by Jade Parker
Tentatively, she moved her hand toward his, then flinched as though surprised. “It moved!”
“Of course.”
“It’s alive. Who would have thought?” She lifted her gaze, full of wonder and awe, to his. “Who would have thought a pirate would notice such things as the creatures that live in the sea?”
He tossed the starfish back into the water so it could go scrounging for food. He was a bit uncomfortable that he’d shared his find with her. He’d barely slept last night, knowing their time together would soon end. He’d had an insane need to share the island with her, to pretend for a short spell that they were like normal people, instead of what they were: a pirate in search of wealth and a pirate hunter in search of justice.
James knew he was more likely to acquire his goal than she was hers.
“I noticed a lot of things about the island,” he felt compelled to explain. He leaned toward her slightly and smiled wickedly. “We spent a lot of time here, and I was always searching for Crimson’s buried treasure.”
“Are you sure it’s buried around here somewhere?”
“Absolutely. If the chest was light, Crimson carried it himself to wherever he was taking it. If it was heavy, he blindfolded the men who carried it, tied a rope about their waists, and led them like mules.”
“Then why blind them and leave them to roam the island afterward?”
“An additional precaution.”
He watched as she shuddered. He didn’t know why he was telling her these elaborate tales.
“I thought I could hear the mournful wail of the lost souls last night,” she said.
“It was just the wind blowing through the cove.”
“But what if it’s not? What if it really is all the men he left here to die?”
James looked around. He’d never been fearful of this place, but he couldn’t deny that there was an eeriness to it. “Then mayhaps they’ll help us capture him.”
“He’s an awful man, isn’t he?”
“Legend would have you think so.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “You don’t think so?”
He shrugged. “He started out as a privateer during Queen Anne’s War. At her command, he raided French and Spanish ships. But it’s hard to give up what you’ve risked life and limb to obtain. And when the Crown suddenly has no use for you, what else is a man to do?”
“Are you justifying his piracy?”
“No, but I understand it. What are you going to do, Anna, if when you find the treasure you seek, you also find others?”
He could see her pondering the ramifications of his question.
“None of it comes with a note saying to whom it belongs, you know,” he prodded.
Part of him hoped she’d take the bait, consider the life of a pirate, and part of him hoped she’d stand by the convictions she held that he could never embrace.
She reached down, scooped up some water, and flicked it at him. “You’re ruining a perfectly wonderful morning.”
He laughed. “You’re tempted to keep it.”
She stuck her nose in the air. “Not at all.”
Reaching out, he grabbed her and pulled her close. “I think there’s a bit of pirate in you, Anna.”
Looking into his eyes that were as green as the sea, Annalisa almost admitted that perhaps there was. She’d come to love the feel of the ship beneath her, but even more, she’d come to love the absence of restrictions. She could come and go as she pleased. She was captain of her own ship, in charge of her own destiny. And who was there to object if she found herself falling in love with a pirate?
Only her own heart knew her time in this world was temporary.
She wondered if Sterling knew what she was thinking, the paths down which her thoughts traveled. His eyes seemed to reflect the realization of dreams that would never be held.
His fingers, so warm, skimmed along her cheek. “Anna,” he whispered, and lowered his mouth to hers.
It was wrong, so wrong, to want him to kiss her. It was wicked, so wicked, to enjoy it as much as she did. She wanted this moment to go on forever. Here in this paradise.
“Cap’n! Cap’n!”
Annalisa broke away and looked in the direction of the shouts. Sam Baker was racing toward her, an urgency in his movements.
“Cap’n, we spotted a ship on the horizon. We think it’s the Phantom Mist!”
* * *
At the edge of the bluff, hidden behind shrubbery, Annalisa held the spyglass to her eye. It was a galleon. And while she couldn’t make out its name, she could see the very distinctive figurehead — a ferocious pouncing lion, its mouth wide as though it intended to gobble up its prey.
“That’s him, isn’t it?” Annalisa asked, holding the spyglass out to James who was crouched beside her.
He took the spyglass and peered through it. “Aye, that’s him.”
“How long before he gets here?”
“Judging by the billow in his sails, he should be here by nightfall.”
“Then we’ve no time to lose,” Nathaniel said. He was crouched on the other side of Annalisa. “We need to prepare to meet him head-on.”
“That’s a sure way to be defeated,” James said.
“And what would you suggest?” Nathaniel asked.
Annalisa heard the sarcasm in his voice. She knew he wasn’t truly interested in any suggestions Sterling might offer. Nathaniel still didn’t trust him.
Sterling leaned back lazily against the boulder. “We wait.”
“Until he arrives, traps us in the cove, and destroys us with a few well-aimed cannonballs? That’s a jolly brilliant plan,” Nathaniel snapped.
“We can see him, he can’t see us. And he’s not going to head into the cove because he’s not shallow bottomed. He’ll drop anchor a ways out. He’ll use longboats to get to shore, but not at night. He’s superstitious in that way. Quite honestly, he thinks the island’s haunted by all the men he’s killed here. He only makes shore in the light of day.”
