Teach had clearly given it some thought. He didn’t hesitate with his answer. “To the colonies. We can go to Charles Town or Boston. We can start new.” Although his words were immediate, she sensed the reserve in him. His words spoke of running, yet the Teach she knew would stand and fight.
“And what will we do there? Work in a tavern? Or perhaps settle on a farm, where everyone will regard me as your slave or your whore? I have no desire to do either of those things, and neither do you.” She could have the rest of her inheritance sent to one of those cities, but she couldn’t imagine Teach being happy doing anything that took him away from the sea. Besides, she already knew she would never be accepted into “polite” society. She’d seen firsthand how polite they could be.
“That doesn’t mean we have to go with them. We could look for your family.”
Anne winced, remembering that Alastair had already sent someone to do just that. No matter what she’d asked of him, he’d always been willing to help her. Anne glanced at where Cara slept. “I won’t know for several weeks if any of my family are still alive. And you might be right about Alastair having a plan to escape, but what if he doesn’t? Cara and Alastair are my family now. If we don’t fight, then Coyle died in vain. And if Easton thinks we have a chance to go after Pelham, then I say we should at least try.”
“It’s dangerous. There’s no guarantee we’ll succeed.”
“It was dangerous going back to Nassau, but you still did it.” Anne was filled with bitterness and fury, as well as fear. “If those men continue to go unchecked, there will be no stopping them. We have the chance now to do something about it. And Easton’s willing to help.”
“So is Reva,” Easton called out.
Teach fixed his deathly stare firmly on Easton.
Easton looked back at him with wide eyes. “What? It’s true. I brought her a ship. She’s forgiven me.”
Reva approached the group. “I still like my old ship more,” she said, passing Easton. She stopped beside Anne, her brown eyes narrowed. “He’s afraid for you, mi amiga,” she said, nodding in Teach’s direction.
“He doesn’t need to be,” Anne replied.
“He’s right here,” Teach muttered.
Easton motioned for Teach to keep quiet. “Let them talk.”
“I know Pelham, and what Easton says is true. Webb took his instructions from Pelham. And there are several more men just like him. If we go after Pelham, we cut off the head of the snake.” Reva turned to Teach. “As I see it, you have two options. You can cut and run, but know that those men have resources and power that will shock you. They’ll stop at nothing to catch Easton and Teach, now that they’re both wanted criminals.”
“Is this supposed to convince them, Reva? Because even I’m having second thoughts,” Easton muttered.
“You have to ask yourselves how far you’re willing to go to get what you want,” Reva said, as if the other pirate hadn’t spoken. “If you truly wish to stop Pelham and save your friend Alastair, then you’ll come with us to Jamaica.”
“Why do you want to go after him so badly?”
“He killed mi padre.”
Anne gasped, shocked by Reva’s revelation. “When did this happen?”
“Five years ago, when I was fifteen. I want to punish him. I want to see him suffer like I suffered. But I can’t do it solo. I’ve tried, but it’s impossible. Easton and I both know others who would be willing to join us.”
“Other pirates?” Anne asked.
“Not all of them,” Reva said.
Easton stepped forward. “Most of them. But I also have other connections. And let’s not forget the documents I stole.”
“I think it’s time you showed us what you have in your arsenal, before we commit to anything,” Teach said.
“Gladly. But that requires us to leave here as quickly as possible. I didn’t want to leave them where Webb could get to them, so I hid them elsewhere.”
“Let me guess,” Teach said. “You have them in Jamaica.”
Easton shrugged his shoulders, as if to say guilty as charged.
“It won’t be easy. And once you start on this path, there’s no going back. I know, because I’ve tried.” For all the girl’s bravado, Anne sensed a layer of vulnerability beneath the surface. Reva was scared.
Teach turned to Anne. “It’s up to you. I will go wherever you choose.”
Anne took a deep breath. She could tell that despite Teach’s concern over her welfare and safety, he wanted to bring Pelham to justice. Teach was willing to do whatever that entailed, even if it meant breaking the law. Anne had the feeling that if it wasn’t for her, he would have already committed to the fight. “We’ll go to Jamaica.”
“Excellent,” Easton said, clearly pleased. He turned to Reva. “This is who we’ll need to contact.”
As the two pirates began to make plans, Teach drew Anne into his embrace and she slipped her arms around his waist. “You’re sure about this?” he asked quietly.
“Absolutely.”
“Do you still want to be my wife?”
Anne smiled. He knew how important marriage was to her. That was one of the reasons she’d refused to run away with him while they were still in Bristol. As much as she’d loved her parents, she didn’t want there to be a question in anyone’s mind that she belonged with Teach. “Of course I do. I need you to make me an honest woman, before I become a criminal.”
Easton made a strangled sound in his throat, overhearing the last part of her sentence. “Not just any criminal. A pirate.”
“To be proper pirates, they’ll need a ship,” Reva said.
“You may have the Fortune. Although if I were you, I would rename it,” Easton said. “Of course, that requires a de-naming ceremony.”
“You’re making this up,” Teach said, with a look of exasperation.
“He’s not, actually,” Reva said. “It’s considered bad luck to change the name of a ship.”
“We’ve already renamed the ship I brought back for Reva. It was a bit maudlin, but she insisted on calling it the Maldicion.” The expression on Easton’s face was smug as he bent and picked up the torch where it burned in the sand. “Now, to do this right, I already wrote down the current name of the ship and placed it in this box. Once the box is burned, we’ll take the ashes and throw them into the sea. Only then can you rename the ship.”
“I thought you said we were in a hurry,” Teach said.
“We are. I doused the box in oil. I won’t start this venture off on the wrong foot. We’ll rename the ship the proper way.”
Teach eyed the box, before leveling a cold stare at Easton. “You’re awfully sure of yourself. What if we hadn’t agreed to go to Jamaica?”
Easton grinned and held the flame over the box in the sand. It didn’t take long before it caught fire. “Deep down, you always knew you would go after Pelham. You just needed to ask for her permission,” he said, nodding in Anne’s direction.