Chapter 4: Bluff Peak
Liam watched as Killian readied the small boat attached to the ship as they prepared to row to shore on their excursion to Bluff Peak. Emma stood nervously, looking over the side of the ship as she watched Killian below them.
"We'll be back soon." He said quietly.
"Don't go." She turned and stared up at him. "Something feels…wrong." She pleaded.
He reached out and took her hand. "We'll be fine. I'll make sure to bring him back in one piece." He chuckled as Emma frowned. He was sure that neither Emma nor Killian were ready to face their own truth when it came to the other. He had known that his brother had been in love with Emma for years, but Emma was always the more guarded of the two of them. It didn't take a genius to know that Killian held a special place in her heart.
"Please be careful." She said at a whisper. He leaned over and brushed a kiss to her forehead, walking away with a nod of his head.
"Be right back, Lil Em." He grinned as he climbed down the ladder, stepping into the boat. Killian glanced up toward the blonde staring down at them, a worried wave of his hand before they pushed away, rowing toward the shore and the massive rock face rising into the sky.
They dragged the boat onto the shore about twenty minutes later, ensuring that it would not be pulled back into the wake of the light waves crashing against the sands at their feet. "Stay alert." He warned his brother with a nod.
He looked up at the mountain in front of them and sighed. This was a really bad idea. Walsh was standing on a nearby rock staring up toward the sky. It was then that he noticed the shining object in his hand. The man was holding it toward the mountain, staring up at it. "What you got there?" He inquired as the man turned to face him, pocketing the coin as soon as he did.
"Lucky charm." He shrugged and Liam got that all too familiar uneasy feeling again.
"So, the best place to climb is on the other side of the bluff, there's a path that leads…"
"I'd prefer we climb here."
"Are you daft? He just told you the best place to climb is that way." Killian argued.
"Yeah well we want to climb here." Neal interjected.
"I don't bloody care what you want, Mate. We're the guides here."
"I'm afraid I do insist." Walsh leered and Killian puffed his chest as he walked toward him.
"Fine." Liam interrupted before Killian did something that might cause a problem. "We'll climb here." Killian glared at him, and Liam winked, trying to set him at ease. "Walsh let me know that he's climbed before, so you can go tandem with Killian. Neal, you're with me."
"I'd rather go with Walsh." Neal complained.
"I'm afraid I do insist." Liam said pointedly while staring at Walsh. The man nodded at his partner and Neal seemed to relent as he followed Killian up the path to the start of the climb.
"Shall we?" Walsh gestured for Liam to take the lead.
When they reached the base of the mountain, Killian clicked into his rope, and connected Walsh to him. Liam did the same with Neal to begin their ascent. As Liam looked up at the sun pouring down on the dangerous climb, he wondered exactly what Walsh's end game was.
Emma watched the woman laying out on the deck in her bathing suit, her skin soaking up the bright rays. She heard the woman clear her throat and Emma rolled her eyes, continuing her task of mopping the deck. She cleared her voice again and Emma realized she was staring at her.
"Excuse me." The woman said angrily. "Did you not hear me?"
"Are you talking to me?"
"Do you see anyone else working on this goddamn barge?"
"It's a ship, sweetheart." Emma deadpanned.
"I don't care. Bring me water."
"I'm sorry?" Emma exclaimed.
"Water. I need it."
Emma laughed loudly. "I'm not a waitress. If you want water, it's below deck."
"I'm sorry, but I believe you're being paid for this little trip." She said rudely. "I'm pretty sure that means you bring me water when I need it." She laid back in her chair. "Unless you want me to tell Walsh how rude you are being…"
"I don't give a…" Emma bit her tongue. The last thing she needed was to make trouble for Liam right now.
"That's what I thought…" The woman sighed. "Extra ice please."
Emma stormed down the stairs to the kitchen. She only hoped Killian and Liam returned before she threw the damn woman overboard.
Killian was halfway up the mountain when Walsh suddenly stopped moving below him. "You ok down there, Mate?" Killian stared down below him as Walsh seemed frozen in place for a moment. "Mate? Everything alright." The man looked up at him and then over toward the other pair who were just below them. "Earth to Walsh."
"Yeah I'm good." The man finally responded.
"This isn't the kind of place to stop for a nap…" He grumbled to himself. "You blimey bastard." He felt the tug on the rope and looked down to see Walsh moving to his right, staring at the rock face as if he had started mining for gold. "Mate, you want to climb now?" He complained.
Before he could investigate the issue further, he heard his brother scream out and Killian grasped the rock beside him, his eyes searching desperately toward the spot his brother was last seen. Instead, he was met with a pair of dark, calculating eyes staring back at him. Neal was leaning against the rock, his hand gripping the rope beside him. A few feet below him he saw Liam, lying on a thin ledge, ominously still. "Liam?" He hollered, scrambling down the rock face, frantically trying to get to where he could safely descend toward him.
