As much as she disliked Nassau, at least she was not alone.
Toying with the pistol at her side, Anne waited for Alastair to finish his conversation with some merchant as the late afternoon sun continued to sink toward the horizon. Alastair had asked Anne if she wished to accompany him. They had not seen Teach since he left the previous day to go and speak with the governor. He had sent word that the ship would leave within three days and that the governor had kindly made sleeping arrangements for him.
“The governor wrote that,” Anne had said. The wording had been too stiff and formal. Teach would never had written a missive like that.
Alastair had agreed with her assessment. “Webb’s not letting him out of his sight.”
In the hope of catching a glimpse of Teach at the docks, Anne had agreed to go with Alastair, but Teach was noticeably absent. There were other figures striding about the deck, checking the rigging and adjusting the sails, as supplies were loaded on board the Triumph. Anne could only imagine how much preparation needed to be done, especially in such a short amount of time. But where was Teach?
“All right, let’s go,” Alastair said, returning to her side. Giving her his arm, he led the way back along the wharf. Several people nodded at him as they passed. It was clear everyone knew him on the island. And the only weapon Alastair carried was a large dagger hanging from his waist.
Anne felt Alastair’s eyes on her. “I’m sorry you weren’t able to see him, Anne. Don’t worry. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Despite the heat of the day, a shiver ran down Anne’s spine. She did not know what was worse. Sailing on the Providence and not knowing Teach’s whereabouts the entire time. Or being within reach of him, but not knowing if he was all right. She hated this feeling of vulnerability.
“I want to make the governor feel this powerless,” Anne muttered. How she hated the man for putting them in this position.
“There’s a way for you to still see Teach. I have a small sloop. If we have to, we can set sail on it. I could try to get word to Teach and we could meet somewhere, once his crew is secure and they’ve left port.”
“You truly wouldn’t mind leaving all this behind?” Anne asked, touched by Alastair’s offer.
Alastair glanced around, his gaze thoughtful. The docks weren’t nearly as crowded as they were first thing in the morning, when people rushed to and from the busy markets. Many people were indoors, resting during the heat of the day, before the evening started and patrons flocked to the many taverns and brothels. “I started the Fox with nothing. I can do it again somewhere else. I’ll be damned if Pelham makes me join his group. I’m willing to go anywhere, as long as those I love are with me. Sometimes you have to lose everything you have to get everything you want.”
“What about Beth? Her mother is buried here.”
“Beth always says wherever we go, we all live under the same sky. She’s already told me she’s willing to move on.”
“Could we do it? Could we really be prepared to leave so soon?” The only way Anne would consider boarding another ship this soon was if Teach was at her side. Surely Alastair’s ship would not be as bad as the Providence had been. And she’d have her friends with her, as well as Teach.
“It wouldn’t be easy. Like I’ve said, the governor has eyes and ears everywhere. We would have to be quick. We could take the supplies we needed from the Fox. I have a skeleton crew who could help us sail my sloop out of the harbor.”
“Where would we go?”
“There are a number of islands nearby, many of them uninhabited. If we wanted to, we could stay on one of them for several months. We’d lie low until Webb stopped looking for us.”
“For how long?” Anne asked, warming to the thought.
“It depends how angry the governor is. Until we find out what Webb wants with your friend Teach, I’m afraid I don’t have any specifics. But that’s not to say it couldn’t be done.”
Anne remained silent, as Alastair continued to think out loud, her own mind racing with possibilities. She had just sent word to her solicitor in Bristol, but she hoped she could send another missive, notifying him to hold on to her inheritance until further notice.
It took her a minute to realize that Alastair had stopped speaking. Glancing at his face, she noticed the set of his lips and the hardness in his eyes.
Anne followed his gaze, momentarily puzzled. Two dirty, coarse-looking men stood beside a wooden post just off to the side of the docks. Their faces were red from either the sun or exertion. One held a whip in his hand, laughing at something his companion had said. The other man held the remains of a rope, the edges frayed. He was the same slaver she had seen the day before at the wharf.
Anne’s blood turned cold when she noticed the dirt at their feet. Painted crimson, two furrows ran from the post, as if someone had recently been dragged away. She looked around, but everyone appeared to be moving of their own accord.
“Ah, Alastair,” one of the men called out as Anne and Alastair strode by. “I’m sorry you missed the show. A few minutes earlier and you could have helped us.”
Alastair stiffened at his words, but he stared straight ahead. Anne did the same, knowing that the two swine hoped to get a rise out of them.
“We just taught a lesson to one of the governor’s slaves.”
Anne clenched the pistol at her side. Just a few more feet and she and Alastair would turn the corner and be out of sight.
“What about her, Alastair? Did you bring her for us? She’d fetch a handsome price.”
The blood drained from Anne’s face and she could scarcely breathe around her rage.
“Pay them no mind,” Alastair ground out as they rounded the corner, only to stop. Another man blocked his path. He was smaller than Alastair, but he carried a large knife.
Anne cast a quick glance over her shoulder and noted with dread that the two men from the whipping post were right behind them. “Alastair,” she whispered.
The Irishman stepped in front of Anne, trying to shield her as they faced the three attackers. Anne pulled out her pistol at the same time Alastair whipped out his dagger.
“Oi, lookie here, boys. The lass thinks she’s gonna teach us a lesson. Ye tried that yesterday, love. It didn’t work. Remember? It’s not even loaded.”
“We’ll have to see what the governor says about that, now won’t we?” his companion said.
Clutching the weapon with two hands, Anne glared at the trio. The three of them took turns lunging at them, reminding Anne of cats playing with mice.
Except she wasn’t in the mood to play.
The largest one of the group danced forward, his knife narrowly missing Alastair’s face. All the helplessness and rage that Anne had felt in the past few weeks rushed to the surface. These men were slavers. They lived to hurt and destroy other people.