Chapter 10
Rosetta stumbled out onto the quarterdeck before he grabbed her hands and held both her wrists behind her with one giant fist.
Alister walked her down the stairs and her eyes found Naeem. She noted his angry stare as he watched her man-handled and she knew, without a doubt, she’d been heard.
Her tit hurt and the sensitive bits between her legs weren’t fairing much better. She gave him a grin, and his face grew into a bright smile of humour.
“Looks like she got what she wanted, boys!” Naeem shouted with a laugh.
There was a slight pause before they made it to the bottom of the steps, like Alister was dumbfounded by his statement. She turned her head back to see him frown, then shake it off.
“It was adequate enough.” She chuckled when she looked back at her bound crew. He shook her like he knew what she said was an understatement. “Looks like we’re being marooned, boys.”
“Five days should teach you all enough of a lesson,” Alister added in a dark tone, but she could hear the hint of malevolence in it.
“I say we eat Harvey tonight,” Naeem suggested, turning his head to look at one of the men tied to the railing.
“Hey!” Harvey shouted from the other side. He bounced on his arse while jutting his chin towards another man. “Eat Carter, he’s got more meat on his bones.”
A string of laughter followed.
“You’ve got a strange crew,” Alister said to her.
“Strange crew for a crazed woman,” Naeem answered.
“I’ll give you crazy, you piece of shark shit,” Rosetta bit back, kicking her leg out at the man – not that she could reach him with Alister holding her back.
More laughter came, and she noticed Alister’s men gave each other confused looks.
Not wanting to waste time, Alister told his men to start untying hers one by one.
“Last chance,” he offered when the first one was taken to the side and told to stand on the railing. She was apparently going to have to watch them all jump.
“Are you going to jump, Mr Smith?” she asked the older gentleman. “Or should I push you myself?”
With a brash confidence, he didn’t jump, but simply fell backwards, his arms outstretched. He twisted his body at the last moment so he could dive in hands first.
They all jumped in without hesitation, and Rosetta watched with her hands held behind her back, displaying her best bored expression. She heard the crash of bodies hit the water and eventually saw a string of men swimming towards the shore.
When it was her turn, she was shoved forward towards the railing. She was finally let go, being the last of her crew left on the ship.
“You’ll miss me when I’m gone,” she said to Alister, turning to him instead of stepping onto the railing. “You’ll come for me before tomorrow ends.”
He folded his arms across his broad chest, giving a short chuckle, like he truly found her words humorous. “I think not, lass. I’ll see you in five days when you’re ready to stop this foolishness.”
Her eyes found the pretty Pierre standing next to him. She blew the blond-haired man a kiss, gave Alister her middle finger, then ran for the side of the ship.
With a perfect swan dive, she jumped over the railing and headed straight for the sea.
She crashed into it and coldness rushed over her skin, causing goosebumps to prickle all over.
The moment she broke from the water’s glittering surface, she started swimming, not looking back to see if she was being watched.
Her boots were waterlogged, and her soaked clothing weighed her down as she finally waded in knee-deep water near the shore.
Her hair slapped against her cheeks and wrapped around her neck when she attempted to swipe it out of her face.
The salt of the sea dripping into her eyes burned them and she tasted her salty tears upon her lips.
Naeem came to get her, grabbing her arm like she needed help walking out of the water by herself. She didn’t, but she appreciated the caring gesture regardless.
The sand emitted a squeaking sound with every footfall. Even though the water in her boots made it hard to walk, she didn’t empty them until she was no longer walking through messy sand.
Her gaze scanned over the island they were on, and she placed her hands on her hips. It was a small mountain, created as though the earth had shoved a spike of land out of the water with violence. There were minimal palm trees, and it obviously wasn’t habitable. Still, that meant there was shade.
At least the coconuts will hydrate us. It was a hope of survival to not die from thirst, so they could all suffer through hunger. That was why this island was cruel to be marooned on. Desperate to live, marooned men would drink to extend their suffering.
“So, what now, Rosetta?” Naeem asked while the rest of her crew gathered to greet her. “I know you haven’t left us on this island without a plan.”
“Are you a betting man, Naeem?”
Without a care in the world, she shoved her hand inside the front of her tights, fishing around.
“You know I am,” he said with a laugh.
