Of Warlords and Children (Trafalgar Law Book 2)

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rayne's Pov

I know I usually try and give people the benefit of the doubt but right now I'm beginning to rethink that part of my thinking. 

"Duck!" Vein grabbed my hair and yanked me down onto the floor of the small boat we had. I cried out just as a rapier went sailing over, right where my head would've been. Popping back up I glared at the pirate ship in front of us, Eustass Kid grinning savagely. 

We had only been on the sea for a week or so when the Kid pirates came across our path. Despite doing everything in our power to avoid the pirates they caught right up to us. Though words between our ships didn't last long, Eustass and Killer firing off the first shots.

"Do I have permission to kill them at least?" He growled. 

I nodded my head, "Oh yeah!" I ducked away from another shot, "Them you can kill with prejudice!"

We got everything together and start trying to push the ship to go faster. If we got going faster then perhaps we could outrun them. I pulled the rigging at the sails, narrowly avoiding having my head get taken off by a stray knife. These guys were really trying to kill us.Vein was slinging his blood-whips everywhere but it was no good, the Kid Pirates were on us.  I only had time to see one last cannon ball before we collided. 

This was not going to be good.

***

It had taken approximately ten minutes for Kid to turn my life upside down. Not only had he had his ship destroy the boat that Vein and I were on but he had his crew fish us out of the ocean and take all of our things while he was at it. 

"It's been a while Eustass." I said from where I was forcibly kneeling on the deck. 

Kid had changed a lot since the last time I saw him. He's more muscular and he had longer hair. The real shock though? That's probably the fact that he no longer had two arms but instead a robotic one on his left. He really filled out too. 

"Rayne. Imagine my surprise at finding you without Law." He chuckled. 

I ignored the jab, "You look well, nice arm you have there." I trailed my eyes down his form, noting the way he seemed to swell up even more the longer I stared, "Still, don't you think you're perhaps... oh I don't know... compensating for some other lacking area?"

All at once that smile of his was gone as he wound back and smacked me right across the face. I think that he managed to break my cheek too. The pain was almost blinding, I'm almost positive I can't stare out of my right eye at all right now. Briefly I could hear Vein giving the Kid Pirates hell as she wrestled them to the group in an attempt to get free to help me. Kid grabbed up my hair and brought our faces close together. 

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip you apart with my bare hands right here."

Reaching up I grabbed onto his hand and pierced my nails through hard enough to make him bleed and stared him right in the eyes, "Because I want to join your crew." I said. 

Everything stilled as we looked at each other, one serious expression to another. Then he started cracking up, "You're shitting me, nice try."

"Captain." Killer said stepping forward. He really filled out as well over the years. Too bad, I think he looked better without those bowling ball muscles stretching out his skin.