Becoming Leverage
Julie woke up to the sight of Beckett unlocking her cell. She stood up, and he grabbed her arm. He dragged her into his cabin. "What are you doing with me?" He let go of her and took her shoulders. "Julie Lark, I need your help to find your sister, Marana."
"And just why would I lead a damn idiot like you to my sister?"
"She has something that I want."
"I still don't see why I would help you."
Beckett pulled out his pistol and held it to her head. "Now I think you will." Julie winced and said, "But I don't know where she is!" Beckett was angry. "Oh, you're useless!" He hit her on the side of her head. She screamed and fell to the floor. He aimed his pistol at her. "I should just shoot you now!" He was about to fire when she looked into his eyes. There was a presence there, a feeling of weakness and longing, that really got to him. He put the gun away and held out his hand to her. She cautiously accepted it and stood up. He spoke as if ashamed, "I'm sorry, Julie." But she knew better than to trust him.
Later that night, Beckett brought her into a small cabin. He handed her a nightgown and said, "You may sleep here tonight." He shut the door. Julie pondered while she changed. Okay, first he hits me, and now he's treating me like a guest. That's weird. But wait…he's just acting so nice so I'll lead him to Marana! Well, I'm not going to fall for it. She got into bed and shut her eyes. I'll worry about it in the morning.
Meanwhile, Marana was asleep with Jack in his cabin. They felt safe for now. Marana was happy that she had been so victorious, and Jack was happy that she had been so brave and strong, like she always was. They lay in each other's arms, oblivious to the fact that Julie had been kidnapped by Beckett. When they woke up in the morning, Marana was refreshed and Julie was stressed.
Julie got out of bed and changed back into her gown. The mud had dried on it, but it was all she had to wear. Then Beckett came in. Julie snapped, "You really should knock first." He handed her a dress and left. She unfolded it. It was the most gorgeous thing she had ever seen. It was light raspberry, with a long and wide bustle skirt and a scoop neckline. When she put it on, she felt like a queen. She combed her light brown hair and tied it into a braid. When she emerged on deck, Beckett couldn't help but stare a little. She asked, "What?" but he didn't answer. He tried to push the thought out of his head. She's beautiful. But he said, "I hope you're ready to tell me where we can find your sister."
She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly. "I already told you that I don't know where to find her!" She fought the urge to slap him across the face. He noticed the anger in her eyes and replied, "But you must know something. Or has she left you in the dust without caring?" He stepped closer. Julie stepped back. "Marana would never do that. She probably just doesn't want to get caught. I will tell you for the last time: I don't know where to find her." Beckett muttered something that sounded like "Useless" and walked away. She ran after him.
"If I'm so 'useless'," she used air quotes around 'useless', "Then why don't you just bring me home?" He didn't look at her, "When we do find your sister, I will use you as my leverage to get what I want." Julie grabbed his shoulders, spun him around, slapped him hard, and went back to her cabin. She sat on the bed and smiled. She had slapped Beckett, and it felt good. Her palm was tingling because she'd hit him so hard.
Beckett stood at the bow, thinking about how he was going to capture Marana and get the necklace. But there was a feeling of guilt nagging at the back of his mind. He tried to cover it up, but her couldn't. He wished he had thought of a better plan. But he had been desperate and not thinking right. He wished he could take her back to Port Royal, but a thought of the necklace jumped into his mind. The prospect of unlimited power engulfed him, and he thought, Julie will have to wait until I get the necklace back.