Chapter Fourteen
Bang!
Samantha jumped when Christian’s fist slammed into a thick wooden plank. The damp wood absorbed most of the sound. Still, she couldn’t help glancing at the deck above.
“I should have made my move when I had the chance.”
She slumped against the bars and her throat constricted. How was she to have known no one would come back with the buckets? The uncomfortable pressure in her bladder flared at the thought and she squirmed in place. Had they been forgotten?
“We could have had control of the ship and been on our way back to Savannah by now.”
Her toes curled inside her slippers. “Or we could be dead.”
“Well, we won’t ever know now, will we?”
Tears pricked her eyes. “Maybe they will still come.”
They wouldn’t. It must be past midnight by now. Christian hadn’t looked her way for quite some time. She’d ruined their only real chance of getting out.
And now the lieutenant hated her.
She should be happy. Surely, he would stay away from her now. No chances of discovering her secret.
So why did she feel so awful? She kept formulating apologies, but each time she opened her mouth to speak, she snapped it shut at the last moment. She couldn’t bring herself to speak to the rigid form standing at the wall across from her.
Look at me. If she could see those dark eyes, she could gauge how angry he really was. Could say the right thing. Make things better.
She gave a little shake of her head. Nonsense.
Whisper-quiet footfalls came from above and she froze. Not the quick steps of Skip or the heavy ones of the giant. The chain rustled and she jumped to her feet.
“Lieutenant.”
He turned and jumped over to his cell’s door. “Thank God. Quickly, the wire.”
She began to hitch up her skirt, but the hatch opened. Silently. Her hand froze short of the wire as a boot appeared. Too late.
Christian held out his hand to stay her. “I’ll make my move when they return the buckets. Be ready,” he whispered.
Her brows pulled together while a hooded figure dropped down the staircase. Too big to be Skip. Too small to be one of the captain’s giants. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked as she eased the wire free.
With his head down, the man approached her cell and she took a step back. A lock pick appeared in his hand and she let out a little gasp.
“Who are you?” Christian’s voice broke the silence.
“Hush, lest the brutes above hear.”
Samantha’s eyes widened and her hand lifted to her throat. She’d recognize that voice anywhere.
“Griff!”
“You know him?” Christian crossed to the bars separating them as her door swung open.
“Quickly.” Griff beckoned her forward and turned back to the ladder.
Heart pounding, Samantha rushed forward. If Christian recognized Griff, he would know the truth instantly. Still, she couldn’t leave him.
“Wait.” She turned to the lieutenant’s cell.
“No. He doesn’t come with.”
“I’m not leaving him.” She reached toward his lock with the wire.
“What the hell is going on?” Christian’s eyes darted between her and Griff. “You there, show yourself.”
She jerked her head around as Griff stepped onto the first rung of the ladder. The old man’s eyes gleamed in the lantern light. He wouldn’t.
He did.
“So be it.” With a flick of his wrist, the hood slid from his head.
Samantha’s hands clenched.
“You.” Christian staggered back as he stared at Griff. “I know you.”
This wasn’t happening. Her chest constricted and she grabbed hold of one of the bars to keep herself from sliding to the ground. Breathe.
Christian snapped his gaze to her and his eyes narrowed.
He knew.
Her blood went cold.
Griff tossed her something and she caught it out of reflex. She unfolded the black leather. One of her masks.
“You’ll be needing that, Captain.”
Christian’s lips lifted into a snarl.
Her hands began to shake and she tried, and failed, to slide the wire into his lock. “I can explain.”
“Get. Away.” He pushed the words through clenched teeth.
“You’ll die!”
“I’d rather face death than align myself with the likes of you.”
“You don’t mean that.”
Tears burned the corners of her eyes and she tried to pick his lock again. His hand swept out and he ripped the wire from her grasp and threw it across the room.
“I mean it.”
She shook her head as he pointed to the ladder. “Go. And hope to God our paths never cross again.”
The air rushed from her lungs.
“Captain? We need to leave. Now.” Griff disappeared through the hatch.
“Christian—”
“Don’t ever say my name again.” He turned away.
