Beyond the Tide

by Noelle Marchand

  He lifted a brow. “Really?”

  “Yes, really.” She gently knocked his shoulder with hers. “This is what real pirates would have gone through back in their day. It’s more along the lines of what I signed up for.”

  “Well, that’s something at least.” Catching sight of a large bruise, he lifted her arm closer to inspect the bluish-purple spot near her shoulder. “Hey, what happened?”

  She glanced down at it. “Oh, that? The storm rocked me out of my bunk. Another time, it threw me into a wall. Apparently, I’m very buoyant.”

  “You weigh less than the rest of us. It’s easier for you to get thrown around.” He gently traced the circumference of the bruise. “Does it hurt?”

  “No,” she said breathlessly. “It’s fine.”

  His gaze shot to hers. Her turquoise eyes met his only an instant before she glanced away. To see if the cameras were focused on them? Ian was too tired to care. Besides, he had far more important things to consider. For instance, had he just made Ava Emerson breathless?

  If he had… His heart flipped in his chest. He wanted to know for sure. He wanted to see it in her eyes. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem inclined to look at him. He released her arm. Still holding her hand, he let his thumb slowly caress the back of it. “That’s good.”

  She glanced down at their hands, then back up to him. “What is?”

  Had she lost track of the conversation, or had he? “I don’t know.”

  “We must be tired. We’re not making any sense.”

  “Must be.” In fact, it was entirely possible—no, probable—he wasn’t thinking straight. Him leaving Ava Emerson breathless because he’d touched her arm? She was a beauty queen. She had guys falling over themselves to get her attention. The odds weren’t great that she’d be into him, but if she was? Man, he wouldn’t mind it. Not that it could go anywhere.

  Why was that the case again? He scratched his beard. He couldn’t quite remember. Or, maybe he just didn’t want to.

  “Does it bother you?” Ava asked.

  He chuckled. “We’re going to try another conversation? That seems dangerous, but I’ll bite. Does what bother me?”

  She smiled. “Your beard. It’s getting pretty thick.”

  “It’s at the itchy stage.” He rubbed a hand over his cheek. “Stabby too.”

  “Stabby?”

  Then, before he could stop himself, he lifted her hand and dragged it gently across his jaw before releasing it.

  “Oh,” she said, a soft blush heightening her cheeks. “You mean scratchy.”

  “Yep.” He cleared his throat to try to rid it of the sudden huskiness. “Not much I can do about it until we get to port. The razors of this era were called ‘cutthroats’ for a reason. No way would I attempt to shave with one at sea.”

  “Do you normally stay clean-shaven?”

  “Usually. Why? Which do you prefer?”

  She stilled. Her gaze met his. Probably trying to figure out if he actually cared. She tentatively reached up to trail a finger along his jaw line as though that would help her decide. Finally, she shrugged. “Either one. Both.”

  Caught in her gaze, it took a moment for Logan’s words to register. “All right, pirates, up and at ‘em. We have a show to do.”

  Timely. There was no other word for the interruption. Ian stood, helping Ava up with him. They gathered with the other pirates as Logan explained the rules for the challenge. Supposedly, the Intrepid had happened upon cargo spilled from a wrecked Spanish galleon. They’d work in teams to claim the cargo, then haul it on deck using a single rope with a grappling hook on the end.

  Logan finished by saying, “There is no time limit, but there’s only so much cargo to go around. That means the more efficiently your team works, the more treasure you’ll be able to claim. Each team must elect one captain to call the shots. We’ll draw for teams. You can start as soon as you have a plan.”

  Ian drew a silver coin from the leather purse Logan passed around which put him on the same team as Ava, Noah, and Philip. Ava immediately said, “I nominate Ian for captain. He’s a diver with experience recovering items from the ocean.”

  Noah and Philip exchanged a look before Noah eyed Ian shrewdly. “Do you have a plan?”

  “We can split the team. Two up here pulling the crates on deck, one below swimming out to get the crates, and the other managing the grappling hook. We could focus on the larger cargo since it’s probably worth more.”

