Page 51 of Scourge of the Shores
Robert laughed easily, like Ben had just made an inside joke that only he and Danna would understand. He clapped a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. “He sounds like you,” he said, but something else was in his voice. A little admiration. A little desire he hadn’t meant to let slip.
Her shoulders grew tight, and he dropped his hand at the ice in her stare.
“Look, Ben,” he said with a pointed inflection, returning his attention to the port master. “Pirates don’t care about tradin’ islands. We go after much bigger fish, if ye get me? We just need a place to hunker down for the night, and then ye’ll never see or hear from us again. I swear on me father’s name.”
Ben ran a palm over his mouth as he debated. His eyes narrowed at Robert before they shifted to Danna.
“Fine,” Ben muttered. “There’s an empty barn. Captain sleeps up top.”
The nod to Danna was deliberate. A kindness. A way to separate her from the pirates and keep her safe.
Robert almost laughed.
The old fool didn’t even realize what he’d done.
He couldn’t just bed down in the hay like a common deckhand when not on her ship—not in front of his men. Not if he expected them to still call him Captain. So unless he wanted to break rank and really risk his standing, there was only one place for him tonight.
Up top. As a Captain. With her.
He glanced at Danna, wondering how much she’d fight him.
“Thank ye, Ben,” Robert said. He threw him a wink and double-tapped the counter with a fist as an unspoken gesture of thanks, in more ways than one. “Not all pirates lie.”
Danna scoffed and rolled her eyes at Robert as she swiped the barn keys from Ben’s hand.
“Thank ye, Ben,” she said with a nod.
Danna climbed up and disappeared near the rafters. The rain started pelting. Otto threw a blanket at Robert.
“Stay warm up there,” Otto said, nestling in the hay with a smirk.
Ethan and Scotty looked at each other before protesting.
“Port master said Captain sleeps up top,” Ethan said.
Robert replied, swinging a foot on the rung, “And I’m a Captain.”
“Ye’re a Captain, but not the Captain,” Scotty said, taking a step forward with wide eyes.
“I didn’t hear any differentiation,” Robert said. “Did ye?” He gestured to his men.
Thane answered, “Nope. That’s what the man said. Captain up top.”
Robert smirked at the two hounds. “Sleep tight, gents,” he said and ascended.
He heard their curses and peered down at them as they looked up. Their eyes were full of threats—Harm her, and ye’ll answer to us—but they had nothing to worry about.
He rose to the small ledge and admired Danna, leaning back, hands beneath her head, shirt untucked, before he cleared his throat.
“What in Tophet are ye doin’ here?” she snapped and jolted up.
“Captain sleeps topside,” he echoed. “That’s the rule, aye? Captain gets the loft. And we got two of those.”
“I’m the only Captain.”
“On yer ship, but we ain’t on yer ship,” he said. “And here, we’re both Captains and sleep topside.”
“Ye’re not sleeping next to me.”
