Page 9 of Drift: Willa & Koy

I took the ledger from my belt and started taking notes. “I have everything I need here on the island. Shouldn’t take more than three days. Four, at most.”

“Good.” Dennon glanced at Coen and for the first time, I saw the hint of reproach in the helmsman. Whoever Coen was, this poor man clearly had the job of babysitting him. “Just let us know what you need. You can get started as soon as is convenient to you.”

“Thank you.”

I didn’t miss the fact that he hadn’t asked for a price, and I imagined it was because whatever I’d charge would be a drop in the bucket for a ship like this one. The bronze on the bowsprit alone would pay for it ten times over.

I closed the ledger, tucking it under my arm. “Anything else?”

“That should do it,” Dennon answered.

Coen reached up, buttoning his shirt without taking his eyes off me. There was no mistaking the suggestive nature of that look. “Now.” He raked one hand through his hair. “Where can I get a drink?”

FOUR

Koy was already waiting with a fresh pot of tea when I arrived at the tavern the next morning, his ledgers open before him.

“You missed quite a scene last night,” Speck said, both hands in a bucket of suds. He was working his way through the stack of dirty glasses that lined the counter.

I looked around me at the empty tavern. The evidence of last night’s chaos was still littered about the tables, the birds grazing along the docks for the crumbs left behind.

I grinned. “I take it things went well?”

“Very well.” Speck flung the water from his hands, drying them on his apron. “Those Saltblood bastards spent triple the coin in one night that the Narrows-born crews do. Could get used to that.”

“You might have to.” I climbed onto the stool beside Koy, sliding his almost empty cup toward me. “So?” I filled it with tea, taking a sip.

He held up a hand, eyes still skipping over the numbers as he finished the sums in his head. He had that look I recognized on his face—the one that said he was focused. From the beginning, he’d taken his job as harbor master more seriously than I’d expected, which was probably one of the reasons all of this had worked.

He made another mark with the quill before he set it down, taking the cup from my hands and drinking. “He’s right. More than triple.”

My smile widened and he handed the tea back to me.

“Another ship just arrived from Sowan, too. They’ve got a full hull so we can probably do some trading and get enough rye to last us until our order comes in. How’s it going with the repairs?”

“Good. Got the unsalvageable wood torn out yesterday and the new planks should be cut and ready for me when I get down there. It’s just a matter of getting everything replaced and sealed. I’m running low on tung oil, so Ailee’s waiting for the merchant’s house to open to get some more. Should be done in a couple of days.”

“Might go faster if you hire a couple of hands to help you.”

I glared at him. “Let me guess. The Jevalis aren’t happy that I’m not recruiting workers for that ship.”

“They are not,” Speck chimed in, looking between us.

“Yeah, they left me a little present last night.”

Koy turned to face me. “What do you mean?”

I shrugged. “There was a dead rat at the door of my post this morning.”

Koy exhaled. “Who?”

“Does it matter? They all want to drag me down to that beach and drown me.”

Koy didn’t look amused. “I’ll find out who did it and handle it.”

“That’s not what I meant when I agreed to let you deal with them,” I said, giving him a meaningful look. “Crews do it on ships all the time. They’re harmless.”

Koy didn’t look convinced.

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