  Philip nodded thoughtfully. “Job assignments?”

  “You and Noah on deck since you guys have more muscle than Ava. I’m a fast swimmer so I can track down the crates. Ava can manage the hook. What do y’all think?”

  “Sounds legit,” Noah said with a shrug.

  “I’m in,” Philip agreed.

  Ava smiled. “Let’s do this.”

  Philip and Noah went to gather the rope while Ian removed his boots. He glanced at Ava’s corset. “Do you need to…?”

  She followed his gaze. “Yeah, but I’m not doing it out here again. I’ll be right back.”

  “Where’s she going?” Noah asked as he and Philip returned.

  “Wardrobe change.”

  Philip frowned. “Why?”

  “She doesn’t want to drown in her corset.” He shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be back in a moment. I’ll head down and start collecting cargo.”

  Ava was in the water and loading rope-wrapped cargo onto the hook only a minute after Ian brought back the first crate. She grinned at him. “This is like one of those claw games in the arcade.”

  He laughed. “Only way more dangerous. As soon as you secure the load, be sure to get out of the way in case it falls. We don’t want you getting crushed. And stay out of the way of the hook. It looks pretty sharp.”

  “Aye, Captain.” She gave a smart little salute, then lunged out of the way as the guys topside began to reel in the load.

  What began as a race to see which team could collect the most sea crates the fastest soon became a test of endurance. Each swell of the ocean siphoned away more of Ian’s limited energy. Dragging the crates back to Ava became more of a fight against fatigue than against the other team who employed a different tactic. Both Caleb and Dash swam out to gather crates and loaded them onto the hook before repeating the process. Right when Ian was thinking about switching things up, a yell rent the air.

  Ian turned toward the sound to see Caleb struggling to keep his head above water. Fatigue forgotten, Ian darted to Caleb’s side arriving at nearly the same time as Dash. “What happened?”

  Dash grimaced. “The hook got caught on his arm.”

  “I’m fine.” Blood darkened the water around Caleb.

  Ian caught Dash’s eye and shook his head. No way was Caleb OK. They needed to get Caleb back on deck as soon as possible. The motorboat that had dropped all the cargo in the ocean was waiting on the other side of the ship, but Ian knew from experience that production wouldn’t interfere unless the situation became life threatening. They couldn’t let it go that far.

  He took one more look at the trail of blood dispersing into the current. Prime invitation for sharks. Ian wasn’t naïve enough to think they wouldn’t come calling, especially since it was getting closer to evening. Catching sight of Ava swimming toward them with a look of concern, Ian pointed her toward the ship. “Ava, go back to the ship. We all need to get out of the water. Caleb, are you good to climb the ladder up to the deck?”

  “Yeah, man. I’m fine. Doesn’t even hurt.”

  Well, that confirmed Caleb was in shock. They needed to get him up the boarding ladder before the adrenaline wore off. “Hang tight. Dash and I will swim you over to the ladder. You can climb from there, ok?”

  “Yeah, sure. That’s fine.”

  Dash must have had some training as a lifeguard because the guy was in perfect lifesaving form as he swam Caleb to the ladder without waiting for much help from Ian. Dash went up the ladd
er first. Ian followed behind Caleb, who made it halfway up the ladder before he began to struggle. Ian caught hold of Caleb’s foot when it slipped and gave him a boost. “Come on, Caleb. You’re almost there. You’ve got this.”

  Caleb slipped twice more before Brian and Dash pulled him onto the deck. Ian paused on the ladder to glance down at the cameramen who had stayed below to film their climb. “Y’all need to get out the water. Caleb’s blood is going to draw sharks.”

  They both lunged for the ladder and began to climb. Ian slid over the deck railing in time to see Jeff lifting his hands in surrender in front of a furious looking Caleb. “It was an accident. I promise.”