She finally pulled what she wanted from her pants. “What’s the bet that Captain Alister Paine is actually a mamma’s boy?”
She started to twirl something around her index finger, being careful not to fling it away.
“One silver he’s not.” Naeem’s smile died, his eyes growing wide. “That’s your gamble? Rosetta, I will truly eat Harvey if you’ve really gotten us stranded on this island for five days.”
She turned to stare at the sea and the ship that stayed where it was, as though it had no intention of leaving. He’s going to taunt us. He might be expecting her men to swim to him when they couldn’t take starving anymore.
“Then I bet you two silvers,” she said with a confident smirk. “He’ll be here before tomorrow morning.” She held what she’d stolen in her hand. “If not, we can eat Carter.”
“Hey!”
Alister rested a forearm on the railing of his ship, watching Rosetta and her men swim to shore.
He was relaxed, sated for the time being, and humour curled his lips. She’d gotten him off, and he finally felt clearer in the head because of it.
“What’s your plan here, Alister?” Pierre asked, coming up beside him to watch as well.
He placed both arms on the railing, bending forward to lean against it while Alister straightened and turned towards his comrade.
“Some of her men will cave,” he told Pierre. “I don’t need her entire crew. If at least half agree to my command, we’ll have enough to sail.” It’d be better if they all did, though. The more hands Alister had, the more he could share the workload.
His gaze turned up to the sails that had been neatly tied away. It took at least thirty men just to get this ship going comfortably, and although he had that many, it took even more to maintain it.
They couldn’t drop anchor in the middle of the sea, and this ship needed round-the-clock work.
There were other departments that still needed to function as well: the cleaners, the repairers, the stock hands, and those who helped Glen Darkley cook.
With their combined crews, they had just over eighty good men.
Of his own crew, she’d managed to drop the sixty-six of them down to in the fifties.
He’d help man the sails if needed; he wasn’t shy about making repairs and getting his hands dirty. But he’d prefer it if he didn’t have to.
“What do you plan to do if she agrees to give up her men?”
“Take her to port,” he admitted. “Last thing we need is a woman on our ship inciting jealousy.”
Pierre raised his brow and Alister returned it with a bland expression.
“I can do what I want with her in the meantime.” He turned his head back to see she’d reached shore. “I have a lot of anger I’d like to take out on her.”
A lot of lust too.
Pierre gave a snort, nodding his head like he understood. “She did steal your ship. That’s a feat in and of itself.”
“Brilliant bitch,” he sneered, but the words didn’t hold any real menace. “She’s a cunning piece of work and it’s obvious she’ll do anything to win.”
Even let me fuck her.
He knew there had to be a reason other than desire that she’d let him. He may have caved, but he wasn’t a fool to believe there wasn’t evil intent behind her actions.
“Sounds like you.”
Aye, it does sound like me. But Alister had used his brawn and cutthroat lack of morals to get his way.
“She’s more dangerous,” he growled out, and this time, both Pierre’s brows raised in disbelief at Alister’s admission. “She’s the kind of woman who will kiss you while slitting your throat.”
He rubbed his chin, remembering how she’d held the gun to his jaw. He thought she may have shot his head off if she hadn’t been about to reach orgasm.
“The crew have told me everything she’s done since she dropped us off at Dunecaster,” Pierre said. “I think I might have to agree with you. At every turn, even when taking down a trading ship, she used her wit to her advantage. She managed to turn most of those who stayed behind to like her.”
“I know.” Alister felt a soft breeze cut through his clothes, moulding shirt around his torso as his hair fluttered across his shoulders. “Greyson asked me to show her mercy.”
“Considering what you’re doing now, I’m guessing I don’t need to ask for it on their behalf, then.”
He nodded, but he wasn’t pleased Pierre had been told to ask for mercy. It furthered Alister’s belief that she may be some kind of wicked enchantress.
“Aye, I decided on the way here I wouldn’t kill her.
” Even though she wasn’t some meek woman, the idea of harming one still didn’t sit too well with Alister.
He’d kill a woman if she tried to kill him, wouldn’t be the first time, but he didn’t want the blood of women or children on his hands if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.
“I don’t mind if she suffers a bit in the meantime, though. ”
“Five days is a long time.”