If it was my fault that the wonderful man who had transformed my entire life was in jail, I didn’t know if I could ever forgive myself.
~ Chapter 18 ~ The Captain ~
* Limestone Walls *
Sometimes a tiny bit of information can be dangerous, without the rest of the information available to fill out the picture.
The authorities probably knew that a ship would never leave without its Captain on board. But they were probably too ignorant to realize that my men wouldn't just stay on the ship waiting around.
An hour after I had been unceremoniously dumped into a jail cell, a pebble came flying through the open window above. It was far higher than I could ever reach, but it was certainly enough to send a signal.
If I threw the pebble back, it confirmed that I was indeed here, but unable to speak freely. Yet with no other prisoners and the guard down the hall, it was all clear.
"Davy," I said sharply, looking up at the dim square of gray above.
"Captain. Are you alright?"
"Aye, clean and dry."
I heard him snort, containing his chuckles. “Strength?”
I had already checked the cell. The floor and walls were made of limestone, the bars of solid steel. "Fortress," I said, indicating that there was no way I could break out with physical force.
"Numbers?"
"One," I said, telling him that there was only one guard left on duty.
"Others?"
"Nay."
"Hold tight," Davy called.
"Aye."
Other men might be panicking in this situation. I was simply curious. Everything would pan out one way or the other. Perhaps my crew would find a way to break down the front door, overpower the guard, and bust me out.
Or perhaps they would weigh all of the information, and decide it would be better to wait until the Mayor was arriving, and cause some sort of grand diversion so that I could run off. They might even sail a short distance east, leaving one man here to coordinate with me, then we would steal a tiny boat to catch up to them.
No matter what happened, I knew they'd find a way.
I hated to admit that this was one part of pirating I missed, just a tiny bit. I didn't like using weapons, or transporting a lot of explosives. I really didn't like stealing at all, but especially not from regular folk.
There were aspects of the pirates' life that were perfectly suited to me, but many that weren't. Yet there was something about the little bits of adventure that fired up my blood.
My only deep regret was knowing that Flora must be worried sick. When I got out of this predicament, I would vow to put even more distance between the old life and the new.
It wasn't right of me to put her through such worry. How could I have her falling in love with me if she couldn't trust me? How could she give me her heart if I couldn't guarantee I would always be there for her?
I would never have dreamed that I would love a woman more than my ship, more than my own life. Now I pictured Flora in my arms, her sweet gentle face tipped up to mine as she opened herself completely. My little angel deserved much better.
Sitting in the dark on the floor of a stone jail cell, I grinned to myself.
I was completely in love with Flora. I was no longer a pirate. And I was deeply joyous about both of those revelations.
~ Chapter 19 ~ Flora ~
* A Plan *