Unexpectedly, Iheard footsteps approaching again. Big and clunky. Most likelyBenjamin heading back. He neared the end of the hallway and camearound the corner, his long arms holding a massive white object. Alarge sac, it seemed, and a bucket.
“Parlay!”I called to him, the word suddenly popping into my head.
He cameto a halt and set down the gigantic sac with a loud thud. I sawthen that it was actually a straw-filled mattress. He glared at me. “What didyou say?”
“Parlay,”I told him again, with confidence.
“Takethat back.”
“No,I demand parlay,” Ireplied. “I expect no harm to come to me and I want to see yourcaptain.”
Benjamingrabbed the keys again and unlocked the cell door before stuffingthe mattress in and tossing the bucket alongside it. When the doorwas secured once more, he fell into a fit of rage, kicking thingsabout and screaming in frustration. Finally, he stopped, chestheaving and eyes blazing with rage. “You foolish woman, you have noidea what you’ve done.”
I held my chinhigh, trying to hide the fact that I was a bubbling mess on theinside. “The way I see it, you’re just mad that I ruined your plansto keep me all to yourself.”
Thepirate pressed himself against the bars and glared deep into myeyes. “Trust me, after you meet the captain, you’llbeg for me.”
I spat on thefloor. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
He threw hishands up in defeat and they fell to his sides with a hard slap.“Have it your way. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
I crossedmy arms. “Oh, right, I’m sure your captain is so much worsethan you.”
Before I couldeven process his movements, Benjamin’s long, muscly arm shot inthrough the bars and grabbed my jacket, yanking me right up againstthe cold, slick metal. I cringed as his bearded mouth camedangerously close to my face. “Much, much worse, sweetness.” Hereleased his hold on my coat and began backing away. “So, muchworse.”
He blew out thelantern and left me there in the stone, cold darkness.
A place I wasall too familiar with.
ChapterSeven
I awoke to the sound of my cell door creakingopen. Before I had a chance to even register what was happening, Iwas being yanked upright by the arm and dragged along.
“Rise andshine, sweetness,” Benjamin muttered. His long fingers wrappedtightly around my upper arm.
My response wasan agonizing moan. My body ached despite the softer surface I hadto sleep on. The bright morning sun poured in through the portholesand blinded my sleepy eyes as we passed each one.
“W-whereare we going?” I croaked.
“Youdemanded parlay. Remember?” The level of snark in his tone was hardto ignore. “I take the pirate’s code seriously. Otherwise, I wouldhave left you in that cell to rot.”
I recalled theway he reacted to my pregnancy and grinned. “No, you wouldn’t.”
His reply was afrustrated growl.
We movedthrough the lower decks of The Black Soul, twisting around randompiles of suppliesuntil we reached a ladder hatch. I went up first, very awareof Benjamin’s eyes on my back, and waited at the top for him. Itook the opportunity to absorb my surroundings. The ship was thebiggest I’d ever seen. Four large masts towered above my head andthe charred-color wood of the floor was covered in heaps of ropesand nets. I expected to find a whole crew of pirates but was oddlysurprised to only see two unfamiliar faces. The men, clearlydeckhands, looked at me nervously as they went about theirwork.
“Comeon,” Benjamin ordered when his big feet planted next to me. “Let’sget this over with.”
Somethingdawned on me when I caught a glimpse of the island in the distance.“Why haven’t we left yet? Is something wrong?” Not that I wasn’tgrateful. The longer we stayed, they better chance Henry had offinding me. If I survived the storm then, surely, my ship wasn’ttoo far. Finn would find the island.
“I’mworking on it,” he said under his breath.
Just then,Pleeman came out of nowhere and bumped into me. The impact rippedmy arm from Benjamin’s grasp and I wrapped both around the fumblingold man. But I quickly realized he’d done it on purpose when hisface pressed to my ear and he whispered, “Tell him you can cook. Ifthere’s one thing he loves more than a beautiful woman, it’sfood.”
My captorpulled me away and I saw the desperation in the old sea dog’s eyes.He really did care that I lived. So, I gave a slight nod to easehis mind.
“Watchwhere you’re going, old man,” Benjamin bellowed.
I gave him ascowl. “Hey, go easy on him. It was an accident.”
The twoexchanged a glare before Benjamin replied, “Yes, I’m sure.”
Weclimbed the stairs toward the second level of thedouble-decker stern. CaptainCook’s quarters must have been on top. Of course. Benjamin led meto the door where he knocked once and then entered without waitingfor a response.
A tall figure,almost as tall as my keeper, stood on the other side of a massiveoak table covered in stacks of papers and other things. My gazeimmediately fell to the huge green stone that hung from his neck.The thing must have been the size of my fist. I pulled my stare upand away, taking note of the man’s foul-looking face. His greenbeady eyes widened and lit up with delight at the sight of me.“Brother, what have you brought for me?”
Brother? I castBenjamin a sideways glance and he pretended to ignore me.
“This isthe woman I told you about. The one that washed ashore on theisland days ago,” he told the captain.
“My nameis Dianna,” I said firmly to both of them.
I could see thesimilarities between the two; the massive height and wideshoulders, the long black hair and brooding brow. But Captain Cookhad something different. Something… off. Aside from hisdeteriorating appearance. I couldn’t put my finger on it. But Ifelt uneasy in his presence. Perhaps it was from
