He stopped beside the table before he handed Holland a roll of parchments. “The Luna is being stripped as we speak. There’s a good bit of supplies, but no inventory. Sails are good.”
“Well, we can always use sails,” Holland murmured, looking over the parchments. “The crew?”
“Down on the docks looking for work,” he answered.
I glanced at Clove, thinking of the dredgers. If Holland took the Luna, they likely hadn’t been paid. They’d all be looking for passage back to Jeval.
“Strike the berth from the log. I don’t want anyone digging around,” Holland said.
West’s hand tightened on the arm of the chair. She hadn’t just killed Zola. She was sinking the ship and covering up the fact that he’d ever been in Bastian. By the time she was through, it would be as if he’d never made port.
“I want the Luna at the bottom of the sea before the sun goes down. I don’t need the Trade Council getting wind of this before the meeting.”
Clove met my eyes across the table. My only guess was that she was talking about the Trade Council meeting that took place between the Narrows and the Unnamed Sea in Sagsay Holm.
The harbor master grunted in answer. “One unscheduled ship is noted there, too.” He pointed to the page in Holland’s hands. “The Marigold.”
I instantly went rigid, my cup hitting the saucer a little too hard. Beside me, West’s stillness made me shiver. He looked like he was about to launch himself from the chair and cut the man’s throat.
Holland glanced up at me. “I don’t think we need to worry about them. Do you?”
“No,” I said, meeting her eyes. There was an exchange to be made here. I just wasn’t sure what it was.
She handed the harbor master the parchments dismissively and he gave a nod before he turned on his heel and headed back toward the doors.
I watched him leave, gritting my teeth. If the harbor master was in Holland’s pocket, then nothing happened down on those docks without her knowing.
“Now,” she said, folding her hands on the table as she looked back to Clove. “I trust you can get back to the Narrows.”
“Sounds like you just told him to sink the ship I came in on,” Clove said, annoyed.
“Then I’ll take care of it. But I have one more thing I need you to do.”
“I brought in the bounty.” He gestured to the silver box. “And you’ve already paid.”
She picked up a berry, holding it before her. “Saint.”
The sound of my heart pounded in my ears, my fingers gripping the handle of the cup tightly.
Clove leaned both elbows onto the table. “What do you want with Saint?”
“The same thing I wanted from Zola. Restitution. My daughter died on his ship and he’ll be held responsible. He’s expected at the Trade Council meeting in Sagsay Holm. I want you to make sure he doesn’t make it.”
Clove stared at the table, thinking. I could almost hear his mind turning, formulating. Trying to weave together some kind of plan that would get us all out of this mess. When I opened my mouth to speak, he silenced me with the slightest shake of his head.
It dawned on me then that Saint’s involvement in the bounty wasn’t the only thing Clove had kept secret. He’d also kept hidden the fact that Saint was my father.
“Do you want the job or not?” Holland pressed.
I held my breath. If he turned it down, she’d commission someone else.
Clove’s eyes met hers. “I want the job.”
I set my hands into my lap, my fingers twisting into the skirts. Holland had found a way to reach across the sea, into the Narrows, and draw Zola out. Now she wanted Saint.
“Good.” She popped the berry into her mouth, chewing. “And that brings me to you.” She looked to West.
He leveled his gaze at her, waiting.
“Once Saint is out of the way, there will be an entire trade route left behind. If anyone knows Saint’s operation, it’s the helmsman of his shadow ship.”
And there it was—the other part of her plan. Holland didn’t just want revenge. This was also business.
“I’m not interested,” West said flatly.
“You will be,” Holland said, staring back at him. “Someone like me could always use the talents of someone like you. I’ll make it worth your time.”
I bit the inside of my cheek, watching West carefully. His stoic expression