Paid to the Pirate by Una Rohr

Chapter 42

Charlotte

Colt said nothing, but he was the last to leave the deck, gazing at me with his dark eyes as if he tried to memorize every part of my body, my face.

How dare you even look at me? I thought.

He continued to stare.

You, who murdered my father and stole me. You have no right.

His eyes glistened, slick like water on pitch.

I despise you.

Colt didn’t leave until Conks gave him a firm, but gentle, nudge.

Once the men were assembled below deck only Conks, Miguel, and I remained above. I braced, preparing to be dragged to the brig, but their demeanor immediately changed.

“Hurry, get the ropes,” Conks ordered Miguel, and the two men sprung into action. “Charlotte, help us, quickly.”

Help you?

Seeing my confusion, Conks explained, “Of course we’re not locking you up. You’ll escape in the jolly boat. Miguel can row you to shore. Find Mrs. Penningham and hide yourself. Leave town. Some of the men down there want you for the murder of Maurice and the rest will want you contained -- or worse -- for stealing the Crimson Eye. They won’t let you go. This is your only chance to escape. Hurry!”

My mind quickly caught up to the fact that the captain, Conks, Johnson and Miguel had all just performed a ruse they were in on together, without even speaking. I wasn’t sure what was happening below deck, but above, their plan involved getting me off this ship as quickly as possible.

With no time to ask my many questions, I raced to aid in my own escape, loosening ropes. Miguel and I prepared to climb inside the boat, leaving Conks on deck to finish lowering it to sea.

My hair began to stick to my forehead as the rain pelted the ship with increased force. What had been a sunny morning had turned dreary after my fall and the skies were quickly darkening as the storm progressed. There was no time to do anything other than hug Conks goodbye and whisper, “Thank you.”

Tears of gratitude pricked my eyes. As I leaned into the gray-haired man, he said in my ear, “He loves you, Charlotte, and you must believe he’d take it all back if he could. Even if it meant putting his own life at risk.”

I knew who he meant, of course, and the tears turned bitter before they fell. Ensuring no one could get a good look at my face, I wiped them away and climbed into the boat.

“Hide alone in the woods if you must, but hide,” Miguel instructed as we rowed across the bay toward the place I’d once called home. “Everyone knows Arbuckle won’t stay in Nassau long. The crew will eventually give up the search for you in order to catch him before he departs. But it could be a day or two.”

Nodding vigorously, I clutched the side of the boat’s rail, riding increasingly tumultuous waves as we made our way to shore.

“What about you and Conks? Won’t you be in danger for helping me?”

Miguel smiled, though not widely enough to flash his dimples. “Trouble, yes, danger, no. They depend on me to take care of each growl in their stomachs and every scrape on their skin. And Conks is like a father to all. He’s too beloved by the crew for them to punish him harshly.”

Something hung in the air as Miguel trailed off. Something unspoken.

“Unless?” I prodded.

Miguel gave a small smile. “Unless things turn out very badly down there and Sedge takes command.”

I swallowed. My stomach lurched and it wasn’t just from the increasing waves.

“Come with me,” I pled, already knowing he’d refuse.

“My loyalty is to the captain. Always has been. Same as Conks.”

I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t care.

“What - what will happen to him?”

Miguel shook his head. “Nothing that would be worse than seeing you hurt. So if you care about him, you’ll do as we instruct and run. Hide.”

Bristling, I lifted my chin and replied, “I don’t care about him.”

A small, sad smile played at Miguel’s lips.

When we reached the beach, Miguel couldn’t pull the boat ashore by himself, and especially not against the force of the rising waves. Not to mention, he needed to save his strength for the return trip to The Dread Night.

“Hurry,” Miguel warned. “I don’t know what will happen back on the ship.”

He pulled me into a tight hug as he said goodbye, and I was forced to trudge toward the beach through cool waves that rose nearly to my waist.

What should I do now? Where should I hide?

My feet sunk into the wet sand as I stood with indecision. My heart thundered, matching the booming sky behind me. My upper half grew slick from the rain and my lower half was soaked from the sea. My dress stuck to my skin and my hair was a tangled fright.

Where should I go?

I couldn’t run to Mrs. Penningham. Not only was I completely opposed to putting her in danger, it was the first place the crew would expect.

Daniel, I thought. He might have been disappointed in my recent behavior, but he would protect me from harm at the hands of the pirates he so hated. His lashing out had been a response to my betrayal and I couldn’t blame him for that.

I gathered my sodden skirts and raced up the beach, heading toward Daniel’s elegant home on the outskirts of our settlement. The muddy path squished under my feet and I was thankful for the sturdy boots I wore.

