Chapter Fifteen
The sailors near them stopped what they were doing and stared.
Griff’s face had gone a shade darker in the shadows. “We’re not going to Tortuga.”
“You swore.”
“Well, I take it back. I’ll lock you in the damn brig if I have to. We are going back to Savannah.”
Samantha backed up as he advanced toward her.
“You’d get us all killed, just to rescue the lieutenant? Have you lost your mind?”
Maybe. “No. Not for him. For the other half of the map to Read’s Revenge.”
A hushed murmur ran through the crew and she took advantage of their shock to race up the steps of the quarterdeck.
Griff followed at her heels. “How do you know he has it?”
“He has it. I would bet my life on it. Why else kidnap me for my half?”
Another murmur, louder, and the crew pressed closer. Griff pressed a hand to his forehead.
“I told you not to let anyone know you had it.”
“I trust my crew.” She spoke the words loudly and faced the men below her.
“This is our only chance at getting the treasure. If we run back to Georgia, Thorne is only going to follow, and try again. He won’t stop until he has the map.
And I’m guessing his next attempt to get it will be a lot bloodier. ”
The wrinkles at the corners of Griff’s eyes deepened. “So we go to Tortuga? It’ll be like walking into a den of snakes.”
She smiled. “That’s why it will work. He’ll never expect us to go there. He’ll be caught off guard.”
“It’s too dangerous. Remington would never approve.”
“We’re pirates, Griff. We’re always in danger.”
“Not like this kind of danger.”
She whipped to face him. “My parents died trying to find this treasure. They were so close. I want to do this for them.”
Before he could answer, she swallowed and turned back to her crew.
If she could win them over, Griff would have a harder time getting them to agree with him.
“Think of what you all could do with your share of the spoils. This won’t be like taking a cargo ship of goods.
Read’s treasure will make every one of you rich.
Rich enough to buy your own ships.” Money spoke.
It always did. “The treasure will be evenly split between each of us.”
Eyes bulged below and Griff’s breath hissed out behind her. Her uncle always took fifty percent of the haul and split the rest into shares for his crew. An even split was unheard of. But she didn’t care.
She didn’t need the money. She needed her crew to back her. And if this was how she won them, so be it.
“If we go back, Thorne is going to hunt us down. And he’ll likely kill most of us.
But if we can get that map and find the treasure before him, he won’t be able to do anything.
” That was stretching things. He would probably still try to get his revenge, but they would cross that bridge when they got there.
“What do you say, men? Do we choose the bold path and take our chances at a reward far greater than any of us could imagine? Or do we return to port like dogs with tails between legs?”
The energy running through her crew filled the deck and it didn’t take long before fists and hats were thrown into the air. Not a single man shouted Nay. Warmth radiated through her body and she turned to Griff.
“What say you?”
“I say you’re making a big mistake.”
“Come on, Griff, don’t tell me you wouldn’t be happy to find the treasure.”
“Not with Thorne breathing down our necks. Happiness is a moot point if one is dead.”
“I can do this.”
He shrugged. “You’ve convinced the men, so I will not stop you. I’ve no wish for a mutiny. But when it all comes crashing down around you, remember that this is the moment you had the choice to take the safe route.”
The safe route. All her life she’d been forced to take the safe route. It was time to take control.
“I’d rather live my life with purpose than hide beneath supposed safety. Besides, what is truly safe? We could shipwreck in a storm just as easily as succumb to Thorne’s brutes.”
He waved a hand at the wheel. “Go ahead. Sail us into your destiny, whatever it may be.”
She set her hands on the spokes and steered the ship south. “Make sure all the lanterns are out and we sail in silence. Let’s go to Tortuga.”
Her words spurred the crew back into action and they scrambled to work.
The darkness hugged around them like a cloak as the Raven rolled over the swells.
Each sail billowed above like dark storm clouds and she adjusted their course to set the ship in line with the wind.
Soon, the rhythm of the waves became steady, and the creaks and groans of the yards dissipated.
Griff set a hand over hers. “Go chart our course. Tortuga is only a few hours’ sailing from here. And change out of that wretched dress.”
She squeezed his fingers. “I won’t let you down.”
He raised his face to the sky. “I hope you have a plan.”
A plan.