  That wasn’t convincing enough for Caleb. In one move, he shook off Brian’s supportive hold and punched Jeff right in the jaw. Jeff stumbled back into Noah. Ava scrambled to get out the way, accidentally stumbling into Dash who looked all too happy to catch her. Ian stepped toward them as Ava pulled herself free and Caleb collapsed. Brian caught Caleb right before his head would have hit the deck, then carefully lowered him the rest of the way. Ian sank to his knees beside the prone man. “Caleb?”

  Brian shook his head. “He’s out.”

  “We need medical!” Ian yelled. The medics should have been ready as soon as Caleb made it back to the ship. Surely, they weren’t planning to let this continue to play out simply for the sake of drama. Caleb was losing too much blood.

  When no one immediately appeared, Ian pulled off his shirt and pressed against Caleb’s arm to staunch the flow. He looked into the nearest camera. “Send us a medic.”

  Finally, one of the sailors pushed his way past the pirates with a doctor’s bag in hand. “Stand aside, please.”

  Ian backed away to give the doctor room to work. Captain Palmer and Logan finally appeared. Where had they been all this time?

  They waited as the doctor worked, enlisting Brian to help. Feeling a hand on his arm, Ian glanced down to find Ava standing beside him looking shaken by it all. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She watched the proceedings, her lips moving in a prayer so quiet that even Ian couldn’t hear it. Finally, the doctor glanced up at Logan. “He hasn’t regained consciousness. His blood pressure is dropping. We need the chopper.”

  Logan immediately spoke into his well-hidden lapel mic. “We need an emergency medical evacuation by chopper now.”

  The doctor turned to a couple of sailors lingering nearby. “Bring the stretcher.”

  They rushed below deck while Logan pressed a finger to his earpiece, then nodded. “ETA is six minutes on the chopper.”

  The wait seemed interminable. Finally, the drone of the helicopter got closer and louder until it hovered nearby, whipping the wind into a frenzy. Only when it flew off into the distance with Calebs safely inside did some of Ian’s tension ease. Hopefully, without the cameras around to dramatize it, Caleb would be given only the best and most expedient care.

  Logan had a short, low-volume conversation with Captain Palmer before addressing the rest of the crew. “Caleb is being taken to the nearest hospital. We’ll update you on his condition as soon as we know more. The sea crate challenge is officially over. Each team will be credited with whatever they have brought on board. The amount will be split among the team with the captain you elected getting an extra share.

  “Give us a few minutes to evaluate the sea crates on deck and pick up the ones still in the ocean. Then you’ll head into port where you’ll sleep on the ship. We’ll meet on the beach first thing tomorrow morning. Crew dismissed.”

  No one moved.

  Logan glanced at Captain Palmer. The man shrugged and said, “Crew dismissed, pirates. I think dinner is waiting in the great cabin.”

  Still, no one seemed willing to give up their vigil. Finally, Scott cleared his throat. “I know we’re all from diverse backgrounds and likely have different belief systems, but it seems to me this would be a good time to seek a higher power.”

  Brian nodded. “Amen, brother.”

  Scott smiled, then turned to Ian. “Would you lead us in prayer?”

  Ian stilled. A supportive smile from Ava encouraged him. With a nod, he said, “Let’s pray.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Ava hopped into the pounding surf to help Ian drag the dinghy ashore. He’d done so much yesterday. Helping Caleb out the water, making sure he got medical help, and leading a prayer that had eased the tension on deck. He’d also led their team to victory in the challenge. It was a hollow win after the crisis with Caleb, but it would be meaningful whenever elimination time came around.

  That might be sooner rather than later from the sober look on Logan’s face. Unless Caleb had taken a turn for the worse. She stopped beside Ian and Brian and crossed her arm over her corseted waist. Logan nodded in greeting. “I’m sure all of you are eager to know how the situation has progressed with Caleb. He’s doing well. Despite the blood loss he suffered, he is expected to make a full recovery.”

  A relieved breath whooshed from her lungs. “Thank God.”

  The guys thumped each other on the back and lifted up similar exclamations. Logan watched them with interest. “We’ve seen a lot of division in this group. Did yesterday’s emergency create a new bond within the crew?”

  Philip nodded. “I think it did, or maybe it exposed what was already there. We’ve been around each other constantly and working together as a crew for more than two weeks now. There’s no way a bond wouldn’t form.”