I knocked on Daniel’s door and I was surprised that he opened it himself, and to see that he had company. Four other men stared back, just as startled to see me -- likely from my shamefully bedraggled appearance. I recognized the men as business acquaintances of Daniel’s, though I had never been formally introduced.

“Charlotte?” Daniel shook his head and as if remembering himself, he opened the door wide, ushering me inside. “What are you doing here?”

“I need your help,” I said, sloshing into his home and feeling guilty as I dripped water on the fine carpets. The air hummed with tension and the back of my neck tingled as I studied the assembled companions. Somehow, being alone amongst this elegant gathering of gentlemen felt more foreboding than when I’d been on a boatful of murdering pirates.

“Where are your servants?” I asked.

“I sent them home so that my friends and I could chat,” Daniel replied, enigmatically.

Daniel can help, I reminded myself, shaking my odd feeling.

“I need to hide from Captain Colt and his men,” I announced, hoping he wouldn’t tell me I deserved whatever fate was to befall me.

Daniel’s pause was oddly long, and I worried I’d been mistaken. But then his eyes lit in a familiar manner and I relaxed. He turned to his friends and announced slowly, “Gentlemen, this is the girl I told you about.”

I shifted my weight. Told them what? Not of my relationship with Colt, I hoped. Did that mean he was still upset with me?

“We saw The Dread Night in the harbor,” Daniel explained. “That’s why we’ve gathered. To see if we can do something about it this time.”

A man with a short beard and wavy black hair leaned forward and announced, “He’s stolen from every merchant I know.”

“Aye,” another man agreed.

“It’s time we put an end to his piracy once and for all,” the third man said.

The fourth only stared, darkly.

We’re on the same side then, I thought with relief. Except, wait…

“It’s not really Captain Colt I’m running from,” I corrected. “It’s some of the other men. Colt actually tried to help me. Which isn’t to say he’s a good man, he’s terrible. But in this instance, it’s the crew, you see. The captain, well, he cares for me-” I cut off my rambling, bringing a frustrated hand to my head. “It’s hard to explain right now, but some of the crew might be after me. Can you help me find a place to hide?”

Daniel crossed to his table and poured a steaming cup of tea. He and the other men looked at one another for long moments and I hoped they were coming to an agreement on how to assist.

“Please,” I whispered. “I don’t have much time. Perhaps you could help me hide in the woods? I just need some blankets to stay dry and a bit of food and water to last for a day or two. And if you could let Mrs. Penningham know I’m safe -- but not yet,” I said quickly. “I wouldn’t want the crew to take her and try to force my location out of her.”

“You need to calm down and warm up,” Daniel said. Irritation pricked at the back of my neck. I’d always hated it when he spoke to me like that, and didn’t he understand that there wasn’t time?

Daniel pressed the cup into my hands, insisting. I relented and took a few fortifying sips of the hot tea.

“Have a seat,” Daniel urged, patting my shoulder. “I’m going to discuss with my friends how to take care of you.”

My pulse raced and every bone in my body protested the time wasted, but with no other choice, I sat. Unable to force myself to take another sip, I clutched the teacup so tightly I feared I’d break the delicate porcelain. Daniel turned his back to me, speaking in a low, urgent tone with the men.

Finally, he turned around, smoothed his sandy hair back into his ribbon and said, “We can help you, Charlotte, but more importantly, you can help us.”

A chill raced up my spine at his measured tone. What did that mean? Two of the three men moved, blocking the door behind me. Sweat mingled with the rainwater dripping from my hair and down my neck.

“Help you how?” I asked, cautiously, clinging to a hope that went against what my instincts were screaming.

Find a weapon. Run. You shouldn’t have come here.

“We’re going to take a trip to the woods, like you wanted, Charlotte,” Daniel declared. Before I could feel any relief over his words, he said, “But some things are going to happen that you may not want.”

With my free hand, I clutched the chair’s armrest. Licking my dry lips, I croaked, “What are you talking about?”

Daniel nodded to the men behind me and said, “Since you wouldn’t be our spy, my darling, you must be our bait.”

Hardly anyone moved an inch during the tense pause that filled the air. Then my teacup clattered to the ground as I sprung from my chair and bolted toward the back of the room. Two of the men grabbed me, though they needn’t have bothered as Daniel aimed a pistol at my head, halting my attempted fleeing easily enough.

“Daniel, please. What’s happening?” I whispered, trying to calm my pounding heart. Everyone in the room was dressed in gentlemanly attire and had, until this point, acted with civility. I desperately clung to what I hoped wasn’t a façade.

“This is your doing, Charlotte. I would have liked it if you’d stayed on our side,” Daniel said. Though his face seemed sad, regretful, his eyes danced with glee. The contradiction was diabolical. “Reported back on Colt, sung for us. Instead, we have to make you scream.”

