Abe looked around. “Did ya both bring yer ships here? Where’s Riley and the rest of yer crew, Kate?”
“Actually, Abe,” John began slowly, “it’s only the five of us and the Fortune.” He knew now he would never be able to leave the ship without telling Abe everything.
“Just the five of ya and the Fortune,” Abe repeated, frowning. “What happened?”
“It’s a long story,” John told him, hoping the emphasis on long might discourage Abe from wanting to hear it.
“I’ve got time,” Abe said. “Why don’tcha come to my cabin and you can tell me all about it.”
Before John could accept or decline the invitation, Abe turned and headed for the cabin. That’s Abe, John thought. He again motioned for the others to follow. Inside the large cabin, Abe told everyone to sit down around a table. Taking his own seat, he looked closely at Skye, Will, and Matthew.
“Who are yer friends, John?”
John introduced them each in turn. “Abe, this is Skylar McHenry, William James, and Matthew McHenry.”
“Skylar McHenry,” Abe said, looking at her in surprise. “Ya wouldn’t happen to be the child of Daniel McHenry, would ya?”
“Yes, I am,” Skye replied.
“Well now, I never thought I’d live to see the day when I’d get to meet another McHenry, ‘specially the daughter of old Daniel,” Abe said with a grin. “It’s a pleasure to meetcha, darlin’. Yer father was a great man and though most of us were afeared of ‘im, we had a lotta respect for ‘im too.”
Skye smiled and Abe turned his gaze to Matthew. “So yer a McHenry too? Are ya related to Daniel?”
Matthew nodded. “I’m his younger brother.”
“I didn’t know ‘e had any kin,” Abe said in interest.
“We were separated in England when our parents died, and I never got the chance to see him again before . . . before he died.”
Abe shook his head with regret. “It’s a real shame. The world needs more men like ‘im, ‘im and that friend of ‘is.”
“Caleb,” Skye murmured quietly, still able to see his kind, fun-loving light blue eyes.
Abe nodded. After a silent moment of remorse, he looked at Will. “So, lad, who might you be to Mr. and Miss McHenry?”
“Skye and I grew up together at the orphanage in Kingston,” Will told him.
“Good friends then, I’ll bet,” Abe said.
Will nodded. “Yes.” And more, he thought, his mind going back to the fact that he still hadn’t told Skye he loved her.
Abe nodded in approval. “Good. A person always needs some good friends, ain’t that right, John?”
“Always,” John agreed.
“So now, tell me, John, how did ya come to have Kate and the last two survivin’ McHenry’s all on the Fortune?”
John knew getting out of telling the story would be impossible, so he began. A half an hour later, Abe’s curiosity and questions were finally satisfied. He looked at Skye.
“You had quite a rough time, didn’tcha, Miss McHenry?”
“Yes,” Skye answered, “though it could have been worse.”
“That it could have,” Abe agreed. “I bet yer anxious to get it all behind ya.”
Skye nodded.
“That brings me to the favor I need to ask you,” John told Abe. “It’s gonna take at least a week to get the Fortune back into good sailin’ condition— ”
“Oh, it’ll take longer than that,” Abe interrupted. “Since that storm, Puerto Seguro’s been picked clean of repairin’ materials, as well as supplies like food and water. I got the last of it two days ago. Yer gonna have ta wait for the next supply ship ta come through.”
“Well then, that makes the favor even more important,” John said. “Ya see, I don’t want my friends to have to wait here in Puerto Seguro all that time while I get the Fortune repaired and you’re the only one I’d trust to take ‘em safely to Kingston. What do ya say, Abe?” He fixed Abe with a persuasive grin. “Will you do an old friend a favor and take his friends safely back home?”
Abe thought it over. “Kingston, ya say?”
John nodded.
“Well, it’s a little outta the way, and I can’t very well go sailin’ into the port, but for you and the memory of old Daniel, I’ll get ‘em as close as I can,” Abe decided.
John smiled. “Thanks, Abe. I knew I could count on ya.”
