Chapter 11
Eleven
DAMON
My attempt at going to the brothel had been a wasted endeavour.
None of the whores caught my eye. I left with a scowl and a heavy weight of frustration.
I knew who to blame for my abstinence. The entire time I was at the whorehouse, I was comparing everyone to him.
There was only one arse I wanted to fuck right now, and it was outside my reach.
I went back to the tavern where I’d left him, considering drinking my sorrows away or taking my frustrations out on him by making him serve me the rest of the night, when I saw him talking to a whore in a corner out of sight of the crew.
Anger burned through me like a forest fire, but it died off as quickly as it came.
Instead of going with her to the establishment I had just left, he handed her a few coins, and they separated at the door. Did he just… pay her to leave?
I stood there in shock for a moment, staring at his receding back, his hands in his pockets and his head down, until Darrow popped up beside me.
“Cap’n. Heard rumours about Davenport,” he murmured, low enough that no one else could hear him over the din of the tavern. “Looks like he’s gonna pay the ransom.”
Shaking off the shock, I gave Darrow my attention, discussing the rumors he heard and where they came from. It was a good sign that we were hearing things already. Maybe soon I’d be free of the distraction on my ship and loaded down with riches instead. It’d make my crew happy, at the very least.
I decided against going back into the tavern.
My irritation from earlier still simmered under my skin, and I was in no mood to be social.
I made my way toward the docks instead, Darrow and Carson falling into step behind me.
Carson was dishevelled, obviously he’d gotten what he wanted from the whorehouse tonight, but Darrow wasn’t interested in whores.
His lover was killed some years back, and he hadn’t touched a soul since. Probably never would.
We weren’t far from the docks when I heard a scuffle. I thought to ignore it, it wasn’t uncommon for men to fight in Tortuga, but a familiar flash of white and tan made me stop dead in my tracks. Will.
He was outnumbered three to one, and obviously had little experience in fighting.
He growled and fought, but with his injury and lack of experience, he didn’t have a chance against them.
A possessive fury filled my veins. I drew my pistol, pointing it at the group.
If I wasn’t careful, I could hit Will, but I’d always been an excellent shot.
And the moment one of them tried to tear off his breeches, I flew into a blind rage, shooting the man dead.
The next fell seconds later, and when the third released Will and challenged me instead, I salivated over the idea of running the man through with my sword. The death was slower that way.
It was effortless, the man too drunk to truly be a threat to me.
I’d be disappointed if I wasn’t so pissed off.
He died choking on his own blood, and still I simmered with rage.
I spat on the body at my feet and stalked away, grabbing Will by the back of his shirt and forcing him along with me.
He stumbled, surprised, but we were moving too quickly for him to argue.
When I shoved him toward the longboat, he swung around, angry confusion on his face.
“Not a word, boy. Get on the damn boat.”
His mouth snapped shut, and he looked between me and the men behind me, trying to figure out what was going on.
I was in no mood to explain it to him, and when I pointed my sword threateningly at him, he stopped questioning me and moved to do as I said.
Carson climbed in after him, and Darrow waited for me to board before removing the ropes and pushing us away from the dock.
He stepped into the boat at the last moment, settling beside Carson so they could row us back to the ship.
Lockhart frowned when we returned earlier than expected. He was sitting by the cabin the Davenport children were kept in, playing with a deck of cards, but he stood when I climbed over the rail.
“Captain? Is something wrong?”
I wasn’t in the mood to explain. I was still pissed as all get out.
I didn’t miss Will’s wince when he climbed over the rail, and I gave him a pointed glare when he looked at me questioningly, still confused about how I was acting.
Hell, everyone was. Thankfully, I was the goddamn captain, and no one was going to question my orders.
“Go rest. Now.”
His head jerked back like I’d slapped him, and he looked incredulous, but a growl got him moving, even while he looked at me like I’d gone insane.
The other two gave me a wide berth, heading below deck to their hammocks for the night. Only Lockhart was brave enough to face me when I was in a mood like this. He stood beside me, his voice low as he spoke. “What happened?”
