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Thirty-Four

D aylight came earlier than I anticipated. I cracked open an eye to let it in. “Shiver me timbers,” I cackled like Shrug, then laughed at my own joke. Caiyan had snuck out about halfway through our cuddling session. Spending the night with him and the things he did to me on the swinging bed were worth the risk.

I stretched with satisfaction from our secret tryst and because, for the first time, we’d made a plan, together. My job was to convince Max and Rowan to go along with it. His job was much more dangerous.

My musing was interrupted by a loud banging on my door. “Arise witch. ’Tis daylight yer burning.”

Shrug. Dang, when this mission was over, I wasn’t going to miss that guy. I pulled on a dressing gown over my shift and yanked open the door. He wouldn’t stop hammering on it until he saw me up and at ’em. “Can I ask you a question?”

Shrug eyed me apprehensively.

“How did the Sea Storm escape the naval blockade?” I mean, I had to ask. Did the crew know about Max’s abilities? Did Shrug know about time travel?

“The cap’n steered us clear of the battle.”

“About a hundred yards clear.” I searched his weathered face for an answer.

He lifted a defiant chin. “The cap’n ’tis a fine navigator.”

Did Shrug really believe the Sea Storm outmaneuvered Woodes Rogers’ fleet of ships?

“Can you please inform Captain Smith I’d like to have a meeting?”

Shrug wrinkled his nose. “The cap’n ’tis a busy man.”

Jeez, Louise, you’d think I was asking for a meeting with King George. “I just need a quick word.” I paused and sent him my most pleading look with an extra helping of Southern suck-up. “Pretty please?”

“I’ll alert the cap’n ye’ve requested an audience.” He stepped back and looked me over. “Ye best be gettin’ yerself to rights.”

I assumed he meant my appearance needed work. One look in the mirror, and I agreed. My inside was satisfied, but my outside was frightening.

The cabin boy, this time not Sasha, informed me the fruit was gone, so I had hard biscuits, a boiled egg, and tea. I’d seen the chickens in the hold and was thankful for the egg and not a roasted chicken leg.

I dressed quickly, sat in front of the wash basin, and tied my hair back with a ribbon. A triple tap, tap, tap sounded on the door. “I hope this works,” I said to the mirror.

Max entered the cabin, followed closely by a scowling Rowan. The giant didn’t trust me.

“You wished my presence?” Max seemed skittish, almost as if worried I was asking for his virginity instead of a simple favor. He was all about playing plucky pirate, but he was only a boy. A boy a bit afraid of the witch.

“Are you well?” I turned toward Max, ignoring Rowan’s absurd-sounding grunt at my obvious question.

Max straightened, puffed his chest. “As ye can see, I’m in good health.”

Rowan leaned against the wall, keeping a watchful eye on the witch. Max moved to take my hand. “I’m no angry with ye for spinning the lies about my da.”

“But—”

Max didn’t let me finish. “I know we’ve not known each other a long time, but I’d like a chance to win yer affections.”

Rowan grunted. I wasn’t sure if it was a grunt of approval, a grunt of disapproval, or just gas.

“I’ll have my treasure soon enough, and then we can be married.” Max’s smile didn’t reach his eyes, and a flush of what I’d label as dread heated my palm. Max didn’t want to marry me.

“Max, uhm…”

“Give me a chance,” he pleaded halfheartedly.

Rowan pushed off the wall and scuffed his boots around the room. “She doesnae need a chance. Ye are captain of the Sea Storm . ’Tis an honor to wed ye.”

“Rowan’s correct on both accounts.” I removed my hand from his grasp, wondering if he felt the slow burn. “It is an honor to marry you, and there is no chance I will.”

Max’s smile waned. “What do ye mean?”

“Here’s the deal. I want to be honest with you. And I want you to be honest with me.”

“Honesty isnae a desirable trait for a smuggler,” Rowan said.

“Or a pirate,” Max added.

“Is that what you want to be? A pirate? A thief?” I stood and faced Max. He stiffened, then relaxed, but I felt his anxiety all the way to my toes. Reading him was easy—he didn’t know how to block me.

“I um…” Max averted his eyes from mine, looking down at his shoes.

“Do you want to steal from innocent people trying to make a living? It’s one thing to sneak around under England’s nose to take a load of sugar to a town that’s in need, but it’s a much bigger thing to cut a man’s throat because he’s protecting his livelihood.” I slashed my finger across my throat, mimicking the sword, and held my arms up, palms open in a what do you think gesture, hoping my message hit a vein.

