Chéri

Ch.15: Foreplay

A hush fell abruptly over the crew.

Claudio broke away from Jiayi's lips to ask. "You have a British soldier for a brother?"

"Yes, qīnài de, we all know this," said Jiayi.

Thomas and Jackson stood across the clearing from each other, both frozen in nervousness and anticipation. Jean-Luc let go of Thomas's hand but did not stop glaring at him. Thomas rubbed his wrist lightly. His face showed minor discomfort.

"Heya, brother," he said.

Jackson tried to form words, but none sprung from his tongue. The only one he could think of was:

"Thomas."

"It's been a while."

"Two weeks," said Jackson wryly.

"That's a while!" countered Thomas.

It was true. The two brothers had spent pretty much their entire lives together. The fact that it had been over a month since Port Royale and two weeks since Nassau was unprecedented for them.

"Yeah, I suppose," said Jackson.

Thomas said, "It is good to see you though."

"Good to see you too."

Jackson scratched behind his head nervously. He didn't know where he and Thomas stood now, as their last meeting had not exactly gone well.

From the edge of the clearing, Jean-Luc spun his pistol around in his hand. "I do not think we can trust this man," he mused.

"Aye, where do your allegiances lie?" Kingsley asked gruffly.

Thomas stumbled over his words in response, "It's alright, I left the British Navy. That's why I'm here now."

The crew shared uneasy looks.

Amelia asked, "How'd you find us then?"

"I didn't! I was just walking along when this fellow," he said before pointing emphatically at Jean-Luc, "Snatched me right off the road!"

Everyone stared over at Jean-Luc. He shrugged.

"So, this bloke didn't even know where we were at and then you went and dragged him all the way over to our camp?" said Amelia, staring daggers.

"I was patrolling the perimeter!" exclaimed Jean-Luc.

"Right, mate, real good work ya did there."

"I think I did a good job," said Jean-Luc with a huff.

"Point is, I'm here now," announced Thomas, "And I'm ready to help."

Kingsley looked over at Jackson. His arms were crossed, and his face was hard to read.

"You know him better than anyone else. Is he telling the truth?" asked Kingsley.

Jackson glanced over at his brother, eyeing his dirt-stained clothes and chaotic red-brown hair. Thomas looked back at him pleadingly.

"Yeah. Yeah, he is," said Jackson decisively.

Kingsley seemed satisfied enough. "Alright. So, what do you know, kid?" he asked Thomas.

"Well, I know the British have got people stationed all across the city," Thomas stated, "Cornwallis finagled some deal with the Governor of Cuba, so he has the full backing of the Spanish as well. Currently, they're out looking for you lot. It's just luck that I got to you first."