Compass to Flint's Treasure

Chapter Six: Captor

Anne Bonny leaned over the side of The Ranger as she heard the dinghy approaching in the dark. "Took you long enough," she called out. She squinted and saw Jack's men holding Laròn down. "The fuck is this?" She asked as Jack grabbed a hold of the ladder. "The compass is back in Nassau. I'm keeping her as collateral." Anne turned shaking her head with annoyance. She was making her way down into the captains quarters when she ran into Sierra on the stairs, "are they back? Do they have it?" Sierra asked. "No but they have the girl. The fucking things back in Nassau," Anne grumbled and she bursted into the captains cabin and pushed a desk out of the way and pulled up a bench. She grabbed chains and shackles from a cubby and threw them on the ground in front of the bench. Jack bursted into the room as his men carried Laròn in behind him. Laròn struggled until she saw the shackles. "Wait wait wait!" She cried out, "I won't try to escape, I promise, just please don't chain me up. I'll be calm and I'll go quietly, I swear." "SIT THE FUCK DOWN!" Anne yelled at her as she yanked her arm toward the bench. Laròn sat on the bench and the men held her down and shackled her leg to the bench that was bolted to the wall. The men all left the room leaving only Jack, Anne, and Sierra with Laròn. Anne took a step toward Laròn who was now quietly sitting on the bench, "if that compass is not in fucking Nassau, I SWEAR TO GOD—" "LEAVE US!" Jack interjected. Anne glared at him, then turned and spat at Laròn before she and Sierra head out of the room, slamming the door behind them. Jack paced in front of Laròn for a moment before speaking, "I really, really hope for your sake that the compass is where you say it is. If you're sending me on a wild goose chase...things are going to get very ugly." Laròn huffed, "for MY sake? Like you give a shit." "Oh I don't, it would just be a shame." Laròn looked up at him confused. "When was the last time you've eaten?" Jack changed the subject. "Hornigold's ship," she answered. "I'll have cook prepare a meal for you," Jack said as he headed out of the room. Laròn just sat there in the quiet looking around the room. Jack had a large fancy desk that sat in front of large windows. Rain began tapping on the windows and the sea seemed to become more angry. There was a second desk much smaller and less extravagant than his with a bunch of papers, a red leather book, and an inkwell and quill. Anne walked into the room, glanced at Laròn for just a short moment, then went and sat at the small desk. Laròn could assume at that point that the small desk belonged to her. Perhaps she was his quarter master aside from being his lover. Anne flipped open the red leather book and pulled the ribbon divider to a clean page. Laròn just watched her as she wrote. She wondered if those were the logs keeping track of cargo and shipments. She wanted to know what kind of money this crew had, what Captain Jack Rackham was worth. Finally Anne's eyes lifted from the page toward Laròn, "fuck you lookin at?" Laròn just turned toward the door and said nothing. After about fifteen minutes of staring at the door wishing Jack would come back to break the tension, and listening to nothing but a quill scrape a page, Anne slammed the book shut. Laròn's eyes glanced over to see Anne stand and walk to the window. She placed her hand on the glass and leaned against it as she stared out at the night sky. Laròn turned her head slowly toward Anne and watched her. She looked sad. Longing. On the verge of tears. It was strange seeing such a hard woman being so vulnerable. As if just remembering she wasn't alone, Anne's head snapped quickly toward Laròn. Startled, Laròn jumped back to staring at the door. Anne quickly wiped her eyes and stormed out. After a short while, the door opened again. Jack walked in with the cook close behind him carrying a plate of food. Jack looked around the room for a surface, then he grabbed Anne's desk and pulled it in front of Laròn. He pushed the papers and books to the side as the cook dropped the plate down on it. The cook turned and walked out, closing the door behind him. Jack grabbed a chair and planted it across from her and sat down. "So what's your story?" He asked as she stuffed food in her mouth. She looked up at him in silence as she tried to get her food down before answering, "my story?" "Yes, where did you come from and how did