Then his entire body stiffened. “Be still,” he hissed.
I didn’t move a muscle as he looked back over his shoulder.
“Dammit. Two of the crew of the Devil .” His eyes darted around almost frantically, realizing that our ship was too far away. They would definitely see us if we bolted.
Suddenly I was in the air, being carried aboard the Devil’s Blue Sea .
The Captain carried me to the tiny chart-room, and before I knew what was happening, the two of us were jammed in the cupboard together.
; For a moment, all I could think about was the Captain’s chest being pressed so firmly against me. His seductive aroma of ocean air with a hint of musk and leather. His hand gripping my behind firmly, pulling me tight.
Then the three wooden walls and the door began to close in around me.
I was trapped.
This time, I could easily break out, but if I did I would endanger us both.
I wasn’t sure why that made it worse, but my heart began to thump much too too fiercely. If I panicked, the Captain could be hurt as well.
Strange plumes of heat radiated through my entire body, as my blood felt too thick. Like the sludge scraped off the bottom of old fishing boats.
My lungs were tight. I couldn’t pull in enough air to stretch them back out.
Shivers ran through me as I realized I was about to either faint, or scream. Either way, the Captain would see I was a weak little girl, possibly not suited for life at sea.
Even worse, I had no idea what sort of trouble we would be in with these scoundrels and criminals.
As I heard the shriek welling up in my throat, I realized with horror that I was not going to be able to control what happened next.
~ Chapter 14 ~ The Captain ~
* Those Little Noises *
I didn’t have time to explain to Maggie that I knew the ways of these men. They were settled into the pub for the day. Once they’d had their fill of spirits and food, Captain Scovell would select two men to do the job.
When they found out that Mrs. Wescott was unavailable to be kidnapped today, they would return to the pub for another round, then set sail at sunset, their task incomplete.
I knew these men. They only took on jobs that involved other people if they were simple. No complications.
It was almost as if they were looking for an excuse to not follow through. Especially when it was a job that couldn’t publicly further their reputation as scoundrels.
Above all else, I did not want to get into an altercation with any of them.
Not only did I not want any member of our crew to associate with theirs, I didn’t want them to get riled up on rum, and start any sort of rivalry.
I just wanted to set sail.
Hiding with Maggie for a few moments was the clearest path to our escape. All we had to do was wait until they checked on the ship, then returned to the pub.
They were almost certainly grabbing more coins from the Captain’s quarters. As far as I knew, every ship had a little stash for when the lads needed to get rowdy. They would never notice us packed into the cupboard.
It was almost pitch black, except for a few tiny streaks of dim light from cracks in the door that illuminated Maggie’s face.
She was trembling, her mouth open, as a strange grinding sound began in her throat.
“It’s only for a few moments, my lass,” I barely breathed into her ear. “Please stay quiet. I promise you’ll be safe.”