Max paused, snuck a glance up at Rowan. “Are you worried that I won’t be a good husband because I’ll be out to sea?”

“Captain Smith will sail the ocean, like his da,” Rowan bellowed. If he’d gorilla-thumped his chest, I wouldn’t have been surprised.

I dropped my hands and attempted to get in Rowan’s face. Not an easy feat to face off with the giant. “Where will you be?” I placed my hands on my hips instead. “What about your wife and children?”

“I havenae bairns,” Rowan began, then stumbled back. His eyes widened just a bit. Enough for me to witness his concern. “Have ye a vision about me then?”

“No vision.” I shook my head slightly. “I’m speaking the truth. You’ve seen my key. You know I’m from the future, like Max’s mother.” I removed my scarf and showed Max my key. “And like all my friends who have come here searching for an important relic lost in our time.”

“She wears a key like mine.” Max looked at my key in awe.

“And because I’m from the future, I know about Rowan.” I turned to face the giant. “You must leave this life of piracy, or it will be your death.”

Whoa, that sounded morbid, like one of those end-of-the-world guys who stand on the corner and shout Bible verses.

Max closed his eyes tight as if shutting out the idea of Rowan’s death. He shook his head violently. “It cannae be.”

I placed a hand on his shoulder, taking a deep breath of my own to calm him. “What if I can show you a new adventure? One where you can still make a difference. One where Rowan gets to live to be an old man with his wife and children. Where you become something besides a pirate. Where you can use your gift to help us.”

“Are ye saying I can go with you?”

“And we can take the Sea Storm with us.” I hoped.

“I can take my ship to the future. That would be so dope.” Max beamed at Rowan.

“Dope?” Rowan’s brows knitted together. “Where did ye learn such a word?”

“From the cook.” A contrary smile pulled at the corner of Max’s mouth. “It means veera good.”

I did a mental head slap of Ace for his tutoring. I moved between the two men and softened my voice. “There’s one hitch. You will have to leave Rowan.”

“Why cannae he come with us?” Max’s mood quickly turned into a panic that filled the room so fully I thought the door would bow out from the pressure. I did a little mental blocking to lessen the emotions Max radiated like sun rays.

“Because he’s from this time. His life is here, but yours doesn’t have to be.”

“How does this happen?” Rowan’s face held curiosity, and his body language indicated he was open to the idea, mainly because he wasn’t grunting. He really did have Max’s best interests at heart.

I told them my plan. Rowan wasn’t thrilled to be sidelined. “I need you on the Sea Storm . Vane will never believe you didn’t attend your captain’s wedding.”

Rowan, focused on the strategy of the plan, tapped a finger to his chin. “Once we have convinced Vane there’s treasure, and Woodes Rogers arrives, how will we get away?”

“It seems Max can jump a ship with the cargo included. That’s different than what we can do in my time. We’re, um, limited.”

“Are ye sayin’ I have greater abilities than yer best time traveler?” Max’s eyes grew wide, but Rowan nodded, reacting like a proud brother as if he knew this all along.

“Yes. And that’s why Mortas, er, Captain Crunch wants him. He’s short a transporter. That’s the name given to those of us who have gifts like Max. It doesn’t matter that his father might be Max’s biological father. He doesn’t care about Max.”

Rowan placed a hand on Max’s shoulder. “Is this what ye truly want in yer heart?”

“I want ye to be free of me. You’ve taken care since Ma died. You have a wife. Ye need to spend time with her. As Miss Jennifer said. Get away from the sea.”

Rowan nodded hesitantly and gave a small grunt of acknowledgment. “I planned to leave once you had a wife, control of the Sea Storm, and a faithful crew.”

“That could take years.” Max grinned. The first real grin I’d seen in days. He began singing the tune I’d heard him sing when I’d met him. The song he sang after I’d helped fix his injured back. The song his mother had taught him.

“ Let’s kill the fat cow ,” Max crooned.

When Rowan cocked an eyebrow, Max leaned in, “You know, like in the song Ma taught us. Vane is the fat cow. We’re going to outfox him and celebrate by taking his treasure.”

“I’ve always wanted to kill that cow.” Rowan pulled Max into a hug.

I made a mental note to explain the Bennie and the Jets lyrics to Max, then gave them fist bumps, which I had to initiate and show them how to execute.