Acel glanced at the rear of Burke’s ship at the other vessel coming quickly behind. “Okay, hurry!” he whispered to her, then turning to face the helm of The Beloved Loss, Acel screamed “Captain Marin St. Aubin, I need a word with you and your Quartermaster immediately! I will not talk to this girl. I’m sending her away! Come immediately or I’ll prepare my cannon.”
Falco raised up from behind the barrels where he was hiding and Marin walked a few feet away from the helm, “What does he want, Cori?” Marin asked.
“He will not speak to me, Sir. He demands to talk to you and Falco about Captain Belcourt’s release. No funny business, he says, he just wants to talk to you both,” she shrugged convincingly.
“Stupid girl, you cannot ever do anything by yourself, can you?” Falco yelled. He reached Cori’s side right before Marin did and harshly shoved her out of their way. Acel witnessed it from a distance. As soon as Marin and Falco stood ready to talk to Acel, Cori ran from the deck to her quarters.
Burke heard the locks moving and stood ready, waiting for whatever was to come. When the door burst open, Cori shakily waved him forward. The two of them rushed up the stairs and toward the armory. Luckily, everyone’s attention was dead centered on Burke’s ship so they did not see the two pirate prisoners sneak to the large gun chest. Acel, on the other hand, did see them. He held his breath and hoped his cousin’s plan worked. Ace was not sure what part the girl played in Burke’s grand arrangement but he was trying to trust the plan.
They threw the lid off of the chest and grabbed a couple loaded guns off the top of the pile. “Captain!” Klaas screamed as he noticed Burke and Cori.
Marin whirled around and saw his daughter. “You traitor!” He yelled. Burke already had his pistol pointed at the pirate captain, quieting any further words.
“Just let Cori and me off of this ship and safely onto The Heart of Calais and we shall call it even, Marin. We shall not attack you; we will let you go peaceably. Just let the two of us off this ship, if you refuse I shall shoot you,” Burke yelled in a voice that allowed no argument.
“You can go, but you cannot have my Mevrouw!” Falco screamed irately.
“She does not like being called that, you disrespectful imbecile. No, I will not go without her,” Burke defended. Cori’s palms were sweating and her heart was beating rapidly. She was terrified.
They were almost to the middle of the deck and Acel was already preparing a ladder to throw across to help the two in. All of the sudden, an extremely loud blast sounded through the air and The Heart of Calais shook violently, sending waves right in between the two boats. It separated them a few more yards, enough that a ladder would not be long enough for them to cross.
“IT IS THE OTHER SHIP,” Falco screamed. “They are opening fire on us!”
“No, boy. They are not! They are attacking The Heart of Calais! This is our chance to get away without a fight. Hurry!” Marin yelled as he ran back to the helm.
Acel was barking orders at Burke’s crew and turned back around to access the situation with The Beloved Loss. Marin already had the ship in motion and Acel, thinking as quickly as he could, threw a rope across. It was barely long enough to reach The Beloved Loss but Burke grabbed it. “It’s not long enough for you both, Burke!” Acel yelled. “Just grab it and get over here. We’ll save the girl when we take down The Beloved Loss. Please, just come now!” he pleaded.
“No, Ace. I cannot leave her. Just go. Meet me at Hispaniola. I shall find you somehow; just take care of my boat! Why is that ship waging war on you?” Burke asked.
“They are undoubtedly the most ignorant buccaneers I’ve ever come in contact with. Their ship is old and worthless, why would they even try to bring us down?” Acel questioned in irritation. “It won’t be a problem, Burke.”
Burke nodded, “Just take care of my ship, see you later.”
That was as much as could be said, Marin was sailing away and Falco was sprinting toward Burke and Cori. A hard punch to Burke’s stomach was the first thing that introduced Falco’s presence. “WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LEAVING MY MEVROUW ALONE?” Falco screamed.
“She does not want to marry you! All she wants is to get away from here. I have not touched her, you moron! She is too good for you and this ship,” Burke said, returning a jab into Falco’s eye.
A fist fight broke lose as Cori screamed for the two to separate. “Stop, stop! Please stop, Falco, do not hurt him!” She wailed.
