Sons of the Tide (mlm)

Chapter 20: Planning

Joseph

The man shook his head, clearly trying to keep his nerve. Caleb sighed slightly and started moving the pistol from his chin down his neck. The muscles in his back flexed as his arm moved, and Joseph couldn't help but stare. Damn, he was attractive.

When Caleb stopped, it was resting between the man's legs. He stared, dead-pan, at the pirate and said, "You are going to answer our questions, lest you lose your dick."

Joseph nearly snorted as he watched the man nod quickly and Caleb smiled. "Excellent."

Caleb pushed off the arm of the chair and turned to Joseph. "All yours, captain."

Joseph tried to hold back his amused smile and looked at the man in the chair, sitting with his hands in his lap and a petrified look on his face. "Which ship do you serve on?"

"The Red Wave."

Joseph rose his brow. This string bean of a man served on the main ship? Not probable.

The man glanced past Joseph, presumably at Caleb, and added, "I'll start serving once I kill you."

Ah. That made more sense. "Darling, Hawke has no intention of letting you serve on his ship. You're a pawn."

The man frowned slightly. "You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Joseph crossed his arms. "Where is Hawke now?"

The man shook his head. "No. No way."

Joseph raised on brow and glanced back at Caleb. His stare was radiating danger. He looked like a wild animal staring down its prey. The man must've gotten the same impression, because he said quickly, "I don't know where he is now. But I know where he will be."

Joseph angled his head. "Where?"

The man swallowed, taking another look at Caleb before he answered. "The Drunken Lagoon. In two weeks, he'll arrive at the Lagoon and launch an attack."

Joseph looked at Caleb. He was already looking at him. Not good. Joseph turned back to the man. "Are you one-hundred-percent certain?"

He nodded quickly. "I'm to meet him there after I kill you. He said two weeks, exactly. At first light, the Lagoon will be attacked."

"Damn." Joseph turned away from him and pulled Caleb to the side. "The Lagoon is very popular. He'd be taking out a huge chunk of the pirate population."

"He's narrowing down his competition."

"Yes. Which is bad for us because we'll have fewer potential allies." Joseph wiped his face and glanced at the pirate in the chair. "Do you think he's telling the truth?"

Caleb looked past Joseph to the pirate, who was staring pointily at the floor to avoid their gaze. "He better be. How can we make sure?"

"Do you have any magic to make him tell the truth?" Joseph was mostly joking, but he wouldn't have protested if he did.

Caleb shrugged. "I could threaten his dick again."

"As much as I enjoyed that, I don't think that'll make him tell the truth if he's lying. Hawke is a lot more intimidating than no children in the future."

Caleb shrugged, and Joseph heard a shuffle behind him. Before he could even turn, Caleb was raising his stolen pistol and firing a shot. Joseph turned as the pirate's body thudded to the floor, his hand outreached for the beside table. Where Josephs pistol was resting.

"Shit."

Caleb looked at the gun. "Huh. These things really are effective."

Joseph knelt beside the pirate and felt for a pulse. "Dammit."

Caleb sucked air through his teeth and Joseph stood, pushing his hair out of his face. "Sorry. I just reacted."

"No, it's okay. I would've done the same." He turned away from the pirate, who was bleeding onto the floor. "I need to talk to Justeene and Cecelia. We need to figure out what to do."

"I can take care of the body." Joseph looked at him, rising an eyebrow. He shrugged. "My sister got into trouble with a misogynistic man before. It was a whole thing. Point is, I can take care of it."

"Okay." He sighed. "This is really going to shit, isn't it?"

Caleb huffed a laugh. "Such is life."

Joseph hummed half-heartedly, then looked at him. Caleb stared back. "What?"

Joseph stepped forward and pulled him down my his shoulders, smashing their lips together. Caleb immediately sank into the kiss, wrapping his hands around Joseph's waist. Joseph pushed him against the wall, not breaking away from him.

Caleb pulled away, one hand on the back of Joseph's head and his eyes trained on Joseph's. "What was that for?"

"For one, you just risked taking a bullet for me. And two, we got interrupted earlier. I wasn't done kissing you yet."

Caleb smiled. "Are you done now?"

"Hmmm." Joseph traced his thumb over Caleb's bottom lips. "No."

He smiled wider and Joseph kissed him again, this time pressing himself against him. His bare chest was warm and firm, and Joseph wished there weren't a body on his floor.

He parted, barely a breath away from Caleb's lips. "Fucking pirate ruining my morning."

Caleb snorted and ran his hand down Joseph's back. "Maybe I'll meet you back here tonight?"

Joseph smiled slightly. "Is fucking taking it slow?"

He grinned. "If I go slowly, yes."

Joseph huffed a laugh and kissed him quickly. "I need to find Cecelia and her mother. She's probably hiding from her mother, actually."

Caleb hummed in acknowledgment, but didn't make a move to take his hands away from Joseph's waist. Joseph looked up at him, locking eyes. He pressed his leg between Caleb's, just enough to mess with him, before pulling away and turning to grab his coat. "I'll see you later, Caleb."

Caleb huffed, and Joseph laughed as he put his gun in it's holster and swung the damaged door open. He smiled to himself as he headed for the stairs, ignoring the curious eyes that peered at his room from those who had heard the shots. Perhaps he'd take Caleb up on his offer for that night. He'd have to see how the day went, and where he ended his time with Justeene and Cecelia. He had a feeling it would be a long day of discussions and planning.

*****

Bonus content I thought was hilarious:

Caleb and Joseph: *making out*

The dead body right beside them: