She nearly choked. He’d called her bluff. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She wasn’t a killer, and apparently, he knew as such.
She glanced at Dulac, who stood by the side of the ship, forced to watch his men die. He eyed her curiously, but she took courage from his slight nod. His hands were tied, but luckily they were in front of him instead of behind. She saw him inch toward an unwary pirate. All eyes were on her, so none took notice of him.
Jesse stepped back from her captive, aimed the pistol and took her shot. He fell to the deck, screaming and grabbing his wounded leg. Then she aimed at Rod and cocked the second trigger.
“I have a death wish for you, LeBlanc, not him.”
His face darkened with anger as he held up his hands. His mouth turned into a defiant pout. Reluctantly, he acquiesced.
“Fine. Take it.”
She smiled, pleased at his obvious displeasure. “Have it loaded up and lowered. Then let Dulac get in, and I’ll get in last.”
Stoically, Rod gave his men the okay, and as they scurried about, he remained under her vigilant aim. LeBlanc crossed his arms and spread his feet apart. They stared each other down, and her finger ached to pull the trigger.
The recent deaths only added to the hatred burning within her. He needed to be put out of everyone’s misery, but she hadn’t the men to stand behind her. If she shot him, his crew would surely kill her and Dulac.
Jesse didn’t move until the boat was in the water with Dulac safely ensconced. She slowly eased to the side of the ship and was given wide berth. No one wanted to eat a bullet.
Her descent down the rope ladder was tricky as she had to keep the pistol ready for action. Fortunately, no one bothered her, and Dulac proceeded to row them as fast as possible away from the ship.
Jesse sat with the pistol in her lap as if she were about to be attacked at any moment. A heavy heartedness hung in the fresh sea air, and it was a long time before he broke the silence.
“I suppose I should thank you,” he said begrudgingly.
She waved her hand dismissively. “I’m sorry about your men. I can’t believe Rod would actually do that.”
“Oh, so we’re on a first-name basis now, are we?”
She was surprised to hear the jealousy in his voice. She chose to ignore the question entirely and looked out to sea, pretending to search for land. She blinked unbelievingly when she actually saw it. She even rubbed her eyes before admitting to what she saw. Then she pointed.
“Land.”
Dulac kept his eyes on her. “I know.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t even look.”
He shrugged. “I saw the sea gulls.”
Jesse squinted at the sky, seeing only one or two herself. “That doesn’t mean anything. Seagulls fly far from land all the time.”
He shrugged again. “Okay, I saw it on a map before we were outed.”
Dulac stopped rowing. “But we might not want to go there.”
“Why?”
“It’s LeBlanc’s home.”
* * * *
They dragged the rowboat across the beach. Dulac pulled, and Jesse pushed. They hid it in the island’s dense foliage, and Dulac took a large palm leaf and obliterated the prints left in the sand. They climbed in the boat and partook of a small meal.
Jesse’s face still burned with embarrassment. LeBlanc had let them go because he knew he’d catch up with them on the island. As soon as his ships came in, he’d send his crew after them.
“We’ll gather fresh fruit and leave with the outgoing tide,” Dulac stated as if reading her mind.
“When’s that?” she asked a bit forlornly.
“I figure in about five to eight hours from now.”
“He’ll be here by then.”
“He’ll be on the other side. It’s a large island. Don’t worry.”
She snorted. “Tell that to my stomach.”
“We should also bring some large palms to shield us from the sun.”
She bit her lower lip in consternation. “What if he decides to sail around the island to look for us?”
Dulac lost his temper. “Damn it, boy, would you quit worrying?”
The sharpness in his voice brought womanly tears to her eyes. With hurt feelings, she bit her lip and avoided eye contact with him. She crossed her arms and scrunched down in the boat.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
“I’m taking a nap,” she snapped. She wondered how she would accomplish such a task what with her emotions in an uproar. Nonetheless, she closed her eyes and ignored him as best she could. A few minutes later, the boat shifted as he left.
Good riddance.