Skye, Will, and Matthew thanked him as well.
“When will you be sailin’?” John asked.
“I plan to weigh anchor at dawn.”
“We’ll be here,” Matthew told him.
Abe nodded. They said their goodbyes then, and John led them off the ship. Back on the beach, John suddenly slowed and turned to Matthew.
“Well, I guess we’ll soon be sayin’ goodbye and who knows if our paths will ever cross again,” he said with more than a bit of remorse. “That bein’ the case, there’s somethin’ I’ve been meanin’ to tell you, and I’d better just come out with it.”
“What is it, John?” Matthew asked.
“Well . . . ” John shifted around nervously. “It’s about when I was criticizin’ what you believe the day we rescued Kate and Skye. I didn’t mean . . . um . . . I guess I was just kinda upset about the Fortune and I, uh . . . ”
Matthew smiled and put his hand on John’s shoulder. “Apology accepted.”
John grinned. “Oh good, now that that’s behind us, what do ya say to goin’ and havin’ our last meal all together. I know a place that has some great food and drinks . . . that is, if you don’t mind.”
Matthew nodded. “As long as you keep them at a limit. I’d hate to spend our last night carrying you back to the Fortune so drunk you don’t recognize me again.”
John laughed. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
He led them into the small, bustling town. They shortly came to an old tavern that looked like it had not seen any repairs in years. Skye looked up at the sign above the door. She thought she made out part of the words gold and possibly lady, but the rest of the paint was so chipped she could not read anything else.
“This is it,” John said with a grin. “Pay no heed to the outside, it’s much better inside.”
They followed him through the door and were immediately greeted by the strong smell of alcohol from the rum and ale served at the bar. The large room was filled with men sitting at round tables, talking loudly with the bar girls. Seeing them reminded Skye precisely of why she had never gone into many of the towns with her father, though this place wasn’t as bad as some she had seen and heard of.
Over the clamor of noise, a voice boomed out from the bar.
“Can it really be Captain John Morgan?”
John winced noticeably and turned toward the bar where a giant of a man stood. His height exceeded Will and Matthew’s by at least a whole head.
“Hello, David,” John greeted the barkeeper with a forced smile.
“What can I do for you?” David asked.
“I want your finest for me an’ my friends here,” John instructed.
“Drinks too?”
“Just for me . . . ” He looked at Kate.
“One,” she told him.
“ . . . and one for Kate.”
“Only one?” David inquired.
“You heard ‘im, David,” Kate spoke up.
“Aye, one,” David repeated.
He turned to get the food, and John led everyone over to an empty table at the far side of the room. They sat around it and waited, talking amongst themselves in the sea of chaos. A few minutes later, David brought them a large tray of food and several mugs of rum, one for Kate and the rest for John. They began eating and found, as John had promised, the food to be very good. Having grown tired of the little they could make on the ship, they all enjoyed it.
When she had finished her portion, Kate stood. “If you’ll all excuse me, I’m gonna find out if anyone’s seen the Half Moon lately and spread the word that if someone does see ?
??em to tell ‘em that Captain’s lookin’ for ‘em.”
John nodded, wanting her to get back to her ship as much as she did. “Good idea. And we’ll make sure you don’t go an’ disappear on us.”
Kate grinned at him and then crossed the room to a table where a few pirates she obviously was acquainted with sat. She had barely left when David called out to their little table again.
“Hey, John, why don’tcha come up here and tell me the goings on with you lately?”
John sighed heavily and looked at Matthew. “He’s gonna be askin’ me that all night if I don’t go up there. He’s the kind who can’t keep ‘is nose out of other peoples’ business. He’s gotta know everything.”
Matthew found himself laughing at the sour look on John’s face. “Go up and talk to him while the three of us finish eating,” he proposed.
“You sure?” John asked, hesitant to leave them.
Matthew nodded and John rose from the table.
“I’ll try not to be too long,” John told them, though he didn’t sound optimistic.
He left them to finish their meal, approaching the bar with great reluctance.
