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She glanced around once more, the rain slowly lifting so that I could see her features more easily as the moonlight broke out from behind the crowds. Her eyes peered out from her hood, a striking green that nearly seemed to glow in the darkness. “What reason would I be lookin’ for a cap’n than to join his crew?”
I shifted my shoulders, a bit taken aback by her unusual request. “Do you know what you’re getting into? A pirate crew is no place for…”
“Fer who…a woman?” She spat. “Yeah, I don’t need the likes of you remindin’ me. I was marooned by my last crew when they discovered I don’t quite have the same riggin’ between my legs as them. Though no doubt I was as good as any of ‘em. They never questioned my capability when I was swabbin’ the deck with my chest bound and my hair tucked up under my hat. But I made the fool’s mistake of tryna’ bathe one night and they seen me fer all I was worth, they did.”
I thought of my brief time sneaking around Nassau undercover. How difficult it must have been for her to portray this separate identity aboard a ship of stinking, rugged men, if it was true. I decided to press her. “And what makes you think I would let you aboard my ship?” I crossed my arms.
“Aye, there’s the key, sailor. I been staking out in this tavern a few weeks now waitin’ for a cap’n worth his salt to show himself. A cap’n who might’nt be afraid of lettin’ a female on his ship. A cap’n less concerned with comparing the size of his dick and more with the wellbeing of his crew.”
“And you think I’m that captain?” I raised an eyebrow.
“I dunnae. Are ye?” I glanced down at a light pressure just below my ribcage. She held a small dagger to my core. I grinned with a rumble of a chuckle and swiped the knife from her grip.
“Fair enough,” I said, putting the knife back in her hand. “You’ve proved you can be useful. But I must warn you, I’m not just scouring the seas for wealth and gain as you might think. I’m hunting something…and maybe someone.”
“Don’t entice me further.” She twirled her knife with a smirk. “So will ya be lettin’ me aboard or not, Cap’n Harrington?”
I took pause at the mention of my name. I knew she would’ve heard it by now at the tavern, but it still took me by surprise. The leftover rain dripped from treetops in a rhythmic pattern all around, like the ticking of a clock waiting for me to make a decision. “What’s your name and why is it you want so desperately to be part of a crew?”
“You only get one of those questions answered fer now.” Her eyes bore into me as her brow hardened. “It’s Clara. Clara Reid.”
I drew in a breath, unsure of whether letting this flaming Irish girl join my crew was wise. But she had helped me during the brawl. And I was short a couple of deckhands since our last looting. She spoke with confidence unmatched in most men I’d recruited. Stuffing away my initial hesitation, I tossed a firm nod toward her. “Fine. Welcome aboard the Falcon, Clara Reid.”
10
Raise the Topsails
Katrina
We’d been on the water a while, with fair weather on our side for most of it. One small storm had detoured us, but it didn’t keep us from making good time. Every few hours I would check on Mom, feeling the pang of guilt hammering at me every time I looked at her. So when she inevitably woke up, while I sat beside her, I couldn’t bring myself to put her back under.
Her eyes fluttered open. I watched her take in her surroundings, slowly and unsure as I expected anyone to be in this situation. I braced myself, running every possible explanation I could offer through my head. What would I tell her when she demanded answers? There was no way I could keep up this façade about a school cross cultural trip. Schools didn’t take trips on yachts. And they certainly didn’t kidnap students’ mothers.
“Wh—where am I?” Mom asked weakly.
I thought fast, glancing around the room, as I fought to hide my own panic. “You’re—you’re on a boat, with me, sailing for an island off the coast of Cuba.” The truth spilled out, and I chastised myself for being such a bad liar that I couldn’t even come up with something remotely better than that.
“The school trip?” She sat up, rubbing her head and eyes.
“It’s not actually a school trip. It’s just a trip. It’s hard to explain,” I said, “But you have to believe me when I say this is something I have to do. And I couldn’t leave you behind.” I paused, fiddling with the thin ring on my finger as I fought back the nervous drop in my stomach. “Someone I care about needs my help.”
“What about school? How did I get here anyway?” Mom’s face went pale. “Oh no, have I been drinking again?”
I reached forward to reassure her with a soft touch on the arm. “No, no, Mom. You haven’t. You’re good.” My voice eased out the words to calm her, but the wrinkle above her forehead only creased further.
“Then…what’s happening? Why don’t I remember getting here?” Her voice sounded more like herself, entirely different than the far away version it was back on the dock.
“What do you remember?” If I could probe her for what she knew or didn’t know, it would determine how much I could get away without explaining.
“I was…I couldn’t sleep. I kept wanting to see you—to see the ocean—and I drove here, well, to Florida. I told your father I was going. And he thought it was strange, and he started to ask me why, but I just suggested that he go visit his family up north, and he agreed. Just like that. It was very weird. But he didn’t argue. He just…started packing.”
Just as I thought. She was controlling him without realizing it.
“So you don’t remember driving to Florida or coming to my dorm to find me?” I pressed.
She shook her head, appearing uncomfortable as though she had a pounding headache. “No…What’s going on, Katrina?”
I hesitated, sitting back and blinking as I chose my next words carefully. Mom was currently out from under the siren’s control for now. I didn’t want to confuse her further. But I couldn’t tell her everything here and now without sounding like a lunatic and sending her into a panic. So, I played the only card I knew to play.