* * * *
She didn’t sleep, and though an hour had passed, Dulac had yet to return. She wondered what he could possibly be doing. Her insides iced in fear.
What if LeBlanc has him?
She scrambled out of the boat and cautiously viewed the beach. It was empty. Nervously, she stepped out of the foliage and followed his footprints, which kept close to the edge of the jungle and ended about half a mile down. So he had obviously gone into the wild. A glance at the sea reassured her the horizon was still empty.
No ship on this side at least.
She sighed with relief and plunged into the forest, heedless of the fact there wasn’t a trail to follow. Only when she’d gone a ways did she stop to ponder which direction he may have taken. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and with her hands on her hips, she searched the foliage. There was no sign of him, but her eyes widened as she found a bush full of berries. She stomped down the tall weeds in front of it, and her fingers soon became berry-stained.
Her taste of heaven was soon disturbed by a high-pitched, piercing squeal, but before she had a chance to turn around, some thing had attached itself to her back. She screamed as two furry hands grabbed fistfuls of her hair. It’s tail wrapped around her neck as she spun wildly in a futile attempt to throw off the beast.
Strong hands stopped her jungle dance before she ran into a tree. Jesse looked up into sky blue eyes. Her heart hammered from exertion, and she growled through clenched teeth.
“Get this thing off me.”
Dulac held his arm out, and the little beast quickly jumped on it. Her jaw dropped as she saw it was only a baby monkey. Dulac couldn’t contain his mirth, and she balled up her fist. Her punch did little to faze him, and the whole jungle seemed to join in on his laughter. The chuttering and barking of monkeys drew her attention to the fact she had an audience.
“Ain’t funny,” she yelled. The monkeys only became louder, and she screamed, “Shut up.”
“Aw, come now, Jess. It’s just a monkey.”
His handsome smile distracted her, and for a crazy moment, she had to fight the urge to kiss him. Instead, she focused on the little monkey. The chit was now on top of his head, innocently picking through his dark hair. Dulac looked ridiculous, and when the tail slipped down and curled around his nose, she couldn’t fight the wave of unexpected laughter. To her surprise, Dulac laughed with her.
Minutes later, he set the little monkey on a low branch and motioned to follow him. With a secretive smile, he led her deeper into the jungle until they came to a small clearing. Jesse hadn’t realized until then they had been walking up an incline. For while it wasn’t high, they stood on the top of a small mountain with a nice view.
Dulac pointed. “See?”
Perplexed, her head turned in the direction he indicated. Her jaw dropped. While it appeared to be a good distance away, the sight of another island sent a giddy happiness through her.
“Oh please let it be true,” she whispered.
“Oh, it is. See the sails?”
“This isn’t LeBlanc’s island,” she exclaimed as she saw the billowed sails.
Overcome with joy, she forgot she was a boy and threw her arms around him. She pressed her lips to his, and he responded briefly. He shoved her back, and she fell on her rump.
“Do that
again, and I’ll tie you to a tree and leave you as a gift for LeBlanc.”
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and actually spit on the ground beside her. Her eyes watered. His action hurt her heart more than she cared to admit. She watched him storm off into the jungle.
Tell him. Tell him you’re a female, Jesse. Get up off your arse, and go tell him.
Jesse shook her head, recalling the last time she had revealed her femininity. She had just turned twelve, and on that very day, she’d had her first menstrual cycle. Not knowing what to do, she hid and cried. Captain Sawyer, her first pirate captain, had found her, and she had been forced to tell him the truth. Remarkably, he had not been mad. In fact, he had helped her to his room, and, after giving her rags to use, he had given her privacy to clean herself up.
He spoke nothing of it until several days later, when they were boarded by the Lifesaving Service for inspection and papers, albeit fake ones. She’d never forget being called into the captain’s quarters with just him and the Lifesaving Service captain.
“I’ve a favor to ask of ye,” said Captain Sawyer to the other captain. “And I beg of you to keep it between the three of us. It has recently been brought to my attention that the lad here is in truth a lass.”
