Page 43 of Scourge of the Shores
Lucas was right.
Jaymes had gotten into her head for a power play. Well, it was time to push him out. Her spine straightened as she stepped onto the table, towering over him. It wasn’t going to be a complete defeat.
“I’ve made me decision—A pirate king’ll be present, witnessin’ fair trades. Trust’s earned, after all,” she said.
“Well, sink me ship,” Robert exclaimed with a hearty shiver as he planted both boots firmly on the ground, mimicking her stance. “Captain Chadwick’s one smart lass.”
She adjusted the hat on her head but refused to submit to his mockery. That cocky grin, that too-easy swagger—he thought he’d already won. And worse, maybe he had. Her fingers curled into fists. Her pulse hammered. Giving up was for fools, for the weak.
She spat at Robert’s feet to show him exactly what she thought of him. “Good, ye get two men. That’s it. Ye’re to be a shadow, but a shadow ain’t the sun.”
"Otto, Thane, with me,” Robert said, cutting her off before she could argue. Then, slow as the tide, he dragged his thumb along the brim of his seaworn hat before lifting it—just enough to taunt. “Duly noted, Captain Chadwick. Just here for fair trades, nothin’ more.”
“First light, Captain Jaymes, or ye’ll be left behind.”
Robert’s grin widened as he dipped a lazy glance at the little puddle of spit. He didn’t wipe it away—just let it sit, shining on the leather of his boot.
“First light,” he echoed and waved his men out. As they walked past, the villagers lifted their chins and glared at the pirates.
“And Captain Jaymes,” she called after him.
He paused in the doorway, turning just enough for the firelight to catch his grin. “Aye?”
“If ye wanted a proper invitation, ye should’ve asked nicely.”
His steely eyes locked on her. “Ask nicely?” He chuckled, and his voice dropped low. “Wouldn’t have suited either of us, Captain.”
Then, as he strode out, he whistled a drawn-out shanty like a man in no hurry. The tune curled between them like a net he cast without care if it caught. Just before the shadows swallowed him, he glanced back with a look edged with quiet amusement. A dance. A challenge. A waiting game.
Whoever Robert was tonight wasn’t the same man who walked the shore with her. Or maybe he was. That was the trouble. He could be both. And curse him, she was starting to see it. His retreating form disappeared in the dark.
Curse him again, the warmth of his breath when he spoke, deep and sure, still lingered on her cheek. It enveloped her, enticed her, and made her want to claw it off her skin. She clenched her fists and scowled down at the map, but the lines blurred. Her mind was betraying her.
Silence filled the hall as the cautious stares of her people fell upon her. She squatted on the table, pulled her knife, and etched the outline of Laurence Isle in the wooden map. “Ethan, Scotty, ye’re with me. Get some good rest tonight, for I doubt we’re gonna get much sleep over the next few days.”
“Aye, Captain,” they said.
“Let’s get these vultures off our island,” she said, lifting her gaze to the men and women in the hall. “As fast as the storm blows.”
“Aye, Captain.” Their voices struck like steel on flint, sparking in the darkened hall.
The dawn light was barely a golden line on the horizon. The tide lapped against the pier, the only sound in the waiting hush. The wind whispered secrets out to sea as Danna scanned the shore again. No sign of them. She could only hope the pirates had drowned themselves in rum and forgotten their boasts.
Scotty and Danna raised anchor with the rotating windlass as Ethan stood at the tiller of the small sloop ship. The hold was packed full of salted meat and fish for trade, and enough food for six.
“Think they be mad if we left without ‘em?” Scotty whispered.
“Shoulda been here,” Danna said, knowing a voyage on a sloop would be hard with half the needed crew. But no sooner had she said it, three figures approached on the shore with island sentinels behind them.
Lucas and Jim stood on the pier and noticed them too. Lucas sighed. The gangplank slammed back on the boat’s edge. Lucas walked on board and pulled Danna to the stern, dismissing Ethan to the bow.
“Jaymes ain’t here to obey, Danna. He’s here to test ye.” Lucas kept his voice low. “Last night, he told ye plain—he likes ye, he likes ye a lot, but he won’t take orders from ye. Make him.”
She scowled. “I thought he was trying to tear me down.”
“Nah,” Lucas muttered. “He’s waitin’ to see if ye tear yerself down first and come jumpin’ in his arms. He’s testin’ ye. See if ye take the bait. He ain’t the one, Danna. Don’t spurn him; don’t fall for him neither. It’s a fine line; don’t cross it.”
He hesitated after glancing once more behind her. “A pirate like him? He’d take whatever ye gave—and then some.” Then, softer—almost regretful—he added with a slight shake of his head, “And once he takes, it’ll be his. But when the tide turns, he’ll vanish with it, and ye won’t cross his mind again. That’s how much ye’ll mean to him.”
