A Pirate's Heart (St. John Series)

by Lora Thomas

  “Why don’t ya go ask her?” Smitty replied with a mischievous twinkle to his old eye.

  “Good idea, old man,” Max stated as he marched to the woman in question. “Why are you up here?”

  “Well, good morning to you, too,” she replied, her hostility matching Max’s.

  Max took her arm and attempted to lead her back below deck. “The deck is no place for a woman.”

  “No?” she questioned as her brow shot up. “Well, let me inform you of something, Max. I am not one of your crew, so don’t try to boss me around or intimidate me with your ill humor. I just happen to be looking for Samuel. So, if you don’t mind, get out of my way.”

  Before Max could respond, Uveah shouted from the crow’s nest, “Sail ho! Starboard side!”

  “What now?” Max grumbled as he went the railing and pulled out his spyglass. He raised it to his eye and let out a small curse. “It’s The Sea Witch! To stations! Someone get the capt’n now!”

  Max turned towards Kristina. He grabbed her arm. She could tell from his movements that something was amiss. Ushering her into passageway that lead to the galley, he yelled, “Samuel!”

  Max’s tone caused Samuel to jump as if he had been shot. “What?!” he yelled back as he emerged from a storage room.

  Max said nothing as he walked past the boy. Samuel followed Max and Kristina into the galley. Max turned to Samuel. “You take Kris, keep her safe.”

  “What’s going on?” the boy questioned.

  “The Sea Witch is closing fast. I’ll be right back. You two wait here,” Max instructed them. He left Samuel and Kristina in the galley and proceeded to his quarters. Quickly returning, he handed Samuel a pistol and a sword. He turned to Kristina. He placed a cutlass in her hand and the pistol in her waistband.

  “Do you know how to use these?” She looked at him with fear in her eyes, but did not answer. “Kristina?”

  She nodded her head and gave a weak, “Si.”

  “Good.” Max turned to Samuel. “Keep her safe and don’t let anything happen to her. Understand, boy?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Kristina watched as Max left the galley. She looked nervously at Samuel and could sense his anxiety. She watched as Samuel walked to the small portal and looked out. When he looked back to her, his eyes had narrowed. Turning, he began pacing the floor like a caged animal.

  The tension of the upcoming battle could be felt throughout the ship. Kristina could hear the crew on deck make ready to do battle. Several shouts were yelled as one of the crew dropped a cannon ball. The echo of the rolling ball vibrated throughout the galley.

  Kristina jumped when Smitty came in and closed the portal. He looked around the galley. “Better get ready. The fun’s about ta start,” he said. He turned and walked casually out of the room as though they were about to partake in tea.

  Fun? How could he call an upcoming sea battle fun? Kristina was scared beyond reason. Oh, how she wished Max was in the galley with her. He always made her feel safe.

  Several minutes passed. The distant sound of a firing cannon could be heard. It was answered by The Abyss’s cannon.

  “They’re checking the range of each other’s cannons,” Samuel said as he looked at Kristina. He knew her fear. He had been in several battles since his time aboard The Abyss and they still frightened him.

  She looked at Samuel. “What do we do?” she asked, her voice trembling with fear.

  “Nothing. We wait. Hopefully one of our shots will sink that bastard and he can drown in Davey Jones’s locker.”

  “Who commands that ship?”

  “His name is Henry Ravenclaw,” he answered. “He used to own The Abyss until the capt’n won it from him long ago. Henry’s been tryin’ ta reclaim her for years now.”

  There was another echo of cannon fire throughout the ship. Ravenclaw’s ship returned volley and their shot made contact with The Abyss. Kristina cringed as she heard the wood splinter from above her followed by screams of pain. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her fear. Her eyes grew large.

  “Max?!” she exclaimed with worry.

  “He’ll be fine,” Samuel assured her. “He’s survived many battles. This one will be no different.”

