Page 22

Twenty-Two

S hrug shoved me into a cabin not as large as Max’s but still roomy for an eighteenth-century ship. I wondered whose cabin I’d commandeered.

The stray stocking forgotten in the corner and the drawer of the chest not fully closed gave the room a recently vacated feel. A full bookcase, small gateleg table, two chairs, a chest of drawers, and a mahogany washbasin with a mirror lined the walls. A long hammock stretched under a square window hatched open to allow in a salty sea breeze.

Shrug watched me with only a moderate amount of disgust as I checked out the cabin. He backed toward the door, never taking his eyes off me.

“Could you please send my manservant with some food?” I wasn’t hungry. The meal at the tavern rolled around in my gut with every crested wave, but I needed to speak to Ace and tell him what I’d learned about Marco.

Shrug stopped his reverse shuffle and stared at me like fetching food was not in his job description.

“The captain asked you to bring me something to eat, and I’m hungry.” I crossed my arms and returned his stare.

“Aye, witch. Ye be eatin’ all our grub and drinkin’ all our rum. Curs-ed woman.”

“I’ll try not to eat all the food.” I couldn’t promise the rum because after my lucky but fake healing incident with Max, correction Captain Smith, I could use an adult beverage.

He slammed the door, then the lock clicked into place.

Locked in the cabin, I figured out how to use the bathroom in the bucket provided, Gross! I combed through all the drawers, chests, and books hoping to come up with a plan and finding nothing. I climbed into the hammock and studied the dim, stir-crazy room. I needed to get out of this cabin.

Finally, the lock clicked, and Shrug opened the door, allowing Ace to enter.

“Your personal pirate chef has brought you sustenance.” Ace held up the plate of food and a mug as rusty as the cabin’s door hinge. He gave me a sympathetic smile.

“Ace. Thank God!” I tumbled out of the hammock, landing with a smack on the wood floor. “I’m all right.” I popped up, showing Shrug, who leered at me from the doorway, I was fine.

Shrug slammed the door, startling Ace.

“Bloody ’ell, that man has a bad attitude.” He set the plate and mug down and hugged me tight. “Girl, I worried that Captain Sexy had his way with you. I couldn’t get free to help. That is, if you wanted my help.” Ace pressed his lips into a naughty smirk. “They’ve got me under watch by Black, brawny, and smarter than I suspected.”

“You mean the Jamaican guy with the leather rope necklaces and blue eyes?” The rather large man I’d seen on deck earlier.

Ace grinned and nodded wildly. “Guess what they call ’im? You’ll fall off your chair.”

I raised my eyebrows at Ace, waiting for the name that had him stirred up like a calorie-counting coed in a candy shop.

“Black Bard. Isn’t that a sexy pirate name?” Ace squealed like he’d won the pirate booty call lottery.

“Ace, focus on the mission. Marco isn’t on board. Rowan, the giant guy, is not the captain.”

“I know. He’s the quartermaster. I got the down low from the kitchen hand.” Ace handed me the mug. “Drink up. You don’t want to get dehydrated.”

I looked down at the brown liquid. “What is it?”

“Tea. They’ve got barrels of it from the East India Trading Company.” Ace sat in one of the chairs, and I took the other.

He pursed his lips. “They say Captain Smith is in high demand by the special ladies, if you know what I mean.”

My face contorted. Geesh. He was only a boy. He was Peter Pan.

“So, what’s this Captain Smith look like?” Ace batted his eyelashes at me. “Is he as sexy as they claim?”

“He’s cute. Auburn hair, button nose, brown eyes a girl could die for, and… he’s about sixteen.”

“Say what?” Ace’s eyes grew wide.

“Yeah. This entire ship of men flock around a captain who hasn’t had his first shave.”

“That explains why all the special ladies want to be the first to…you know.” Ace wafted a hand in the air like he did when he shared gossip.

“Poor kid’s been forced into a man’s job. He wants to play pirate, search for hidden treasure.” I wished I could help him. I sipped the tea, and my eyebrows rose. Surprisingly, it tasted good. Sweet and spicy with a touch of honey.

“I added the honey.” Ace blew on his knuckles, then his face fell. “However, the ingredients for the evening meal will be more of a challenge.”

I took another sip and licked my lips. “I expected more drudge in a mug.”

Ace plucked a chunk of mango off the plate of bread, cheese, and fruit and ate it. “Rowan won’t let the special ladies on the Sea Storm because he’s been searching for a perfect wife for the captain.”

I sputtered, spewed, spilled tea on my dress, then set the mug down harder than I’d anticipated. “What?”

“That’s unfortunate. It’ll leave a stain.” Ace handed me a cloth to wipe off the spill, then continued with the back-fence gossip. “According to my source, Captain Smith inherited the ship. They’re not pirates, they’re smugglers. Isn’t that even sexier?”

“Ace, focus. What about the captain-forced-to-marry thing?”

“Oh, yes, yes, yes. Captain Smith’s father was the captain of the Sea Storm , but he died. His last wishes stated that to own the ship, his son must marry when he came of age or surrender the ship to joint ownership with the crew. Many a not-so-fair maiden has been brought to the ship, but the quartermaster has rejected all of them.”