"Stay put." He yelled to Walsh before unsnapping from his connected rope. No longer being slowed by Walsh, he was able to quickly navigate down the cliff toward the ledge. "Liam, can you hear me?" His brother groaned a few feet below him and he paused, looking down to see him rolling in pain, his body close to the edge. "Don't move." He warned. "I'm almost there."
When he reached him, he perched against the ledge, trying not to add additional weight in case Liam's fall knocked anything loose. "Am I dead?" His brother winced in pain, a strangled chuckle causing him to cough.
"Are you hurt?"
"I can't tell, honestly I'm not sure if I'm in pain because I'm hurt or if I'm just too old for this shit." Killian relaxed for a moment to allow a laugh between the brothers.
"Maybe a little of both, brother." He looked up as a rock slid past him, the men above him descending toward them. "I told you to stay put."
"Thought we could offer assistance; in case you need help getting him down the mountain." Walsh offered, causing Killian to look at the man questionably. "Glad to see you are still with us, Captain."
The men worked together to get Liam to the base of the mountain and Killian breathed a sigh of relief the moment Liam's feet hit the ground. However, after the relief wore off, he felt the anger bubble up inside of him as Neal whispered quietly with Walsh near the boat. He couldn't stop himself as he rushed toward the men. "What the fuck happened up there?" He shoved Neal backwards a few steps.
"What the fuck, man." Neal argued, trying to square up with him as he puffed out his chest.
"How did he fall?"
"I don't know man, he slipped or something."
"He slipped or something?" Killian exclaimed incredulously.
"Yeah, I panicked, he was dead weight, so I unclipped to save myself." The man shrugged, his nostrils flaring.
Killian hauled back and punched him square in the nose, enjoying how the man cowered in front of him, his hand pressed against his flesh to stop the bleeding. "What the fuck?"
"You could have killed him." Killian growled, advancing toward him again as he grabbed him by the shirt and tugged.
"Killian!" His brother's voice boomed loudly behind him, and Killian froze, his fist freezing in the air before he sent another punch at the man in front of him. "Enough."
Killian spun around, the man still in his grasp. "You can't be serious?"
Liam glanced nervously at Walsh and back to Killian and winked. "Come on now, little brother. No harm no foul, I mean it's like that time Pete and I fell off the water tower…" He brother paused.
Fell off the water tower?
Killian thought perhaps his brother had hit his head or hurt himself more severely than he realized, Liam didn't fall off a water tower back in high school, Pete had pushed him after an argument over a girl…and then it hit him, was Liam trying to tell him that his fall was more sinister than even he had assumed?
If that were the case then why would he protect the man who had caused his fall? Whatever his reasoning, Liam intended for Killian to cease his attack on Neal Cassidy, and so he released the man and stepped away from him. "Fine, pack up, I want to get my brother back to the ship."
Neal and Walsh nodded to each other, and it was only then that he realized how tense Walsh seemed to be with the entire situation. He walked closer to his brother, lifting him off the ground and helping his brother rest his weight against him. "Water tower?" He whispered to him.
"We need to get back to Emma." He whispered. "Now." Killian's heart was pounding, and he helped get him in the boat. He wasn't sure what was going on, but if Liam was concerned about Emma, they needed to get back to her quickly.
Emma spotted the boat from her place in the crow's nest a few hours after they had left. She was getting concerned the longer they had stayed out, but seeing their small boat on the water, allowed her to relax. She climbed quickly down the post until she reached the deck, her heart sinking the moment she saw Liam limping onto the deck.
She rushed forward toward him. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, lass. I just need to sit down." He smiled tersely.
"But what happened?" She asked again.
"Just a small incident."
"Incident?" She questioned and Killian shrugged and continued pressing forward as he led Liam down the stairs into the belly of the ship. Emma followed them anxiously, leaving their guests on the deck who were catching up with the woman who had made her entire day hell.
The moment they were alone, Emma pressed on. "Are one of you going to tell me what the hell happened out there?"
Liam looked around nervously before lowering his voice. "We were climbing the south side of Bluff's Peak…"
"The south side, why in the hell did you go up that way?"
"Emma, listen to me." Liam said forcefully. "Neal was acting strange, he was more interested in what Walsh was doing ahead of us, I don't know but I felt him tug on the line a few times until I lost my footing."
"Lost your footing?" She exclaimed.
"The bastard unhooked the line. I know he did it on purpose." Liam lowered his voice.
"Why the fuck did you stop me from beating his face in then?" Killian said angrily.
"He's got a gun." Liam whispered. "Walsh, he was pulling it from his back right after Killian hit Neal."
Emma turned toward Killian. "You hit him?"
"Only once." He shrugged.
Liam leaned forward, "Tonight, after they've gone to sleep, I'm bringing the boat around and heading back to the harbor. Sod the money. These people are dangerous."
"Why wait, let's just tell them now that we're done. We need to go back."
