge their reactions. Finn’s defection hurt so much it made whatever the Cutters threw her way seem trivial.

  Although she'd expected it, the condemnation from the Cutters stung.

  Screw them. She didn't care. She'd expected it after all. Defiantly, she held up a hank of her bright hair. For God's sake, they didn't "see" her, even with the brightest red hair this side of the freaking Equator. "I said, "I'm Sea W-"

  Logan scowled. Figured. He seemed like a guy who liked everything by the book, and this was definitely not by the book. He glanced at his brother. "Nick?"

  Middle brother Nick's expression was inscrutable. Peri had held onto the lifeline in the last few days that he'd seemed friendly toward her. Now she wasn't so sure that wouldn't turn on a dime. He could, like his threatening-looking spy friends, be picturing gleefully how to break her neck and toss her body overboard. Zane frowned as he exchanged a long look with Nick, then his eyes drifted back to her with a marked frown. Jonah looked annoyed. He had the least reason to hate her, since she'd never stolen from, nor lied to him. Probably just didn’t like that she’d pissed off his brothers.

  Teal and Bria gave her sympathetic looks. But perhaps they felt compassion because they knew the hell the Cutters were capable of raining down on a person when they felt threatened and formed a united front.

  The three T-FLAC operatives still blocked the door. Perching on the edge of a chair as if waiting for the right moment to leave, Dr. Vadini looked uncomfortable. Theo looked intrigued. Neither left the room. Peri figured she was the floor show as long as the storm raged outside.

  "We know who you are," Nick's voice was gentle, his scrutiny far too penetrating. It was as if he knew something no one else in the room knew. "We were waiting for you to tell us.”

  "Took you long enough to come clean," Zane groused.

  Logan leaned forward. "Hope you made a shitload of money selling your ill-gotten gains. It should pay for a decent attorney." He shot the words out like bullets he'd chambered for years. Bam. Bam. Bam.

  Beside her Finn stiffened, but he made no move to touch her again. The few inches between them seemed as deep and wide as the Mariana Trench. "You knew who I was all along?" Holy crap. On one hand, she was almost relieved that they had at least recognized her, and on the other, mildly insulted that they hadn't confronted her from the moment they'd met.

  Which indicated in flashing, neon lights just how disinterested they were.

  She turned to a silent Finn. "Did you know?"

  Finn's poker face chilled her anew. “I should've listened to my instincts when you tried to steal my tablet. Once a thief, always a thief." He turned to address the Cutters. "I’m stunned you haven’t put legal proceedings into motion before now. It would be well within your rights to have her arrested on multiple counts." He got to his feet, his absence leaving a cold spot next to her on the loveseat.

  "I haven't sold any of it," Peri told the others as Finn walked away. "I'll return every last reale and artifact in better condition than before."

  "And when will that be?" Logan demanded as Finn reached the double doors leading out of the salon.

  "Logan—" Nick shot him a stern glance.

  Peri dragged her attention away from Finn just as he turned to face the room, back to the wall, eyes, flat and cold. "As soon as you tell me where you want it delivered."

  Logan flexed his fingers. "Cutter Cay and immediately."

  The other side of the world and out of their hair? "Consider it done." When she responded, her voice was toneless. Finn had already cut her heart out with a blunt knife.

  "You won't be taking that tablet anywhere until we've established exactly how and where it was found," Finn said from his position across the room. Expression unreadable, he leaned one broad shoulder against the door jamb, his face half in shadow. With his fingertips shoved into the front pockets of his jeans, one ankle crossed over the other, he looked the picture of relaxed.

  Relaxed wasn't in Phineas Gallagher's vocabulary in any language. The animus radiating from him was marked. His temper was tightly, chillingly, leashed. If he were a panther his tail would be flicking from side to side, eyes fixed on his prey. Unlike her own quick blow up/quick recovery, Finn's anger, once ignited, was of the slow smolder variety. Far more lethal. Far more lasting.

  No second chances.

  Pulling her eyes away from him with difficulty, Peri said. "I'm also Rydell Case's sister."

  Zane dramatically fell back into the cushions of the couch like he’d been struck, his hands cupping the back of his head. "Fuck."

  Logan shook his head. "Ah, Shit. Nick, you might've mentioned that bit of pertinent information."

  "Explains everything in a fucking nutshell, doesn't it?" Jonah snapped, rhetorically, folding his arms across his broad chest.

  "Actually," Teal said, "it doesn't. Just because Case is a dishonest shit, doesn't mean you have to be. We all know that's not a gene passed from generation to generation." She moved closer to Zane and laid a hand on his shoulder. The Cutter ranks were closing fast.

  Peri looked Teal in the eye. This was not a time to back down. She’d laid her cards out, face up on the table for all to see. "My brother doesn't have a single dishonest bone in his body. That ball belongs squarely in your family's court."

  Zane leaned forward, his wife's hand on his shoulder. "So, ripping us off all these years was a show of solidarity with your brother?" he snapped. "He must be so proud."

