Page 49 of Scourge of the Shores
“What?” she asked, throwing him a glare.
“Barrels. Ye’re counting ‘em but didn’t know if ye finished,” Robert said.
“I didn’t.” She glanced at Scotty.
“Didn’t ye count ‘em before ye left port?” Robert asked, curious to see how she would respond with Scotty listening.
Danna didn’t miss a beat. “We dock this evening; just makin’ sure me negotiations be in order.”
Desire clenched deep in his chest. She wasn’t just clever—she was dangerous. A woman who could lie like that, with a half-smile and an even gaze? A woman who could hold a deck full of men under her thumb without lifting a blade?
She was already a Pirate King. She just hadn’t claimed the crown. She only had to leave the island. But did she even want to? She was a natural at sea; he had no doubts she could hold her own, but would his men accept her? They’d have to accept him first. And he wasn’t sure who would be harder to win over—his crew, or her.
CHAPTER 11
The Stormy Night
The trade went without a hitch—except for the island traders, who eyed the pirates like they were wolves sniffing at the door. At the small trading post, Danna exchanged salted meat for hardtack, flour, and biscuits. She worked them well. Too well, Robert mused.
Every nod, every pause, every sharpened smile—she knew how to squeeze the last bit of worth out of a deal, and they never even realized they’d lost. He could watch her do it forever. And maybe that was the trouble.
The ship was loaded, but the sky churned like a beast waking. Heavy and fast-stacking clouds swallowed the last traces of blue in thick, dark waves. The wind sharpened, biting, warning the sailors.
“We best get goin’,” Ethan said, staring at the skies, and headed to the tiller.
“Mate, I ain’t sailin’ a sloop with a storm like that a’brewin’,” Otto said, jerking his head toward the dark monster approaching.
Danna glanced at Robert before studying the clouds. “We might outrun it, but it’d be close.”
Robert stayed silent, watching. He should have been testing her judgment, but he wasn’t. The right call was clear—dock, wait, live to sail another day. But she was the Captain, and he’d do as she said on her ship.
She chewed her lip as she judged the speed of the clouds. “I’ve got six souls. Better not chance ‘em all to Tophet,” she murmured. She addressed Ethan and Scotty. “Let’s try to find shelter for the night and hope the boat’s still a’floatin’ by tomorrow.”
“Aye, Captain,” they said in unison before disembarking with Otto and Thane behind them.
But Robert stayed on deck. He stood behind her as she sighed.
“What do ye want, Jaymes?” she said without turning around.
He walked up beside her and leaned on the gunwale.
“Ye woulda sailed?” she asked.
“No, not in a sloop, not with those clouds.”
He studied her as she studied him.
The words slipped out. “You’re a great Captain,” he said, quieter than before and much more sincere than planned. He should’ve added a smirk, a challenge—something to keep her on edge. But he didn’t. “You think ahead. You listen. You don’t let pride decide for you.”
“And that intimidates ye?” she asked, crossing her arms.
He shook his head with a slow grin. It made her all the more desirable. For once, he didn’t try to push her. His gaze didn’t drop to her lips. He met her soul in her eyes, but it wasn’t a challenge this time. No battle, no test—just a moment he wasn’t sure he was meant to have, as if he was trying to reveal the truth of her heart.
Her fingers twitched, so slight, he almost missed it.
“Stop,” she snapped, turning away too fast with a hitch in her breath.
His gaze hit the deck. The question lingered in his mind: Was she resisting him, or was he just making her uncomfortable? If it was the latter, he wasn’t sure how to take that.
