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𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐏𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 into a large, elegant cabin. immediately, bella's gaze turned ice cold as she stared at beckett.
jack started going through the jars and small boxes in the room.
"curious. your friends appear to be quite desperate. perhaps they no longer believe that a gathering of squabbling pirates can defeat the flying dutchman. and so despair leads to betrayal. but the three of us are no strangers to betrayal, are we?"
beckett turned around, impatience dripping from his voice.
"we had a deal, jack. i contracted you to deliver cargo on my behalf. you chose to liberate it."
bella bit her tongue to keep from arguing this, but jack did for her. "people aren't cargo, mate."
"but you incurred a heavy debt for it, didn't you?" beckett's smug grin began to spread. "it's not here, jack."
"what?" he asked innocently. "what isn't?"
"the heart of davy jones," beckett clarified. "it's safely aboard the dutchman, and so unavailable for use as leverage to satisfy your debt to the good captain."
"in my humble opinion, that account has been settled," bella chimed in.
"by his death?" beckett asked her. then his glare narrowed in on jack. "and yet, here you are."
"close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. that's how i get by," jack replied.
"your good deed cost me, jack," beckett said, again referring to jack's liberation of the enslaved people aboard the wicked wench.
"and you have spared me any possibility of ending up as anything other than what i am," jack answered. "and for that, i truly thank you."
"now, what if davy jones were to learn of your survival?" beckett asked. he moved to his desk and began pouring out drinks. "perhaps you would consider an alternative arrangement. one that requires absolutely nothing from you but information."
bella glanced at the pieces of eight on beckett's desk. "regarding the brethren court, no doubt?" she grabbed one of the drinks and gulped it. "well, only in exchange for fair payment..."
jack downed a drink. "square my debt with jones..." he grabbed the other one that beckett was about to drink. "guarantee my freedom."
"of course," he said. "it's just good business."
"still your favorite line, huh?" bella muttered. beckett looked at her with slimy desire. jack grabbed bella's hand protectively, but she merely shook it off. "were we in a divulgatory mood... what then might we divulge?"
"everything," he said, leaning towards her and lowering his voice to a whisper. "where are they meeting? who are the pirate lords? what is the purpose of the nine pieces of eight?"
