Home > A Pirate's Wish(3)

A Pirate's Wish(3)
Author: S. E. Smith

The colors spun around him before turning black. Ashure’s head snapped back again as Simon transferred the souls that had been locked deep within him. A hoarse cry of horror rose in Ashure’s throat but never escaped.

As quickly as the process had begun, it ended. Ashure stood frozen in the middle of the empty cabin, still holding the glass of bourbon in both hands. He slowly turned in a circle. Everything was clearer, sharper, even in the shadows.

A sharp knock on the door drew his attention. He turned when it opened, and the First Officer stepped inside with a frown when he saw Ashure standing in the room alone.

“Waves, what are you doing in…?” the First Officer started to growl before he stared into Ashure’s eyes, paled, and bowed his head. “My King.”

At that moment, Ashure realized that his destiny was sealed. He was now the King of the Pirates—and the Keeper of Lost Souls, the souls that loudly beseeched him for mercy even as he sensed the thirst for revenge that they could not hide.

 

 

Ten Years Before Present Day

Portland, Oregon

 

Tonya Maitland groaned when she saw the reflection of a police cruiser’s flashing lights in the window of the store she was walking past. Pulling up the hood of her dark blue hoodie, she adjusted the backpack on her shoulder and shoved her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. With any luck, the Popo was after someone else.

“Hold up, kid,” a man called out from the driver’s side window.

Tonya glanced over her shoulder, realized that her luck had run out, and took off. She heard the officer curse loudly before he pulled his cruiser up onto the sidewalk and shifted it into park. She was already halfway down the dirty alley by the time he exited his vehicle.

The alley cut across to another street. She was in the unpleasant part of Portland that bordered the downtown area where she had been working on a project this morning. Behind her, the officer yelled at her to stop. In response, she lifted her right hand and shot him the bird.

She disappeared around the corner and crossed the street without looking. A taxi driver blared his horn at her. She offered the driver another middle finger salute and a kick to his bumper for good measure. She grinned when he returned her gesture.

Another glance over her shoulder revealed that the officer was huffing and puffing and waiting on traffic. She headed down another alley. At the end was a chain-link fence with a gate. The gate had a chain wrapped around it and a heavy-duty lock. Fortunately, several large garbage cans lined the wall up to the fence. She used the wooden pallet that was leaning up against the first trash can as a makeshift ladder and climbed onto the can. Walking across them, she looped the top of her backpack on a wire before she climbed over the fence. She put the toes of her worn tennis shoes in the holes of the fence, unhooked her bag, and climbed down to the other side.

She lifted a hand and gave the out-of-breath officer a two-finger salute before she turned around and rapidly walked down the alley. She was almost to the end when another police cruiser pulled up and blocked her exit. She groaned again when she recognized Officer Max Bennett as he got out of the car. She stopped several feet from him.

“Running again, Maitland,” Officer Max dryly commented as he opened the back door to his cruiser.

Tonya shrugged. “Hey, Max. I’m just trying to keep you guys on your toes. Officer Donut back there looked like he could use a little exercise,” she muttered as she walked to the open door with a sigh of resignation.

“I heard that, kid,” the officer behind her yelled.

“I’ll take it from here, Joe,” Max said.

Tonya slid onto the back seat and leaned her head back. She listened as Joe argued with Max before the out-of-shape officer turned in a huff and stomped back the way he had come. Honestly, she didn’t know how the guy had passed the physical fitness test to be a beat cop. He couldn’t catch a bad guy unless they were using a walker.

She looked through the metal screen separating the front and back seat when Max got in the car and shut his door. He spoke into the mic, telling dispatch that he had apprehended the suspected runaway. She rolled her eyes and pulled her backpack onto her lap.

“Seat belt, Tonya,” Max instructed.

“Seat belt, Max,” she mumbled in response.

They both pulled on their seat belts. Tonya knew from experience that it was easier to let Max think she was going along with him. Otherwise, she would have to listen to his lectures. She sat back and wrapped her arms around the bag containing all her worldly possessions.

“So, what is wrong with the folks you’re with this time?” Max asked, looking at the mirrors before pulling out onto the street.

“Nothing,” she muttered.

Max looked at her in the mirror. “Did they beat you?” he pressed.

She snorted and rolled her eyes in response.

“Did they starve you?” Max asked.

She pursed her lips and shook her head.

“Did Mr. Rollings say or do anything inappropriate?” Max demanded, looking intently at her in the rearview mirror.

“Sheesh, no, no, and no already. The Rollings are nice, okay?” she answered with a bite in her tone.

“Then why did you run away? This is the eighth time in two years, Tonya. You do remember that the last time you went before the judge? He said this was it—no more chances. If you don’t stay with the Rollings, he’s going to send you to Juvie. You won’t be able to run if you’re locked up,” Max stated.

Tonya looked at Max. He was alright for a cop. His dark brown face was creased with concern. He acted like he actually cared about what happened to her. She leaned forward when she saw him lift his hand and wave a pedestrian across the road.

“You finally got Angela to say yes?” she asked.

Max chuckled and thumbed the wedding ring on his hand. He had told her six months ago that he was thinking about asking Angela to marry him. Angela was one of the attorneys at the Portland Department of Child Services. Angela had handled two of the cases involving Tonya’s placement with a foster family.

“We were married this past weekend,” he confessed.

“Thanks for the invite,” she said, sitting back against the seat and looking out of the window.

Max glanced at her again. She pretended not to notice. He released a deep sigh and pulled into the parking lot of a hamburger joint. She looked at him with a quizzical expression when he parked and turned off the ignition.

“I’m hungry. Do you want to get a bite to eat?” he asked.

She looked at the building before looking back at him. “I don’t have any money. I was hoping to—” she started to say.

“I’ve got enough,” he promised.

Tonya watched as Max opened the door and slid out of the cruiser. He spoke into the mic attached to his shoulder, explaining to dispatch that he was taking a lunch break. She slid out when he opened her door, trying to act like she was doing him a favor instead of the other way around.

They walked across the parking lot and entered the restaurant. She sat down in a booth facing the road. A woman with a bright smile came over and took their order, and then they were alone.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Tonya? You’re a bright kid. You’ve got a lot of people trying to help you. You know the right decisions to make: go to school and stay with your new family. So why won’t you do it?” Max asked.

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