All she had to do was get on Thorne’s ship and sneak past several dozen giants. And then steal the captain’s most prized possession. A walk in the park.
“I’ll figure something out.”
But the heaviness in her chest returned in full force as she descended to the main deck and opened the door to the captain’s quarters. With a groan, she pushed it shut behind her and stopped at the bookshelf. Griff had left all her shells there.
With numb fingers, she quietly rearranged them and flipped the conch over.
The map was safe. Setting it down, she opened the wardrobe and pulled a pair of breeches out.
Thank God her uncle hadn’t had time to remove her things from the ship.
She clutched them to her chest and debated calling for a tub of seawater.
No time.
Tugging the dress and her undergarments off, she opened a window and flung them out. The damp skirts fell into the frothy wake and moments later disappeared from view.
“Good riddance.”
She used a rag to give herself a quick sponge bath and, after pulling the breeches and her boots on, selected a blouse.
Running her fingers through her tangled hair, she frowned at the knots.
They would take ages to comb out. For now, she did her best to part her locks evenly and twist them into a braid.
With a sigh, she flopped at the desk and flipped through the maps until she found the one she needed. Her fingers traced a path from the little island to Tortuga as she memorized their bearings. Griff was right. They would sail into the harbor before sunrise.
A pressure had begun to build behind her temple and she pressed down on the tender spot. Not the time to get a headache. She ignored the pain and studied the outline of Tortuga.
They would never be able to take Thorne’s ship by force. Even if by some stroke of luck they could overcome the giants, the other pirates in the harbor would take the attack as an affront to their freedom and join the fight. So it came down to stealing the map from under Thorne’s nose.
Simple.
She sighed and drummed her fingers on the map. There had to be a way. Opening her drawer, she pulled her dagger free and slid it into the soft sheath inside her boot. As she closed the drawer, she paused. The little box of glass vials lay in the open.
Flipping the lid open, she brushed a fingertip across one. Rendering the dreaded captain unconscious would surely help. But how to get him to drink it? She plucked the vial free and rolled it between her thumb and index finger. Skip had said the captain kept a strict schedule.
And then she knew what to do.
She tucked two vials into her pocket and grabbed her hat from a hook on the wall. Outside, she strode to the helm and took the wheel from Griff.
“Have the men switch the sails. We don’t need anyone talking about the ship that arrived with black sails.”
She took his compass and checked it, making a slight adjustment to the wheel. “Also, I need an inventory of our supplies. We need to sell or trade as much as we can, make it look like we’re just a ship in need of funds passing through.”
After he gave the orders, she called for Tommy. He ran up the steps and grinned. “Good to see you, Capt’n.”
She returned his smile. “You as well. I have a favor to ask.”
*
“He’s not among them.”
Samantha shifted in the bushes and took the spyglass from Griff. She focused on the group of prisoners being led down the dock and let out a soft curse. He was right. Christian was nowhere to be found. Her shoulders curved inward as her stomach roiled. Had Thorne already disposed of him?
The thought sent bile up her throat.
“It’s for the best.” Griff’s soft reassurance was anything but.
Samantha jerked the spyglass down and took a shaky breath. She needed to focus. Pulling out a pocket watch, she checked the time. Not that she needed to. The sun had begun to dip below the horizon. Which meant it was almost half-past six.
Time to get moving.
After waiting most of the day and beginning to worry that Thorne had decided against making port in Tortuga after all, Samantha had nearly given up and agreed to return to Savannah.
But the tall masts of the Reckoning had appeared a few hours ago and once anchored, wasted no time offloading cargo.
Nearly half of the hulking crew were ashore.
It made her plan only slightly less dangerous.
Getting onto the boat would be the hardest part. At least, that was what she kept telling herself.
They made their way to the docks where two other crew members waited for them. One of the men cocked his head at her disguise and laughed.
“Just make sure no one sees you from behind, lass, ain’t no way they’ll think you’re a boy if they see that view.”
Her ears burned but she ignored him. Men saw what they wanted, and those giants would be no different. Roughly the same size and build as Skip, she should be able to pull off the ruse in the dusk.
Should.
She climbed into the longboat and Griff threw a tarp over her. The little boat rocked when the sailors climbed in, the sounds of water slapping the hull amplified beneath the canvas.