The captainshowed confusion as he glanced from me to his sibling. “You told meshe was hideous.”
“Hey!” Iprotested.
Benjaminrolled his eyes. “She is, trust me. Just speak with her for five minutes.You’ll wish to throw her overboard.”
“Again, hey!” I chimedin. But I stopped myself from saying anything more when his handdiscreetly slid down to the small of my back and a finger pushedhard into my spine. Almost as if to say, shut up. Let me do the talking.
“I wastrying to save you the trouble of dealing with her, but shedemanded parlay,” he explained.
“Parlay?”Captain Cook affirmed with surprise and then his unstable gazefell on me. “You’refamiliar with our pirate code, then?”
A fingerquickly jabbed me, but I ignored it. “Uh, yes. I’m a pirate aswell. Captain, in fact.”
His thickbrown eyebrows raised in surprise and he came around to the frontof the table. He smiled, and I could see the black discoloration ofhis teeth as if hismouth were rotting from the inside out. “Is that so? A femalecaptain? What ship do you call your own?”
“TheQueen, sir,” I replied when I didn’t feel a prompting poke in theback.
“TheQueen?” He looked athis brother then. “Is that not one of Easton’sfleet?”
I became awashconfusion. Easton? Peter Easton? Why was the captain talking aboutthe long dead pirate king as if he spoke to him yesterday?
“Ibelieve so, Captain,” Benjamin replied. He seemed uncomfortable allof a sudden.
I quicklyadded, despite the finger pressing into my spine, “Once upon atime, yes. It belonged to Red John Roberts. But he left it to hisson, Jack, who then left it to his daughter after his passing. Now,I own it.”
Thecaptain stared at me, his cocked eyes cooling to a deep-sea green.He seemed lost in his own mind as his gaze fixated on mine. It feltas if I were suddenly peering into the eyes of a madman as his breathing quickened andthe corner of his blackened mouth gave a slight twitch. I couldn’ttell whether he thought about lunging across the room to choke meor not. I noted how his hand flicked at his side and his eyesremained unblinking.
“What’swrong with him,” I whispered as I leaned into Benjamin.
He sighed. “Youreminded him of something he’s trying to forget.” I watched as hestrolled over to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder.“Abraham, snap out of it.” Then he leaned in and whispered in thecaptain’s ear, so quiet I couldn’t even hear a sound come from hislips, only that they moved.
Captain Cook’seyes blinked and slowly softened to a bright green as he seemed tocome back to the moment. He smiled, one of those wicked, unnervingkind that rattled something deep in your gut.
“Well, mydear,” he spoke to me as the other pirate made his way back to myside, “welcome aboard The Black Soul. I trust that my brother herehas found you some comfortable lodgings?”
Next to me, Benjamin moaned.
“Actually, he’s had me staying in the brig,” Ireplied.
“Thebrig?” Captain Cook feigned surprise. Obviously, he knew where I’dbeen kept. I began to wonder why the sudden act. What was reallyhappening on this ship? He glanced at the other pirate with suspicion. “Find Diannahere a bunk and some fresh clothes.”
“Yes,sir,” Benjamin replied.
He made amotion to leave, gently slipping his hand around my arm to take mewith him, but Captain Cook had other plans.
“Wait,”he called to us. “Leave Dianna here, would you?” His tongue flickedout and licked his lips in a way that made my skin crawl. “I’d liketo get… better acquainted with her.”
My heartbeat hard against the inside of my chest, it knew better than I didthat being alone with this man was a bad idea. My mind raced for away out. Then I remembered Pleeman’s words.
“Um,actually,” I replied and gave Benjamin a sideways glance. His facetold me to proceed with caution. “I’m also a cook, a really goodone, in fact. And Benjamin here was going to take me to the islandto forage for ingredients. I’d love to make you all a deliciousmeal as a thank you for finding me.”
The captain’sunnerving gaze considered my words, and I hoped it was enough tosway him. The last thing I wanted was to be left alone in hisquarters. I could feel the sweat pooling at the small of my backbut tried not to let my nerves show through. Finally, hereplied.
“Thatsounds wonderful.” The man smiled happily, but his eyes told mesomething else. That I’d won but he was going to get what he wantedone way or another. “I look forward to it.”
I gave anervous nod and followed Benjamin out across the deck over to aladder hatch where hestopped and waited for me to descend first. When we both reachedthe bottom, he pulled me off to the side.
“What areyou trying to do?” he asked me angrily.
I shrugged.“What are you talking about?”
“All ofthat about me taking you to the island,” he whispered. “If youthink this is your escape plan, you’re wrong. There will be nogettin’ away from me, sweetness.”
I refused tolet him intimidate me. “The only thing I was thinking of escapingwas your crazy brother. If I had to choose between being alone withhim or you, I’d pick you. At least you have your wits.”
Benjamingrinned then. “I have more than wits if you’re interested.”
I rolled myeyes and pushed at his chest. “Not in a million years. I preferblondes, thank you very much.”
He stuck histhumbs inside his thick leather belt and rocked back on the heelsof his boots. “Fancy the golden boys, do ya?”
“Nope,just my fiancé,” I replied cheekily and then narrowed myeyes.
Benjaminwas quiet then. I couldn’t tell if he was surprised or upset. Buthe grabbed an empty burlap sack before abruptly turning back to the ladder andbegan to climb. “Come on, then. Let’s go to the damnisland.”
Ifollowed him up to the deck and over to the side where he hoisteddown a rowboat. Heseemed lost in his own mind as he moved the ropes.
“What? Nomagic rowboat thistime?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
He turnedand gave me an oh, please look. “There’sno such thing as
