The news had spread quickly around the camp the next morning, reaching her cell as a pirate whose name she did not know mentioned it in passing to another. Liv widened her eyes, almost unsure if she had heard them right. Someone managed to escape Vaas. She was curious as to who would be brave enough to attempt it; perhaps one of the newcomers, as none of them knew how ruthless the pirate could be.

Regardless, it was insane.

Liv leaned her head back against her cell and listened to the pirates moving about, catching pieces of their conversations as they passed her, but none of them gave up the name of the survivor. Did they even know their name? She was certain that Vaas did. The said man took their belongings; their license and their passports. She just wasn't sure it was a good idea to ask him. It was none of her business after all and she knew him well enough to know that he'd remind her of this.

Why so curious? She asked herself.

Did it honestly matter who the person was? What mattered was that they managed to escape. Or so she heard. But how? This was another important question that eluded her. As far as she could tell, the unnamed base she was taken to was on an island north of the one she was caught on. They would have to have stolen a boat to cross the ocean; there were several docked on the shore. Did that mean the pirates were dumb enough to leave the keys in the ignition? Liv hoped so. That meant all she'd have to do is make it to the beach. She'd also need to know more about the base. Something told her that it wouldn't be as easy for her as it was for them.

And at least she had an advantage. She wasn't on Vaas' shit list, though she also wasn't certain what use she was to him since the series was over.

"What do you say, querida (darling)? Do you want to be mine?"

Liv chewed on these words repeatedly. No, she honestly didn't. But what if she made Vaas think that she did? Perhaps it would give her time to plan her escape. And in the process, she might even learn more about the island from him. But how would she go about convincing him that he wanted her? The first thing that popped into her mind was not for the faint of heart; she locked it away for another time; a time when she was desperate, and tried to think of something that didn't involve giving herself to him.

All that came to mind was being more open with him, and more compliant. Accepting his fleeting touches and swallowing back the tears whenever he did something that tore her emotions into pieces. There was plenty of time to cry when she was alone; he didn't seem to care much for her tears anyhow. Samira wasn't sure she could pull it off, but it was worth a shot. Anything was better than death.

Hearing the sound of footsteps nearby, she turned her attention to them as two pirates tottered by. In their arms was a corpse. Her eyes widened as she recognized the body the pirates were lugging past her cell.

Chevy!

What happened to him? Liv could see dried blood on his shirt near his neck. Someone must have killed him. Perhaps it was the survivor who escaped. She could think of no one else who could have done it; Vaas was ruthless, but he seemed to have some respect for his men. For a moment, Liv teared up as she watched Chevy being carried away.

But why?

He was a pirate. So why did Liv feel bad about him dying? He was probably just as merciless as Vaas or even more. Yet, he was nice to her during the time she spent under his watch in the trailer. For that reason alone, she was remorseful.

In the distance, between a nearby building, she saw Vaas emerge with Carlos at his side; the latter was listening intently as the pirate leader rambled on about something. His body language showed that he was annoyed, however, flaunting his gun around and touching the scar on his head as he sometimes did whenever he was mad or about to lose his shit.

Vaas seemed even more feral than usual. It honestly scared Liv. She didn't know how to deal with Vaas the murderer. All she could do was stay as far away as possible from him and hope he didn't pull her into his drama. Today was not in her favor.

When his wild green eyes turned to her, Liv averted her attention. She didn't want to annoy him more. Staring at nothing, in particular, she bobbed her foot in fear. The sound of boots flooded her ears and a moment later a shadow fell over her. For fuck's sake. There was nothing wrong with looking at someone, though she reckoned she was staring more than just looking, honestly, she wasn't hurting him. So why the fuck did he gravitate toward her?

Just go away. Please.

"Did you see him?" Vaas asked suddenly.

Liv raised a brow. Her heart was pounding in her chest.

"See who?"

"Snow fucking White," He answered in annoyance. "Did you see him sneaking around my camp like a little fucking mouse?"

No, she didn't.

"Look at me when I'm speaking to you," Vaas ordered. His voice raised a bit in octave as he spoke.

Liv took an uneasy breath and turned her attention to him. The man looked about ready to tear her apart for some reason. What did she do wrong?

"Did you see him? Jason Brody, brown-haired little cocksucker," Vaas asked.

Liv shook her head no. Honestly, she didn't. She heard gunshots all through the night and people screaming, but no one passed by her cage. This morning was the first time she heard about someone escaping. And thanks to Vaas, she learned his name.

"Don't fucking lie to me," the pirate ordered.

"W- why would I lie to you? I don't want to die," Liv admitted.

