Desire & Blood - The Thorne Siblings

42. Pirate

The yacht's pool was arranged between two sections of wooden deck. The deckchairs placed along it basked in the warm light of sunset.

A flagpole stood at the ship's stern, holding a gaudy banner of crimson and blue.

Thierry ordered Theresa and me to walk all the way aft and to stand against the railing there. He stopped a few steps away from us.

His face was aglow with the light of a sun about to touch the horizon. He was a resplendent figure against the background of mushroomy clouds coming in from the north, clouds that wore shades of rose where the light touched them, but their dark, swollen bellies were in the shadow and told of the storm they bred.

Thierry turned his head away from me towards the land, where the city's spires—tiny needles of gold—were still bathed in sunshine. Using his weapon, he pointed at a ship, a white and red speck between us and the shore. "That's them, the Coast Guard. Didn't I tell them not to follow us?"

Theresa and I remained silent.

"Didn't I say you'd die if they did?" His blue eyes were now on me. 'Ice-blue', Camilla had called them, ages ago, and I had objected. I still did—there was nothing cold in them. They were fiery pits amidst the tan of his skin and the blackness of his stubble and hair. And they traced my face, my chest, my skirt, my legs.

I shuddered, feeling cold and hot at the same time.

"Thierry," Theresa said, "let us leave. We'll keep quiet. There's no need to... do something rash."

"Too late for that, thanks to her." He gestured the pistol at me. "She brought in the Coast Guard and the police, led them right here. She even pushed their noses into the muck of the hold below, making sure they'd see the truth, or at least some part of it."

"Yep." I nodded. "I told them." Rebellious pride made me stand taller. Seeing Theresa's confused stare, I added, "I had a quick swim to the shore and met some people."

"But now you're back here," Thierry added, "And... if these bastards get any closer, I'd have to kill you, and that—"

"Like you killed dad?" Theresa took a step towards him. "Instead of waiting a couple of years to inherit his shares, you decided to... take a shortcut?"

He shook his head. "No, it's not that easy. I could and would have waited, biding my time."

"Then what was it?"

"Guess," he said. "Let's see if you can solve the riddle."

I hated riddles, but I thought I knew the answer to this one. "Your father planned to change his will after we told him what you did."

Thierry looked at his sister. "She's right. As you know, according to dad's will, I'd inherit a large part of his shares of TCorp, enough to give me a majority. That night, after your... betrayal, he told me he wanted to change that."

"So you killed him," I added, "knowing that no one would be able to prove your deed and that the police would cover you."

"You're almost right," he said, not taking his gaze off his sister. "But I didn't kill him, at least not intentionally. It wasn't murder... We had a loud discussion. He was excited, and so was I. He struck out at me. But... I'm not a child anymore. I hit back. Not hard. But we were at the top of that stair... He fell. So, it was just an accident. But who'd believe this?"

The siblings eyed each other in silence.

I wasn't sure he was telling the truth. What would Theresa think?

He finally scratched his head, then he waved his gun at me, his eyes still on Theresa. "So, you see. Anne's guess wasn't quite right... but it was near. She's a smart one, your friend; she's got what it takes. Clever enough to see patterns, such as... creative expense management. Courageous enough to stand up to her boss and to the boss of her boss, to report someone from Top Floor, such as me. Smart and courageous. Brain and heart, and a good dose of ambition. That's what attracted me to her in the first place." He sighed and turned to face me. "A woman like you... you could have had anything as long as you played in the right team, followed the right leader. I've offered that to you, a place in my team, way back, when... the future was still mine. Do you remember?"