  The Abyss returned cannon fire, firing the twelve pounders. The deafening roar caused Kristina’s ears to ring. Kristina cringed when another volley of cannon fire hit The Abyss. She covered her ears from the deafening roar of the battle. The cannon fire waged on for what seemed like eternity. More screams could be heard by the crew as another cannon ball struck The Abyss. The sound of something rolling across the deck resonated throughout the galley. Someone shouted. There was another loud round of cannon fire from The Abyss and the ship became quiet.

  “Wait here,” Samuel instructed her as he started out the door.

  Kristina didn’t listen. She followed Samuel up top. She looked towards the enemy vessel and could see that the last volley of cannon fire had severely damaged her. The top of the main mast of the opposing vessel was broken in two by a chain-shot. As she surveyed the damage of The Sea Witch, she concluded that it had been hit multiple times by the cannon balls that were connected by iron chains.

  Her eyes scanned The Abyss looking for Max. Her eyes traveled to where The Sea Witch’s blast had damaged the railing of the ship. She slowly walked in that direction as if in a trance, her eyes looking everywhere for him. The sulfuric fumes burned her lungs causing her to cough as the billowing smoke watered her eyes. She squinted, attempting to see through the smoke, her eyes scanned the deck looking for her husband. Then she spotted him, and her heart sank. Max was lying on his side; a trail of blood was trickling down the side of his head. His eyes were closed and he was unmoving.

  She raced over to him and pushed the other crewmembers who were tending him away.

  “Get back!” she yelled at them and knelt down beside him.

  “Help me roll him over,” she said to Slim.

  The tall Jamaican did as instructed. He had witnessed her fury last evening and did not wish that wrath upon him now.

  “I need a bucket of water!” she ordered as she pulled Max’s knife out of the sheath on his belt. She cut the sleeve off her shirt and dipped it into the bucket of water brought to her. She began cleaning the large gaping wound across his forehead, near his hairline.

  She cut her other sleeve off and pressed it to the bleeding laceration. Looking up at Slim, she asked, “Do you have a doctor on board?”

  “No. He died. We haf yet ta find a replacement for da mon.”

  Kristina nodded her understanding. She knew what she needed to do. In a trembling voice, she commanded, “Get me a needle and some thread. I’ve got to get this wound closed off before he loses too much blood.”

  Slim stood up. “Samuel!” When the boy approached, he instructed him to bring the needed items.

  Kristina kept the pressure applied to Max’s head as she surveyed the rest of his body. He had another large wound to his right arm along the center of the large black pin-poked tribal tattoo. But other than that, he appeared to be unharmed.

  “What happened?” she questioned.

  “When da ship was hit, da railing splintered,” Slim answered as he motioned his head in the direction of the damage. “Max was standin’ over by it.”

  “How is he?” Alex interrupted as he rushed to his injured friend. He had been attending to the other wounded, unaware of what had happened.

  Kristina looked up at Alex, the worry apparent in her eyes. Truth be told, she didn’t know how he was and wouldn’t know until he woke up.

  “I … I have to get the bleeding stopped,” she began, trying to hold back the worry in her voice, her eyes brimming with tears.

  “Here,” Samuel said breathlessly as he ran towards her with the requested supplies.

  Kristina quickly went to work with Alex’s assistance. It took several sutures to close the wound on his forehead. A large dark pump knot had formed from the blow of the splinterin
g wood. Once the wound to his head was closed, she turned her attention to his arm. It took a little longer; the wound was deep and jagged. She had to meticulously pick fragments of splintered wood from the wound. Once the debris was removed, she sutured the jagged edges the best she could and cleaned both areas with the salty water brought to her.

  She looked up at Alex. “Take him to our quarters.”

  Alex picked up Max under his shoulders and James grabbed his feet. Both men struggled under the dead weight of their friend.

  “I think you’ve been feeding him too well,” Alex complained as he hefted Max up. “The rear cannon would weigh less.”

  Kristina shot Alex a heated glare, but said nothing. She rushed in front of them and opened the door. She tossed back the covers to the bed as the men entered and carefully laid Max down.

  Kris turned to look at them. Words formed in her throat, but were unable to come out. She was afraid. Afraid that this man would die and there was nothing she could do about it.

