Never Surrender (Uncharted Secrets, Book 4): Endless Horizon Pirate Stories

by Cristi Taijeron

  X

  Running down the dock behind Cardozo, I hollered, “Wait. Wait. I need to talk to you.”

  Of course he ignored me.

  He already had his belongings delivered to La Fortuna, but I had something to tell him before he disappeared into Lena’s bosom.

  He was walking so fast. I was going to lose him in the busy crowd. Driven by desperation, I picked up my speed and managed to catch up to him just before he entered our favorite brothel house.

  Grabbing his arm, I turned him to face me. “Wait.” I was so out of breath I could hardly speak.

  “Did you chase me down to huff on my coat sleeve?” He yanked his arm away from me.

  “No, no.” I slapped at his shoulder. “Listen. I know that shit was disheartening, but you knew it was coming and—”

  “I did not know they would vote me out like a fool!” He shouted so loudly the bustling crowd halted for a moment. “Não se intrometam!” he roared at them. As they resumed their pace, he hissed at me. “I thought they would at least keelhaul me or something. Perhaps hang me from the yards, or hell, even a marooning would have sufficed. At least there would have been a little honor in that. But rather,” his voice was escalating, “a petty little show of hands shooed me off of my own ship like a pesky little fly!”

  He didn’t have to leave the crew. He chose to. But understanding why he would not want to sail under Pedro’s command, I started sharing the other ideas I had thought of. “We could look for another crew to get in with.”

  “I will not sail for another man.”

  “All right then, let’s steal us a ship. That would be thrilling.”

  “I do not have a crew to sail a ship.”

  “We have a few men on our side. Some of the slaves you freed and a few of the Englishmen don’t want to sail with Pedro anymore, either. We can stick together until we find a few others to join us.”

  With a wide, ridiculous smile, he slapped his knee. “Oh, why didn’t I think of that? Hmm, let me work on my allure. Come with me fine gents, I have no ship and no future. It will be wonderful for all of us.” After looking at me like I smelled of moldy bilge water, he stormed inside the tavern.

  Following him to the long, dark wooden bar that ran along the left side of the crowded room, I sat down beside him. “Listen, Cardozo. I was talking with the freed slaves this morning. The one they call Cloud is from Panama, and he said there was an Englishman named Bentley living among his tribe. Pointing at my face, he acknowledged our resemblance. Cloud doesn’t speak English though, so I couldn’t understand him well enough to learn the story, but I think it’s my father he was speaking of. Would you be willing to translate so we can talk?”

  Exhaling in irritation, Cardozo huffed, “You understand it well enough to speak it. And if you cannot figure it out by now, that is your own problem. Not mine.”

  “Oh, come on. If it is Mason Bentley he’s talking about, we can go after him and get—”

  “We, nothing, Bentley!” Cardozo snapped. “I don’t give a shit about your family problems or the plans for your future. We once sailed together, but those days are over. Now, you are on your own in Lisbon, just like me.” Looking away from me, he waved Lena over.

  Though I was disappointed in his behavior, I knew he had a lot on his mind, and I figured I’d revisit the subject once he pulled his head out of his arse.

  While he and Lena hugged and kissed and went on about how they had missed each other, I looked around the barroom. The crowd seemed a bit more rowdy than usual, but the scenery was just as fine as ever. The wooden floor was stained the same dark color as the bar and tabletops, and the stools were painted the same deep shade of red that the chairs and booths were upholstered with. Colorful artwork was neatly displayed on the beige walls, and beautiful iron chandeliers and lanterns hung from the high ceiling. But my favorite feature was the staircase. The railing and the wall behind it were made of the same type of rocks that framed the bottom half of the walls and the massive fireplace downstairs, but what made the area so alluring were the stained glass windows gracing the staircase walls.

  If I was going to be stuck in this foreign land where I couldn’t speak the language, I was glad I had such a beautiful place to stay. But as I looked deeper into the scene, I noticed some things had changed. The whores were not quite as refined as they usually were, and the patrons—who usually acted like the fine gentlemen Antonia insisted they be—were cursing and hooting like they were at a dumpy bar in the east end of London.

