The Devil's Temptress: Dead Man's Chest || Book 2

II. The Faithful Bride

"That's it, I fold!" Andrew Sullivan, sore loser, even more so when it was a woman grinning and scooping up his money from the table, dropping it into the growing pile of silver to the side of her wine. The older pirate with matted hair formed a noise from the back of his throats as he threw another small pouch towards his opponent. "Damn wench!"

"Always a pleasure Mr Sullivan!" Nicolette grinned, snatching the pouch from the liquor stain oak and counting into contents before setting it next to her. She then scanned the faces of the crowd around her, shouting. "Who's next? How about one of you boys? Think you can beat me this time?" She asked, fixing her eyes on the table next to the one she occupied at the four young sailors who had been watching her play all night.

"Still can't afford it after the last time Barker!" One of them, a young lad named Timothy, smirked back at her while raising his ale.

"Oh come on, I only took a few pieces of silver from you." She laughed, keeping one eye on the table and on her winnings as Jeremiah dealt her a new hand. It had taken her to get beaten and bruised but she knew to watch her money now...and also her back on her travels back to her bed.

"How you ain't got a ship by now, I don't know!"

Nic did. For one it cost more than a couple of pieces of silver to actually get a nice one and the Pearl had set her expectations very high. Also, constant money being past over for lodging made her purse get very light very quickly. And even then it had only been a month since Jack had left and that was no amount of time at all in the grand scheme of things.

"One day soon I hope." She smiled and tipped her chalice back at the men before turning back to the game now Jeremiah had finished dealing and the other five men sat at the table had dealt in their first bets.

Nicolette settled into her seat again, laughing as Elbert groaned and cursed under his breath drunkenly instantly giving away his head and blissfully ignorant at what was happening just at the other side of the Faithful Bride.

.....

"Jack Sparrow?" Giselle narrowed her lips and sucked in her cheeks, pouting in a somewhat painful looking manner. Slowly, she turned away from the young boy and looked at the red haired woman sat next to her in the small booth, encased by sailors.

"I haven't seen him in a month." Scarlett's carried on, flicking her brow and setting her jaw so tight she looked sour faced.

"When you find him, you give 'im a message." Giselle stood, a sickly sweet smile on her lips, but then it dropped before Will had a moment to think and pretty soon there was a sharp snap and a burning pain across his left cheek.

"Of course." The boy forced a smile, raising a hand to rub his reddening cheek.

Then as he turned to leave and Giselle retook her seat, Scarlett got a cunning and thoughtful look on her face and nudged Giselle with her elbow before hooding at Will.

"Come to think off it actually..." She called out and when Will turned around Giselle was still watching the red head inquisitively. "We know someone who may know where Jack Sparrow is?"

"You do?" Will asked with a decent amount of urgency, his wide eyed eagerness turning into worry when the women began to chuckle dangerous.

"Oh yes, how could I forget." Giselle joined in, cackling and her eyes fixed on a point somewhere off behind Will. No one ever came looking for Jack Sparrow for something good and if they could turn that unfortunate fait towards the Captains certain little something, then both women would both happily accept the opportunity.

"Who? Where can I find them?" Will pushed, growing sick of their chilling laughing as they began to fall over each other.

"His little whore." Scarlett answered, the laughs had ceased but the evil smirk remained. "And she's right over there..." Will's grow creased but he followed Scarlett's gaze as she learned around him towards a more crowded and louder part of the tavern.