A muscle ticked in my jaw almost constantly now as I ground my teeth. “He wandered off on his own and got attacked. Probably would’ve raped him if I hadn’t shown up when I did.”
Lockhart’s expression darkened. He had the same morals as I did.
If you weren’t man enough to find a willing fuck, then you weren’t a man at all.
Whores were a dime a dozen, and it wasn’t that damn hard to find one available.
Forcing yourself on someone was the worst crime, in my opinion.
They deserved a lot more pain than what they got for even threatening Will that way.
“Starting tomorrow, I want you training him. Hand to hand and with a sword. He shouldn’t have been so easily subdued.”
“Aye, Captain. I’ll check with Kendrick, make sure his shoulder can take it.”
My mood was so turbulent, I wouldn’t have thought of that. I would only make things worse for him if I pushed too hard while he was healing.
“Follow his timeframe, then. But until he can be trusted to protect himself, he goes nowhere alone.”
Lockhart dipped his chin once, and my mood settled a little, knowing Will would get proper training.
I didn’t want to admit out loud that it scared the shit out of me seeing him being attacked like that.
He could throw a punch decent enough, but he showed more than once that he didn’t know shit about actual fighting.
After I told Lockhart and the other two to head to shore for their own break, I returned to my room. I came to an abrupt halt just inside the door, and my mouth went dry at the sight of Will shirtless, standing by my bed.
“What are you doing?”
He didn’t look at me as he replied, “Kendrick left me a little of the poultice if I felt sore. Those assholes wrenched my shoulder. I’m putting on more.”
He scooped a bit of the paste onto his fingers, but when he tried to apply it, he winced and sucked in a breath through his teeth.
I moved without forethought and stopped beside him, scooping a healthy amount out of the bowl and applying it to his shoulder.
He looked away, hiding the pain on his face, but he didn’t complain.
“What the hell were you thinking, wandering around unarmed by yourself?” I demanded.
“How was I supposed to know people did that to other men? I’d never been threatened like that before,” he argued with a frown.
Sheltered. He may have been in servitude, but he was sheltered from the world while working for the governor. “Most evil men won’t care to make the distinction. A hole is a hole.”
A look of disgust crossed his face. I assumed he felt that way.
If he was evil like those men, he wouldn’t have fought so hard to protect his charges.
He would’ve stood aside like the rest of the merchants on that ship.
Only half of that crew lived to pass on my message to the governor.
The captain knew what pirates were capable of and was more than willing to hand the children over to me. He was just as evil as the rest.
“What about you? Are you an evil man?” he asked, his voice low and quiet.
He turned to face me. Our heights were similar enough that we were eye to eye. I could see the accusation, daring me to admit it so he could run me through in my sleep. Brave little cabin boy. Willing to face down the devil even after I saved his ass.
I could’ve lied, said something vague to leave him questioning. My reputation alone saved my crew from fights we might not have survived in the long run. I should want Will to be afraid of me. To question whether I would hurt him if he stepped out of line.
Instead, trapped in that bi-colored gaze of blue and green, I found myself answering honestly. “No. I don’t take a person unwilling. If they want my cock, they’ll say it.”
It was a challenge. Between the covert glances and him turning down the whore from the tavern, I was more and more of the belief that Will wanted me. He just wasn’t willing to admit it yet.
He stood close enough that I could see the fire burning in his eyes, the want there.
His body swayed ever so slightly toward me, like he wanted to close the gap between us but was fighting himself from making that choice.
Under the guise of applying more of the poultice, I moved to his back, pressing myself against him.
His breath caught, and he stood frozen, but he made no noise and gave no sign that he wanted me to continue.
I applied the rest of the poultice and stepped back, pointing at the bed.
“Lie down. I’ll have Kendrick check on you when he returns.”
His breath whooshed out, and I fought back a smirk, walking away from him without a backward glance. He’d admit it eventually. And once I got my hands on that ass, I had no intention of doing anything less than ruining him.