  Hearing Cardozo thank Antonia for his drink, I turned back to the bar to say hello to my friend. “How are you doing, Antonia?”

  Busy as she was, she paused for a moment and flashed a love-struck smile. “Better now that you are here, Rory Bentley.” Quickly snapping back to business, Antonia reached over the bar to fix Lena’s hair. I could tell she was snipping about her less than favorable appearance, but Cardozo assured his favorite whore that she was as lovely as ever.

  Maybe for a peasant at the market, but not as a high dollar whore, I thought to myself.

  Once Cardozo finally grabbed his drink, he looked into the mug and complained, “Where is the rest of my ale?”

  While stacking the newly washed glasses—that didn’t look very clean—Antonia shouted over her shoulder, “We’re out of ale.”

  “Out of ale?” Cardozo and I chirped in unison.

  “Yes. Out of ale, and if I don’t get to the market soon, we will also be out of wine.”

  Chugging down his drink, Cardozo shoved his empty mug towards Antonia—who was wiping the sweat off of her forehead. “Give me rum then. Or brandy. Whatever the hell you do have.”

  Annoyed by Cardozo’s lack of concern about the state of the place we favored, I slapped his arm. “They are in trouble here, can’t you see? Perhaps we can help them.”

  Quickly downing his glass of wine, Cardozo sneered at me. “Help? Ha! We can’t even help ourselves.”

  “At least you are back to saying we.” I smiled.

  He glared at me.

  “What can I get for you, Rory?” Antonia rubbed on my hand.

  “I’ll take a wine as well, my darling.” I pulled out enough loot to cover the cost and handed her a hefty tip, as well. “This is for having to put up with him.”

  Cardozo drank and drank without so much as looking in my direction again. While taking note of the glassy glaze over his light brown eyes, I realized I had never seen him drunk before. I didn’t like it. His broad shoulders, which he normally held proud, were drooped and his expression had become loose and sloppy.

  Pulling Lena onto his lap, he grabbed her plump breasts so roughly they almost plopped out of the corset. I had never seen him do such a thing in public. Normally, he would romance his whores, whispering sweet things in whatever language they spoke before finally walking them by hand to their rooms. But now, being hideously drunk, he was pinching and groping, and saying stupid things in between belches.

  Standing up with a stiff one bulging in his breeches, he threw Lena’s little body over his shoulder and staggered up the stairs.

  As soon as they were out of sight, I began plotting. Cardozo would be no help to me anytime soon, and the rest of our loyal crewmen were already blending in with the other bawdy drunkards. Cloud was still in no condition to travel, and the sight of him laying his battered face on the table while the others celebrated assured me that I needed to get him care. But on the bright side of things, I had plenty of money. More than I had ever had before. Yes. While watching Antonia run herself ragged behind the bar, it all became clear.

  “Would you like some help, Antonia?” I offered my assistance. First of all, because I cared, but secondly, I needed to get closer to the problems at hand.

  “Sure,” she huffed and passed me two full glasses of wine. “Take this to the corner booth.”

  Over the next two weeks I helped Antonia by delivering drinks and cleaning tables, while plotting out my course of action. While Cardozo and the o
ther men were spending their time—and loot—on their drunken debaucheries, I was getting closer to Antonia. She liked me much more than she would have had she known I was a woman, but her interest in the man I was pretending to be was the greatest help to my cause.

  One night, as we sat on her expensive sofa, in front of the massive stone fireplace in her fanciful suite, I finally mustered up the nerve to pry into her business. “What caused all the changes around here, Antonia?”

  “What hasn’t?” She started shuffling the deck of cards we’d been playing with. “We lost a great deal of help after the war, and Franco, that stupid husband of mine, has been spending the money faster than I can make it, so I cannot afford to hire anyone new. He has been so drunk I do not think he knows what day it is, and I am worried that before long he will lose everything I have worked for.” She shuffled faster. “Supplies are low and the carriage is broken, the whores are a mess, and the sailors are treating them like shit because Franco is no longer down there to keep them in line. I am outright exhausted, Rory.” She lay back on the sofa with the back of her hand over her forehead.