you come to be a pirate?" Laròn sat back a moment trying to think of where to start. "I don't remember my parents..." she began. "I was born in France—at least I think I was born there. I grew up on the streets. I would sit and beg for coins and scraps. Very few people gave me anything. They spat at me mostly. When I saw the true nature of people...selfish, cruel, heartless...it made me realize that they didn't deserve what they had. Instead of asking and begging for things...I just took it." Jack leaned on his elbows on the table listening intently. "I'd steal jewelry from wealthy women. I stole food from merchants. I rarely got caught. I kept going that way well into my twenties. When you stand four-foot-ten and weigh seven stones, you can sneak anywhere. No one expects a sweet little girl to be a thief. It wasn't until I boarded a ship to port royal that I even considered the life of a pirate. I fell in love with the sea. Being out on the water, that was the first time I felt free." Laròn lifted her shackled leg, "how ironic eh?" Jacks eyes glanced down at her chains and smiled. "Indeed," he responded as he stole a piece of bread from her plate and ate it. "Port Royal was like a dream. So many shipments coming in and out from different ports. Whatever I wanted, whatever I needed, was there for the taking. The governors mansion was right by the water and whenever he and his bitch daughter left the house I'd climb into her window and steal her lovely jewelry and trinkets. Funny enough she ended up being Will Turners lover. He's Jack Sparrows quarter master. Well one day Turner caught me thieving and instead of turning me in, he offered me a place on Sparrows crew. I just wanted to be on a ship so badly I agreed. I've made them a lot of money." Jack just smiled at Laròn, "you must really be something. Would you like some rum?" Laròn smiled, "sure." Jack quickly left to fetch some rum. Laròn quickly grabbed the red leather book and stuck it under her behind and sat on it. Jack came back with two cups and a full bottle of rum. He sat back down moving the candle a little further away on the table. He poured her a large amount and then did the same for himself. He held up his cup, "a toast! To being dirty, thieving, swashbuckling, cut-throat, Pirates." Laròn laughed as she lifted her cup to clink his. They both took three big gulps matching each other. "So tell me..." Jack began. "...what made you steal from your captain? When you join a crew you swear an oath to your captain. To break it is bad form." Laròn took another sip, "if I'm being very honest..." Laròn leaned in, Jack leaned in too. The candlelight flickering on their faces. "...I serve no master. I bow to no man. No oath can hold me. I live by one code. My code. Take what you want, give nothing back." Jack stared at her very close, "You're—you—I.." Jack took a few more gulps of his rum. He took a deep breath and continued, "you're incredible." The words slurred out of his mouth. The rum was definitely kicking in. "Now let me ask you a question, Jack Rackham," Laròn was starting to feel the rum herself. She took another sip. "What are you doing in here with me, when your red-headed lover is out...somewhere...out there somewhere?," she asked as she flicked his collar. "Anne has been a bit off these past few days. She's been distant. In truth she seems to want nothing to do with me." "Oh, well she's mean," Laròn said as she took one grape off of her plate and placed it in front of him, "have a grape," she giggled. Jack looked down at the lone grape and began laughing so hard, tears streamed down his face. Laròn started laughing uncontrollably at Jack laughing. They both pointed at the grape and laughed at it. When Jack got it out of his system he began thinking. Laròn chuckled the last of her giggle fit, "what?" She asked. She could see the wheels were turning. "In truth, Anne and I have a long history. I rescued her from an abusive husband. I took her away and we stole a ship together and have been partners in crime ever since. I honestly can't imagine my life without her. She's my other half. Whatever she's going through, whatever this is, we'll get past it. We always do." Laròn sat up and she just stared at him. He took a deep breath and looked at her. She smiled at him, "you're lucky. Not a lot of people find love like that." "Yes, yes I am lucky..." Jack stood to his feet, "I should go." Laròn just nodded as he turned and walked out.