Then, to her surprise, she realized that it was not Falco doing the damage. She had never seen her fiancé taken down in a fight, but Burke was teaching him a lesson he would not soon forget. Falco was screaming and trying to crawl away as Burke viciously pounded the Quartermaster’s head into the boat dock.
Within seconds, Laron and Yvet raced to the scene, breaking the two men apart. Yvet grabbed Falco and shoved him away; Laron grabbed Cori’s hand and pushed her towards the stairway. “Both of you, run! Go to your room, Cori, and stay there, okay? Burke, you too! Just go, we can calm Falco down. Run!” he demanded.
Cori did not need anymore coaxing; she started to run, stopping when she reached the stairs. Burke was not behind her. He refused to give in. Shrugging Laron away he punched Falco another time, then another, before anyone could tear him off. Cori ran to Burke’s side. “Stop, Burke! Come on!” she yelled.
Burke seemed not to hear her. She did not know what to do to get his attention. Then, it hit her. There was only one thing she knew to do to make him forget about Falco. She rushed between the two men, grabbed Burke’s chin in her small hands, and kissed him on the lips. Burke jumped back in surprise, distancing himself from Falco inadvertently. His mouth dropped open and he stared at Cori in shock, “Now run!” She screamed.
Cori grabbed Burke’s hand and flew across the deck, back to the stairs. She could hear Falco screaming curse words behind her but she did not slow down. Cori rushed Burke into her room and slammed the door behind her. Pushing her partner-in-crime out of the way she grabbed her heavy trunk and pushed it up against the door, blocking anyone’s entrance. That was not good enough, she decided, and she heaved her heavy armoire up against the door as well. Burke still stood motionless with his mouth gaped open. Out of breath, Cori slumped to her bed.
“Did you just kiss me?” Burke asked in confused astonishment.
Cori rolled her eyes sarcastically, “Yes, Burke! I didn’t know what else to do to get you away from him and down here to safety!”
“You just kissed me,” Burke repeated again, trying to grasp what had happened. “And I really enjoyed it, despite the situation.”
Cori scoffed dramatically. “Our plan fell through, Burke. We’re both dead. You know that right? We’ll never make it to Hispaniola. As soon as we get a safe distance from your ship my father is going to feed you to the sharks. Sharlene shall beat me and do the same thing if I’m still breathing.”
“What are we going to do?” Burke asked, trying to think of a plan.
“There’s nothing we can do! We’re still at least one or two days away from Hispaniola,” she cried.
Burke slumped to his chair, “How long will this trunk and armoire hold them?”
“Not long if they really want in,” Cori explained.
Burke could not think of any plan that would save them until they reached Hispaniola. “We shall just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully The Heart of Calais will stay on their tail and keep them busy.”
The pair waited, and waited, and waited. To Cori’s surprise, no one ever came. They each slept restlessly through the night, rising at every sound. Finally, the morning came and a light rapping sounded on Cori’s door. “Who is it?” she asked quietly through the chest and armoire.
The door slightly bulged showing a small crack. Novia stuck her skinny fingers through the door in a waving motion. “Oh, Aunt Novia!” Cori wailed.
She slid the armoire out of the way, then the chest. Novia slid through the portal and hugged her niece tightly. “Oh! I was
so worried about you!”
“I know, I was scared too. I kept expecting someone to come get me for punishment but no one has. What is going on?” Cori begged.
“Marin is nervous about getting the ship to Hispaniola. That is all he is focusing on for now. He demanded that Sharlene leave you both alone until we get to land. Falco has been in his bed since Captain Belcourt socked him! He is nursing his cuts and bruises, complaining that his handsome face is destroyed.” Novia explained.
Burke turned to the Hispanic maid, “Novia, as soon as we get to Hispaniola I am getting away from this ship and bringing Cori with me. I am concerned for her safety and shall do anything in my power to save her from Falco. You and Guillermo are welcome to flee with us, if you would like. My ship is meeting me there and I will gladly drop you off at Cuba or wherever you would like to go. Do you agree to come with us?”