  “Ava, you’ve been at the center of some of the division. What’s your take on this?”

  She hesitated, but Logan was staring at her expectantly, so she lifted her chin and shrugged. “I was never intentionally at the center of any division. As for yesterday, it was great to see everyone come together. I was inspired by the amount of concern, respect, and care everyone showed for Caleb and his condition. I’d like to see us show more of those qualities toward each other when the situation isn’t life or death.”

  “Dash, you’re rolling your eyes.”

  Frowning, Ava glanced over at Dash who kept his gaze on Logan as the man continued, “What is it about Ava’s statement that annoyed you?”

  Dash crossed his arms. “Here we are standing together in concern about Caleb, and she’s bringing up past disagreements to be divisive. Typical Ava. Making everything about her.”

  “What?” Ava laughed in disbelief. “Wow. Actually, Dash, I wasn’t specifically referring to your bet about sleeping with me, but to the general way in which we all interact with each other. However, if you think what I said applies to you and that situation, then by all means—apply it.”

  “Well…” Logan smiled and shook his head. “It seems there are still some pretty deep fractures remaining despite the new bond. As fascinating as that is, I think you’ll be more interested to know Caleb will not be returning to the crew. We are down to seven pirates, soon to be six. One person from the bottom two will be voted out… right now.”

  Ava’s eyes widened. The guys around her tensed, shifted nervously, and exchanged worried glances.

  “The two pirates in danger of going home are…” Logan pulled a small scroll from his coat pocket and made a show of breaking the wax seal. “Jeff and Scott. Please step forward and face me.”

  She wasn’t in the bottom two? An unexpected wave of relief rushed over her. Logan waited for the two men in danger to step forward, then said, “All pirates in favor of keeping Jeff raise your hand. Now all those in favor of keeping Scott? Scott, you may return to the crew. Jeff, I’m sorry. This is the end of your journey.”

  Jeff nodded. “I can’t say I’m surprised. Good luck, guys.”

  Logan directed Jeff toward a forest path where transportation waited to spirit him away. After Jeff gave one final wave to the crew, Logan eyed the pirates who were safe for now. “As for the rest of you, back in the dinghy. Civilization is right around the bend. Make the most of your time there.”

  They’d only
been rowing a few minutes when Ava spotted the civilization Logan had mentioned. She blinked, then narrowed her eyes. “Is that a grass hut?”

  The guys stopped rowing to get a better look. Brian released a disbelieving laugh. “There’s a whole village of them.”

  “A small village,” Noah amended as he surveyed the beach where a group of rather scantily clad people congregated.

  Ok. Now the show runners were just making things up. She’d done enough research about the Caribbean to know most of the indigenous populations on the islands had either gone extinct or assimilated by the Golden Age of Piracy. Even if they hadn’t, this wouldn’t have been an accurate representation of those specific indigenous people groups.

  The fact that they wore any clothing at all said as much. Of course, one could hardly show nudity on prime-time television unless they blurred everything out. Whatever the case may be, their appearance on the beach was anachronistic. However, if the folks in charge wanted to play fast and loose with the timeline, then maybe she should take advantage of it.

  She set her sights on the women on the beach. They were wearing something that looked like a cured hide, strapless bikini tops. Ava wanted one. She wanted it bad. She could add strips of fabric to it to make shoulder straps, and kiss her corsets goodbye.

  She bided her time through the chief’s welcoming speech, then got distracted by all the fruit, vegetables, and barbecue provided for them at a feast. By the time she was despairing of eating another bite, everyone began to disperse. This was her chance.

  She fell into step with the friendliest looking woman. After a quick introduction, Ava got right to the point. “Joy, your clothing looks so much more comfortable than mine. Do you know how I might be able to procure an outfit like yours?”

  Joy ignored the camera following them. “Find the house with red leaves woven into its roof. Bathe in the healing waters. You will be given clothes like mine when you are finished.”

  “Thank you so much. If there’s anything I can do for you—”