Damn it.
She slid the mask on and started up the ladder. Before climbing through the hatch, she looked back. She couldn’t help it. But the lieutenant kept his back to her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Griff grabbed her arm and yanked her up. He lifted a finger to his lips and pointed into the darkness. They pressed against the wall and slowly made their way to a hatch leading to the main deck. Griff went up first and, after a tense moment of silence, beckoned her up.
As soon as she climbed through, boots sounded on the quarterdeck above. Griff took her arm and tugged her behind a stack of crates. Two giants came down the steps and walked the main deck. Samantha held her breath as they passed by. It would be a miracle if they didn’t notice her pale blue skirts.
“Did you see that?” one said.
Her heart slammed, but they walked to the railing opposite them.
“I swear I saw a light.”
Griff breathed out and picked up a coiled rope. He rushed to the railing and tied one end to it. Samantha followed him, keeping one eye on the two pirates as they stared into the darkness.
“I say your mind’s playing tricks on you.”
Griff motioned Samantha down and she clambered over the railing. The giants continued their patrol. Any moment, they would turn toward Griff and her. She grasped the rope and dropped. The rough cords burned her palms as she jerked to a stop, and she bit her cheek to keep from crying out.
A tiny rowboat floated below her and, one hand after another, she lowered herself to it. Griff followed a few seconds later and untied the boat. He unfolded a piece of dark canvas and threw it over her.
“Stay down.”
She wrapped the oiled cloth around her and peeked her head out. Griff maneuvered the boat along the ship’s hull until they reached the stern. Captain Thorne’s balcony jutted out above them and she shuddered. The clouds broke and moonlight shimmered off the waves.
A dark form rose from the water a few hundred yards away. The island. But how would they make it that far without being spotted? She rubbed the raw skin on one palm and pulled her knees to her chest. Water seeped through her skirt as the little boat rocked on a swell.
Griff lifted a lantern.
“What are you doing? Someone will see.”
He grinned. “Precisely.”
A spark fizzled from a flint and a flame flared to life on the wick. Samantha fought the urge to knock the lantern into the water as he lifted it above his head and waved it back and forth.
Her jaw dropped as a light onshore blinked in reply. Griff grunted and extinguished the flame. He sat down and slid two oars into place. Two broad strokes and they glided away from the ship.
“Griff!”
He nodded forward. “Watch.”
She turned just as a blazing ball of fire erupted in the distance. It blossomed into a tall column of angry orange and moments later, a loud report boomed across the water. Shouts came from the deck above and Griff began rowing with all his might.
The rowboat slid through the waves away from the frigate and soon shadows surrounded them. Samantha couldn’t drag her eyes from the horizon, where the ball of flames had turned into a dark smudge of smoke.
“What was that?”
“Gunpowder. Several kegs of it.” Griff let out a chuckle. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”
The hull scraped against sand and Griff jumped into the surf. Samantha followed and a wave crashed around her, billowing her skirts around her legs.
“Quickly.” Griff took off at a run across the beach and into the scrub. Samantha’s skirts dragged in the sand and stuck to twigs as she tried to keep up. Forget burning the blasted things, she was ready to rip them off and run in her drawers.
Clouds covered the moon again and she stumbled through the brush. A sharp pain bit into her side. “Griff, wait.”
He stopped and she closed the distance between them. As she drew near, he let out a bark of laughter. “You look like a blue pufferfish.”
She scowled. “How much farther?”
“We’re halfway there. I’m sorry, but we need to press ourselves. With luck, we can get out of here before Thorne decides to sail around the island. You’ll have plenty of time to rest on the ship.”
Samantha pressed her hand into her side and forced herself back into a run. The humid heat of the night pressed around her. Minutes dragged past as sweat ran down her face and chest. When they crested a hill and the glimmer of water reached her eyes, she came to a stop and hunched over.
Griff made his way down to the beach and joined two men next to a longboat. Samantha’s gaze flew out to the water and her heart soared. The ship rested offshore, a dark beacon of hope. She stumbled down the hillside and the two sailors gaped at her.
