Finally, Lismary quieted down. Only took a knife held to the throat to do so. It wasnât a surprise to Maddox, because heâd known her in another time. He could smell those distant memories still wrapped up in her hair. Always headstrong and determined to take care of herself despite the usual trappings of pampered royalty around her.Â
The advantage for Maddox was she had not known him like this. A heart chiseled out of granite, trained as a gunner to take no prisoners. And yet, in his arms was one heâd known before.Â
He brushed a cascade of hair aside with the knife, barely able to see her eyes, waiting for the princess to calm down and realize she was outnumbered. Maddox held a palm up to the pirates who were on their feet ready to take action against the royal. Then, he gave Lismary a gentle, instructive push to stand over by the nearest wall. But he didnât put the knife awayâ he turned it over with a flourish and kept it at his side, at the ready.Â
âIf you want to stay alive, I suggest you keep your fists of fury to yourself around here. Including with me.â Maddox wasnât surprised so many royals were down for a fight. Some pirates tolerated far too much from them. He wouldnât. Not even from one heâd once held the hand of. âBut since youâre here.. letâs have a chat. Say what you need to, get it all out of your system. Nowâs your chance.âÂ
Lismary stared down the other pirates in front of her. She wasnât equipped to handle that many, and her fight was over. Even with the cool metal up against her neck the soldier was always thinking of a way out. The next move, the easiest blow. But this was a battle Lismary was not willing or able to fight, and she let it go.
She moved the way her armed man told her to, her back pressed up against the cool wall. It was somehow even worse than being in his hostile arms, because she couldnât hit the wall in the dick to get away. The pirates slowly went back to the way they were, and it gave the thief and the princess some semblance of privacy.
As she stared him down, she tried to string together the phrases that would make him feel the worst. In thought, she realized there wasnât any. Maddox didnât hold even one iota of remorse for what he did to her. He made her wary of all men after him, even though there hadnât been many. Everything she owned was under some sort of ridiculous lock and key. Heâd known her in the most intimate way, and he turned her into a fool.
Finally, she had it. No snide jabs, just the facts. âYou gave me trust issues. You broke my heart. You stole millions of dollars from me.â Like a truck, Lismary was hit by a memory that took her breath away. âA necklace. You took a silver necklace from me. It looked like a broken watch on a chain and it wasnât worth anything. That was the worst.â
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