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“Are you sure that’s a good idea, Pierce?” I ask, teeth bared in a smile. To Pierce, Charlie is a civilian.

And he would just drag her into this mess?

“Of course it is. A brilliant mind like Charlie’s will be a huge asset, don’t you think?” Charlie’s ice-blue eyes blaze as Pierce sinks a world of meaning into the word ‘asset.’

“Gross.” June’s barely audible, but I hear her, squeezing my hand around her hip.

I keep my expression as blank as possible.

Either Pierce knows something about Charlie, or he is trying to get in her pants. Maybe both. My lip curls in disgust. I wouldn’t put it past him.

Worst part is, I can’t even disagree with him, can’t push back. Pierce is in charge. Technically, the one who selected me for this mission. Even if I did plus up our numbers without running it by the powers that be.

Fuck.

“Well, I guess that’s settled then. Welcome to the team, Charlie.” Thompson claps her on the shoulder with an easy friendliness.

Charlie grins back at him, tight-lipped.

“Oh, I see you all brought tents. That was smart. This is all so exciting.” Charlie settles across from June, the fire between them. Pierce sits next to her, feeding her bits of food off his fork while she giggles outrageously.

June stares at her in disbelief.

“There’s only two,” I say loudly, trying to divert attention from the fact June’s about to realize that she doesn’t really know Charlie at all. “We can sleep four total.”

I am not about to send Thompson and Thorne off. I promised June safety, and the three of us are it.

Pierce better not pull rank and order my men to clear off, either.

“That’s perfect,” Pierce looks up from Charlie, that all-American grin plastered across his face. “We can go back to the boat, right? Sleep there?” He raises a suggestive eyebrow at Charlie, who lets out another giggle.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at her obvious obliviousness. She’s laying it on thick.

“Oh, you’re so bad.” She takes another bite off his fork. Regardless of what I think, Pierce seems to be eating it up.

June says nothing, spearing a boiled potato with unnecessary force.

“Soooooooooo,” Thompson drags the ‘o’ sound out for an outrageously long time. Charlie looks up from Pierce, giving Thompson a withering stare.

“Dr. Legarde, why don’t you fill us in on your shipwreck?” Thompson finally asks.

“If she’s done eating,” I grind out, then immediately regret it. She can speak for herself. “Are you done, princess?”

She smiles at me, a slow, lazy grin, like a cat who’s gotten the cream, and nods once.

“I’d love to tell you about it.”

Pierce pulls Charlie into his lap, who sits stiffly for a beat before nuzzling into his neck. Thompson and Thorne are quiet until Thorne’s huge hands snap a crab in half.

June glances around with a deep breath, clearly gathering steam to tell her story.

I lean forward, curious as to what exactly it is about this shipwreck that’s so fully captivated her.

“TheSantu Espirituwas the flagship of a flotilla of four, all traveling from New Spain, now Mexico, to Cuba. The original colonists were sent to the New World,” June puts up air quotes around the name, “to pillage, to steal, and to claim theland for God and country. All under the auspices of spreading Christianity to the peoples who already lived here. What they actually spread was disease, violence, and hatred. The colonists took root here and in Mexico, collapsed a society, a virus in every sense of the word.”

Her voice has the natural rise and fall of a storyteller, the cadence soothing and sure.

“TheSantu Espirituset sail in early June, according to some reports, to avoid the danger of hurricanes that spin up in the later summer months. The other three ships were laden with gold and precious gems as well, but theSantu Espirituwas the best among them. Her figurehead inspired poetry, a beautiful woman with flowing hair and blazing eyes, supposedly a likeness of the artist’s beloved. Her holds were full of gold bullion and chests with rubies and emeralds, according to legend, the lost treasure of Cibolo, the city of gold.”