"I'm afraid I can't let that happen." Emma jumped at the noise that invaded their silent whispers. Walsh's voice loomed behind her. "Not until I get what I came for." He said ominously, stepping out of the dark shadows, the sight of the gun shimmering in his hand causing her to gasp.
Killian stepped in front of her, shielding her from Walsh's line of sight. "This isn't necessary, Mate. We just need to get back to the harbor, Liam needs to see a doctor."
"No one is going anywhere." He barked.
"Yeah, we'll tell you when we're done with you." Neal sneered behind him, and Emma glared at him angrily. "Won't we baby?" He cooed as Tamara stepped beside him, the two embracing before he tipped her back, planting a slobbering kiss against her mouth.
"The trip is over." Liam sighed. "What more could you possibly want?"
The man threw a map on the table between them. "I need you to take me here." He pointed the nose of the gun against the map.
"There's nothing there." Killian scoffed. "That island has been picked over a million times."
"Shut up, you moron." Neal interrupted. "We need to see the waterfall."
"Gee, why didn't you say so right away. That really narrows it down…" Killian said sarcastically. "Bloody moron." He added after with a low growl. Neal darted toward him only to have Walsh yank on his collar, pulling him back.
"I believe you call it Pelos Falls." Walsh groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Do you know where it is?"
"Aye." Liam spoke with a nod of his head.
"Then we go there, now."
"Are you a moron?" Killian shouted. "Have you ever sailed a ship this size through Dead Man's Hand?"
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Neal asked angrily.
"Dead Man's Hand, you magnanimous jackass." Killian spat. "Ships go in, but they don't come out. It's surrounded by currents and giant fucking rocks, not exactly the best sailing conditions, you buggering moron."
Neal advanced toward Killian again. "You son of a…"
"Can you sail through it or not?" Walsh directed at Liam, ignoring the chaos around them.
"Aye." Liam deadpanned.
"Liam, no. The ship won't make the pass…" Killian argued but Liam waved him off.
"We can leave at first light."
"Until then, I insist that the three of you remain in there." Walsh waved the gun toward Killian's room and Liam held up his hands and limped toward the room, Emma quickly rushed to his side, allowing him to lean on her as she helped him sit down on the bed. Killian followed behind them.
"Don't try anything stupid." Neal taunted them.
"Go fuck yourself, dumbass." Killian spat back and Emma turned just in time to see Neal strike him with the heel of his book, sending Killian careening toward the floor. Neal sneered at her before slamming the door shut.
Emma offered Killian her hand as she helped him up from the floor. He sat down angrily on the bed next to her, falling back against the sheets. "Well now what?"
"I don't know, your plan of pissing off Neal seems to be working out great for you." Liam added in a mildly sarcastic tone.
"The guy's a dickhead." He groaned.
"Is it your life's dream to get killed by a dickhead?" Liam raised his voice and Emma pressed a hand against his chest.
"Ok we can't start fighting each other if we're going to get out of this." She warned. "I need you both thinking clearly." Killian rolled off the bed, digging through his dresser until he pulled out a bottle of rum, uncorking it and putting it to his lips as he took a large swallow. Emma stood up and yanked the bottle away from his mouth. "And you think rum is going to help you think clearly, Jones."
"What?" He shrugged. "Never hurts."
Emma stared at him angrily before tipping the bottle back and taking a large swig herself. "Well, if we're drinking…" Liam held out his hand and Emma reluctantly passed it to him.
"What do we do now?" She exclaimed, falling back on the bed in frustration.
"Isn't drinking enough?" Killian joked and Emma glared at him. "Or not…" He trailed off before abruptly sitting up. "You aren't really going to sail through Dead Man's Hand are you?"
"Do you see any other option?" Liam responded.
"Yeah, not doing it." Killian argued.
"We don't have a choice, little brother. I can do it."
"Ok first of all, it's younger, and second, no, you can't."
"Stop arguing." Emma interrupted.
"Don't you trust me? I'm a damn good Captain. I can do this."
"You think we don't trust you?" Emma asked sincerely. "Of course, we trust you, it's just…" Emma paused. "I can't lose you, either of you."
"And that's why I have to sail us through that damn straight. Don't you see that? If I get us there, maybe we can figure out what exactly they are looking for, gain the upper hand, and get the fuck back home."
"Fine. So, we go with Liam's plan." Killian sighed, sitting up on the bed.
"How is that a plan?" Emma complained as she stared between the brothers.
Both men groaned. "We'll work on it."
Emma shook her head in disbelief. "I'm scared." She said softly, tears starting to fall from her eyes, and the men each wrapped an arm around her back.
"We'll get through this." Liam began as he looked over at Killian with a soft smile before placing a kiss on her forehead.
"Together." Killian finished with a decisive nod, his fingers intertwining with hers as he pulled her hand against his chest.
Emma sighed and rested her head on Killian's shoulder, she was terrified, and had no idea what would happen come morning, but she knew that whatever happened, Liam and Killian would protect her, just as they always had, because they were family, and family was all she had. "Together." She added softly.