He nodded.
“You swear?”
“Blasted woman. Yes.” He shook his head and pointed to the quarterdeck. “Take us home.”
Samantha took a deep breath. “No.”
“No?”
She strode to the railing and stared at the little crescent of the island as it faded from view. “We sail to Tortuga.”
Chapter Fifteen
The sailors nearthem stopped what they were doing and stared.
Griff’s face had gone a shade darker in the shadows. “We’re not going to Tortuga.”
“You swore.”
“Well, I take it back. I’ll lock you in the damn brig if I have to. We are going back to Savannah.”
Samantha backed up as he advanced toward her.
“You’d get us all killed, just to rescue the lieutenant? Have you lost your mind?”
Maybe. “No. Not for him. For the other half of the map to Read’s Revenge.”
A hushed murmur ran through the crew and she took advantage of their shock to race up the steps of the quarterdeck.
Griff followed at her heels. “How do you know he has it?”
“He has it. I would bet my life on it. Why else kidnap me for my half?”
Another murmur, louder, and the crew pressed closer. Griff pressed a hand to his forehead.
“I told you not to let anyone know you had it.”
“I trust my crew.” She spoke the words loudly and faced the men below her. “This is our only chance at getting the treasure. If we run back to Georgia, Thorne is only going to follow, and try again. He won’t stop until he has the map. And I’m guessing his next attempt to get it will be a lot bloodier.”
The wrinkles at the corners of Griff’s eyes deepened. “So we go toTortuga? It’ll be like walking into a den of snakes.”
She smiled. “That’s why it will work. He’ll never expect us to go there. He’ll be caught off guard.”
“It’s too dangerous. Remington would never approve.”
“We’re pirates, Griff. We’re always in danger.”
“Not like this kind of danger.”
She whipped to face him. “My parents died trying to find this treasure. They were so close. I want to do this for them.”
Before he could answer, she swallowed and turned back to her crew. If she could win them over, Griff would have a harder time getting them to agree with him. “Think of what you all could do with your share of the spoils. This won’t be like taking a cargo ship of goods. Read’s treasure will make every one of you rich. Rich enough to buy your own ships.” Money spoke. It always did. “The treasure will be evenly split between each of us.”
Eyes bulged below and Griff’s breath hissed out behind her. Her uncle always took fifty percent of the haul and split the rest into shares for his crew. An even split was unheard of. But she didn’t care.
She didn’t need the money. She needed her crew to back her. And if this was how she won them, so be it.
“If we go back, Thorne is going to hunt us down. And he’ll likely kill most of us. But if we can get that map and find the treasure before him, he won’t be able to do anything.” That was stretching things. He would probably still try to get his revenge, but they would cross that bridge when they got there.