“What happened to you?” one asked.
The other jabbed him with his elbow. “Never mind him. Did you see our diversion?”
She grinned. “It was spectacular.”
“We had to blow up one of our longboats, but it was worth it.”
Griff grabbed the edge of the boat and started to drag it toward the water. “Stop gabbing and get us to the ship. We can celebrate later. If we do indeed escape.”
The sailors sobered and helped him. Once the little vessel left the beach, they all clambered in. With three sets of oars, they pressed through the breaking surf and set off.
Samantha watched the dark brush on the island, half expecting a hoard of giants to break onto the beach at any moment.
“Don’t watch the shore.”
She jerked around to face Griff and he nodded to the west side of the island. “He’ll come by sea.”
For now, the horizon remained clear of any sails. Silence fell around them, save for the slap of oars as they dipped into the water, and she turned.
“Griff?”
He grunted.
“Why did you show yourself to the lieutenant?”
A grey brow rose in the pale moonlight. “Why do you care?”
“Because he still didn’t know who I was. Now, who knows what he’ll do?”
“Miss Warstein, it doesn’t matter.”
“Don’t Miss Warstein me. Why ever doesn’t it matter? What if he comes after me?” A little shiver ran up her spine at the thought of those angry green eyes bearing down on her. You better hope . . . His last words rang in her head.
“It doesn’t matter . . .” Griff stared ahead, over her shoulder, as he rowed. “Because Thorne will never let him live.”
Her throat went dry and a heavy weight settled in her stomach.
“So you left him to die?”
He ignored her.
Samantha grabbed one of his oars. “Look at me!” She waited for him to swivel his steely gaze to her. “We have never willingly let innocent people die before.”
He jerked the oar free and began rowing again. “The lieutenant is far from innocent.”
“Griff—”
“Look. He’s too smart for his own good. Even if I hadn’t shown myself, he still would have figured it out. It was too big of a risk to take. Plus, you were about to waste precious more time trying to free him.”
Samantha crossed her arms.
“Don’t try to lecture me. You’re the one who got us into this mess in the first place. You have no one to blame but yourself. You want experience and lessons? Here’s one: Sometimes a captain needs to choose between two wrong choices.”
Something uncomfortable pricked along the back of her throat.
Of course, he was right. She dropped her eyes to the dark water sloshing against the small boat’s hull and twisted her dirty skirt between her fingers. Why did it feel so wrong, then?
The clouds chose that moment to cover the moon and shadows swept across the bay. Despite the sticky air, Samantha shivered.
Yes, the lieutenant was their enemy. Yes, he would make her life hell. But did he deserve to die?
They pulled up alongside the brigantine and rope ladders were lowered. Yet another nameplate had been affixed to the ship’s prow since she’d last been aboard. Raven.
Once they safely secured the longboat on the main deck, the crew exploded into action.
The anchor chain clinked and she smiled at the efficiency.
They must have started raising it as soon as she and Griff had emerged onto the beach.
With loud flaps, black oiled sails were lowered.
Samantha stared up at the inky canvas. She’d never seen a ship rigged with dark sails before—only heard the crews tell stories—but her lips tugged up for a brief moment. They certainly fit with the new name.
Even the jib sails had been set to give them all the extra speed they could muster. The topgallant caught the wind and the planks beneath her feet vibrated. Samantha lifted a hand and set it onto the mainmast. Her eyes drifted shut as the ship began to cut through the waves.
Boots echoed from the deck behind her and she turned to find Griff standing there.
“You really love her, don’t you?”
She lowered her hand. “What do you mean?”
“The ship. You hum her song. I’ve never seen anyone do that before.”
Heat crept up her cheeks. Had she been humming aloud?
“How about you captain her for the rest of this voyage?”
Her limbs tingled. Did he mean it?
“The rest of the voyage?”
He nodded.
“You swear?”
“Blasted woman. Yes.” He shook his head and pointed to the quarterdeck. “Take us home.”
Samantha took a deep breath. “No.”
“No?”
She strode to the railing and stared at the little crescent of the island as it faded from view. “We sail to Tortuga.”