  Alex could see the turmoil in her eyes. He motioned for James to leave and turned towards her. He wrapped his large arms around her tiny frame.

  “He’ll be fine,” Alex tried to reassure her. Truth be told, he wasn’t so sure. Max had been knocked out several times in the past, but never for this long. He had been out for over an hour, his wounds were deep, and he had lost a lot of blood.

  Kristina clung to Alex for several minutes as the tears flowed. She didn’t want anything to happen to this man. She had only known him for a few weeks, but she had fallen in love with him. She could feel Alex’s chin resting on the top of her head as he stroked her hair.

  “Get your hands off my wife.” Both Alex and Kristina turned towards the bed. Max was lying with one eye open, watching them.

  Kristina rushed to his side, overjoyed. “Shhh, you need your rest,” she scolded him as she sat on the bed, tears streaming down her face.

  “Didn’t know if you were going to pull out of that one, old friend,” Alex fearfully admitted.

  “So moving in on my wife before Davy Jones comes to see me?” Max responded with his normal dry humor.

  “How hard did you get hit in the head?” Alex asked. Shaking his head, he continued, “Lord, no, I couldn’t handle your wife. That’s why I put her with you.” Giving Kristina a playful wink, he told her, “I’ll leave you to attend to your husband, Mrs. Hart.” She smiled sweetly at him as he left, leaving Max in her caring hands.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Angelica moved slowly back to her ship, The Demon. She always despised the fact that Roger made her be the one to pay the commodore “his dues”. Roger Dearing was the captain of The Demon. He had made a deal with Commodore McClain several months ago. The commodore wanted to grant Dearing a Letter of Marque. Roger had refused, stating he had no desire to be a privateer, being under the thumb of others. He had a better offer. His idea was to split his bounty with McClain. He agreed to pay dues to ensure safe passage thorough the Caribbean. In return, McClain would turn the other cheek while Roger plundered to his heart’s content, splitting the profit with the Commodore.

  Angelica shuddered. Roger got off easy. He just had to battle, but she had to be the one to deliver the profit and pay “the dues”.

  It had been two days since the dues were last paid to McClain and her backside was still tender. He preferred the “back door method” as part of his payment. No matter how he phrased it, it was still anal sex. McClain would always point out that he did not want to catch anything from her. He informed her that if he pleasured himself with her the normal way, she would surely give him something no amount of mercury or no man could cure and that would disrupt his plans of marrying the Earl of Hyntington’s lovely daughter, Lady Madison St. John.

  As Angelica rounded the turn on the dock, she spotted a familiar looking vessel. A slow seductive smile crossed her face. The Abyss had docked. Wonderful. Max could always make her forget the commodore. He was such a remarkable lover. She saw him descending the gangplank. He was walking slowly, which was unusual for him, but she dismissed the thought from her mind. She didn’t notice the woman behind Max or the way she was guarding him.

  Angelica marched right up to Max. Without saying a word, she entwined her fingers into the collar of his shirt, pulled him down and kissed him. As she pushed him back, she sucked his lower lip, pulling it outward. “Hello, lover,” she purred.

  Max was taken aback. He had never expected to run into Angelica here. He knew Dearing hated Nassau. Before he could respond, he watched in astonishment as Kristina planted her fist into Angelica’s jaw, causing the female pirate to stumble backward.

  “Keep your hands off my husband, puta,” Kristina hissed in a dangerously low voice.

  Shock crossed Angelica’s face. Never had a woman had the audacity to attack her! She was renowned! Feared! She turned to face her attacker. Angelica towered over the angry Spanish woman; her height usually intimidated other women into cowering away, but not this one. She faced her head on, unnerved.

  “Do you know who I am?” Angelica asked in a sardonic tone.

  “Si,” Kristina replied coldly. “You are the perra who is going to die if you touch my husband again.”

  “No,” Angelica said just as coldly. “I am the woman who is going to kill you for touching me.”

  Max stepped between the two enraged women. He knew why Angelica was angry; no one ever attacked her nor did anyone stand up to her. He also knew what was on Kristina’s mind—the argument they’d had last night.

