Chapter Twenty-One
“Sails!”
The shout brought Christian scrambling to his feet. He shook the sleep from his eyes and squinted down the beach where a man ran toward them waving his hands. Reflexively, he searched out Red. Miss Warstein. A dull ache pounded in his temple.
Sleep had evaded him most of the night. And for good reason.
His words had been foolish, because she’d been right.
He couldn’t offer more to her. A navy lieutenant could never have a future with a pirate.
And as tempting as it was to offer her the position of mistress, he’d seen the look in her eyes.
It would break her.
So he would do the honorable thing and leave her alone.
If I weren’t a pirate . . .
His fists clenched. If she weren’t, so many things would be different.
She’d slept next to Tommy and he frowned at the empty spot next to the boy. As the men around him began to stir, he scanned the beach.
There.
Fiery hair streaming behind her, she sprinted toward the large pile of driftwood they’d built last night. A little trail of smoke followed her and it took him a moment to comprehend she carried a stick from the fire.
He staggered forward and grabbed a bundle of dried dune grass some of the men had gathered before following her. Dropping to his knees next to her, he ignored the little buzz of energy tugging at him and found a spot to tuck the grass into.
She touched glowing embers to the little nest and leaned forward to blow. The grass twisted and curled, turning black. She blew again, a long slow puff, and lines of concentration furrowed her brow. A sizzle came from the ball and a moment later white smoke billowed up.
Little flames flickered and rose toward the dry wood above. Soon the fire consumed the pile and Christian turned to the crew.
“Find more wood. Bring the palm fronds from the campsite. We need as much smoke as possible.”
When he turned back, Red was gone.
Griff ran by with his spyglass and Christian followed him. The old man looked out to sea and pointed. “There.”
Reflecting the pink of the rising sun, two fore-and-aft-rigged masts hugged the horizon. A schooner. The smoke from the fire rose in a thin stream. From that far, the ship would never see them.
“We need a bigger fire.”
When he spun to help the crew, Griff stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. Christian stopped and Griff nodded toward where Red helped drag a pile of palm fronds toward the fire.
“She’s a good girl.”
Christian watched her toss her load into the flames. Without hesitating, she ran back to camp.
“Why the hell is she mixed up with your lot?”
Griff pressed his lips together. “That’s for her to tell you.”
Christian frowned. “She’s a pirate. As are you. You know my job.” He dragged his gaze from her. “I advise you all to find honorable jobs when we return to Savannah. I’m not going to show any of you special favor if we meet again.”
Griff nodded. “Fair enough. I’ll only ask you one thing.”
Christian met the pirate’s steely eyes and raised a brow.
“We’d all hate to see her hurt, Lieutenant. Don’t break her heart.”
Too late.
With a scowl, he left the man and his spyglass to go help with firewood.
An hour later, sweat blossomed on his face, dripped down his back. The sun had risen high enough for the sticky heat to beat into them. At this point, they’d stoked the fire as high as they could, and white and grey smoke billowed into the air.
The men lined the beach and an uneasy silence settled over them as Griff watched the ship. Minutes dragged by and a few broke out into prayer. Red stood next to Griff, soot streaked across her face.
The distant ship had continued her course so far. Soon, she’d be past the island and any chances of their signal being seen would fade. Christian’s pulse raced. Such a slim chance. But one they desperately needed. Once that ship passed, it could be days or weeks before another one did.
Griff lowered his spyglass and faced the men. “She turns our way.”
A cheer rose from the group and Red pressed her eyes closed for a measure of seconds, her shoulders rising and falling in one long breath. Upon reopening them, she glanced toward Christian. When she noticed him watching her, she spun away.
While the ship approached, the men took turns in the water to wash and cool off. Even Red dipped in, scrubbing her face and tying her hair back. On the beach, they waited in the shade of the palm trees. By the time the ship was close enough to anchor, the sun hung high in the sky.
Christian twisted his hands together. While the rest of the group showed obvious relief, he knew better. This far off normal trade routes, the chances of the ship being friendly were slim. They could be slavers, or more pirates.
He forced himself to take a deep breath. Anything would be better than being stranded. The men gathered around him were capable. He’d seen them in action. If they needed to, he was sure they could take over this ship.
A longboat was lowered into the water and Christian strode out to where Griff still stood. He didn’t have to ask for the spyglass and raised it to his eye when the old man handed it over.
