The Rogue

Chapter Four

James placed his cards down in the center of the table, holding back a smirk, while the rest of the boys groaned. He had just beaten them all once again.

Tobias stole one of his coins back from the pile of winnings James had just earned and flicked it up into the air. "You've gotta teach us all your cheat at that game, mate," he remarked.

The rest of the crewmembers held their faces in defeat while James laughed. "Why should I reveal my secret?"

"James – er, uh, Captain Kelley," he heard Johnny announce from the deck above them. "Someone here wants to talk to you."

James groaned in annoyance. "Excuse me, boys," he said coolly and climbed to the top of the stairs hurriedly. "Honestly, Johnny, you never really know when to interrupt, do you—"

His voice trailed off when his blue eyes met a pair of green. He was at a loss for words when he saw what was standing right in front of him: a woman, and one who was quite beautiful, really. But the word beautiful didn't really do her any justice. Though her face was slightly masked by her hood, when she removed it he was frozen. Her face wasn't as heavily packed with makeup as the women he usually saw in other countries, though there was something about her that made him unable to look away.

He was finally brought back to reality when he realized they were waiting for some kind of greeting or acknowledgement from him. He blinked out of his trance and hoped no one had noticed that, or else he would be truly mortified.

He cleared his throat and stuck out his hand politely. "Captain James Kelley. Welcome aboard The Rogue."

The green-eyed girl didn't shake his hand back and instead raised her eyebrows in shock. "You're James Kelley? The James Kelley. You're the most wanted man in—"

"London, yeah, I know that, thanks," James waved it off quickly, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. The girl shuffled her feet uncomfortably, not really knowing what to say.

"Well, I'm Am- Anna... er, Smith, and I have a proposition for you," she stammered and crossed her arms over her chest.

James waved Johnny off to the side and walked closer to the rail of the boat where the salty air hit him the most. The girl, Anna, followed closely behind. "So, what's this proposition you mentioned?" James asked, tapping one hand on the rail patiently.

"Well, you see, uh..." She bit her lip softly. "I'm running away from home, and I simply need a getaway, so I was thinking..."

James snorted. "We're not a transportation ship for misfits, love, so I suggest if you want to run away, ask someone else. And by the looks of that coat you've got on, you must be worth millions, so I don't see why you would be looking for a ride anyway. Unless you stole it, of course."

James turned away and began to walk in the opposite direction, but the girl stopped him by grabbing his shoulder and spinning him back. "Please. I won't even be on here for too long, I just need to figure out what exactly it is I want to do and where exactly I want to go, which is just insane, by the way, regarding the fact that I'm—" James seemed perplexed by all the rambling, so she just stopped. "I will pay you."

She held up a small silky black pouch and shook it. James perked up at the sound of the coins being tossed around, and caught it when it was tossed to him. He opened it slightly and peered inside, counting to himself. That was definitely more than enough. "Hm." He looked at the woman, unsure. "We normally don't take women aboard, but..." He sighed in defeat. "Fine. You'll sleep in a cot under the deck where all the other crewmates belong. You won't interrupt our day-to-day... tasks. You'll keep to yourself and not do anything stupid. Got it?"

She nodded quickly in response and James eyed her suspiciously one last time before he walked away.

"You're probably going to need these," Johnny said, handing her a pair of tattered, worn-down men's clothes. She tried not to gag at the smell and thanked him when he handed it to her.