She was aware that the entire time his gun was in his hand. Watching him lean down, she didn't shrink back as his free hand reached into her cell and clutched her face. Liv grimaced a bit due to the injuries that she received in the fight with Carlos, but Vaas didn't seem to care. His eyes, however, softened a little.

"That's mi buena chica (my good girl). Don't ever lie to me."

"I have no reason to," Liv retorted.

Vaas snorted and released her. His tongue flicked across his lips as he stared at her for a moment.

"You know how lucky you are? Hmm? That bastard Hoyt wanted me to shoot you like those other useless fucks."

Hoyt? So that was the name of the stranger from last night. She hoped to never meet him again.

"It wasn't luck," she uttered. "You–– Thank you, Vaas."

The said man grinned.

"Show me."

"W-what?" Liv asked in confusion.

Show him? What the fuck did he mean?

"Show me how thankful you are, querida (darling)," Vaas answered.

How? Liv hummed. She didn't want to ask him what he wanted because she was afraid that it was something she'd kick herself for later, so she tried to think of something on her level of comfort.

"Will a kiss on the cheek be good enough?"

Her face heated up in embarrassment. How bad could it be? She had done it before. Vaas hummed then stood up and walked out of her line of site. She heard the swish of a knife as it was drawn from its sheath, then the sound of the rope being cut, and a moment later, her hands were free. Liv rubbed the soreness away and stretched her arms as Vaas walked around the side of her cage and opened the door.

Without hesitation, she stepped out. Though her heart was pounding. She sauntered over to Vaas and leaned up to kiss his cheek. A pleasant warmth radiated from him and she lingered a moment longer with her lips against his tan skin before she parted from him and stepped back.

"Was that good?" Liv asked, averting her eyes.

"For now," Vaas retorted with a grin. He tossed an arm around her shoulders and led her through the camp.

She frankly had no idea what he was planning. Two pirates lugging another body passed them along the way and Liv averted her eyes, focusing on Vaas as she walked. The camp was massive; shoddy huts and buildings made of scrap metal were in every direction. It was almost like a maze.

"Where are we going, if you don't mind me asking?"

"To put you to work," he answered. "If you are gonna be my little pirata (pirate) then you can't sit on your ass while the others are working off theirs."

Liv raised a brow.

"Pirata (pirate)?"

"Learn some fucking Spanish, querida (darling). As of today, you are a pirate," Vaas declared.

She widened her eyes in shock. There was no way she was going to be one of them. What made him think that was a good idea? Her head was teeming with questions.

"I thought I was the camera operator."

"We're not gonna be filming anymore. I have better plans for you. And that starts with body disposal," Vaas explained.

Please be joking.

She knew he wasn't however. Liv took an uneasy breath.

"Am I getting paid for this?"

Vaas snorted.

"You're greedy, querida (darling). Always asking for more money. But I'm a fair boss so I'll pay you if you do the work."

At least she wouldn't starve now. Liv was worried before about how she'd make money since the tv series had ended. It was just a shame however that having to be a temporary pirate was the only way to put food on the table. Nothing about this sounded good to her, especially having to dispose of dead bodies.

Breath. You can do this. It's a step toward freedom and freedom comes at a cost.

"So, I just have to move them?" Liv asked under her breath.

"Easy, no? And we'll make a big fucking bonfire out of them when I get back," Vaas replied.

Her stomach churned in disgust at this. Why were they not going to bury the bodies? And where was Vaas going?

Is he not sticking around for the work?

No. Of course not. Why would he when he could just make the mess and have someone else clean it up?

Liv said nothing more as he led her into an open area with what appeared to be a wooden platform. Four or more bodies were lying on it, each died from a gunshot wound to the head. A wave of nausea washed over her at the gruesome sight and she stalled for a moment, an action that didn't go unnoticed by the pirate beside her as his arm was yanked in the process.

"These fuckers can't hurt you, querida (darling). They're dead," Vaas mentioned.

No shit! She almost exclaimed out loud.

It was the fact that they were dead that unnerved her. And the horrendous recollections of her past that her mind unburied every time someone's head met the smoking barrel of Vaas' gun. Liv took an uneasy breath and forced the image of her father away. Her stomach continued to churn, but at least her head was clear. She needed to remember her plan; contempt and strong-willed.

"Where do you w-want me to start?"

"With the legs or the arms," Vaas retorted with a snort. "You think those dead fucks care?"

No, she guessed. The corner of her lips fell. This was going to be harder than she thought.

Grunting, the pirate shouted for someone. A man with a red bandana hurried over. His curious brow eyes darted over to Liv, then back to the man with the mohawk.

"You're her compañero (buddy) for today. Help her move the bodies on the stage and keep an eye on her. You understand?" Vaas asked. He removed his arm from her shoulders and reached down for his knife.