  "He doesn't know about my activities. When he finds out, he'll kill me."

  "If we don't do it first," Logan echoed her thought. "He's so honorable he knows you work for the Ministry of Antiquity and sent you over here to fucking spy on us. How convenient." He turned to Theo, then back to her. "Wait- You don't work for them, do you?"

  "Of course, she does," Theo spluttered, obviously having no idea what the hell was going on, nor how to benefit from it. "Ariel's worked for me for years."

  "Buddy, you shouldn't even be in the room. In fact, I don't know what the fuck you're doing on board in the first place." Jonah cast him a withering look, then turned those Cutter eyes on her like sharp knives. "Why's your last name Andersen and you're brother's Case?"

  "Don't badger her, cognati," Bria said quietly, the tea cup poised at her lips before she set it gently in the saucer she held in her other hand. "Let her speak. There are many reasons a woman changes her name, are there not?"

  "My last name is Case." Hearing how rapid her breathing was, Peri tried to slow it. "Persephone Case."

  "Not Ariel Andersen?" Zane said tightly. "Not just a thief, but a liar as well. Nice."

  Zane's wife punched his shoulder none too gently. "I told you her name was the same as that cartoon mermaid. And I told you it was weird that her last name was Andersen as in Hans Christian
- Didn't I tell you that it was odd?"

  Zane captured Teal's fist, then brushed his lips across her knuckles. "Several times, sweetheart. You were right as usual."

  Jonah scowled as he typed on his phone with his thumb. "Calling the police."

  Peri glanced briefly at the windswept waves beyond the water splattered windows. They wouldn't come anytime soon.

  "Then you'll want to contact the Prefectura Naval Argentina directly," she informed Jonah, proud at how calm she sounded. "They're the ones charged with protecting the country's maritime territory. Unfortunately, since none of the artifacts were stolen from their jurisdiction, and I’m legally employed by their government, you’d have a hard time getting them to arrest me. Technically, you’d really have to contact the police in every location globally where the recovery operations were held."

  "Difficult, but not fucking impossible.” Logan started to get up, then thought better of it, and sank back into his chair.

  “I’m a thief, not stupid. Call the local police to get the ball rolling if that's what you want. I'm not going anywhere.”

  "No one is calling anyone. Cool your jets," Nick told them as he and Bria shared a brief silent conversation in a shared glance which spoke volumes about their close bond. "Let's all take a deep breath here. No one died, no one lost a limb. Persephone was just doing what any one of us would do when faced with our brother's enemy."

  "Her brother is your brothers’ enemy, dickhead," Logan reminded him. "Do you see any of us stealing Case blind?"

  "Yes," Peri told him with asperity. "You did. You do. Consistently."

  "Bullshit. Is your brother too chicken to come over here and say that to my face?" Logan demanded, his voice curt. "Because I'd be more than fucking happy-"

  "I'm sure Finn doesn't want any bloodshed onboard Blackstar," Nick said, tone cool. "Bullying Persephone isn't productive. She's confessing voluntarily. Trying to make amends. Seeking a peaceful resolution."

  “Jesus." Logan ran his fingers through his dark hair, clearly exasperated. "Other than spying on us, what the hell are you doing here?"

  "If by here you mean Patagonia?" she spoke to the oldest Cutter. "You don't own the damned entire world, Logan. Over seventy percent of the Earth is covered by ocean. You could've gone any damn where else in the Universe other than here. I freaking live here. If you mean on this fifty-plus miles of Patagonian coast, then I have as much right- more right even, than any of you."

  She hesitated. Should she spill it all? But…she couldn’t make herself say the words that would reveal the truth that no one else knew. Obviously, not the Cutters. Not Finn. And not even Rydell, the brother who had loved her all her life. Her real motivation made her seem. . . pathetic. Needy.

  "Dangerous and pretty damned brazen of you to beard us on our own ships to spy for your brother.” Zane tucked Teal against his side, linking his fingers with hers on his knee.

  The gesture made Peri's eyes sting. She looked at the ceiling for a second to center herself. She was damned if she'd cry in front of these people. Damned if she'd show even a sliver of a chink in her armor.

  Yet they deserved their pound of flesh. They'd get it, then she'd be done with them once and for all. "Rydell had no idea I was doing this, so don't blame him. This was all my idea. Besides, I was here first. I discovered the wrecks almost six years ago. All of them-"

  She eyed each man one at a time. "The references were so obscure, so badly documented that I sincerely doubt you would've found them on your own. The only reason you're here now is because you saw the notice of my multi-ship salvage claim, and like bloodsuckers glommed onto the location. As usual, just as you've done year after year with my brother's claims."

  "How could we possibly know you were the Koúkos Corporation?" The penny dropped for Jonah. "The cuckoo stealing another bird's nest. How appropriate. Sneak in, steal our shit, and run. If, as you say, you were here first, why didn't you stake claim to all four ships?"

  "First of all," she snapped. "I never stole a damn thing from you. So you don't get to pick up a pitchfork."