Twenty minutes crept past and John still stood at the bar with no sign of his conversation with David abating. The three of them waited at the table, watching him hopefully. For Skye, the crowdedness of the tavern, the ungodly behavior, and the smell of alcohol was starting to get very stifling.
To make matters worse, Will and Matthew had to occasionally shoo away bar girls who neither seemed to understand nor care that they were not wanted. What bothered Will even more was that Skye had a few of the drunken pirates showing some interest in her as well. Skye was thankful to have Will and Matthew right there to keep them away, but the whole situation was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Will and Skye were very relieved when Matthew quite suddenly stood up to say, “Let’s go back to the Fortune and wait for John and Kate there.”
Eager to go along with the idea, Will and Skye followed Matthew to the bar. John turned slightly when Matthew tapped him on the shoulder, still trying to look like he was listening to David, who seemed not to notice that John’s full attention was no longer on him.
“We’re going back to the Fortune,” Matthew murmured.
“I’ll be along as soon as I can,” John said, sighing and turning back to David, who was still oblivious to anything but his own voice.
Matthew nodded and they walked out of the tavern. Outside, Skye took a long, deep breath of the fresh sea air and sighed with relief. She heard Will do the same.
“I’ll be glad never to visit a place like that again,” Skye announced as they headed through the dark, empty streets towards the bay.
“You and me both,” Will responded with feeling.
“They are not pleasant places,” Matthew agreed.
They were halfway to the docks when three dark figures appeared on the street. Skye, Will, and Matthew came to an abrupt halt. The men wore dark clothing and their faces were covered.
“If you men are looking for money, we have very little with us. Certainly not enough to fight over,” Matthew told them as he rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The man in the middle stepped forward and his cruel, harsh laugh penetrated the dark silence. Reaching up, he pulled back the covering from his face. Skye gasped and fear raced through her body.
“On the contrary, you have something very valuable.” He peered at Skye. “Good evening, Miss McHenry. What a pleasant surprise it is to see you alive and well. I thought you had drowned during the storm, which would have been a most unfortunate event. How lucky it is for me to have met up with you here.”
With those words, Will and Matthew knew exactly who he was. Francis Kelley.
Still speaking to Skye, Kelley said, “Now why don’t you just come along with me quietly and yer friends can go on their way.”
Matthew and Will pulled out their swords before Skye could speak. Will stepped slightly in front of her, ready to defend her with his life.
“You won’t take her again, Kelley,” he declared.
Kelley smirked. “I do believe that is up to Miss McHenry.”
Skye stared at Kelley for a moment and then pulled out the sword John had given her before they went ashore. She would not be Kelley’s prisoner again.
Kelley chuckled. “So that’s the way you want to do this, is it?”
Before anyone could make a move, Skye heard the click of a pistol hammer being pulled back, and Will stiffened. Startled, Skye turned to see something that made her heart skip a beat. A pirate stood behind them with a pistol pressed to the back of Will’s head. He was joined by several more pirates appearing from the shadows until they were surrounded.
“What do you say now, Miss McHenry?” Kelley asked with an evil grin.
With a horrible sinking feeling, Skye could only let her sword slip from her hand, not willing to jeopardize Will’s safety. Matthew did the same. Will, however, held on to his as he stared at Kelley, devastated by the fact that he could do nothing to stop Skye from being taken into this evil man’s hands once again. Kelley looked at him scornfully.
“Don’t try to be a hero, boy. You’d be dead before you could even make a move.”
Having no other choice, Will finally let his sword slip through his fingers.
Chapter Fourteen
“Finally!” John sighed heavily as he and Kate walked out of the tavern nearly an hour and a half later. “He just can’t shut up, can ‘e? I thought we’d never get outta there. Matthew, Skye, and Will must be sleepin’ by now.”
Kate laughed. “You never were very good at tellin’ people you had to go.”
John scoffed. “As if sayin’ it about six dozen times ain’t enough.”