The man agreed, though his tone was not glad to be on baby-setting duty. Liv ignored him and watched Vaas pierce the blade into the corner of his red tank, then rip an uneven strip from it; her face heated up as the act led to her getting a view of his toned stomach.

With the strip, he looped it around her neck and tied it into a loose bow.

"Pretty, no?" He asked the unnamed pirate.

The said man agreed though Liv was certain he was just trying to humor the pirate leader.

"Now play nice, querida (darling), and do your work, or I'll have to lean you over my knee," Vaas stated.

She narrowed her eyes. Why was he treating her like a child? She honestly felt more like a pet with this makeshift collar around her neck.

I'm a pirate now. Vaas' pirates wear red, she reminded herself.

Why did he tie it around her neck though? Liv sighed.

"I understand."

"You understand what?" Vaas asked with a grin.

Was he serious? She hoped that she could remember the correct word and how to pronounce it.

"I understand, Jefe (boss)," she corrected.

"Buena pequeña pirata (good little pirate). Now get the fuck to work," he ordered.

Liv watched him walk away, then averted her eyes to the man beside her in awkwardness.

"Fun, no?"

He shook his head in protest.

As the afternoon drew to an end, Liv was given a break. She and Barto – her babysitter was named – had moved the bodies from the stage and took them outside the camp to a deep hole the pirates had dug out for the bonfire. She then carted wood from the dense jungle that Barto had chopped and tossed them into the hole. It took nearly the entire day and by the time she was done, Liv was exhausted. She sat in a chair outside one of the huts as her babysitter and three other pirates, including Yada played a round of dominos.

Her mind was on cloud nine until Barto called her name. Liv turned her attention to him and raised a brow.

"Are you fucking Vaas? I have to know."

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"No, I'm not."

Why the fuck would he think that? She could see that the other three were just as curious, staring at her.

"Mamada (blowjob)?" Barto asked.

"What does that even mean?" Liv questioned in annoyance.

Yada snorted and sat down a domino.

"He wants to know if you've sucked his penis."

Liv widened her eyes. What the fuck was wrong with these idiots?

"I've not done or plan to do anything sexual with Vaas. I'm just unfortunate enough to be here until he sells me."

"Or buys you, querida (darling)," Barto teased.

Perhaps, but that did not mean she was going to sleep around with him. Owning her only meant she had more time to plan an escape without having to worry about being shipped off to some pervert who liked to break women. Besides, she wasn't even certain that Vaas wanted to own her; she was only working under him until her face healed.

"Where did he go anyway?" Liv asked.

Yada snorted.

"You miss him? That's cute, princesa (princess)."

"Show some respect hermano (brother)," an unnamed man sitting across from him stated. "That is our pirate princess you're talking to. She's already wearing his clothes."

Liv turned up her eyes as the four of them laughed at her. She'd rather be back in her cage than listen to them makes jokes at her expense. It wasn't her idea of fun to be forced into this situation.

"Relax," Barto ordered with a snort seeing the heated glare she was giving them. "El jefe (the boss) went to see Hoyt at his home on the southern island. He'll be back soon."

She raised a brow. Why did he go to see Hoyt? Did it have something to do with the person who had escaped? Jason Brody. He wasn't a threat to Vaas, was he? Liv rested her hands in her lap and stared at her fingers; there was dirt between her nails and dried blood in the creases of her skin. She shuttered in disgust. It was about time she asked for another bath.

Perhaps there is an actual shower––

The sound of a familiar shout interrupted her thoughts. Liv raised a brow as the four pirates stood up; one or two of them grunted.

"Speak of the devil. Your prince has returned," Yada stated.

Did he mean Vaas? She stood up and followed them outside the camp to the hole where the bodies were. Almost every pirate in the base was there, including Vaas and Carlos who were pouring gasoline on the bodies. Once the cans were empty, Vaas took out a match. His eyes turned to the group.

"Stand back a little, you cocksuckers."

Some of the pirates who were standing close moved back as he ordered. Liv had to stand on her toes just to see Vaas over some of the ones standing in her way. She watched him toss the match down into the hole and whoosh, the gasoline-soaked corpses went up in flames. Some of the men cheered in glee, but Liv covered her nose in disgust.

How could they stand this? Were they all insane? There was no way all of them were born this way. It had to be the island. Liv feared that the longer she stayed the more she'd lose herself.

I need to escape.

Jason Brody had escaped. He was somewhere out there, hopefully alive.

As much as she hated to admit it, hope had found its way to her again. She just needed to play her cards right with Vaas and then once his guard was down, she'd escape.

If Jason could do it, then so could she.

Liv turned her eyes to Vaas, watching the shadow of flames dance across his skin.

And if he gets in my way, then I'll take him to hell with me.