Page 35 of Paid to the Pirate

After I resolved to at least observe the crew from a distance, if not converse directly, I headed above deck to enjoy a pleasant day at sea.

The men were practicing with both wooden and metal swords, as well as grappling on the quarterdeck. For an hour, I watched them. Conks and Johnson wouldn’t put up much of a fight when it came to battle. Their hearts might be in it, but they hadn’t developed superior fighting skills. As they whispered in each other’s ears or caressed overlong, I understood now they were in a relationship of some kind. Though that knowledge could be leveraged against them when it came to a fight, the idea saddened me.

Robert the Red and Sedge, a man with a shaved head, presented the biggest problem (aside from the captain himself.) Sedge, slight and serious, didn’t look like much of a fighter, but I’d never seen a man move so quickly or wield a cutlass with such prowess before.

Useful information to convey to Daniel,at least.

I wondered if I could convince Daniel and the rest of our town to spare Conks… and Johnson… and Miguel. Conks, with his tonics, had been kind to me. And an eloquent man like Johnson certainly wasn’t cut out for the pirate life. And Miguel was just the sweetest. Colt, however, needed to be lashed and hanged for what he’d done to me. For violating a woman, he should have his eyes gouged. For touching a lady, he should have his hands sliced from his body.Those talented hands… rough and big and capable of unimaginable pleasure… I bet he could fit an entire breast in one of those large hands…

My thoughts were interrupted by a shout from a man halfway up the ratlines.

“Captain!” he called down. “Cork in the tub!”

What did that mean?

“Sails!” someone shouted, answering the question.

Colt snapped to attention. “Colors?”

“She’s a… small merchant ship from the looks of it,” the watch guard shouted. “Local traders. Doesn’t look to be threatening. Coming up fast with the wind though. She’s gonna reach us.”

Colt raced onto the afterdeck and I quickly followed. “If she’s no threat why is she coming so hard for us?” he asked.

The rest of the crew quickly filled the deck and Colt swiped a spyglass from a nearby man to see for himself.

“They’re either looking for help or to make a trade,” James offered. “Could be good for us.”

Colt didn’t reply and everyone waited tensely while he examined the other ship. Slowly, he lowered the spyglass and brought his fingers to his lips, rubbing as he stared.

“She’s fast, alright… small for a merchant ship though… can’t be supporting too many men…”

“I think I see a white flag,” a crewman on the ratlines shouted. “They must be needin’ something.”

“If we can’t outrun ’er anyway, might as well see what they’re offering,” someone else chimed in.

Colt withdrew a long breath, then turned his hard gaze to the assembled shipmates.

“The only thing that ship is offering is death,” he proclaimed, pointing. “It’s a trap.”

Murmurs ran through the crew. I gulped.

“That’s a masquerade ship. They might not have large numbers, but they’ve got speed and they’re planning on using stealth,” Colt explained, storming off the afterdeck and forcing us all to stumble as we followed. “They’re going to try to board us under the guise of needing assistance or wanting to trade. But once we allow them onto deck, they’ll turn and attack.”

“So let’s give ’em a fight!” Robert roared. “Johnson, turn her ’round! Conks, ready the cannons!”

Men instantly sprang into action, hands on the hilt of pistols and racing to what I assumed to be battle stations while my heart galloped in my chest.

Colt’s eyes quickly flicked to me and he commanded, “No!”

The crew halted.

“If we start blowing holes in each other’s ships we’re both going to come out the worser,” he declared. “We play along. They don’t know that we know. We’ll hide half our men. Those above deck, act the part. We’ll allow themallaboard and keep our weapons at the ready.”

My heart continued its thunderous beat.Were we really going to allow the enemy aboard? Willingly?Dazed, I watched the crew split, the men dividing by half and then again, to take secreted positions below deck.

“Rum!” Colt ordered the remainders. “Break out the rum, quickly! Drink it, spill it, show it!”

The crew hurried to obey.

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