Justified Treason (Endless Horizon Pirate Stories, Book 1) (22 page)

Finally finishing the last bits of work on the ship, the crew ran off into the night just as they had the day that we arrived. Once again, I was in no such hurry. While helping Faron carry a rotten plank off the deck, he asked me, “Where’s yer mind been lately, mate?”

Annoyed that he was questioning me silence, I grumbled that I was fine, but he set the plank down in the dirt and fanned his hand at me. “Yer not fine. And I’d ask why if I gave a shite, but I don’t. All I’m gonna tell ye is to get yer head together. We need that sharp mind of yers intact once we set sail.”

Knowin’ that me part in the intended mutiny was crucial, I nodded to agree.

While waiting out the weather ashore, Faron and I found the upper hand we needed to overthrow Morley’s tyrannical lead. Faron had rounded up a steady team for the revolt, including the prisoners from the
Poseidon
. They were easily persuaded by the thought of being released from Morley’s servitude and agreed to join the cause with all the fury of hell backing their will to fight. I went ahead and called on ‘ol Perk, as he referred to himself, and
the element of surprise
he offered was much better than I had anticipated. Confident in our victory, I was ready to take on the conquest, but the stress underlining me silence was coming from another issue.

I had been keeping true to me blimey word of honor, respecting that promise I made to
Charlotte. So far I had survived the struggle, but Tortuga was the worst place I could be during me first attempt of loyalty, and the sensual resistance had exhausted me to no end. 

Amongst the heap of disasters that had struck my shitten fortune, it had also become clear that I wouldn’t be back to
Charlotte by the time the moon was full. Cursin’ meself for leading her on like I had, I started thinkin’ it would be best if she just married the man her father had planned for her. Whoever he was, he’d be more likely to provide her with the type of life she’d deserve, while all I had to offer was trouble. I was off mad fer ever thinkin’ I could be with a woman of her stature. She was a proper lady, and I was a filthy pirate. Even if she did fancy me as she thought, it’d be better for us both to forget we ever met.

I snapped back into reality lightened from the heavy thoughts and followed Faron to the tavern.

Finally letting the rum get ahead of me, I laughed more than I had in weeks and enjoyed the warm flow of alcohol in me blood. Me head was light from the buzz, free of distress, and if’n thar was a problem in the world it was nowhere near me drunken mind. 

James was drunk as I’d ever seen him, and while he swayed to keep his balance he slurred, “Good to see ye, mate. Ye been missing out on the wild pirate life of Sir James Thornton.”

Pete raised his mug. “Aye. We knighted him last night, Bentley. He blew through his loot and robbed himself enough to buy us all a round of wenches.”

While wonderin’ how the hell he pulled it off Faron assured me, “Don’t let him fool ye with his glorified deviations. He pickpocketed a dead man. That’s all.”

“Ye shall not belittle the way of thy knight.” James pointed at Faron’s chest, and Faron smacked his hand away as if he were a nattering fly. 

James rubbed the smack mark on his hand and then headed out of the tavern, grabbin’ a dowdy old wench on his way.

Afore long, it was just me and Planky leaning against the wall, and soon enough he fell over drunk leaving me standing thar alone. While kicking at his limp body to amuse meself, I heard a woman call me name. Looking towards the salacious purr to see Nadine walking in my direction, I smiled at her like a dumbstruck monkey.

Nadine was one of me favored wenches and I usually liked to see her first when I got to
Tortuga. She was wearing a blue dress embellished with white lace, and her blonde hair was pinned back with a bundle of peacock feathers. Her simple features were finely trimmed in extravagant make up, and the way her cleavage busted from her lacy corset had me wonderin’ why I hadn’t looked for her yet.

Instantly wrapping her arm around my shoulder and pulling herself up against me she hummed, “Hello there, handsome. It’s been a long time.” 

Flashin’ her with a sloppy half smile, I chuckled, “Yes it has.”

She tickled down me chest with her dainty little fingers, lighting my senses on fire. I’d gone longer times without the caress of a woman but only at sea while thar were none in sight, and the vibrant buzz that followed her touch reminded me how long it had been.