“Si, I shall speak to Guillermo about it. When we get to Hispaniola and everyone else is busy I will try to unlock your door. Do whatever you can to save my niece, with or without Guillermo and me. I must go,” she whispered. With that, Novia turned and ran out the door.
Burke helped Cori move the chest and armoire back against the doorway. When they both sat down again, Burke flashed a bright, white smile to Cori. His blue eyes twinkled and she stared at the crooked scar on his cheek, “What are you so happy about?” Cori asked. “We have not made it there yet! My father could easily change his mind and we may never reach Hispaniola!”
“I am not smiling about that. I am still shocked that you kissed me,” he chuckled.
“Oh, it is not like I enjoyed it or anything!” she said, blushing deeply.
Burke leaned back in the uncomfortable cranberry chair. He propped his feet up on the small table and smiled ruefully at Cori, shaking his head. The dark haired beauty smiled back and rolled her eyes in response, cuddling into her little bed. Burke closed his eyes, wondering why his hands became sweaty whenever Cori was around.
Teasing Cori about her purpose-driven kiss seemed natural, like something he did not have any choice but to joke about. What surprised him was the fact that he could not get the kiss off of his mind. It felt right, comforting, intriguing, and once again he felt as if she was luring him in. For what this time, he did not know.
Cori squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to block out anymore of Burke’s mocking. Yes, I kissed him! So what! She silently scoffed. The worst part is, Burke is not the only one who shall make a big deal about it. Falco, Sharlene, and my father are surely livid. If I do not get away from here soon, I will never live this down, if I live at all. Cori told herself over and over that it was no big deal; kissing Burke was the only thing she could think to do to get him off of Falco.
It was supposed to mean nothing, but for some reason the way his soft lips felt against hers and the masculine scent of his skin sent shivers down her spine. She could not stop thinking about the brief kiss they shared. Since Cori had never kissed a man before she did not know if her emotions were normal or not. Do all kisses feel so wonderful or was something about his kiss exceptionally special? She wondered.
“We are sound and stable again, Acel.” Karoly informed the First Mate confidently.
“Thank Heavens,” Acel replied in relief. “Burke would have killed me if he returned to The Heart of Calais and it was torn to pieces. No damage was severe, I suppose?”
Quain smiled, joining the two. “Nah, everything looks fine now that Karoly made a few minor repairs. Do not worry; Burke will be happy when he gets back! I just finished in the cargo room and those buccaneers who attacked us had a ship full of goods from the America coast! Burke shall like all of our new cargo from America. Besides, that will save us some time traveling there after taking down The Beloved Loss.”
“I do not know if Burke wants time to be saved or not. Odie is still in her room sulking and pouting about Burke being gone. She has been questioning me about who his wealth shall be left to if he dies! I am just disappointed that we could not get Burke off that boat,” Acel huffed.
“Calm down, boy!” Karoly soothed, “You know the captain, nothing can keep him down! He shall be fine; you just worry about this ship and let him take care of himself.”
“I cannot understand why he would not just leave that woman there! She is a pirate, why is he trying to help her?” Quain asked.
Karoly smiled, “Let me tell you both something you may or may not know about our tough, brutal, unstoppable captain. Hidden deep in that thick chest of his is a heart. It is a big, beating, soft heart. He does not want anyone to know it is there, but rest assured, it is! Something tells me he wants to save that girl, rescue her. Maybe she is in danger, or maybe Burke just thinks she is pretty and wants to take her home.”
“Sure, she is gorgeous,” Acel agreed, “but why does that make any difference? It is not like he can marry her or anything! Not with Odie around!”
“Perhaps he wants her as a mistress?” Quain questioned.
“We will just have to ask him when he gets back on board,” Garner surmised as he joined the rest of the crew.
“Everything alright in your department, Garn?”
The Gunner smiled, “Good as gold! I wish we had attacks more often.”
“Do not wish that upon us until Burke is back!” Acel chuckled to the trigger-happy Gunner. “Okay, men. Let’s get back to work. They are several hours ahead of us and we need to make a speedy arrival at Hispaniola. I do not know if they shall be able to escape the pirates or if we shall have to fight for their release. Since we are not too popular there anyway, we better be prepared.”
