Accomplice to the Villain (Assistant and the Villain, #3)(100)

They’d made it to the docks, riding in silence the whole way. Evie entertained herself by watching Tatianna and Clare exchange longing glances back and forth. The midday sun was hotter this close to the coast, and she felt it burning against her bare arms as she dismounted and handed her reins to Trystan, who didn’t spare her a glance as he flicked a coin to the local stable hand to keep them safe until they returned.

“His ship will be toward the end of the docks,” Trystan said gruffly, staring forward.

“How will we know which is Tati’s father’s?” Evie asked, angling her head curiously at a nondescript ship with a group of men hooting and hollering at the five of them as they passed. Trystan grabbed her gently by the shoulders and moved her to the other side of him, away from the boat, and made a strange noise in the men’s direction.

The men fell silent and averted their eyes.

“Sir…did you just hiss?”

“No. I had something stuck in my throat.” His voice was strangled as he nudged her forward. “Keep going. You’ll know the boat when you see it.”

“What do you—”

Ah, of course.

The boat was pink.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” Tatianna groaned into her fingers, and Clare tentatively brushed a hand across her shoulders.

A boisterous voice called from the crow’s nest above, which was gilded in gold and light-fuchsia hues. A man jumped down, tall and muscular, removing a jacket that was, well—also pink. “Angel bird!” A ramp lowered to the dock, and the man sprinted toward them, then lifted Tatianna from her feet and swung her around…and she allowed it. “I’m so happy to finally be able to commit a crime with you!”

He removed his bright hat, which had a few feathers stuck into it, and held it to his chest. His face was handsome and graced with age lines, his head completely devoid of hair, brown skin glistening with sweat from the heat.

Tatianna groaned. “Daddy, you’re not committing a crime.”

Tatianna’s father winked at the rest of them, holding up a hand, mock whispering, “But I’m at least an accessory, right?”

Evie choked on a laugh and, when Tati turned to glare at her, stepped closer to Trystan’s side.

“Clarissa!” He kissed both of Clare’s cheeks, and she beamed at the man she’d known for most of her life. “Are you two back together yet?”

“Dad! Gods damn it all,” Tatianna screeched. “I’m boarding the ship. Tell me when we’re leaving.” Tati trudged up the plank and hopped aboard, her attire matching the exterior. Clare gave Tatianna’s father a big hug and followed quickly after the healer, as if pulled by an invisible string.

The older man turned his attention on Evie, his brown gaze warm, his smile inviting. “Evie Sage, I take it?” He grabbed her hand, and Evie waited with expectation for a handshake or a bow. What she did not anticipate was the man pulling her into his arms and hugging her with the familiarity of family. “Oh, what a joy it is to finally meet you. Tatianna writes of you so often, I feel as if I know you already! Another daughter to add to the roster, to be sure. I’m Jones, but I let the kids call me Jellyfish Jones. So may you.” He laughed at her confused expression. “They found it amusing when they were young, after I got stung.” He winked at her, smelling of the sea and something warm she couldn’t place.

Affection, perhaps.

Mortifyingly, Evie felt tears prick at her eyes as she returned the gesture, released just in time for her to wipe a drop that slid down her face, but when she looked up, Trystan was watching her sharply.

She looked away.

“And Trystan!” Another large hug was initiated, and Trystan froze under it. “My boy, look at all you’ve accomplished! A business owner!”

The boss sent a warning glance over Jones’s shoulder that said, Bring this up ever again and I will make you regret it.

She lifted her brow as if to say, You know I will anyway.

His lip twitched—a flash of a dimple, a beat of her heart.

“All aboard!” Jones said, nudging the two of them up the platform, and when she stepped foot aboard, it felt like entering a new world. One completely constructed to Tatianna’s tastes.

“It’s so…”

“Pink,” Trystan finished with a rare spark of amusement.

“It’s Tatianna’s favorite color,” Jones explained. “When I have to travel to different ports for work, it helps me think of her, and then I don’t miss her so very much.” He threw an arm around Tatianna, and she smiled, leaning into his side with begrudging affection.

“You could’ve just painted the steering wheel, Dad. This was over the top,” Tatianna pointed out with playful teasing.

Captain Jones had painted his entire ship pink to avoid even the slightest twinge of missing his daughter.

This is it. This is the love of a father, Evie thought painfully, putting a hand to her stomach to stop the churning. “That’s so sweet.” It was.

“Lift the anchor!” Captain Jones yelled, jumping from doting father to professional seaman in seconds.

The ship lurched into movement as it treaded out into open water. The lighter purple hues of the sea turned darker the deeper they moved, and, despite the heat, Evie shivered.

“Captain Jones,” Trystan said after a few minutes of sailing, “Sage and I would like use of the restroom. It is still in the same place, I take it?”