Chapter 13
Thirteen
DAMON
Will was avoiding me. It was cute how hard he tried to pretend nothing had happened.
He’d scurried out of my quarters the next morning, red-faced with his head down, and hadn’t looked me in the eye since.
Even when I demanded he join me at the helm for another sailing lesson, he wouldn’t meet my eye.
It was hard not to laugh whenever I saw him staring, only to jerk his gaze away the minute I looked in his direction.
I saw the raw need in the corner of my eye.
He wanted more. And I’d give it to him as soon as he grew enough balls to admit it.
We got back underway with no more incidents.
We had a few more weeks before we showed up in port to do the exchange for the governor’s children.
We’d picked up supplies while in Tortuga, so we were covered for the time being, but the crew would get bored eventually if I didn’t think of something to do.
Maybe raiding another merchant ship would let them burn off some energy.
As long as the children were kept out of sight, it should be fine.
I was going to discuss it with Lockhart when Will’s lessons on fighting began.
Mad Eye was at the helm, so I leaned against the rail, watching as Lockhart forced Will to put his mop down and give him his attention.
He walked him through the basics, like keeping his guard up and protecting his face.
Lockhart was a navy man once upon a time.
He was a good fighter. And he was more patient than I was.
Will’s injury was still enough to cause him grief, not that he let it stop him from doing his work.
I didn’t have him scrubbing with a rag anymore, he was decent with the lines and a fast learner in whatever we threw at him.
He did his work without complaint. And he wasn’t complaining about learning to fight either.
“Good. Always keep your hands up. Pretty boys like you gotta protect their assets.”
A few of the crew laughed, but Will only rolled his eyes. He was pretty, though, and amongst pirates, that could be a dangerous thing. The night in Tortuga was proof of that.
They’d gained an audience since he started, a few shouting out tips to help Will along.
He ducked and weaved, just like Lockhart taught him, and eventually Lockhart switched out with someone else, giving Will instructions on how to face people who weren’t the same size as him.
The guys were only too willing to help. They liked Will enough to not want to maim him but dealt with his snark long enough to not mind knocking him around a bit.
As long as they kept it friendly, I didn’t really give a shit.
It was when Darrow got the upper hand for the third time in a row that the pissant Henry started making comments. He was supposed to be scrubbing the deck, but he never could stay on task without someone standing over him.
“This is why you’re a manservant and not a guard. I’d fear for my life if I had to rely on you to protect me,” he taunted.
Darrow helped Will to his feet, giving Henry a bland look.
It was better not to acknowledge him, he thrived under the attention, but patience was running thin with my crew when it came to dealing with this boy.
It was no wonder the merchant captain said nothing about him.
Probably hoping he could witness the boy’s death and enjoy it for a time.
I knew I would enjoy it if there wasn’t so much at risk.
“Again,” Darrow instructed. “Pay attention to your footwork.”
Will wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve, his gaze filled with determination as he took a fighting stance again.
He’d struggle against Darrow, the man was fast as a bullet, but with Darrow going easy on him, he managed to keep his footing for a few minutes longer each time before he landed on his ass again.
I bit back a laugh, raising an eyebrow when Will’s gaze flicked to me and he glared in my direction.
“Is it possible you’re getting worse?” Henry commented. “I think you are. This is just sad. Almost painful to watch, really.”
“You shouldn’t be watchin’,” Salty snapped. “You should be scrubbin’ the damn deck.”
Henry scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “No one else is working. Why should I? I shouldn’t even be doing work like this.
I’m the governor’s son.” He tossed a sneering look at Will.
“At least I’m not wasting everyone’s time teaching me shit every real man should know.
This is why you’ll always be a manservant.
You’re not good enough to be anything else. ”
Will’s back was to me, but I saw the way his shoulders stiffened and his fists clenched at his sides.
He’d probably been biting back his tongue his whole life whenever this shit opened his mouth.
I remembered the elation he got after punching the little pissant to shut him up.
Since I wanted to draw the pirate out of the boy, I had no problem setting them up against each other.
Pushing off the railing, I came down the stairs to join the crew. They parted at my arrival, until I stood in front of Will, taking in the ticking muscle in his jaw and the raw fury in his eyes. “Want a shot at ‘im?”
His gaze jerked up in surprise. “What?”
“Think you’ve learned enough to put him in his place? Or do I need to do it?”
It was a challenge. Either he learned something today, or he admitted he needed protection until he got better. But Will wasn’t backing down from a fight. He glared at me, his chin lifted defiantly. “I can do it.”
“So do it, then. Because we’re all tired of listening to him.”
There it was. That excitement that he’d expressed the first time I told him he could hit Henry. After years as the pissant’s manservant, he must’ve had a lot of pent up aggression. When he dipped his chin in agreement, I turned to face the smug little shit leaning lazily against the rail.
“You think you can beat him?” I asked casually.
Henry scoffed, giving me a look that said he thought the question was lunacy. “Of course I can. I’ve been trained in combat. He’s been practising for half a day. I knew more than him when I was Daisy’s age.”
Maybe he had more training, but he didn’t have the fire that Will did. He was all taunts and cockiness. Will was pissed and out for blood. It would be an interesting match up.
I gestured to Will, raising my eyebrows at Henry. “Well, go on, then.”
That made Henry pause. A flicker of doubt flashed across his face. “You want me to fight him? Why?”
“You said you’re better than him. So show him how it’s done.”
Now that he was faced with the challenge, Henry looked less inclined to take part. He was all talk then. He had to be shoved by Trumble to get close to Will, and he still looked hesitant.
“Come on now,” Lockhart demanded. “You were all talk before. Let’s see what you’ve got. What does the governor’s son got to teach us?”
They were taunting him, and it didn’t take long to push the pissant too far. His gaze flicked to Will, and I saw a hint of what looked like regret before he banished it and squared up, rolling his shoulders to loosen the tension. “Fine. He’ll probably learn more from me anyway.”
Before Will could step past me, I gripped his shoulder, leaning in to speak so we couldn't be overheard. “Don’t kill him. We still need our payout. But have fun with it.”
The smirk that crossed Will’s face was full of fire. He was excited by the possibility of putting Henry in his place. He really was more like a pirate than I’d expected.
“Alright, boys. Let’s see who’s the bigger man.”
Henry danced around, letting out jabs that didn’t come anywhere close to Will.
He was showing off. Will raised his hands like Lockhart taught him, all calm patience in front of Henry’s rabbit jabs.
He waited for an opening like he was taught, knocking Henry’s punch out of the way and socking him hard in the stomach.
Henry stumbled in surprise, gasping, but Will didn’t give him time to recover.
He went after him, and Henry actually ran to get away.
I barked out a laugh, watching the little shit get chased around the deck without actually putting up a fight.
“Stop runnin’, coward!”
“A real man don’t run!”
“What happened to teachin’ him something!”
My crew was getting riled up, enjoying the show too damn much. I was enjoying it too, but as I watched the pissant dodge a few hits, my eyes caught on his little sister. I frowned, heading over to where she sat on a few crates, a shirt in her hand she was mending.
“Where’s the older one?”
She waved a hand toward the stairs. “Jameson asked her to peel some potatoes. She went to deliver them to him since she finished already.”
I looked around. Jameson was a decent fellow, I wasn’t truly worried about him, but I didn’t trust all of my crew with those girls. It was why I kept them above deck and under mine or Lockhart’s watch at all times. I looked around, trying to see who was here and who wasn’t.
“Captain?”
Will had noticed me speaking to Daisy. He frowned, always so protective, and when I turned to look at him, his gaze flicked behind me to where the little one sat.
“Where’s Jane?”