Daniel’s proclamation quickly came true as he stepped forward and tore my dress, not stopping until he’d ripped it from me and I was clad only in my chemise. Rage filled my breast, and when I managed to get an arm free from one of the men, I lunged for Daniel’s pistol. Not only did he avoid my grasp, but as the brutes recaptured my arm, Daniel turned the weapon around and casually slammed the butt into my head. Hissing in pain, I tucked my head into my shoulder. Daniel’s nonchalance at harming me sent waves of alarm coursing throughout my body. Tears pooled in my eyes but I couldn’t even rub the injured area, which would surely swell in no time.

“Why?” I cried.

“Captain Colt cares for you. I’ve seen it myself,” Daniel replied. “We’re going to bring you into the woods and you’re going to help us send him a message. When he comes to respond...”

“We’ll ambush him,” the dark-haired man behind me concluded as his hands tightened on my shoulder and wrist.

“You’re setting a trap,” I whispered, pain squeezing my heart. Daniel nodded, confirming my fear as his gaze lingered on my body.

In that moment when my heart screamed, I knew. Oh god, I was a fool. Faced with Colt’s imminent death, I knew I didn’t want it. It didn’t matter what he’d done to my father, to me.

I still loved him. More than anything.

He’d tried to tell me how sorry he was, I realized. He believed I’d forgiven him and he was humbled and grateful. But I thought he’d been talking about past punishments, not the death of my father and his part in it.

Daniel seemed to be debating something as a few quiet seconds passed.

“I’ve stripped you naked before,” Daniel said, still eyeing my breasts, barely concealed beneath my chemise. “When you washed ashore like a siren of the sea.”

Stripped me? Chills ran up my spine again.

“I took your clothes that day and I might have had the opportunity to take more, but we were interrupted by Mr. Penningham’s bloody morning stroll along the beach.”

My stomach dropped to my feet as I pieced it together. That’s why I had no clothing when I was found. Recalling how I escaped Colt’s ship, I now knew it wasn’t the captain or any of his men who’d stripped me. But I didn’t know what had happened between when I’d fallen into the sea and when I’d awoken, naked, on the beach. Maybe I could have thought more on it, made some guesses, but there hadn’t been any opportunity considering recent events.

Daniel’s fingers traced my décolletage, lifting my locket. With a sharp tug, he yanked it clear off my neck, making me jump.

“I didn’t have time to secure this,” he said, pocketing my locket. I gulped as Daniel leaned into my ear and whispered, “Though I never got the chance to thank you for the gold I did have the time to acquire.”

My eyes widened and my heart skipped a beat. Colt’s missing bag o’ bits. The one I’d stolen to fund my new life off his ship. I’d assumed it had been lost at sea...

I gazed at Daniel’s elegant home, set amongst his rich farmland and adorned with beautiful art, tableware, and knickknacks. Everyone knew he’d come into wealth about the time that I was found, but no one knew how. Perhaps he’d doubled or tripled the money with wise investments, but it had all started with what he’d stolen from me.

Even the pink dress Daniel had gifted me -- the one I wore the day Colt attacked our settlement. It was all with my gold. I’d bought my own dress.

Well, I supposed I’d first stolen the bag from Colt. But that was beside the point.

“Thank you, Miss Charlotte.” Daniel leaned back and with a sweep of his arms, he declared, “None of this would have been possible without the gold you provided.”

Fury at Daniel’s deception made my blood boil. He’d robbed me of a new life; one I deserved for all I endured. I struggled with the men holding me, determined to scratch out Daniel’s eyes the moment I had the chance.

“Remember, you brought all this on yourself,” he said, and from his disappointed tone I could tell Daniel was convinced it was true. “You were determined to be a pirate’s whore. We’re only obliging you.”

Dizzying fear threatened to take over my mind and I tampered it down because I needed to stay alert, to pay attention. Being alone with five men, the possible horrors they could inflict upon me were endless.

Determination to stay alive kept me struggling, however.

Daniel jutted his chin in the direction of the door, indicating to his friends to begin walking.

“Go to The Dread Night and tell Captain Colt we have his whore,” he instructed one of the men. “If he wants her, he comes alone. Otherwise, she’s as good as dead.”

To two of the men he ordered, “You’ll hide in the woods. Shoot him when he gets close.” Turning to address the fourth man, he said, ominously, “And you’ll help me with her.”

At last his gaze came to rest on me.

“And you, Charlotte, will scream for your lover. Save your strength, girl,” Daniel advised cruelly. “You’re going to need it.”

One of the men opened the door and shoved me forward, into the stormy night and towards the dark woods behind Daniel’s manor.

I clamped my mouth shut, determined. No one from our settlement could hear me above the rain.

You must not make a sound, I warned myself.

My screams would only bring about Colt’s demise.