Chapter 193 - Baiting a Mole (1/2)

Malone was lazing on the bed in a brothel as an attractive prost.i.tute helped him to spread some medicine on his wound.

Previously, when the Skeleton pursued the Gentle Breeze, Malone insisted that they were black-market merchants, but the pirates from the Skeleton ignored the claims. As captain of his s.h.i.+p, Malone tried his hardest to fight off the pirates bravely with his crew. Unfortunately, the Skeleton was way more potent than the Gentle Breeze, and within three minutes, every single one of the Gentle Breeze’s sailors was defeated by the Skeleton’s pirates.

After that, they started to kick and punch Malone. He fell to the ground the moment one of the pirates landed a heavy blow on his stomach. The searing pain from the bludgeoning caused him to drop the dagger in his hand. When the pirates were done bas.h.i.+ng him up, Malone was dragged and locked up in the depths of the s.h.i.+p’s hold. When he was finally alone, he quickly checked his body and realized that it was bruised and bleeding from top to bottom. Not one part of him was left unscathed.

Just like the entire crew of the Gentle Breeze, Malone thought that those pirates would surely kill him. While they sailed back to Na.s.sau, the Skeleton took the opportunity and plundered another merchant s.h.i.+p. Malone witnessed first hand on how Wilton gleefully tormented the Gentle Breeze’s sailors for sport. Even after all the experience gained from working at sea for decades, Malone still trembled at the sight of the inhumane pirates that plundered his s.h.i.+p. He became so hopeless to the point where he wanted to kill himself.

Right until when his freedom was granted back to him, he couldn’t believe that he had to endure such unspeakable horrors. When he was sure that he was no longer in danger, the first thing he did was run the tavern and drink as much as he could stomach. Having his fill of alcohol, he proceeded to the brothel he visited regularly. Finally, he found some peace and quiet that he craved for so long in a familiar place he was comfortable with. When he woke up the next afternoon, he was met by Carina.

“Hold on. You suspect that Jim is working for Malcolm?”

The prost.i.tute left the room half a minute ago. Malone blinked, shaking his head as he tried to clear the awful hangover that was pounded his mind. Through his daze, he was shocked to hear Carina suspecting that Jim was a mole. He quickly fumbled around, eventually finding his s.h.i.+rt before putting it on.

“To be honest with you, I won’t believe such accusations if I don’t see solid evidence. Jim is a good kid. I dug around, asking about him when I thought of recruiting him to the Gentle Breeze. Everyone said that he’s a terrific kid. He’s one hardworking lad, never allowing the slightest bit of laziness to get the better of him. Though he could be boring at times and has no sense of humor whatsoever, that didn’t stop me from putting him on my list of favorite persons. Have I told you about his sister?”

“What sister?”

“Jim has an adopted little sister who is two years younger than him. During that time, his family was doing well, and he was taught how to read and write. Unfortunately, the happiness was short-lived. Shortly after that, both his parents were tragically killed in an accident, leaving the two of them alone. Of course, they needed money to support themselves. So, some people suggested that he send his stepsister to an orphanage or a monastery. Jim rejected all of them with a resounding no. In the end, he had to sell off everything valuable in his house. It was then that he started to look around for a job that could support him and his sister. He was only 14 years old.”

Suddenly, Malone paused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Speaking of his sister, I heard that she had just recovered from a severe illness. Jim spent quite a huge sum of money, looking for a doctor to cure her. I did ask him earlier if he needed my help, but he told me that he had settled his debts. Apparently, he has a distant uncle who sent him some money to deal with his crisis.”

“Could this man be Malcolm?”

“I have never thought about it from that angle. I still don’t think that Jim will sell us out and let Wilton know which route the Gentle Breeze took.”

Malone shook his head, and he had put on his clothes. He then moved his shoulder, and the pain from his wounds caused him to wince and grit his teeth.

“Have you talked to him about it?”