Pirate

Hours would find us well into the Gulf with a clean ship, but minutes would allow her to witness the remnants of the fight. I wanted to tell her we had left the men the canoes, not that they had been murdered in cold blood. “Lock the door,” I called to the men, as they grabbed her under the arms and hauled her down the passageway. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I could not bear her judgment if she saw what had happened.

Once she was out of sight, I turned to the horizon and saw the canoes laden with treasure, the boats riding low in the water, coming toward us.

“Can you stay there and rig the chests?”

The two canoes pulled alongside, and we started to haul the chests aboard. Red and Syd struggled, but the chests weighed more than Rory. I was braced against the rail, unable to help as I guided the line away from the boat to keep it from breaking. We waited while Rhames and Swift climbed a rope ladder and, between the four men onboard and Blue rigging from the boats, the chests were quickly lifted and set in the hold below.

I had gone below to guide the chests into place and untie them. With the last chest secured, I looked around the dark hold and saw bails of tobacco, barrels of spices, and crates with no markings. It wasn’t a huge sum, but it would delay the need to spend the treasure once we got to port. I was still wary of using the silver, gold, and gems, as an explanation would almost certainly be required of where they came from. There was still room in the hold; the chests, for all their value, took up little space.

I climbed the ladder and yelled to Rhames, “Rig a canoe. There is enough room for two in the hold.”

He gave me one of his queer looks, but tossed the rope down to Blue and called out instructions. We had been through the shallow waters of the Keys several times, and I knew their danger. The Gulf to the north of the chain of islands was dangerous, and the shallow-draft boats would be useful. It took all the men to get the boats in, and there was little room once they were stowed, but I felt better for having them.

My leg was close to spent as I climbed out of the hold into the waning light. Red and Syd had done a good job washing down the decks, and only a careful examination would reveal the slaughter that had taken place not two hours ago.

“Rhames. Take her out.” I relinquished command to the more experienced sailor.

He issued orders, and the boat was soon pointed to open water, the onshore breeze and ebb tide working her out of the mouth of the river. While he got the boat underway, I found the captain’s cabin and started examining the papers and charts scattered on the small desk and bed. From a cursory look, the ship was headed to New Orleans, but the manifest showed no goods aboard. It appeared we had encountered smugglers. The quick read of the log showed the ship departing Havana ten days ago, staying in deeper water past the Keys, and seeking refuge in the river when the storm hit. Their route suited my next move. Had they stopped over in the Keys, I would have been forced to choose another destination, as the boat and crew would have been known.

Just as I finished, I heard a banging on the door adjacent to mine, and I braced myself for the fight to come. There was no point in delay, which would just anger her further, so I left the cabin and went to the locked door.

28

Glass crashed against the door as I opened it and peered through the small crack, but I couldn’t see her through the small opening. Suddenly the door flew open, and I took a blow to the head. I staggered back, but she pulled me into the room.

“Pirates. The lot of you!” she screamed. “Don’t even lie to me. I know you killed the crew.”

I hadn’t yet decided if I was going to lie to her or not, but there was no denying it. I remembered some advice from the captain and held my tongue. He had always said that when a storm hits, the best thing to do is hold tight and let it blow out. I braced myself for the next assault.

Her face was red, and I could see her chest heave as she tried to control her breathing. I moved to the side of the doorway, seeking the comfort of the wall behind me and hoping I could escape through the door at my side if I needed.

“Damn it, Nick. I was just starting to like you.”

Her comment hurt worse than another blow. “But …”

“But, nothing. If you’re the captain, then captain. You’ve got a fortune in those chests. Surely you could have bought passage for us.”

Again her comments stung. Pirating was ingrained in us, but I had considered our options before choosing to attack. Instead, I shifted the blame to the men. “It was bloodlust. They don’t know any other way.”

“They may not, but I know you do.”

I waited for more, but the color in her face had returned to normal. “What’s done is done,” I said, for lack of words. “Now what?”

“Now you’re going to leave my cabin and drop me at the next port.”