Page 111 of High Stakes and Soulmates
“She’ll be good,” I insist.
He eyes the money and snatches it. “Your funeral,” he says, even though he’s going to be on the boat with us. He must think the money I offer is enough to make it worth it. I lead Valley, who is covered in a sheen of sweat, over to the dock. She steps onto the boat and it immediately shifts under her hoof, causing her to draw back.
“Hey, girl. Come on, you’ll be just fine,” I assure her. “You’ll be just fine.”
She snorts, head lowered while she assesses the situation, but she tentatively walks on as the captain watches me. I think he assumed she would refuse after her initial unsteadiness, yet once she’s on, she’s uncertain but still. And if she’s still, it doesn’t bob and shift.
“That’s my girl,” I say, rubbing her sweaty neck as the boat begins to move. “That’s my girl.”
She snorts again, not pleased with the situation, but I know she’s never let me down yet. And she’s not going to now.
“You have to be exhausted and in so much pain. Let me stand with her,” Arturo urges.
“She trusts me most. I’ll join you in a second. She’ll calm down here in a bit.”
He nods and takes a seat, and once Valley takes a deep breath and licks her lips, I know she’s finally submitted to this new style of moving.
With Valley relaxed, I go over to Arturo and sink down, absolutely drained. My mind is exhausted, my body aches… it feels like I’ve forgotten how to breathe until just now.
“You can lie on me,” he says as he takes hold of my arm so he can examine my broken hand. “I wish I knew how to helpyour hand, but the moment we get somewhere safe, you need someone to fix that.”
“Okay,” I agree.
He dutifully doctors my leg while I lean against him. Once he’s done, I take his hand with my good one and hold it between our legs so the others don’t take note of it.
Quietly, I murmur, “I never thought I’d get to see you again.”
“Hopefully, we get to see each other again and again until we grow old together.”
“That would be nice.”
“Why was my book in your bag of ‘necessities’?” he asks.
“Because it’s your favorite book… and I wanted a piece of you.”
“Where are we going when we get to the other side?”
“Far, far away,” I assure him. “To another country. To some place he’s never heard of or traveled to.”
“Well… he picked me up in my country, so he’s traveled far. I questioned if he was originally from there, but his accent was foreign to me. He could be from far beyond the ocean, for all I know… I just hope he won’t follow us that far.”
“Me too,” I say. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get away and we’re going to be safe from him. We’re going to buy a small house somewhere. Maybe a bit of land to farm or raise animals. Or do you want to be in town? What do you want to be now that you’re free?”
“I… I don’t know,” he realizes. “I never thought I’d get to be anything other than a servant. What about you?”
“Something mundane…”
“What about a sheep farmer?”
“I could be a sheep farmer.”
“Or you could grow crops? Or woodwork… or smithing… or do you want something more specialized?”
“Anything,” I decide. “Anything but killing.”
“We’ll find you something. We’ll get that small house… I’ve always wanted a dog. I could be anything, as long as I get to be it with you. I’ll help you with whatever you want to do.”
“You could do so much more.”