He said no more, as though he’d given them all the information they needed. When Nathaniel held his tongue, Anna assumed that he was as confused as she. But since she trusted James more than Nathaniel did, she was comfortable asking, “Then how do you suggest we handle this situation?”
“Under cover of darkness, we go out in longboats. Board the ship. Take the prize.”
“You make it sound so simple.”
“Crimson attacks during the day, with cannons blasting and swords drawn, because he wants to strike terror into the hearts of all honest men who roam the seas. Terrorized men tend to surrender, and if you can terrorize them before ever spying them, so much the better. But we want the captain and his ship, both unharmed. Stealth will give us the advantage.”
Annalisa looked at Nathaniel, silently asking his opinion.
“I don’t like leaving the ship in the cove,” he grumbled. “Feels too much like being a sitting duck.”
“We won’t remain in the cove for long,” Annalisa assured him. “As soon as we’ve secured the Phantom Mist, we’ll bring our ship into open waters. We’ll need her brig, and we’ll moor the Phantom Mist to her. And you’ll need to choose a crew to sail her back to New Providence.”
“I’ll take that honor myself.” Smiling almost sadly, he reached out and touched her cheek. “I think you’re fully capable of sailing The Dangerous Lady without me.”
She glanced over at Sterling. “Give us some privacy, please.”
With nothing more than a nod, he clambered down to the shore.
She turned back to Nathaniel. “Nathaniel —”
“You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?” he said before she could say more.
She felt the tears burn her eyes. “I don’t know.”
“I think you do know. I think you just don’t want to admit it because deep down you know you can’t trust him. He’s charmed you into forgetting that he’s a scoundrel.”
To her mortification, she feared that she was drawn to him b
ecause he was a scoundrel.
“He’ll break your heart, Anna. And when he does, maybe you’ll finally see that I’m the better man.”
Before she could answer, he was scrambling down the slope.
She knew Nathaniel was the better choice. She knew he was undoubtedly the right choice.
Unfortunately for him — and her — it seemed her heart disagreed.
Annalisa could hardly fathom the anticipation she was experiencing. All she’d worked to obtain, all she’d sacrificed for … it was finally within easy reach.
She’d just tucked her white shirt into her breeches when a knock sounded on her door. Her heart jolted. Was it time already?
She hurried to the door and swung it open. Lord help her. She didn’t think Sterling had ever looked more dangerous. His dark shirt was tucked into his tight breeches. Those he’d tucked into his boots. A red scarf was tied around his arm, to signal he was one of them. She had one as well. All the crewmen who would be participating in tonight’s exploits did. A black belt slung over his shoulder and across his back held three pistols. A sword hung at his hip. At least one knife was visible. She suspected he had at least one hidden somewhere on his person.
Nathaniel had argued vehemently against allowing James to have weapons. But he was the man who knew the plan, and to send him forth weaponless would be sending him to his death.
“You shouldn’t wear white,” James told her now. “It’ll make you more visible in the darkness.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.”
He gave her one of his devilish grins. “You probably didn’t think of this, either.”
He held out a bowl to her.
“Looks like mud,” she said.
“It is. You need to put it on your face.”
“No wonder pirates are always so dirty-looking.” She took the bowl from him. “You’re looking forward to this, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t you?”
Gnawing on her lip, she nodded quickly and dared to speak honestly. Something she could do with him without fear of judgment. Something she couldn’t always do with Nathaniel. “And not for all the reasons that I should. It’s awful, but I actually think it’s going to be fun.”
“Not fun so much as exciting. Pitting your swordsmanship against another’s. Not knowing if the next beat of your heart will be your last.”
She hadn’t considered that. Hadn’t truly considered that tonight men might die.
Reaching out, he trailed his finger along her cheek. “Don’t worry, Anna. We’re sneaking up on them. If all goes well, there’ll be very little fighting.” He kissed her hard and quick. “Just stay close to me and you’ll be safe.”
* * *
Just stay close to me?
What madness had possessed him to tell her that?
James sat in the longboat with her now, one of a dozen men rowing toward the Phantom Mist. It had dropped anchor exactly as James had known it would. Crimson was set in his ways. Lights were out at eight. No candles burning after that time. Right about now, he should be finishing off his evening grog. He’d stumble into bed and take to snoring louder than Nathaniel Northrup.
James’s plan involved getting to Crimson first, before the man could begin shouting orders. James hadn’t anticipated having Anna at his side when he met up with his former captain. He had a score to settle with him. And settle it he would, one way or another.
The four boats sliced silently through the water. No one spoke. They moved their oars in a nice steady rhythm that created nary a wake and nary a sound. There would be a man in the crow’s nest, but he’d be looking out to sea, not on the deck of the ship. Unless he was sleeping, in which case he wouldn’t be looking at all.
Nathaniel Northrup was going to see to him.
There would be a man standing watch at the helm. James would silence him. Then into the captain’s cabin he’d slip.
With the girl at his side.
Devil take it! As much as he didn’t want her there, he was equally glad that he’d be able to watch over her. He had experience fighting pirates. These blokes had very little. Anna was safer with him.
It was a strange thing to be worried over her welfare. He wasn’t used to caring about anyone save himself. What did he care if she got hurt? His ultimate goal was possession of the ship.
