started over and traded your woman with your brother?”
“No,” Tommy exclaimed. “You can not be taking my Patti from me… please, Captain… Richard?”
It was what Deegan was wanting to hear. He noticed from the beginning, when Tommy had rolled the dice with Lee to claim her, that somewhere in his twisted mind he wanted the girl.
“You are certain you can control yourself?”
“Yes, Captain… you cannot be taking my Patti,” he repeated.
“Richard, you and Barton need to agree to see to things in the morning. Johnny should not be waking to this mess again.” Deegan was pleased with their reassurances, and turned to the cave.
Monique backed away from the wall, and turned to see that Patti had listened to the exchange with wide eyes, terrified about being returned to the pirate. Deegan looked at them, “You heard.” Monique nodded. Deegan looked down at Patti. “It is not our way to be easy, but he will not be hurting you cruelly like this again. He has lost face with the crew and his brothers, so he will be curbing himself.”
Deegan took Patti’s arm, and she immediately whimpered while he guided her towards the group around the fire. Monique stood beside her, holding her other hand and only releasing it when they were before Tommy and his two brothers. Johnny leaned against a tree in the background.
Monique walked up to Tommy, and before even she knew what she was doing, she drew back her hand and slapped him so hard that his head rocked to the side. The men stood in shocked silence when she spoke, fearfully wondering what the witch would do as her eyes narrowed. “If you ever hurt her like this again, I will find a way to make your death a painful, permanent condition. That goes for the rest of you, too. If you hurt my friends, I’ll find some way to make you pay.”
Tommy’s eyes widened with the certainty that she had cursed him… all of them… and he was more terrified than his captive. He looked at his woman and winced at the many bruises and welts marking her pretty body. He croaked, “Patti girl, it was the rum, and it is gone now.”
Monique was waiting for Deegan’s rage, but he merely stood silent and watched the men quickly guide the girl down the path to the beach and as far away from the witch as they could get. It would be a year before Monique would see any of her friends again.
When the pirates were out of sight, Deegan grabbed the ring on the front of Monique’s collar and glared into her eyes. “Have you cursed us again, Clarette?”
Monique tried to figure out how to answer him. She had already been warned that she would be punished if she denied being this woman and knowing her secrets. She finally seethed, “You know I don’t understand the things you think I should be aware of. I can’t ‘curse’ anyone. That does not mean that I would not find a way to escape you and kill the man myself. If you have the ability to come back, I’ll try dismembering him and throwing a limb into the ocean from all sides of the island. And I’ll keep on trying until I find something that works.”
“So you mean to go after him with wit and brawn?” he chuckled cruelly. “Your other talents would be more effective. Still, they believe that is what you mean to do, to add more to the curse, so in the end it was much more intimidating than your threat to merely kill them.”
The pirate stared into her eyes, once more sensing Clarette’s presence in the girl’s vestige of courage. She is inside of you, and I see her trying to return. You may be too strong… or perhaps the years have made her too weak… to allow that to happen. Deegan had felt the fist of dread clench his heart when she had threatened Tommy, and it had taken a moment for him to realize they were only words she was speaking. There was no doubt he would feel better
“No,” Tommy exclaimed. “You can not be taking my Patti from me… please, Captain… Richard?”
It was what Deegan was wanting to hear. He noticed from the beginning, when Tommy had rolled the dice with Lee to claim her, that somewhere in his twisted mind he wanted the girl.
“You are certain you can control yourself?”
“Yes, Captain… you cannot be taking my Patti,” he repeated.
“Richard, you and Barton need to agree to see to things in the morning. Johnny should not be waking to this mess again.” Deegan was pleased with their reassurances, and turned to the cave.
Monique backed away from the wall, and turned to see that Patti had listened to the exchange with wide eyes, terrified about being returned to the pirate. Deegan looked at them, “You heard.” Monique nodded. Deegan looked down at Patti. “It is not our way to be easy, but he will not be hurting you cruelly like this again. He has lost face with the crew and his brothers, so he will be curbing himself.”
Deegan took Patti’s arm, and she immediately whimpered while he guided her towards the group around the fire. Monique stood beside her, holding her other hand and only releasing it when they were before Tommy and his two brothers. Johnny leaned against a tree in the background.
Monique walked up to Tommy, and before even she knew what she was doing, she drew back her hand and slapped him so hard that his head rocked to the side. The men stood in shocked silence when she spoke, fearfully wondering what the witch would do as her eyes narrowed. “If you ever hurt her like this again, I will find a way to make your death a painful, permanent condition. That goes for the rest of you, too. If you hurt my friends, I’ll find some way to make you pay.”
Tommy’s eyes widened with the certainty that she had cursed him… all of them… and he was more terrified than his captive. He looked at his woman and winced at the many bruises and welts marking her pretty body. He croaked, “Patti girl, it was the rum, and it is gone now.”
Monique was waiting for Deegan’s rage, but he merely stood silent and watched the men quickly guide the girl down the path to the beach and as far away from the witch as they could get. It would be a year before Monique would see any of her friends again.
When the pirates were out of sight, Deegan grabbed the ring on the front of Monique’s collar and glared into her eyes. “Have you cursed us again, Clarette?”
Monique tried to figure out how to answer him. She had already been warned that she would be punished if she denied being this woman and knowing her secrets. She finally seethed, “You know I don’t understand the things you think I should be aware of. I can’t ‘curse’ anyone. That does not mean that I would not find a way to escape you and kill the man myself. If you have the ability to come back, I’ll try dismembering him and throwing a limb into the ocean from all sides of the island. And I’ll keep on trying until I find something that works.”
“So you mean to go after him with wit and brawn?” he chuckled cruelly. “Your other talents would be more effective. Still, they believe that is what you mean to do, to add more to the curse, so in the end it was much more intimidating than your threat to merely kill them.”
The pirate stared into her eyes, once more sensing Clarette’s presence in the girl’s vestige of courage. She is inside of you, and I see her trying to return. You may be too strong… or perhaps the years have made her too weak… to allow that to happen. Deegan had felt the fist of dread clench his heart when she had threatened Tommy, and it had taken a moment for him to realize they were only words she was speaking. There was no doubt he would feel better
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