Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One)

Chapter Fourteen

The sun rose, greeting us with abnormally calm seas and sunny weather, thank heavens. However, it also appeared the storm had made Captain Rodrigues rethink how much he'd been drinking, for when he emerged from his cabin the next morning, his hair had been covered with a nice wig, his clothes weren't tattered, and he was refusing anyone who offered him a drink of anything. Much to my horror, he was also insisting I join him on deck for another stroll.

"Do I have to?" I asked O'Rourke quietly, staring at my intertwined fingers resting on top of my red skirt as I sat in his room. "Will he beat me if I don't?"

"He is sober this morning. I do not know what he'll do." His voice was solemn as he stood in the doorway, his hand grasped tightly on the hilt of the pistol resting at his hip. "We have another month, yet, before we see Spain's coast. I will continue to do all I can to protect ye, but . . ."

"You can't go against a direct order," I finished for him.

"Not unless I want to be hung up with the sails, or thrown overboard, no."

"I understand. Thank you for your help, Mr. O'Rourke." Rising, I smoothed my shaking hands down my skirt and took a deep breath, closing my eyes as I steadied myself.

"Call me Tristan," he said so quietly I almost didn't hear him. Clearing his throat, he continued on, louder. "I'm sorry, Miss Greene. I'll try to stay close, should you need anything,"

"If I'm going to call you Tristan, then you'll have to start calling me Samantha," I replied with a laugh. "Or Sam, for short. That's what my friends call me."

"Sam," he said, trying it out, his gaze locked on mine. "I like that."

"I'll see you later then, Tristan?" His eyes lit up when I said his name and I snickered, blushing some. Finally, taking another deep breath, I squared my shoulders, held my head high, and brushed past him in the doorway, taking the stairs to the upper deck.

"Ah, Miss Greene! It is a pleasure to be seeing you this fine morning!" Captain Rodrigues was almost a different man entirely, from the way he held himself, to the cunning intelligence in his eye. Gone were all notions of a drunkard or madman when I studied him now. He was even somewhat handsome, though he was probably old enough to be my father. All of this did nothing to ease the icy knot in my stomach and the thoughts of what might be awaiting me later on.

As I took the captain's arm, giving him what I hoped was a friendly smile, I caught a glance of Tristan coming up top, his eyes dark with an emotion I couldn't place. He does what he must to survive, I thought, not holding any malice against him for not keeping me from the captain completely. And so will I.

As we took a turn around the surface, a realization dawned on me, blocking out all that Captain Rodrigues was saying. Here I was on a pirate ship, where the men were just doing what they had to do to live. Yes, they could have endured in other ways, but this was their path. Things were bleak, death was imminent, and this was all they had. This ship and his title were all that Tristan had. If he could bear to do what was necessary for his good will, I could do it too, as repulsive as that sounded.

"Sails!" The cry caused everyone onboard to look towards the crow's nest and sent Captain Rodrigues scrambling to the side, his spyglass held up to one eye.

"Get ready, boys," he yelled in delight. "We've got some hunting to do!"

A massive roar of delight sounded all around me, and the deck suddenly became a flurry of movement. Men were running every direction while the captain barked out orders, sails were opening to full capacity, tarps were being raised and tied along both sides of the ship, making it impossible for anyone to see how many of us there were unless they were above us. Ladders were brought out and set up in the pit, making temporary pathways that would lead them right to the side and onto the other ship. Large nets with grappling hooks were left in places on deck while other men grabbed weapons and painted their faces. Through all of this, I stood in shock, not knowing where to go or what to do.