“Of course.” Easton stood, only to sway precariously on his feet. It appeared he’d lost more blood than anyone realized.
Teach spread out one of the sails lying on the ground. He and a handful of Easton’s men lifted the pirate up and placed him carefully on top. They carried him slowly down to one of the waiting skiffs. Anne and Benjamin followed.
“I demand an explanation,” Kitts sputtered, striding down to the edge of the water.
Teach turned, the gentle waves washing his boots clean. “About what?”
“Her!”
Startled, Anne stumbled backward as Kitts pointed a shaking finger in her direction.
“The last time I saw this woman, she was being questioned for the charges she brought against the governor’s wife.”
“No, she was being held against her will while she was trying to save the governor’s life. Not that he deserved it,” Teach said.
“What is she doing here?”
“She’s coming with me.”
Kitts’s face flashed a bright red. “This is outrageous. There are laws to be—”
“Look around you, man! This isn’t England and it isn’t even Nassau. There are no laws or rules out here.” A vein pulsed at Teach’s temple. Anne knew the tether on his anger was about to break.
“For your information, I was never questioned about my involvement. The governor’s wife killed a woman in cold blood. I was found guilty of that murder without the benefit of a trial. Now, if you will excuse us,” Anne pointed to Easton, his wound bleeding out, “we have to see to this man’s injuries.”
“What exactly do you expect me to do?” Kitts demanded.
“Wait here.” Anne allowed Teach to assist her into one of the skiffs.
Benjamin placed a hand on Kitts’s chest as the outraged soldier stepped forward. A group of men moved to the other skiff, leaving Kitts standing in the sand.
They rowed toward the pirate ship. Anne sat in the longboat facing the beach, with Easton stretched out in front of her. Kitts stared after them, his mouth open. Anne almost felt sorry for him. The day had clearly been full of surprises.
“How did you do it?” Easton asked.
“Do what?” The pungent smell of blood filled the air and Anne tried to hold her breath, but that only increased her light-headedness. The ringing in her ears had finally stopped. I shot and killed a man.
“How did you get close enough to shoot the man who shot me?”
Anne forced herself to focus. “You all made it very easy, actually. With the three of you arguing, nobody paid us any attention. Benjamin and I crept through the trees. As soon as I recognized him, I moved in from behind,” she said.
Teach looked over at her sharply. “Did you shoot first?”
“No. I saw him raise the musket. I thought he was aiming for you, but he shot him instead.” If she hadn’t suspected Teach was in danger, would she have fired the weapon? It was too late to second-guess herself. If faced with the same choice, Anne didn’t think she would have done anything differently.
“We were standing side by side. It is possible he meant to shoot you,” Easton said.
“Why would Webb want me killed? He gave me the task of bringing you back to Nassau.”
“I told you, you’re a threat to him. You recognized one of the ships that attacked the Deliverance.”
Anne looked up to the sky. “Does it really matter who he meant to kill? He said Webb was coming for us. Do you think there is any truth to his words?”
“Absolutely,” Easton said. “If not here, then when you get back to Nassau. The minute you agreed to work for him, you signed your death warrant.”
“I had no other choice. Part of my men from the Deliverance are still locked up in the fort.”
“And so are some of our friends,” Anne said.
Easton grimaced. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I wouldn’t hold out much hope for your crewmates or your friends. If you were smart, you’d sail from here and never return.”
Refusing to give credence to his words, Anne turned away, trying to breathe around the tightness in her chest. She would not give up on saving any of them, regardless of how difficult it might be. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as they approached the ship. It was a three-masted vessel, and Anne counted twelve guns plus twenty oars to maneuver it in calm winds. The mainmast was in the process of being repaired, and some roughly patched holes in the side were testament to its most recent battle.
“Admiring your handiwork?” Easton asked Teach.
“My first mate told me we’d ruined your looks. It appears he was right.”
“Ah, but that’s merely on the surface. Her true beauty lies within.”
“Why did you name it the Kelly Killorn?” Anne asked.
“I was sweet on a girl when I was a lad. But she married another.”
The men on board the Killorn threw down a Jacob’s ladder and Benjamin went up first. Anne and Teach followed behind, while Easton and his men came up last. The pirate captain threw one leg over the railing at a time, but it was clear it took considerable effort on his part to remain upright.
“Welcome aboard,” Easton said. “You’ll forgive me a proper tour of the ship, but I’m a little under the weather at the moment.”
Beneath Easton’s bravado, Anne could see he was in considerable pain. His shoulder blades protruded through the back of his shirt and his skin was wan, sweat glistening on his forehead in the late afternoon sun. He was clearly undernourished.
The other skiff with Teach’s men arrived and they boarded as well. Anne wasn’t sure if Teach had made the right decision to trust the pirate so easily, but she supposed it was better than staying behind and possibly having a cannon fired at them.
“Take him to the captain’s cabin,” Teach said. Easton’s men led their captain down the stairs. Teach took Anne’s hand in his and they followed behind, into the belly of the ship.
CHAPTER 34
Teach
Easton was addled. As far as Teach could see, there was nothing special about the Killorn. There were no carvings or extra scrollwork in the wooden railings. The lines of the ship were smooth and well made, but the Triumph had been just as serviceable. The pirate had an overinflated ego.
In the captain’s cabin, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the stark furnishings. A simple desk, chair, and an armoire were the only pieces of furniture inside the stuffy room. A hammock swung gently from side to side, swaying with the ship. The vessel was quite clean and well maintained, even with the repairs that took place.
Easton’s shirt had been ripped open, his bloody shoulder exposed to the air. The bullet had missed the bone, burrowing through the flesh like a large earthworm. Somehow he’d survive. Teach wasn’t certain whether or not that was a positive. Easton sat on the desk, a dark brown bottle in his hand.
Easton nodded to the single chair. “Have a seat,” he said, speaking to Anne.
“Thank you, but I’ll stand.”
Grinning, the pirate took a long swig from the bottle. He wiped his mouth. “Would you care for a sip?” he asked, pushing the bottle toward her.