  Putting my hand on the one she kept on her thigh, I said, “I have something in mind that could help us both.”

  I explained my plan, and over the next few minutes we discussed all the possibilities. In full support of the notion, Antonia led me down the hall to Lena’s room. Before unlocking the door, she whispered, “Remember, Miguel is a different man when he is drunk. I like him very much when he is sober, but when he is this way, he becomes a stupid, insolent lout. His stupidity may be to our advantage this time, but please beware of danger while you are in there.”

  I nodded to agree.

  Opening the door, I walked into the sunlit room where Lena was straddling Cardozo’s lap in the chair next to the bed. She was naked, riding him slow and rhythmically, but him…Oh, good Lord. Though he was still fully dressed, his shirt was wide open giving me my first view of his bare chest. Beneath the swirly black lace of his chest hair, his fair skin smoothly coated his well refined pectoral muscles, leaving me wondering what his abdomen looked like. But that naked whore was in the way.

  Naked whore! Shit. Remembering where I was, I shook my head just in time to hear Cardozo grumble, “What the hell do you want now, Rory, you nattering little bug?”

  “Eh, uh, I need to talk to you about something. I see you are busy, but there is urgency about it.” I stepped in his direction.

  He slapped Lena’s arse, insisting that she keep moving. “The only urgency in my life is your departure.”

  “I will leave soon, but listen. I think we should buy this place.”

  “No.” He wrapped his big arms around Lena’s little back and pulled her closer.

  “Why not?” I pressed.

  “I don’t want to, that’s why. Now, unless you’re going to stick your dick in her mouth and cover half the cost, I suggest you get on your way.”

  Annoyed by his lack of interest in my plan, I kicked a chair as I walked out.

  “Go to Hell, Bentley,” I heard him say as I shut the door behind me.

  Unwilling to take no as an answer, Antonia rushed downstairs and quickly returned with a harem of whores. Forbidding them to exit without getting him to sign the contract to buy the brothel house, she shut the door behind them and smiled at me. “Men can only think with one head at a time.” She tapped her temple. “And with this one so drunk, I believe this should be easy.”

  No more than ten minutes had passed when the door opened. It was Lena. Looking angry, she handed Antonia the signed contract.

  “Yes!” I pumped my fist.

  Lena slammed the door in my face. Antonia opened it quickly and grabbed Lena by the jaw. Like Cardozo said, I understood their language well now, and it was as clear as English when she said, “Every time Cardozo is in port, you upset my customers with your insistent desire for him. Though I tell you over and over to keep your heart out of business, I also allow you to have your time with the man you love. But if you continue acting like a bratty little girl, I will be forced to revoke the privilege.”

  With tears in her eyes, Lena nodded to agree.

  Letting loose her firm hold on Lena’s jaw, Antonia petted her cheek. “This new arrangement will benefit us all, meu doce. I assure you.”

  X

  “What?” Cardozo shouted, pacing his room wearing nothing but his breeches and a dirty white shirt. His rugged, unkempt look somehow attracted me more than his usual fine attire.

  “Just like I said, we are partners now.”

  “You lying, cheating…”

  “Pirate? Aye, that’s right. And in truth, you should be thanking me. Left to your own demise, you would have drunken yourself into destitution, but I have made a wise investment on your behalf.”

  “Wise?!” he crazily shrieked. “I don’t know shit about running a brothel house.”

  “Luckily for you, I do. And all the plans are already in order. I will be running the bar, Antonia will be tending to the whores, and I’ve given our loyal crewmen various jobs around the property. As for you, well, since I feel a little bad for robbing your loot while those whores were distracting you, all you have to do is sit back and enjoy them while I work. You own them now and can do whatever you wish with them whenever you wish, as long as it doesn’t interfere with our profits.”