  Somehow their conversation had turned and the subject of divorce was brought up again. They had an argument, and Max became angry. So he had casually told Kristina that she could not take any lovers until after they divorced.

  “A lover!” she yelled at him, fire shooting at him from her brown eyes. “Well, let me make the same suggestion to you, my husband. If I cannot take a lover, neither shall you!”

  Max took a weak breath. His strength hadn’t fully returned and wouldn’t for several more days. “Ladies,” he interjected in an attempt to defuse the situation. “There is no need to fight over me.” A malicious thought came to him. “There is plenty of me to go around.”

  Angelica took advantage of Max’s proposition, and she placed her hand on his chest. She still needed to erase the commodore’s touch from her body. “That would be wonderful, lover,” she cooed as she took her finger and seductively stroked his jaw. “But that woman still must pay for touching me.”

  Kristina’s blood was boiling. She grabbed Max by his injured arm and dug her nails into the wound, causing a stitch to rupture. He did not turn to face her, but ignored her touch, along with the pain in his arm, as he continued to turn his charms onto the brunette.

  Kristina stepped in front of him. Turning her back on the woman, she took the heel of her hand and hit Max in the forehead where the healing wound was located.

  “Ow!” he yelled, instinctively placing his fingers on the laceration. He looked at his fingers, checking for blood, and touched his head again. “What the hell did you do that for?”

  She ignored his question and whipped back around to face the evil woman. Kristina wanted to claw this woman’s eyes out. And it must have shown in her expression for Angelica took a step back. Irreverently, Kristina seethed, “I am going to warn you only one more time, puta, keep your filthy hands off my husband or I will cut them off. Comprendido?”

  A faked expression of innocence crossed Angelica’s face. “Max, whatever is this delusional woman talking about?”

  “This delusional woman is my wife,” Max replied. “And I would appreciate it if you would remember that before you even think of insulting her again, Angelica.”

  Angelica laughed. “Oh, Max! I’m so happy you finally developed a sense of humor. But I do say, if you must play a joke like this, the least you could have done was chosen a pretty woman to play your wife.” A cynical sneer crossed her face as she looked Kristina up and down.

  Before Max
knew what was happening, he watched as Kristina raised her fist and hit Angelica again and again. She planted her fist onto Angelica’s mouth, then hit her nose twice, before pushing her off the dock into the water. As Angelica fell backward, she reached out and grabbed Kristina’s shirt pulling her with her into the warm waters.

  Kristina surfaced quickly, sputtering from her unexpected dunking. She swam over to the dock and was hoisted from the water by Max. She turned to find Slim watching Angelica pull herself out of the water, not offering assistance of any kind to the voluptuous brunette. Kristina was furious! She was already mad, then the confrontation with this woman made her angry, and now an unexpected swim!

  She whipped around to face the tall woman again, only to feel Max’s hand on her arm. “Kristina,” she heard him say with warning in his voice.

  She turned to face him, her eyes aglow with rage. “What?!”

  “Let her be. I think you’ve made yo—” Before he could finish his sentence, Kristina placed both hands on his chest and pushed hard, shoving him into the water as well.

  Slim put a tight grip on Angelica’s arm as he watched the married couple bicker. His mouth dropped when he saw Max fall into the water. Fear gripped him like icy fingers when he heard Max yell his wife’s name. He was thankful that he was not the one the quartermaster was angry with.

  “Go to hell!” Kristina yelled back at him and turned to Slim. She still needed blood from that woman. As she reached Slim, she was quickly yanked backward by a large, wet arm. “Get your hands off me, Max!”

  “Slim, make sure Angelica gets back to The Demon while I deal with my wife.” Max instructed his tall Jamaican shipmate. He left with Kristina, dragging her by her waist.

  Jerking her arm away from Slim, Angelica heatedly stared at Max. She stood with her mouth agape for several seconds, watching the couple leave. Wiping her bloody mouth with the back of her hand, she looked down at it. She looked back to the bickering couple. Max was married! Never in a million years did anyone expect that man to marry. He was adamantly against it. She watched as they walked back up the gangplank onto The Abyss.