Kate laughed again. “Well, at least we’re out of there now, so let’s hurry back to the Fortune before David realizes there’s somethin’ he forgot to ask you and tries to find us.”
John rolled his eyes and muttered, “He’d better not or I just might put a permanent end to that blabberin’ of his.”
“John,” Kate scolded as she reached out and smacked him on the arm.
“I was only sayin’ it,” John told her. He grinned devilishly, causing Kate to laugh again.
Chuckling together, they continued toward the Fortune. When they reached the docks, John frowned at the darkened ship.
“Now why didn’t they leave a lantern burnin’ for us?” he wondered.
“Maybe they did and it went out,” Kate suggested.
With an unexplained feeling of apprehension, John made his way up the gangplank and onto the ship’s deck. Hair prickled on the back of his neck right before he came to a sudden stop and stared wide-eyed at the mainmast in front of him. Matthew, Skye, and Will were each bound to it and gagged.
Before his mind could even begin to process why they were there, something moved behind him and Kate gasped. He pulled out his sword as he spun around. An unfamiliar pirate had his dagger up to Kate’s throat. Footsteps thudded on deck. Looking off to his right, John spotted several more pirates. Immediately, he recognized the one in front and glared with hatred as the man spoke.
“Well, now, if it isn’t Captain John Morgan, the man who was once foolish enough to attempt to kill me. I thought for sure you were dead,” Kelley said with disappointment.
“And if it isn’t Francis Kelley, the man who murdered my best friend and first mate,” John retorted bitterly. “Trust me, I’d never give you of all people the satisfaction of knowin’ you’d killed me.”
“Still as spiteful as ever, ain’t ya?”
“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t be.”
“We’re pirates, John,” Kelley reminded him. “We don’t have friends and killin’ is what we’re known for.”
“It’s what you’re known for Kelley, not me,” John shot back. “And I do have friends, which is somethin’ you’ll surely never have, so I consider myself highly fortunate.”
Kelley shook his
head. “We can stand here exchangin’ words all night, John, but I’m not that patient. Now drop yer sword,” he demanded.
“Or what, Kelley? You’ll just shoot me again, like the coward you are?”
Kelley narrowed his eyes. “If you value her health, John . . . ,” he gestured at Kate, “. . . which I really believe you do, you’d be wise not to upset me.”
Glancing at Kate, who drew in her breath as the dagger was pressed threateningly against her throat, John sighed in disgust. He tossed his sword toward Kelley.
“Happy?” he said with a counterfeit smile that reflected his loathing for the other pirate captain.
“Quite,” Kelley replied smugly. He turned to the other pirates. “Bind their hands.”
Once John and Kate’s hands were tied securely, Kelley stepped closer to John now that he was bound and unarmed.
“I’m sure you, like me, have heard that there’s no supplies left here, which presents a bit of a problem. How much food and water do you have in yer hold?”
John smirked. “Why don’t you go look?”
Kelley glared at him. “This is yer second warnin’, John. There’d better not be a third.” He turned to some of his men. “Go see how much he has for supplies in the hold.”
Two of the men hurried below deck. They returned a couple of minutes later and reported, “There’s enough for a coupla days.”
Kelley nodded in satisfaction. “That’ll be just enough to reach Malvado. We’ll get the rest of what we need there. Take everything useful over to the Finder. When you’re done . . . ,” he paused, glancing at John, “. . . burn the ship.”
John narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t dare.”
Kelley ignored him and turned to the rest of his men. “Take the prisoners to the ship.”
The pirates cut Skye, Will, and Matthew free of the mast and all five were paraded off the Fortune, down the beach to where the Finder was anchored at the opposite side of the bay. Once aboard the dark, foreboding ship, Kelley had everyone tied to the railing where they would be out of the way, but he could still keep an eye on them. For a long time, Kelley’s men carried supplies from the Fortune to the Finder. Nearly an hour later, one of the men finally returned to Kelley and said, “That’s the last of it, Captain. They’re preparin’ to set the ship afire now.”