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Flinching, I tried to remind myself the sounds above were only the crew moving things around, not more cannon fire come to destroy us. With Tristan gone, there was a nervousness that flooded me, an agitation that pricked over my skin as my ears strained to hear what was happening. As far as I knew, we hadn’t been cut loose from the other ship yet and the looting was still going on.
I’d finished changing, choosing the blue dress with the corset that tied in front, and was now seated at the desk, eyes closed. It seemed so strange, I had no part in the actual battle that happened and was so affected by it. It was like every single cell in my body was acutely tuned to the space around me. Was I safe? Would I remain safe as time went on? Was there somewhere else to hide if I needed to?
Among all of the thoughts that dealt with this time period, I was also painfully aware of how much I wished to be home. In the weeks I’d been at sea, I’d not come to terms with the fact that I had no idea what happened to me. Was I ever going to make it back to the island, let alone my own time? If I didn’t know how I’d gotten here, how was I going to get back? Were the vault and Treasure Pit even there, or had they not been built yet?
Then there was Tristan. It felt stupid, thinking that maybe we’d found each other for a reason. Sure, he’d been protecting me for whatever purpose, and I’d thought he was going to kiss me on more than one occasion, but that didn’t have to mean anything. He was a pirate. They were notorious womanizers, bloodthirsty brutes, and greedy men. Where was there any proof that he wasn’t any of those? He’d told me he was a thief trying to get back at an entire country. He’d just laid waste to a whole ship for its cargo. The very first day we’d met, he told me he knew how to undress a woman. I didn’t know why that bothered me so much, but it did. I couldn’t think about anyone in his arms without grinding my teeth together. But leaving him behind felt like a terrible thing to do, even though I hardly knew him beyond those issues.
Maybe I’d imagined our moments, made up the thoughts that, perhaps, he liked me. He was a handsome man, it wouldn’t be the first time I’d daydreamed about being carried off romantically. In college, I’d acted like a schoolgirl, doodling my name paired with the teacher’s assistant in my history class. There hadn’t been anything there on his end. This was just like that, I was sure of it.
It was several hours before I was pulled out of my musings by a knock on the door. When Tristan entered with a plate of food, I couldn’t help the smile on my face.
“It sounds like a party out there,” I commented. Once we’d abandoned the other ship, the men had instantly started singing, some of them playing instruments, others clapping along. By now, I was sure they were all stinking drunk with glee and whiskey.
“Aye, they’re telling stories to each other.” Tristan chuckled, setting the platter on the desk in front of me and seating himself on the bed. “The half of which are in no way true.”
There was a loud bang outside as something fell and I jumped, still disturbed by the earlier actions of the day.
“Are ye all right, lassie?” Glancing at me in concern, he didn’t press further when I merely nodded. “Here, then.” He pointed to the dish, which was holding some bread and porridge. Having long run out of fresh fruit and meat with a crew this size, I wasn’t surprised to see staples that traveled well and were easily made on board. “It’s not much, but I did manage to snag us some of the whiskey.” Pulling the bottle out of his jacket, he grinned deviously and placed it on the table.
“Thank you,” I mumbled, trying to calm myself again, wringing my hands in my lap.
“Have some, Sam,” he said gently. “It’ll help with the nerves. Ye’ve never been part of any fight, have ye?”
“Not like that,” I confessed. “I’ve not ever seen anything like that.”
Pouring me a healthy dose of alcohol, he moved in understanding, sighing.
“I didn’t do so well after my first time,” he admitted. “It was different, mind ye, because I was part of the fight and not just listening, but I had the night terrors for weeks after.”
“Listening was bad enough.” Taking the glass from him, I swallowed a huge gulp and coughed, not used to the burn.
“I believe ye,” he replied sympathetically. “At least for me, I was out there. I knew what was happening. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to have to guess and hope that everyone made it out alive. Well, I still wished everyone would make it out alive. I was there to see some of them not, though.”
“When was it?” I asked, allowing the sound of his voice to wash over me and relax the tension in my muscles.
“Hmm? Oh, three years ago. It was our first hunt after stealing the ship. I didn’t really have a part in that, since Captain Rodrigues was the quartermaster then. He basically knifed the old captain and got voted in as the new one. He was a good leader at the time, before he let it all go to his head.”
“You voted him captain?” Surprise was the least of the emotions I was feeling. How could all these men knowingly agree and choose such a monster to lead them?
