He caught her mouth with one last kiss and a muffled curse before jerking away and scrambling to his feet.
Samantha yanked her blouse back down as a cascade of dirt and pebbles rained down on them.
*
After an hour’sworth of men digging above, Samantha climbed out into blessed sunshine. When Christian came out behind her, the crew lowered ropes and one by one men rappelled down. Minutes later, a pile of treasure had already accumulated.
Griff led the first group of men to the ship and Christian gave orders to move the prisoners out. Each time she lowered her eyelids, it became a struggle to reopen them. She blinked, resisting the urge to wipe at her eyes.
When Christian started across the clearing toward Thorne and motioned from him to get up, she raised a hand.
“Not yet.”
Christian cocked his head.
“I want him to watch.”
He frowned and stepped closer. “Stoking his hatred can only cause more problems.”
She glanced at the pirate captain, who glared at a crew member walking by, bent over the weight of the chest in his arms. “He deserves a taste of his own medicine.”
Turning on her heel, she marched back to the opening, where boxes upon boxes continued to pile up. It would take them well into the night to shuttle it all to the ship. Some of the rotting wood had given out and several piles of coins lay strewn about the ground.
She bent and plucked one from the dirt at her feet, rubbing thewarm weight of it between two fingers. Her gaze tracked over Christian’s men as they led their prisoners one by one down the path back to the ships. His first officer strolled from giant to giant, checking the strength of bindings.
“Officer?”
Isaac twisted her way and lifted a blonde brow.
“I require your assistance.”
After tightening a knot and giving orders for iron shackles to be placed on all prisoners as they boarded the ships, he strode over. “Yes, Captain?”
Christian folded his arms at his officer’s address of her. Muscular, bare arms that bulged at his sides. She jerked her eyes away and smiled brightly at Isaac.
“Though your lieutenant has turned down my offer of sharing our spoils, I do believe it was out of formality. I’m in your debt, and would like to offer at the very least, a small reward.”
Isaac’s lips drew into a line. “I’m flattered, but we were only doing our duty, my lady. I must follow my lieutenant’s orders.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Tell me, Officer, how often the US government gives you men bonuses?”
A telling silence followed her pointed question.
“And do they pay you a fair salary?”
He let out a little cough. “Fair enough.”
The coin flipped in the air, catching the sunlight with a golden shimmer. If he were anything like the lieutenant, he came from wealth. Most higher-ups in the military did. But lower-ranking men, they made little more than a farmer, if they were lucky.
“The men beneath you, how many provisions would even one of these provide for their families?”
He held her gaze. “Quite a bit.”
Some of the nearby sailors had stopped what they were doing and watched with eager eyes. This stash held more wealth than her crewcould spend in their lifetimes. If it weren’t for these navy men, she’d be dead right now. The lieutenant could shove off.
She pointed to an open chest full of similar coins. “Take it. Share with those who need it.”
“I can’t.” Isaac’s jaw had gone rigid.