SEVEN
The room was getting darker and Cori lit a few candles. Everything had been quiet and no one bothered to come for punishment. No one had come with food either. “I am starving,” Burke complained.
“Yeah, I am too,” Cori answered. Loud footsteps were heard down the hallway and quickly passed Cori’s door. More were heard every few moments. The footsteps were sometimes walking quickly, sometimes running, but always in a hurry. “When do you think we will be getting close to Hispaniola?” She asked knowingly.
“Well, the way it sounds out there with people staying so busy it may be soon. Do you think they have spotted land?” he asked.
“Perhaps!” Cori answered. A light knock was heard on the door and Guillermo shuffled in.
“Cori,” he said in broken English, “the captain has spotted Hispaniola in the distance. Novia said that you shall try to leave. We will escape this ship one day but we cannot go with you now. No one can take a chance on you being seen. Okay?”
“Okay,” Cori agreed, hugging her uncle. “Thank you for everything, I hope we are soon reunited.”
“Me too, child.” He sighed as he left the room.
It was late into the night when The Beloved Loss made it to Hispaniola. Cargo remained on the boat since they planned to fix the ship and leave again for Africa. Burke had no belongings with him aboard The Beloved Loss. All he had was the clothes he was wearing. He advised Cori to pack a very small, easily hidden bag with her necessities in it, “Once we attack The Beloved Loss and take your father as prisoner, then it shall be safe to get all the rest of your things. For now, just get what you have to have.”
Cori packed her hair brush first and folded a set of clothes into it. She picked up one thing, shook her head and put it back into the dresser drawer, then another and another, trying to decide what all to bring A moment later her small bag was stuffed totally full. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the door but it was not the timid, cautious one of Guillermo or Novia. She barely had time to stuff the bag under her pillow and sit down inauspiciously when Falco threw the door open and barged in. He scowled fiercely at his fiancé, “We have arrived at Hispaniola, Mevrouw.”
She was too afraid to answer. I will be punished and killed before I get a chance to escape! She silently cried. He glared at Burke with his lip curled, “I do not know what kind of man you think you are, Captain Belcourt, but I can assur
e you that a bullet could kill you just like everyone else. Marin has given me his permission to kill you, due to that stunt you tried to pull with my Mevrouw. Your time is short.”
“You may try if you please, Falco. A bullet would kill me, the problem you shall have is hitting me with one,” Burke shrugged.
Falco stared at Burke in rage, stomped out of the room, and slammed the door behind him. The bolts were clicked, ensuring their captivity. “We have to hurry, Burke!” Cori exclaimed quietly.
“Would you be upset if he killed me?” He questioned.
Cori faced him in surprise, “Burke! What kind of question is that? Of course I would be upset! I would be devastated!”
Burke stared at the floor, “Why?”
“I do not want you to die, especially because of me!”
“Would you be sad that your escape plan was ruined?”
Cori could not understand his reason for the depressing questions, but she answered honestly. “Of course I would be sad that we could not get away but I would mainly be upset that something bad happened to you. I do not know why you work in the career that you do, but I know you are the nicest man I have ever met in your job field. You do not deserve to be killed.”
He did not know what she meant about his career. However, Burke believed she was compassionate and truly did care about his life. Cori was much more loving than Odelia Vadeboncour. Although Cori did not love Burke she would still have more compassion than Odelia. The dark haired princess is certainly not a normal pirate, Burke thought to himself as Cori finished packing her bags. She cares little for money, jewels, or crime. She is not hateful or malicious. Cori wants a normal life, legal and fair. I wonder what husband she will choose for herself when she is free.
The thought crossed Burke’s mind that Cori might fall in love with Acel. He was not sure why, but the idea irritated him. His cousin was a great man, romantic, handsome, and kind. He would make a wonderful husband to Cori. But for some reason Burke did not want to picture Cori marrying any man. Burke played a list of Dukes, Knights, Counts, Marquises, and Princes through his mind and none of them seemed good enough. They were too weak or to strong, to nice or to mean, to proud or to timid. Well who would be good enough, then? He questioned himself in a foul mood. Me? Yeah, if she wanted to marry a married man! Or a sailor!
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