  "You stole from my family," Jonah informed her, eyes blazing. "Which means you stole from me."

  "Can we get on with this?" Logan demanded.

  "Guess I’m not as greedy as you." Peri tucked a strand of loose hair back into the braid hanging down her back. "I couldn't afford the good faith payment required by the Argentinian government," she admitted. "Not to mention, trying to tackle the entire area alone would take me about a hundred and fifty years. I had to prioritize which area to salvage first. I partnered with my brother. You showed up like your usual bad penny selves. Bottom line; if I’d had the funds at the time, none of you would be here at all.” Not strictly true. If not the Cutters then another salvager would've followed her trail.

  “You would've had the funds if you’d sold all the artifacts you stole from us over the years,” Logan pointed out.

  "True." Chin high, she crossed her arms trapping her braid against her chest. “Money wasn't my motivation." Never. "It was just-” Payback. Petty. Hollow now. “Freaking stupid,” she admitted, releasing her hair and shoving the long plait over her shoulder.

  “But you’re not a stupid woman." Nick scrubbed the back of his neck. "Ballsy, impulsive, yeah. Stupid, no. So why have you been stealing from us for years?”

  Looking for a touchstone, her gaze went to the doorway to gauge Finn's reaction. Peri wished she hadn't. Quick-silver eyes like stone, lips pressed into a hard line, he looked furious.

  No second chances.

  Spinning away, Finn strode out of the room without a backward glance.

  SIXTEEN

  When Finn left, Peri felt as though all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room. As though her lifeline had been ripped away, she was overcome with an acute sense of loss. Swallowing against a tight, dry throat, the sensation of sinking deep underwater and drowning, enveloped her.

  Damn it to hell. She'd planned, anticipated this confrontation for years. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she'd hoped for a glimmer of support from Finn. Hell, a little freaking compassion would've been nice. Instead, he'd walked out.

  Surprised? her mind jeered. Really?

  This was why she always walked away first.

  She'd waited too long, become too attached to him, making the cut deeper. She'd ignored every mental caution to herself. Damn it, she knew better. People she cared about never stuck around.

  None of this was unfolding as planned, and with Finn's complete withdrawal, every molecule in her body wanted to jump up and say fuck you all. Instead of being impetuous, Peri drew in a breath. No one could go anywhere because of the high seas. She had a captive audience, and things to say. Like it or lump it, they'd hear it. "Do you really have to ask, considering the way you guys have treated Rydell over the years? You screwed him over time and again." There was also that other pesky detail that was none of their damned business.

  "I grew up hating you which made stealing from you easy. You had every freaking opportunity to confront and stop me. You didn't.”

  Retribution for Rydell was the motivation. Besting them, and taunting them with her presence, had kept her going. But getting zero freaking acknowledgement was what had driven her to dangerous extremes.

  Because the Cutters had ignored her as if she didn't exist. For years. They hadn't given a hoot who she was, or bothered to find out why she'd appropriated their salvaged treasure. In the long run, the only pleasure she had derived from swiping stuff from right under their noses was the thrill of being caught.

  Peri loved living on the edge. Knowing she could be caught in the act at any moment. It was like amazingly good sexual foreplay. The anticipation, the adrenaline rush—exactly like when she and Finn had made love behind an unlocked door, mere feet away from a hundred party guests.

  Even now, when she'd revealed her identity, presented herself for who she was and what she'd done, the damn Cutters still had no interest in acknowledging her.

&
nbsp; Maybe this was her punishment after all. Total disinterest. To be ignored as if she weren’t more than a pesky fly. “I never planned to keep anything."

  "Keeping what you stole you mean," Logan said. "Finn's right. It's well within our rights to charge you with piracy and grand theft.”

  “Why do you hate the guys so much?" Teal asked, her brow furrowed.

  "Let me put it more bluntly; What the fuck did we ever do to you to warrant you stealing from us?" Logan demanded.

  Zane looked grim. "Nothing warrants her stealing from us."

  God, Peri desperately wanted to get up and pace, but the room was littered with Cutters like a damn physical minefield. She stayed put, chin high. “It’s complicated.”

  Jonah snapped, “Simplify. You're damn quiet over there, Nick. What's your two cents on this?"

  "I'll jump in when necessary. Right now, I'm listening.”

  “Your family started screwing over my family for years before I was even born.”

  “So, nothing to you personally?" Jonah rose to go to the other side of the room, poured another cup of coffee, and returned to his seat. He placed the steaming mug on the table next to him without drinking.

  So they could close ranks, but she couldn't? “Anything you've done to my family is done to me by extension.” What was sauce for the gander. . .

  Nick scanned her features. What was he looking for? “Tell us about your brother.”

  “Rydell knows nothing about my actions and, believe me, he wouldn’t condone what I’ve done. He’s an exemplary human being. Honest. Honorable. Ethical," she said pointedly. "And a damn good brother."

  "Did this damn good brother tell you to steal from us?"

  “She just said he didn't. Let her talk, Logan,” Nick said. More gently, to Peri, he added with a nod, “Go on.”