“Aye, that’s how the ship works. We vote on most everything. Positions among the crew, where we stop to rest, when to clean the ship, that kind of stuff. I was voted quartermaster almost two years past. The captain has a large say in most of it, save the positions on board.”
“I don’t understand. If you don’t like him, why not vote him out?” It sounded like something as simple as a reality show, a “vote him off the island!” type of thing.
“Captain Rodrigues is fearless in battle,” he answered seriously. “We’ve never lost a ship we’ve aimed to take. The men will never vote him off, not with the money he’s supplying to them. He’s a drunkard and foolish to boot, but when ye find a man who can lead ye in battle, ye don’t let him go. What if we were to vote him out and we all died on our next hunt? Or the ship got away? No, they’ll keep him for as long as he wants to stay, and that’s forever.”
“You’re practically running everything the rest of the time,” I argued. “Why don’t you start seeing if they’ll vote you as captain?”
“That’s a slippery question to ask.” He laughed, pulling a bowl of porridge toward himself. “On the one hand, I don’t think I want to be captain. There are other things in my life I would like to pursue.” His eyes met mine for a second and I felt my face flush at the flirtation. “On the other hand,” he continued, “as captain I could better ensure the safety of all the men, the ship would be better managed, and I’d have real power to change things and do what I thought was best. But, it’s not anything I want to think on. Something drastic will have to happen for Rodrigues to ever be voted out.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll die in battle.” Horrified, I clapped a hand over my mouth, realizing I’d said my feelings out loud. He didn’t seem to mind, laughing loudly and throwing his head back in glee.
“Ye are a spitfire, Samantha Greene! Remind me to never be on yer bad side.”
“I didn’t mean—all I meant was—oh, good grief.” Covering my hot face with my hands I grimaced, feeling upset by my own words.
“It’s fine,” he chuckled. “I knew yer meaning. He’s not the man he once was. Maybe the crew will change their minds one day.”
Silence filled the room as he took another bite, and I stared at my hands in my lap. The men outside were loud and rowdy, a rousing chorus of a song detailing the things that should be done to a lazy sailor being sent out into the night. It seemed unfathomable to me that they were all so fine after what they’d done, after their friends had died in the process.
“What happened to the men who died?” I asked quietly, the image of their bodies burned into my mind.
“They’re in the infirmary, getting stitched in.” He cleared his throat, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
“I’m sorry, stitched in?” The phrase wasn’t one I was familiar with, but I had a vague idea of what it could be.
; “Aye. The old sails are tied around them and stitched shut, so they won’t wash away.”
“Because you bury them at sea,” I added, nodding. That made sense. I’d also seen it depicted in movies.
“The captain will want ye to come, I’m sure. Hopefully he’ll have the sense to not drown his hangover with more whiskey until after it’s finished.”
“Do you want me to come?” A flash of excitement shot through me at my daring, but was quickly followed by embarrassment and dread. Now was definitely not the time for flirting.
He stared at me for a moment, chewing his food as he brushed his hands off and leaned back some. “Aye, I do.”
Voice practically smoldering, the sound of him made a shiver of anticipation go up my spine. In that second, it appeared very clear to both of us that we were alone and would probably remain so for the majority of the night. The thought made me anxious, but I continued to stare back, licking my lips quickly as all the moisture in my mouth seemed to vanish.
The look in his eyes intensified at that and he leaned forward, his hand sliding across the table toward me. “I’ve had too much whiskey,” he whispered hoarsely. “Forgive me, I must go.”
“It’s fine,” I replied simply. “I mean, it’s fine if you want to leave. I’m feeling tired myself.” Liar. It felt like my entire body was going to burst into flame if he didn’t touch me. But the moment had passed, and I didn’t want to ask him to stay when he wanted to leave.
He remained in his spot, staring at me, his chest rising and falling rapidly, like he’d just run a marathon. Finally, he shoved himself to his feet, tipping his head in my direction and practically fleeing towards the door. “Evening, Miss Greene.”
The entrance shut quickly behind him and I let the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding loose, slumping down into my seat as much as my corset would allow. Electricity crackled in the air of the room and I fanned myself, wishing I wasn’t wearing so many layers. “Another moment, come and gone,” I said to myself, wondering if I’d imagined he might like me. Maybe he could tell I liked him and left whenever he thought there was a possibility of something happening.
Another loud roar of celebration sounded outside and a song began anew, much to the delight of the crew. Sighing, I rose from my seat and began undressing. There would be little chance of me getting any rest tonight with all the noise, but I intended to do my best.