The dark haired captain raised his left eyebrow. “Really.”
“Yes, sir, and I think it would be best for her if you would take her and find her a suitable family. She deserves a chance and...life at sea is no place for a female.”
Jesse protested. “But, cap’n, I love sailing, and I earn my keep. I do.”
He held up his hand and gave her a warning glance. Then he looked back at the other captain. “Well, sir? What say you?”
Jesse had looked at the man then, and something about the way he had been staring at her had sent a shiver down her spine. The man smiled at her, and it reminded her of a shark’s mouth. She took a step back.
“All right,” the man said. “I’ll take her.”
Captain Sawyer looked at her then, and she felt as if she were losing another father. He smiled at her tentatively. “Go get your things, sweetheart.”
Reluctantly, she nodded, and after gathering her few belongings, she had returned to the captain’s quarters. She stopped short when she saw that the only one in the room was the Lifesaving Service captain. He smiled the shark’s grin and beckoned her closer.
“Where’s Captain Sawyer?” she asked.
“He had to go up on deck for a moment. He’ll be right back.” He waved at her to come closer, which she did, albeit reluctantly. When she was close enough, his hand snaked out, grabbed her wrist and yanked her into his lap.
Frozen with fear, Jesse sat stiffly while the man placed his hand on her knee. His deep voice rumbled in his chest, and his breath smelled fishy. “Don’t be afraid, girl. I just want to know what you taste like before I take you with me.”
Before she could protest, his clammy mouth pressed against hers, and his beard stuck in her skin. She tried to pull back, but his arms held her still. His tongue pushed past her lips until she thought she’d throw up. She fought him with everything she had. Her twelve year old body, however, had been no match for him.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Jesse had suddenly found herself on the floor as the Lifesaving Service captain jumped to his feet. She had looked at her captain standing in the doorway and saw his face red with fury. She knew that look and knew there’d be hell to pay. She had scooted away from the man as quickly as possible, surprised at how well her captain contained his rage.
“I was just having a taste of the girl. What’s the harm in that?”
Captain Sawyer had looked at Jesse and back at the man. “I’ve changed me mind. She stays with me.”
The man sniffed and headed toward the door. “Fine by me.”
When they stood toe-to-toe, her captain said, “And if ye tell anyone about her true gender, I’ll tell your superiors you raped a child.”
Silence momentarily covered the tension in the room. Then the other captain replied, “Again, fine by me.”
He had left then, but his memory still haunted Jesse. To this day, she was afraid of the Lifesaving Service; afraid they were all like that one captain; afraid she’d run into him and that he’d recognize her. And so, she had made a pact with Captain Sawyer. She would do whatever she could to keep her gender a secret.
Jesse thought of Dulac, another Lifesaving Service member. Not even him, cap’n. I promise.
* * * *
The jungle’s foliage slapped at Dulac as he barreled his way down the small mountain. He welcomed the fight as it helped wipe away the memory of Jesse’s completely unexpected and unwelcomed kiss. He paused to draw the back of his hand across his lips for the hundredth time, but he could still feel the softness of Jesse’s lips against his. He shuddered and continued on his way down.
I wish she—he hadn’t done that. I was just getting used to thinking of him as the brother I never had. Then he goes and pulls that stunt, the stupid little imp.
Dulac stepped in a mud puddle and cursed. He pulled his right foot free of the muck and shook it, but water had poured into the inside of his boot. Grumbling, he set off toward the beach again, only becoming more aggravated at the squishing sound his right foot now made.
When he finally broke free of the jungle and stepped onto the beach, he immediately plopped down and pulled off both boots. He dug his feet into the sand and put his elbows on his knees. Morosely, he watched the waves roll onto the beach.
Why couldn’t I have been stuck on this island with a beautiful, buxom red-headed woman? Or even a dark haired beauty. Hell, I’d just settle for any woman, even an ugly one. But, no, fate had to pair me up with...Jesse.
