Page 20 of Hired by Pirates

The mere thought of it made my blood boil. I would have to find a way to deal with that when it happened. Perhaps I could pay for a guard for her office. Or perhaps she would stay on board here with us for many years.

In my lovestruck state, I wasn’t even thinking clearly.

I didn’t even like the way she had to lean in to examine Simon’s wounds, giving him a clear view of the tops of her breasts. His gaze jerked instantly to the top of her head and never wavered, but I knew that other men might not be so chivalrous.

My urges to protect her were frantic and overly possessive, yet there was no way to stop them.

Hopefully, once Astor and I had spent much more time together, and I knew that we were equally smitten, my hot headed emotions would simmer down.

An hour before supper, I called Simon and Tobias into the navigation room. “Any new ideas on the plans?” I asked them.

“Just the usual, Captain,” Tobias said. “Trying to think of every possible way to get to various points without being seen.”

“Good. Simon, have you checked your fingers today?”

He smiled, pulling his sling back a bit to show me that he could wiggle all four fingers and his thumb. “Astor checked my movement today. She said something about all of the parts inside of my arm being fine, but they might be a bit sluggish for a month or two more. Said it was like my fingers were drunk, and needed to heal completely, and then they would sober up and be quick again.”

Tobias and I shot each other a look. “That’s certainly something to think about,” I said slowly. “If you’re not able to pick locks and crack safes at your usual speed, we’ll have to make sure that you have extra time.”

“Crikey, you’re right,” Simon said.

“Don’t worry,” Tobias said, clapping him on the back of his better shoulder. “We always figure these things out. That’s why we plan in advance.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “You still have several days more to heal, and we can figure out a few ways to buy more time, and keep out of sight.”

“We’ve made up the time that we lost in Toburg already,” Tobias said. “As long as we stay on course and don’t hit any strong headwinds, we should get there early enough to perhaps even do a reconnaissance walk.”

Pulling a slow breath in through my teeth, I shook my head. “You know I never like the thought of those.”

“It’s just a stroll around town,” Tobias said. “And since it’s the day of the festival, there will be all sorts of people from faraway places parading about.”

“Aye, but look at us,” Simon said with a dark chuckle. “We surely do look like pirates. Or at least, some kind of rabble rousers.”

“Not all of us,” Tobias said slowly, looking at me directly.

My blood ran cold at the thought. “We are not using Astor on a job.”

“Not on the job itself. Of course not. She’ll stay safely on the ship, with a guard,” Tobias said firmly. “But if we sent her into town to run an errand with one other crew member in the early afternoon, it might be an opportunity to check that our map is still correct.”

Staring down at the old, worn map, I realized he was right. We weren’t sure how accurate this was anymore. And we couldn’t risk making a mistake at the wrong time.

“I’ll consider it,” I said evenly. “Something to think about.”

Tobias returned to fixing a piece of gear, Simon went down to the bunk room to take a little nap, and I paced by myself for a few minutes.

It hadn’t even occurred to me that by being with us, Astor was in far more danger than she would ever be in her hometown. I knew that I could keep her safe and happy aboard the Five Winds . But it was a dangerous world we moved in sometimes, and I couldn’t necessarily guarantee her safety everywhere we went.

Finally I left the navigation room, and stuck my head in to see Astor cutting a piece of thread with tiny scissors.

“Good as new, Captain,” she said, holding up one of my shirts that up till two hours ago had a giant slash down the side.

Closing the door behind me, I went over to sit beside her, leaning in for a long, slow kiss.

“I’ve been waiting all day for that,” I whispered softly.

“Me too,” she smiled. “I suppose it’s bad form to tell the crew…personal details.”

I took her hand in mine. “Just for now, my lovely girl. Just until everyone gets used to you being here, and you and I get used to us being…”

---