  “Our profits?” He threw his arms out to his sides. “All I want to share with you is the musket ball in my gun.”

  I kept calm. “I understand your outrage, but if you kill me, you will be left all alone with these burdensome responsibilities.”

  Appearing to be frustrated beyond belief, he lowered his face into his hand. “No. I don’t want this. Give me my money back. Where’s that damned Franco?”

  “He is long gone. This is it, mate. You and me and our whores. It’s a good thing. Now we can make some money while we gather our wits and prepare to get back to sea.”

  “Do you honestly think I would want to sail with you after you have betrayed me this way?” He opened a bottle of rum and chugged it so quickly I wanted to gag.

  “I am sure of it. I did this for the both of us, Miguel Cardozo. You are the only friend I have at the moment, and friend is not a word I use lightly. You can rest assured that I will not do anything to damage you or your well-being, and one day you will thank me for all of this. I know it.”

  PART III

  Into the Jungle

  Lisbon, Portugal

  Winter of 1668

  Chapter 11

  Fall to the Wayside

  Staring at the red drapes of the canopy bed as Antonia massaged my well-rested body, I thought about how thankful I was for my current position in life. Early on, Antonia tried to make a move on me, forcing me to reveal my identity in the most awkward of ways. We have been sharing a room and a bed ever since. Having a true friend I could be myself with, and a place of peace where I could rest after a hard day’s work, made keeping up my disguise tolerable. Being able to take hot baths and relax before the beautiful fireplace helped, as well.

  Working her magic over my body until my soul fell into a complete state of ease, Antonia once again had me wondering if I truly wanted to leave this place.

  Finally lying beside me, she traced the scar on my arm. “Do you feel better, pode querida?”

  “I always feel better when you are done with me.” I ruffled my wet hair. “After a hot bath and rub down, I am beginning to wonder why I have once again chosen to take on the rough ways of the sea.”

  “Ah, I know you like it here, but your treasure is in Port Royal, so there you must go.”

  Turning onto my side, I started making a small braid in her dark hair and said, “I am not sure if a senseless memory of a long-lost lover should be considered a treasure.”

  “Nonsense. Like it or not, your heart is with Jackson Hawke, and unless you find someone who makes you forget about him, he will remain your heart’s greatest prize.”

  Annoyed by the thought
of being bothered by his memory for all of my pitiful days to come, I slapped my forehead. “Regardless of hearts and prizes, I just want to go back to Port Royal.” Suddenly humored by my life’s events, I chuckled, “That is all I have wanted to do since I left London, yet I somehow ended up a pirate of the Atlantic who now owns a fine brothel house in Lisbon, Portugal. What a turn of fate that is.”

  She giggled. “But it has been a detour well worth the taking. For you have learned things you never would have otherwise, and now you are stronger than ever and ready to face the dangers of the journey like never before.”

  She was certainly right. “Aye, and the first danger I will be facing is the fire breathing dragon hiding away in Lena’s room.” Cardozo had taken full advantage of his ownership by keeping Lena as his own and drinking himself into oblivion. The man I once respected so greatly was now nothing more than a sloppy, drunken mess, and it would be my job alone to clean him up and remind him who he was. Which wasn’t going to be easy.

  Rising from my blissful bed, I dressed in my masculine clothing. The flattening fabric was not as bad now that Antonia had sewn a piece of silk inside the band. As I put it on, she said, “It is always so sad to see those pretty tits disappear.”

  Putting on my new burgundy coat, I chuckled, “I suffer now so I won’t have to forever.”

  Once we were both dressed, she went to get Lena out of the way. When the timing was right, I braved the walk to the dragon’s lair.

  Finding the door unlocked, I slowly opened it and peered around the massive room. Cardozo had taken over Franco’s suite, and though it was nowhere near as nice as Antonia’s, it was much bigger. The aqua colored shutters were open on all the windows, and with only tall palms and vines serving as curtains, the large room was full of natural light. The canopy bed—lined with lime green and turquoise curtains—was unmade, and the desk—where Cardozo laid facedown—was covered in clutter.