Page 3 of High Seas

“Not really,” I replied, standing taller.

He flashed a humorless smile that set my teeth on edge. My hand brushed my side, where my stakes were strapped just beneath the gown. The once-small tear I’d made to access them easier now gaped awkwardly. I pushed it closed just as his eyes slipped to it.

“What is your name?” he asked, letting go of the door frame and stepping into the room.

“I’m looking for a man named Enoch,” I offered instead.

He froze in place, tilting his head to the side. “There are many men who bear that name.”

I shook my head. “None like him.” The captain tensed. “You know him, don’t you?” My stomach muscles relaxed. “Will you take me to him?”

He stared at me warily. “I’m afraid not.”

“Why?”

“Because the last time we met it wasn’t under favorable circumstances, and since I value my neck, it’s best I stay away from him.”

“What if I told you that I was important to him, and that if you took me to him, he might forget the unfavorable circumstances between you?”

His pursed his lips together as he considered the information. “How, exactly, are you important to Enoch?”

“I would prefer not to say.”

He smiled. “Then I would prefer not to get involved.”

“You said we were close to land. How close?”

“We will drop anchor before we conclude this conversation.”

So close… “Where, exactly, will we drop anchor?”

Again, the black-bearded captain smiled, revealing a gray tooth on the bottom row of teeth. He stepped further into his quarters, which immediately made the room seem to shrink as his magnetic presence filled the space. He moved toward a chair where he picked up a dark, double-breasted jacket with brass or gold buttons running in two rows from his stomach to his chest, fluidly shrugging it on over his white ruffled shirt. Over a shoulder, he strapped a leather sash that held three pistols. He hooked his thumbs into his leather belt on either side of the large, square buckle in the middle and looked me in the eye.

“Only members of my crew get the honor of knowing where we drop anchor and when we set sail, Miss. And you are not among them.”

He was insufferable. I didn’t care where we were, just where Enoch was in relation to my current location. He could be halfway around the world for all I knew, but I had to figure out how to get to him. I decided to rephrase my question.

“How can I find Enoch? Will he be in the place we’re going?”

“I can point you in the right direction. How you get there afterward is no matter to me.”

“So, you’re just going to let me go?”

He crossed his arms. “You are not my prisoner, and as far as I can tell you have not wronged me or my men. Once we disembark, you’re free to leave. I simply put you in here to keep you safe. The men haven’t been to port in quite some time.” I gave him a questioning look, which he answered with a quirked brow and lop-sided grin. “You’re the only female they’ve seen in months. By taking you into my quarters, I communicated to them that you were mine and they would be remiss if they so much as toyed with a strand of your hair.”

“I’m not yours.”

“I know that,” he said slowly.

Okay… He already thought I was stupid, so I might as well ask my true question. “This is going to sound strange, but what year is it?”

His brows drew inward. “Pardon?”

“Yes, the year, please,” I maintained, crossing my arms to mirror his self-assured stance.

“For the next thirty days, it is seventeen-seventeen. Now, I’ve given you the information you craved. Would you please be so kind as to give me your name?”

“Why do you want it?”

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