“But he’s only a boy.” I wondered if Rowan refused the women because he wanted to gain control of the ship. I didn’t get that vibe from him. He hovered over Max with the concern of a caring uncle or older brother. I lifted my cup to drink, then paused. “He’s a nice kid. I hate to see him forced into marrying a girl he doesn’t love just to keep some wooden ship that’ll probably go down with the next hurricane.”

“Uh, oh. I know that look. You fancy him.” Ace dabbed mango juice from his mouth with the corner of my tea-stained cloth.

“Yeah, he’s sweet. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. The ship should be his without all the pirate hoopla, but I can’t get involved. I promised Jake no more interfering with the past. Besides, I’m here to rescue Marco.”

“My source also told me, Marco, a.k.a. John Silver, was on board until a few days ago when Vane boarded the Sea Storm and forced Captain Smith to join his fleet of ships.”

I tore off a corner of the baguette and chewed over Ace’s words. “I heard the same, and that makes the Sea Storm a pirate ship by association. A part of Vane’s pirate clan.”

“Vane’s fleet isn’t all that big, and supposedly Marco did a swapsies to get on board Vane’s ship. Most likely because that no good Russian trollop, Sasha, is swishing her scabbard on Vane’s deck. At least we know what happens next.”

“We do?”

“Doll. Don’t you ever study?”

“I did. But I’m a little fuzzy on the history. I focused more on the layout of Nassau, Vane’s ship, and the Marco thing.”

“According to Wikipedia, Woodes Rogers, the future governor of the Bahamas, sails here tomorrow night with a blockade of ships and prevents the pirates from leaving the harbor. He offers the pirates a pardon, but Vane doesn’t take it. Instead, Vane sets the biggest ship in his fleet on fire and sends it toward Rogers’ ships while escaping on a smaller sloop.”

I remembered reading about the fire ship and about Vane holding a meeting at Fort Nassau with his group of supporters. He held a vote to reject the pardon.

I stood and walked to the window. Max said they were waiting for Rogers to arrive, and then they’d sail out to sea. But he didn’t know about the blockade.

“Can you see any ships on the horizon?” Ace leaned back in his chair. “I don’t know how Captain Smith is going to paddle by an entire blockade of ships.”

“I don’t have an ocean view. I can see most of the other ships and the island, part of the fort.” I stood on tiptoe and craned my neck trying to see the entire harbor. I studied the other ships from my limited view. We were on the biggest ship and the farthest out but still within blockade range.

“The Sea Storm is the biggest ship.” Ace sidled up next to me to peer out the opening.

I ate the last hunk of bread I still held in my hand and recalled the name written on the side of the ship when we climbed aboard. La tempête sur la mer. The storm on the sea. The Sea Storm .

My insides twisted into a knot, and the bread stuck halfway in my throat. I choke-coughed. Ace whacked me on the back.

“Ace, we have to get off this ship.” I moved to the table and downed the rest of my tea.

“I agree, doll. If I’m to cook a meal, I’ll surely walk the plank. What’s that disease that comes from spoiled chicken?”

“Salmonella.” I paced in front of Ace. “Marco’s not here. I don’t know why he sent us the name of the Sea Storm . No one is here. Not Marco, not Sasha, not even our mark, Mortas.”

“I wonder where that dastardly devil Mortas is hiding?” Ace tapped his finger to his chin. “It’s not like him to miss all the fun.”

“Not only that. I think this is the ship that Charles Vane sets on fire during his escape. She’s French, and I never read about her in any of my research.”

Ace stiffened when my words hit home. “You’re right. How are we going to get off ’er before she bursts into flames?”

“We can make a break for it while Max and Rowan are at the pirate meeting.” I hoped they would get an invite, leaving the ship thin on mates to babysit.

Ace straightened, and his eyes widened. “What do you want to do, swan dive over the side?”

“Uhm…”

“Did you see how far down that is?” Ace looked at me like I was crazy. “I’ve been on cruise ships with less draft.”

I moved back to the porthole. “We can use the rope ladder. Steal one of the rowboats.”

“Let me get this straight. We’re going to sneak away from Shrug the Sentinel, climb overboard, scale down the side to a rowboat, then you and me are going to row a six-man skiff to shore?”

“That’s the plan.” I bit my lip. I felt terrible ditching Max.

Ace looked at me, dumbstruck. “I’m speechless.”

“That’s new for you. After we escape, we’ll need to find Vane’s ship and rescue Marco.”

“Hold the front hatch.” Ace flipped his palm at me. “Are you insane?”

“Probably, but Marco’s on Vane’s ship, and I need to find him.”

“You’re just going to climb aboard and ask him to accompany you home?”

“Yes.” I nodded with more enthusiasm than I intended. “After he hears what happens to him, he’ll come.”

“Not without Sasha.” Ace rocked back on his heels, recovered from my insane plan. He was now playing devil’s advocate. “And how are you going to drag ’er off the ship?”

“I’m not sure.” I paced the room. “We need to think this through. Iron out the details. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover.”

“You mean water.”

“Yeah, water.”

“Times up, cook,” Shrug called from the other side of the door before banging his fist a few times. “Yer needed to make the grub.”

I looked at Ace, eyebrows raised. “What are we having?”

“Grub-worms sounds about right. Do you think I can put ’em in a pot and call it soup?”