The soothing white foam from the waves helped Dulac to clear his mind. He would love to get his hands on a bottle of rum. A hot meal would also do wonders. A steaming bath was another luxury that he would enjoy.
Dulac leaned back on his elbows and stared up at the blue sky. He let the sound from the waves fill his ears. They whooshed and rolled back, then whooshed again. A breeze from the Gulf caressed his skin, competing with the sun’s rays. If it weren’t for the fact he had to rummage for food, not to mention hide from Rod, he might have enjoyed his stay on the beach. He sighed, knowing it was only a matter of time before Rod came after them. The pirate wasn’t stupid, after all.
He sure as hell wasn’t a good guy, either. Dulac winced as he heard the ghostly screams of his fellow LSS mates dying. His stomach soured, and a weight settled on his chest as if a thousand seashells had been placed there. This grief felt guilty, as if he had been the cause of all those men dying.
In a way, he was. If Rod hadn’t seen the LSS tattoo on his hip, none of this would have happened, and they surely would have caught up with the “fancy” ship. Said ship was, of course, owned by the LSS, but that was a moot point now. He dreaded telling his superiors the faux pas that had cost his fellow mates their lives.
It had been just after sunrise, and Dulac had just pulled off his shirt. He stood at the water barrel, intent on a quick rinse before the day began. The shirt had slipped out of his hands. After retrieving it, Dulac realized Rod stood behind him with a clear line of sight to the tattoo. Their eyes had locked, and in that instant, Dulac knew that Rod was aware of what the symbol meant. Hastily, Dulac had pulled the shirt back on, but the damage had been done.
Dulac snapped back to the present. Had it not been for Jesse, he’d be dead too. Unbidden, an image of a monkey wrapped around Jesse’s head popped into Dulac’s head, and a brusque laugh escaped his lips. The lad must’ve thought it was an ape. His mad spinning almost sent him right into a tree had Dulac not grabbed his arms.
Dulac sighed, realizing he’d already forgiven the young usurp for his faux pas. The lad had just been overly excited, Dulac surmised. He paused in his thoughts before wondering when he had gotten so attached to the young man. If they could ever get out of this mess, he int
ended to help set Jesse on the right path...in the area of women and a good life away from pirates.
Chapter 6
April 16, 1900
Jesse gasped as the cold water rushed over her feet. It was the middle of April but the Gulf of Mexico wouldn’t warm up until sometime in May.
The turquoise water swirled around her calves, and Jesse braced as the next wave rolled up. She sucked in her breath at the sharp coldness. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before she became used to the water, and Jesse held the sharpened stick ready. Something pink flashed beneath the water, and she slammed the spear down into the watery sand.
Another wave chose that moment to crash into her, and she waited for the sand to clear. Her spirits sank when she realized the fish had gotten away.
But the pink still shimmered, and she reached down into the water. Just as her fingers clutched the smooth shell, a huge wave pushed into her, knocking her on her butt. She laughed as another wave ran over her. Triumphantly, she held the pink conch up in the air.
“Nice catch, but I think we’d break our teeth on it.”
Startled, she looked up at Dulac. His bare chest glistened with salty water, and the breeze tossed his hair about like the Gulf tossed seashells. His sky-blue eyes sparkled, and his lips were rosy from the sun. Mischievously, she slapped a wave as it crested and laughed at his startled reaction. “It’s not so bad once you get used to it.”
A wave barreled into her, making her lose her balance, and she fell into his arms. He, in turn, lost his footing, and they both fell into another oncoming wave. Laughing, she held up the pretty pink conch shell.
“I’m not giving this back to you, Miss Gulf of Mexico.”
As the Gulf jostled their bodies together, a fire sparked between them. It was almost comical the effort he made to get away from her. He gained his footing a few yards away from her, and he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes. Jesse became overwhelmed with the need to run her hands over his glistening chest.
“You’re wasting your time,” he said, pretending as if nothing had happened.
She immediately raised her defenses. “What?”
“No fish. We can’t risk Rod seeing smoke from a fire.”
A Pirate's Kiss Page 5