Page 83 of Tin God

Brigid’s heart ached at the longing in her words. “That’s a beautiful thought.”

“But he won’t let me do it.” She turned, and she was frowning. “He would be angry if I did that.”

“Because he loves you, and he wants to protect you.”

“I am nothing compared to him.” Tenzin shook her head. “I have never understood why he doesn’t see that.”

Brigid stood. “Maybe ya need to realize that the way you see Ben might just be the way he sees you.”

The corner of Tenzin’s mouth ticked up. “He is beautiful, and I am a blade in the night.”

“Yes. But Ben doesn’t see the blood on that blade.” Brigid walked to the door. “He only sees the polished edge flashing.” She smiled a little bit. “And he thinks it’s beautiful.”

Tenzin stared at Brigid with an unrelenting focus. “You deserve better than the hulking earth vampire.”

Brigid lifted her Hellcat and tucked it into the discreet holster at her waist. “Insult him again, Tenzin, and I’ll shoot you someplace more painful than your leg.”

ChapterNineteen

“Here.” Buck pointed at a map spread on the scarred coffee table. “One of Jennie’s people spotted one of Paulson’s unregistered vessels here.” He placed a yellow pin in the middle of a cluster of islands near the mouth of a river north of Ketchikan.

Spread on the table before Carwyn was a large map of the Inside Passage, the patchwork of islands, sea, peninsulas, and river deltas that made up the stretch of coast that started at the Puget Sound and stretched north into the lower reach of Alaska.

Carwyn leaned closer and peered at the area where Buck was pointing. “Do we know why one of his ships is in this location?”

“No more than we know why any of his ships are anywhere. It’s probably one of those… need-to-know kind of things.”

Ben asked, “Do you know who’s on it?”

“Nah. It’s a bigger ship.” Buck shook his head. “Converted cargo barge, probably used to move timber. It’ll be looking to avoid the weather in that area.” He put two more pins in other locations. “And these are the last known of two of his other vessels, a fishing boat and a yacht. Trying to track down exact locations right now with Jeb’s help. He’s docked in Sitka at the moment, but he’s been on the radio all night, asking around.”

The straits and islands that made up the Inside Passage were a common route for sea vessels of all kinds. Because the channels were deep, they allowed shipping vessels and cruise ships to avoid winter storms, but even in a heavily traveled region, it was still… a very big ocean.

Ben had his arms crossed over his chest, and he was staring at the map next to Carwyn. “Any other vessels we can confirm belong to Paulson?”

“Katya’s sending a list,” Buck said, “but it won’t be complete. I know of at least two vessels he staffed with Russians and Asians. They’re ghost ships. Don’t dock anywhere. They stay at sea pretty much constantly. Use other ships to refuel, don’t ever come into port.”

Ben looked at Carwyn. “Those would be the caravan ships?”

“Possibly.” Carwyn nodded. “But it’s important to remember we don’t know that Zasha is working with Paulson or if Paulson is a victim. Remember, the crew on board his ships that we know of haven’t been seen by their loved ones in months. If Paulson was cooperating willingly, I suspect he wouldn’t want to raise suspicions like that.”

“Very true,” Buck said. “Katya pointed that out too. As of right now, we’re treating Paulson like a victim.”

“Victim or ally, we need to find him,” Ben said. “If for no other reason than we know he talked to Zasha.”

Carwyn sat back and tried to put the puzzle together in his mind.

One vampire antagonist with no conscience, an ultra-private immortal billionaire, and a fleet of ghost ships in a vast, cold ocean. Couple that with seemingly random attacks on vampire compounds in isolated locations, two territorial leaders with deep suspicion toward each other, and Carwyn could see a larger situation with the potential to explode.

“Are we not thinking big enough?” Carwyn looked at the two men with him, both of whom were far younger than he was. “Fleets of ships that aren’t used for business are historically used for two things—conquest or exploration preceding conquest.”

Ben frowned. “But Katya said that Paulson uses them for safe houses, like the sea-steading thing.”

“Sea-steading is limited. Maybe it’s not enough for him anymore.” Carwyn unfolded the map on the table and spread it out to include the entirety of the Alaskan Peninsula and the Arctic Sea beyond it. “The planet is getting warmer—every vampire who’s lived over a century can feel the difference.”

“Hell,” Buck said. “I’m in my fifties and I can see a difference in the ice.”

“Paulson likes money.” Carwyn tapped the sea ice around the North Pole. “So maybe he’s looking for his next investment.”

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