While rubbing under me collar she smiled. “I was just thinking about you, Sterling.”

Wrapping me arms around her waist to pull her closer, I watched her breasts flatten against me chest. “
Why don’t ye tell me what ye were thinkin’, sweetheart?”

She licked her red lips, and went on to remind me of our last time together. While she rubbed up and down me thigh, I easily remembered the things she could do with those hands, and me mind joyfully followed the memory she was portraying. With vivid thoughts of her blonde hair flailing over me, and the racy reverie of her voice moaning beneath me, my blood heated like magma coursing through me veins.

Wanting nothing more than to ‘ave her again, I grabbed her arse and lifted her up against me. “Ye know, ye don’t ‘ave to just be thinkin’ ‘bout it tonight.”

The hilt of me cutlass wasn’t the only hard thing between us when she kissed on my neck. “You’re right. How about we go to my room and you remind me why you’re my favorite.” Her breath was hot as the fire she set in my belly, and with me sensation buzzing louder than me thoughts, thar was only one thing that mattered in the world. I inhaled through me teeth as I nodded to agree. She took me by the hand and led me towards the back door.

The moment we stepped outside, a breeze of fresh air startled me out of me drunken daze. Tuning into the buzz of the world around me, I heard the hum of people talking, some of them were laughing, and of course a few were fighting, but the sound that rang clearest was the voice of a man reading from the Holy Bible.

“Enter ye in at the straight gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go through it.”

The damn verse echoed in me mind as I followed Nadine up the rickety wooden stairs, and the sense that invaded my carnal intent irritated the hell outta me. It’d be so easy to walk in her room, lay her down and do all the things I wanted to do to her, and when she opened her door, the relief awaiting me on her sheets enticed me like Lucifer’s light. I could get what I wanted and leave with no one but me and the devil knowin’ what I’d done, but like a nattering angel harping in me ear, that damn man kept reading from his Bible. “Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth into life, and few there be that find it.”

The words hit me like a wall of guilt and all I could see was
Charlotte’s pretty face smiling at me in the moonlight. As if that wasn’t enough incentive to behave, I also saw her crying in me arms the night I gave her the spyglass. I knew I had the power to hurt her, and I didn’t want to. Holy rotten damnation of hell! What had that woman done to me?

My body easily told me to go with Nadine, and me mind rationalized that Charlotte had most likely married that other man, but this strange new sense of heart that I had acquired made the final decision. Stopping in my tracks I let go of Nadine’s hand and mumbled, “I can’t go with ye. I ‘ave to go.”

I kissed her hand and walked down the stairs.

Hardly able to comprehend the choice I had just made, me mind took on a wild fire of aggravation. I could hardly see through the flames. With no mind to contain me rage, I staggered through the crowd of people, thinkin’ how much I’d like to punch somebody. Amidst my violent strut, a shirtless man with a rag around his head backed out of the crowd and bumped into me. Though most likely an accident, I took the crash as an opportunity to unleash the foul temper I’d been containing for far too long.

Using all me pent up rage to power the force of a solid punch, I thrashed me fist across the man’s tattooed face. His head whipped back from the blow, but he swung right back with a force just as fierce. Thrashing his fist over me jaw, pain exploded across my face leaving an infuriating ringing in me head, and I swung at him again. After knockin’ each other around for a number of mutually affective punches, I landed a heavy blow on his temple, and finally he fell over. Figuring the fight was through, I attempted to walk away, but he rolled out of his fall and came to his feet with an unpleasant surprise.

Brandishing two swirling cutlass blades, he laughed like a madman.

A cheering crowd surrounded the fight, blocking me way out, and amidst the roaring circle I realized the weight of what I got meself into. Laughing in sarcastic disbelief I huffed to meself, “Of course he would ‘ave two swords.”

Evincing me own blade to defend meself against his two, I blocked his wild swings with all the sense I could muster. Parrying every blast of his threatening swords, I didn’t ‘ave a chance to feint or slice. The intensity of his fight was backed by the savage screaming he followed his throws with, and the roaring crowd was just as wild with their interest in our fight.

