Beautiful Tempest(79)

Then Damon slipped her the little pistol he'd taken from her at the start of this voyage, saying, "Just in case." Knowing that he now trusted her with it gave her such a warm feeling she couldn't resist thanking him with an ardent kiss, even if it had to be brief. She knew the pistol was only for her own protection, not to be used in taking out any of the pirates, but she still felt more confident now that she had it and slipped it into the pocket of the britches Jackie had loaned her.

Jeremy's preparations were drawing the attention of the three pirates on deck. Jacqueline moved to the top of the stairs when one of them yelled at her brother, "Wot are you up to, toff?"

Jeremy motioned the pirate forward, his expression making it a dare. "I've offered some entertainment in the form of a challenge, and your captain thinks it will be amusing, so he's agreed."

"You're fighting him?"

"Eventually, but today I want any two of you who beat me down in London to dare try it again. Weren't you one?" The pirate's snort had Jeremy add, "No? Well, your mates have been invited and will join you shortly. Decide amongst yourselves who's brave enough to give this a go."


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"Yer a bleedin' giant. Two to one ain't soundin' fair for our boys."

"Oh, come now . . ."

"Three maybe."

"Three it is."

Jeremy had probably agreed too quickly because one of the pirates snickered, "But four's a nice even number, I'm thinkin'."

Jack could see that Jeremy hadn't expected that, so his reply was deliberately insulting. "It's a cowardly number, but if that's what you think of your fellows, so be it."

That got him some nasty looks, but more pirates started appearing on deck, and the three who had haggled with Jeremy went over to confer with them. Jacqueline started counting heads, but it wasn't necessary. Mortimer came up the lower-deck stairs last and stood where Damon could see him, nodding and giving the signal that all the pirates were present. She saw Dr. Death, still wearing sinister black. She hadn't seen him since he'd treated Damon's wound. His deathly pale complexion was proof of his dislike of the sun. Next to him was Bart Satin, still carrying four pistols tucked in the waistband of his britches. She hoped that particular troublemaker would be one of Jeremy's contenders. And Scar Face and the other pirate who'd snuck into Damon's cabin to get a good look at her were laughing at the notion that Jeremy thought he could take down four of their brethren.

The rest of Lacross's men, all flamboyantly dressed and heavily armed, blended into one gang. She tensed when most of the pirates started toward Jeremy. The normal sailors got out of the way, many of them climbing the masts for a better view, though others gathered around with the pirates for a closer view of the fight that was about to get under way. She wished they would help her brother instead, but she supposed their not taking sides was better than helping the wrong side.

She gasped when she heard her brother say, "Five? Really? No brave lads among you a'tall?"

"No stupid lads."

She ran back to Damon. "You have to stop this. Now the challenge is up to five against one."

He gave her a grave look and a nod of agreement and pulled her forward to take the wheel. "Just until I get this under control," he said before she could ask, and he started down the stairs.

It was the first time he was trusting her with the wheel, but he'd picked a lousy time to do it because she didn't have a good view of the main deck from there. But no sooner had he started down the stairs than Mr. Thomson came up the other set that led to the quarterdeck. Looking tired but quite awake now, the helmsman was hurrying toward her, and the moment he reached her, she ran after Damon.

She'd only just bumped into his back when she heard Jeremy tell the prospective fighters, "Four, and you get to pick. Five and I pick. You decide, but keep in mind, there's at least one of you that I could flick over with a finger." 

That got some laughter out of the pirates, and the shortest one among them had gone red in the face. But Jeremy's solution solved the numbers problem because the pirates chose the first option, and Damon turned around to whisper, "All eyes are on your brother. Now go lock yourself in the cabin."

Before the fight even began? She would have laughed at the suggestion if he didn't look so serious, so she merely reminded him, "That wasn't the deal."

He swore under his breath, something about stubbornness, but said, "You'll stay behind me, and the very moment I crack someone's head, you run to the cabin."