There was a possibility she’d interfere with his plans.
He’d just have to see that she didn’t.
* * *
Annalisa couldn’t believe how quiet it all was. It seemed like when you were going into battle, there should be an abundance of noise. There should be drums, shouting, cannon fire.
But all she heard were the oars slicing through the water, drawing them nearer to the ship, and the maddeningly rapid pounding of her heart. She was surprised the erratic thrumming didn’t alert the crew of the Phantom Mist.
Yet even with the blood rushing through her, she wasn’t really afraid. She would be beside Sterling. And as improbable as it seemed, she trusted him to keep her safe more than any other man on her ship. Even Nathaniel.
She suspected Nathaniel would be disappointed to know that. But how could she explain what she felt for Sterling? It had sneaked up on her, just as they were sneaking up on the ship. Unawares. Unexpected.
And while she’d promised to give him his freedom once the treasure was returned to her, she was hoping she could convince him to return to New Providence with her, to seek a pardon. She would speak on his behalf, and she felt confident that she could convince Governor Rogers to forgive Sterling’s pirating ways.
She certainly had.
He’d been a product of his surroundings: follow orders or risk death.
He was a pirate only because he’d been living on a pirate ship. In his heart, he was as honest as the other men rowing in this boat. There was a goodness in him.
She believed that with all her heart.
The prow of the boat knocked up against the Phantom Mist. The sailor in the lead stood and swung a grappling hook. It landed with a thud. Before she knew what was happening, Sterling was scrambling up it like a monkey. He disappeared over the top.
Suddenly, Jacob’s ladders were being tossed over the side. The men were taking advantage, using the rope ladders to climb. Annalisa did the same.
She made her way up the ladder, concentrating on how far she had to climb rather than how far she’d fall. When she got near the top, hands reached over, grabbed her, and pulled her onto the deck.
Sterling wrapped his hand around hers and tugged her toward the stern.
“I’ve already taken care of the man at the helm. Let’s get to Crimson before he discovers we’re about.”
They ran up the steps to the quarterdeck. Sterling pulled open a door. Rushed inside.
Crimson had taken the entire space for his quarters. He was sitting behind his desk. He came to his feet. “Sterling?”
Holding the barrel of his gun, Sterling quickly struck him on the head with the butt. Crimson slumped to the floor.
“Why did you do that?” Annalisa asked.
“It’ll be easier to transport him.” He pulled rope from pockets she didn’t even know he had. He tied Crimson’s hands behind his back. Then he stuffed his bandanna in Crimson’s mouth.
“Why?”
“So he can’t call out to the men.” He looked up at her from his crouched position. “Don’t you know anything about pirating, Anna?”
Before she could respond, she heard distant shouting.
“The crew’s been alerted,” Sterling said, coming to his feet.
At that moment, a burly man barreled into the room. He wasn’t wearing a red scarf around his arm. He wasn’t one of theirs. And obviously, he recognized that they weren’t one of his.
He drew his sword, swung it —
Annalisa felt as though she was watching someone else lift her sword to ward off the killing blow.
Steel rang against steel, but it wasn’t her cutlass that had deflected the blow. It
was Sterling’s that met the one coming toward her. She backed up quickly, giving them room to maneuver.
“James Sterling! Thought ye be dead,” the man said as he rounded his cutlass.
Sterling met it. “You thought wrong.”
The men circled. Thrust. Parried. Circled.
Annalisa climbed on the desk. She spied a large rock on the corner of the desk. A strange item for a pirate to have. Still, she picked it up, and when the pirate came near she conked him on the head. He went down like an anchor tossed into the sea.
“Good work,” Sterling said, helping her down.
“Why did Crimson Kelly have a rock on his desk?”
“A bit of England. He always kept it with him.” Sterling shrugged before kneeling down to tie up the man she’d knocked unconscious.
By the time Sterling and Annalisa returned to the quarterdeck, the crew of the Phantom Mist had been subdued. She didn’t spot any lifeless bodies. Had there been no casualties? Could they have been that fortunate?
She was grateful to see Nathaniel standing there, tall, straight, issuing orders. “Get the captives into the hold. We’ll lock them in there for the time being.”
“Nathaniel, how many men did we lose?”
He turned to Annalisa. “None. The cowards surrendered straightaway. Did you get Crimson Kelly?”
Annalisa nodded. “Sterling knocked him out. He’s in his quarters unconscious and trussed up like a holiday pig, along with another fellow.”
“Good. Kane, take Sterling’s weapons.”
“I don’t think so,” Sterling said, and Annalisa heard the warning in his voice.
“Your job is done here, Sterling. Surrender your weapons,” Nathaniel ordered.
“If you want them, take them.”
Nathaniel’s sword sang as he pulled it from his scabbard. “If I must.”
“Nathaniel —”
“Let it be, Anna,” Sterling said quietly. He withdrew his sword. “This is between Northrup and me. It has nothing to do with him not trusting me.” He snaked his arm around her, pulled her close, and planted a quick kiss on her lips. “It’s about you.”
Then he abruptly released her and jumped down to the main deck. “Isn’t that right, Mr. Northrup?”
