Storm over the Caribbean

25. The Horrors of being a Castaway

I licked my lips.

"Y-you do remember that that was your precious mint-condition ten-year-old shirt, right?"

A stare filled with icy determination pinned me to the ground. "Do I look like I care?"

No.

No, he most definitely didn't.

But...

Reaching out, I cupped his cheek. "You look like you care about me."

Suddenly, the ferocious look in his eyes intensified tenfold. In a blink, his hands were holding my face in an iron grip.

"Indeed."

Then his lips slammed down on mine.

***

"Ships ahoy! Ships ahoy!"

The shout from the lookout above echoed all over the ship. Only two seconds later, the door to the captain's cabin slammed open, and a massive man with a no less massive beard strode out of the doorway. A moment later, the door to a storage closet opened, and a sleepy captain stumbled out.

"What is it?" Karim barked. "What do you see? The reinforcements?"

There was a momentary pause. Then...

"No! It's one of Mr Ambrose's merchant ships!"

Karim pulled a face.

"...being attacked by a pirate vessel!"

If the look on the bodyguard's face had been less than pleased before, it was positively murderous now. Behind him, the colour drained from the captain's face.

"Pirates?"

"Aye, Sir! I can clearly see the skull and crossbones on the flag!"

"I see." Karim cracked his knuckles. "Captain?"

"Um...aye, Mr Karim, Sir?"

"Load the cannons and ready the men for attack!"

"Aye aye, Si—wait, what? We have only one ship!"

The bodyguard's gaze that pierced him a moment later made the captain very much regret that he had spoken. But not as much as he would regret being gutted by a pirate's cutlass.

"Yes, Captain." The massive Mohammedan placed a hand on his sabre. "Any objections?"

The captain suddenly decided that being gutted by a pirate's cutlass might not be so bad after all. Still...

"Not really, Sir. Except..." He hesitated.

One bushy eyebrow rose. "Yes?"

"Why would we intervene? Isn't our priority to find Mr and Mr Ambrose?"

"And what if Ambrose Sahib and the Sahiba have already been found? They could be on that merchant ship. Or worse, hostages on the pirate ship."

The captain paled a little more. "Oh."

Karim gave a grim nod. "Now do you have any objections?"

"N-no, Mr Karim, Sir! None at all!" Turning around, the captain shouted at his men. "What are you waiting for, you landlubbers? Hard-a-port, men! Load the cannons!"

"Aye aye, Sir!"

A moment passed. Wood creaked. Sails fluttered, and the ship began to turn. Then, slowly but inexorably, it started heading towards the desperate battle in the distance. The merchant ship was heavily damaged, and completely unable to manoeuvre. As for the pirates—so far, they seemed fully focused on their prey and hadn't even realized that another ship was approaching from behind.