One of his swords finally got through me defense. Seeing the blade slashing towards me face, I backed off just enough to feel the cold steel slice open the skin on me cheek. If I would ‘ave been any closer, he would ‘ave ripped me face apart and I’d been done for, but the other blade was quick to follow, and this time thar was no way out…

A brunt force rammed me in the gut, and with the wind knocked out of me lungs I found meself over the shoulder of a running Faron Flynn. After bashing through the turbulent crowd, Faron threw me on the ground, and while me breathless body slid across the dirt I wished I had the air to curse him for bashing me around. 

Trying to catch me breath, I sat up to see the tattooed man charging at us with his shining blades swirling in threat. To my greatest relief, Faron casually pulled out one of the pistols from his baldric and shot the raging man in the chest.

While I reached for me hat that had fallen off, Faron kicked me in the side. “Get the hell up, Bentley.”

From my pathetic place on the ground I laughed. “Ye kick me again, Flynn, and I’ll take ye down like I was ‘bout to take him down.” I pointed at the man that Faron shot to save me life.

Faron yanked me up by the collar as if I were a weightless child and pushed me towards the harbor. Walking away I noticed Nadine watching me from her porch and shaking her head as if to say that I would ‘ave been better off coming to her room after all. For a moment I thought she might be right, but overall I knew the pain of the fight would leave me quicker than the guilt of giving in ever would ‘ave.

Faron attempted to lecture me for fighting so carelessly, but we just ended up laughing ‘bout the ridiculous scene. The stream of adrenaline that rushed through me blood began to fade, and the pain of the beating I endured made way through the extinguishing burn. My head was throbbing, my abdomen was sore as hell, and while rubbing me aching face I realized that I was bleeding all over the place.

Of course, this wasn’t me first defeat, but it was rare for me to lose, and I didn’t like it one bit. Having been in so many fights with me fist and me sword, it was usually easy for me to overthrow me opponents, but I let the rum and me temper get ahead of me mind, creating a sheer set up for failure. Yet it seemed I’d released the stress I’d been harboring, so I guess the evening wasn’t a total loss.

Laughing with Faron as we walked on, we saw Pete and Marv running down the dock dragging unwilling musicians toward the ship. Faron laughed, “Guess they be liking music more than they be hating each other.”

After the wild night in town, I lay on me hammock thinkin’ ‘bout the root of the evening’s uncanny events. Though the way of me life made it hard to accept, I could no longer deny that I had something fierce burning in me heart for Charlotte Wetherby. Through the freedom of a perfect sail, across the raging torrent of storming seas, over a failed invasion and a battered ship, and even into the arms of a willing woman, me heart was anchored to that mysterious lady awaiting me in Port Royal. It had been over a month since I had seen her, and though I hardly knew her at all, the memory I thought would fade was only growing stronger.

Thar were a million women in the world and plenty of them would throw themselves in me lap at a moment’s notice, but for reasons beyond me own logical comprehension, Charlotte meant more to me; she was the only one I wanted to keep as me own. I promised I’d be true, and I’d be sticking to the code of that commitment ‘til I saw her again.

X

Wind of Glory
set sail at sunrise as planned, and the misty morning dawn made for a pleasant departure. The wind filled the full canvas sails and pushed the weight of the solid ship perfectly over the glistening tide. It was great to ‘ave her back in good shape.

As their part in the mutiny, Pete and Marv rounded up their band for a tune, alluring a few of Morley’s men to drink themselves drunk with the festivity. Pete tried to name the band Pete’s Plunder, but Marv insisted their name be The Marvelous Marvs, and while fighting over the matter, they demanded that the band keep playing.

Captain Morley had brought aboard an ugly bunch of men to add to the power of his crew. Yet unknown to him, these were the men that Perkins turned on to our side. The leader of the group was a mulatto named Shark. Covered in dark tattoos, wearing a black vest with hooks and rings hanging from it, his long dark hair was braided, and he wore a bandana over his head. He had a bushy mustache covering what was left of his teeth and his ears were pierced as much as Marin’s.