“I think you can stop worrying, Lieutenant.”
He squinted at the man in the longboat.
No.
He let out a shout and tossed the spyglass back to Griff before running out into the waves.
Minutes later, Isaac jumped out of the boat and clasped him in a hug. “Good God, am I glad to see you.”
Christian leaned back. “How on Earth did you catch up so fast?”
Isaac laughed and they walked up to the beach. “You trained me well, Lieutenant. We went straight to the governor’s and he found us a ship. You owe him. Quite a bit. Anyway, we left only hours behind Thorne.” He looked at the ragtag group onshore. “What happened?”
“He caught up to us.”
They strode from the water and Griff pulled his hat off. “Never thought I’d say it, but you’re a sight for sore eyes, Officer.”
Isaac surveyed the beach. “Is anyone injured?”
The old pirate shook his head. “Safe and accounted for.”
“Our crew will more than double yours. Is there room?” Red approached, her eyes on the schooner.
Isaac lifted a brow. “Good to see you as well, my lady pirate. The ship has an empty cargo hold. It may be a tight squeeze the next two days, but I’m confident she can handle us all.”
She nodded and turned to the men on the beach. “You heard him. Pack up and get ready to sail.”
Christian set a hand on her shoulder and she stiffened. “Remember who’s in charge here. From here on out, you and your crew sail under me.”
He raised his voice so everyone on the beach could hear. “I run a tight ship. You’ll follow my orders and defer to my men. If anyone disobeys this, you’ll find yourself in chains until we reach Savannah, and the local magistrate can decide what to do with you.”
Red twisted from his grasp and joined her men, keeping her back to him as the first group began boarding a longboat. He turned to the water. Best to deal with her later.
It took two trips rowing back and forth to get everyone on board. Red stayed on the beach until the last man set foot in the boat. She helped push the vessel into the waves and Christian made his way over to give her a boost in.
She swatted his hand away. “No thank you, Lieutenant. I can take care of myself.”
With one jump, she lifted herself from the water and took an open space on a bench.
He shook his head and followed suit, making sure to sit behind her.
The rigid line of her spine never eased.
Not until they reached the schooner and clambered aboard.
Men crowded the main deck, and with nowhere to go, she leaned against the railing.
Christian pushed through the sailors and climbed up to the forecastle where Isaac and his other officers stood. “We’ll be setting up watches. Griff, your men will stay in the cargo hold until morning.”
The sun already hovered near the horizon and he scowled. It would have been nice to get sailing before dark.
“Make it quick so my crew can get this ship ready to sail.”
Everyone below sprang into action and he turned to Isaac. “Get the anchor raised and ready the sails.”
He moved to the railing and kept watch over the sorting process going on below. Everything went smoothly, until a flash of red hair caught his eye. She moved in unison with her crew, toward the hatch.
“Damn it.”
He vaulted to the deck and fought his way to her. Just as she turned to climb below, he reached out and grabbed her shoulder. Her eyes narrowed and she tried to pull away.
“Where are you going?”
“To the cargo hold. With my crew. That’s where you told us to go, right?”
“I didn’t mean you.” The thought of her crammed in the small space, between a bunch of men, with no way to see to her needs, sent a frown over his face. “You’ll take the main cabin.”
She sniffed. “I don’t need special treatment, Lieutenant.”
“Stop acting so tough. I’m offering you the cabin. Take it. God knows you could use it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
He raked a hand through his hair before tugging her up. Blasted woman. They made it halfway across the deck before she dug in her heels.
“No need to drag me around in front of your men. I’ll follow you.”
When he released her, she pulled her arm away and fell into step behind him. Opening the door, he ushered her inside. A lantern had been lit, sending soft light through the small space.
“It’s not much—”
She brushed past him. “It’s fine.”
Not half the size of his old cabin, this one had barely enough room for the desk and shelves against the wall. A tiny captain’s bed took up the other wall, and instead of big windows, three portholes gave the only glimpse outside.
At the desk, she ran her hands over a weathered map.
“Red?”
She stiffened.
“About last night . . .”
“It’s alright. I already told you, no need to discuss it further.”
He crossed the room in two strides. “Look at me.”
Turning, she blinked at him. Wary. He sighed. Couldn’t blame her. “I didn’t mean it.”