Page 18 of Found at Sea
7
Fletcher
Captain Flynn hated me. Of that I was certain.
What else would explain the glares he shot my way or his obvious avoidance of me in the near two weeks I’d been aboard? That begged the question of why he wanted me there in the first place.
I had a theory.
Alek had been a street rat with nowhere to go. From what I’d heard, some of the other men had been like that as well; either having lost everything to gambling debts or having nothing to begin with other than the shirt on their backs. So maybe that was how the captain found members of his crew, choosing men who had nothing to lose and would jump at the chance to sail the high seas and be a part of something bigger.
That was the only reason he sought me out. Unbeknownst as to why, the realization knotted in my gut. Not sure what else I’d expected from a man such as him, though. Not sure why I even cared.
My body heated as I recalled the way he’d pumped into the man at the brothel…the way he’d held my gaze as he chased his release. I was drawn to him in ways I’d never been to anyone.
“Fletch? You okay?”
Following the voice, I saw Alek standing to my left. We’d just finished our chore of cleaning the main deck and had put away the mops. The surrounding men spoke of the ship docking soon, and up ahead, I saw a speck of land. We’d probably arrive within the hour.
“Yeah,” I answered. “Just tired.”
Alek didn’t look like he believed me, but he let it go.
His easy dismissal was new for me. When I used to chat with the farmer’s daughter, she’d asked me anything and everything. If I didn’t answer, she’d keep pressing until I did. But Alek? He seemed to know when to press and when to back off.
It was nice.
“Where we going?” I asked before looking toward the land.
“A place called Stonebridge,” Alek answered, following my gaze. “It’s not a good place. We’ve come here a lot, and each time, it’s just days of whoring, drinking, and violence. The worst sort of people live there; thieves, murderers, and cheats.” His blue eyed stare met mine. “Not a place for someone like you. Just be cautious, okay?”
Fear trickled through me at the warning in his words, and I nodded.
I shouldn’t have been surprised we were going to such a place, seeing as I was sailing with pirates who made their living from raiding villages and enacting violence everywhere they went.
Yet, I was. I had grown to know quite a few men on board, and while some were grumpy and a bit vile, the majority of them seemed like good men. Well perhaps notgoodbut decent at least.
The mood of the crew changed when we arrived in Stonebridge. They became rowdy and antsy. Unlike when they stopped in Helmfirth and hid the ship in the pass between the mountains, the captain didn’t conceal the ship this time. Instead, the ship approached the dock port side before it was tied up. From what Alek had said, they’d been there many times, so maybe that’s why they didn’t feel the need to hide.
I also had to keep reminding myself that it wasn’ttheyanymore, but ratherus.
Captain Flynn appeared on deck, and the presence of him was intense, as it always was. He didn’t have to say a word or make a move for everyone around him to feel it too. He wore a red, opened shirt and black pants that were tucked into his boots. The two gold hoops in his left ear caught the sun as he turned his head toward me.
When we made eye contact, he always looked so angry. As if my presence aboard his precious ship was a nuisance.
Well you shouldn’t have forced me here, I spouted off in my head.
“You intrigue him.”
“What?” I turned to Alek. “Intrigue who?”
Alek motioned to the captain, who was now staring at his men as they lowered the ramp to leave the ship.
“That’s foolish,” I responded with a shake of my head. “He loathes me.”
“If he loathed you, he wouldn’t have ordered Horace to take it easier on you,” Alek said in a thoughtful tone. “I’ve not seen him do that for anyone. And he is always watching you, whether he is conscious of it or not.”
“He did that?” I asked, feeling the blood leave my face. Bizarre how I could feel cool under the might of the sun’s rays. In the last several days, Ihadnoticed Horace not yelling at me as much. “Why?”
