She didn’t have to.
TheReckoningwas close enough now for her to hear the muffled shouts of Thorne’s men.
Shouts filled with bloodlust.
She forced herself to take a breath. Ahead, a smudge of green marred the horizon. The Bahamas.So close.
And impossibly far away. She needed hours. They had minutes.
“We need to talk, Captain.”
Christian approached, sweat dripping down his brow. He’d been down below the last hour, helping ready the cannons. As much as she hated to admit it, he’d been invaluable. After Thorne’s sails were spotted, the lieutenant had burst into action organizing her men. Preparing them for battle.
Now, his mouth settled into grim lines. Griff stood behind him with a similar expression.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
A sharp pain stabbed through her chest. “What other choice do we have?”
He met her eyes. “Surrender.”
Her fingers tightened on the spokes. “I think my crew agrees we’d rather go down fighting. Either way, we all die.”
Christian looked between her and Griff. “I have reason to believe he might spare us.”
She jerked her head back. “Spare us? Last I checked, mercy wasn’t part of Thorne’s vocabulary.”
He glanced behind her, where the shouts had grown louder. “We are close enough to the islands that if he does sink us, some may survive.”
“And what if he takes us prisoner again? I’d rather die than step one foot back on his ship.”
“He will probably make haste to Savannah to confront your uncle directly. I doubt he’d try the same tactic twice.”
Griff stepped forward. “Under most circumstances, I would agree to fight to the death. But if there’s a chance...”
Samantha clenched her jaw. Her gaze swept over the deck, where men hastened with last-minute preparations. Tommy stood beneath the mainmast, coiling a length of sheeting, his face pale in the sun.
Her vision blurred.
Most of these men had families onshore. Wives. Children. So many lives would be thrown into upheaval. The pain in her chest bloomed fiercer. A chance. She would take even a thread of hope.
With a tight throat, she turned to Christian and Griff. “What do we do?”
Christian pulled up his nose. At least this was hard for him too. “We stand down.”
He jumped down to the main deck and began shouting orders. Guns were rolled back and hatches closed, and the entire crew gathered in the open. Nervous energy thrummed through both ship and man.
“Go join them.” Griff stepped next to her. “They can’t see you now, but if Thorne gets his eyes on you at the helm, it will be worse for you.”
She handed the wheel over. “I’m sorry, Griff. You were right.”
“We got much farther than I thought we would.” He gave her a half smile. “Now go.”
She descended to the deck and came to a stop next to Tommy. His eyes darted to hers and she couldn’t help putting a hand on his shoulder.
“Do you think the lieutenant was right?”
With a gentle squeeze, she let herself face the approaching ship. No wonder Tommy’s voice quivered. As theReckoningapproached, a dozen cannons gleamed from open hatches, and the crew of giants lined the decks, armed with long scimitars. Several huge black flags whipped in the wind from each mast. The vivid white skull and crossbones insignias sent a ripple of coldness through her.
