“Bouchard,” the other man piped up, elbowing his captain then shaking my hand. “Call me Frank.” His hands, like the captain’s, were as rough as rawhide. He gestured to the table. “You play Poker, hon?”
Not waiting for an answer, the men fished out a stool from the captain’s quarters right behind the wheelhouse, and I was dealt a hand of cards. The pennies were redistributed evenly between the three of us; apparently the two men weren’t so cutthroat as not to share their wealth. The captain kept his eye on the ocean ahead, as well as the monitors and gauges on his dash, but was as active a participant in the game as anyone.
“Do you get many people coming up here?” I asked at one point, picking up a Queen of Hearts from the deal.
“Not really, and we try to discourage it when they do.” Captain Matthews rubbed his head. “We don’t aim to associate with most of the folks who come on this ship, if you know what I mean.”
I let out a relieved sigh, glad not to be the only one who thought the same thing. “I’ve never been on a boat this big before,” I said.
“First time at sea then?” When I nodded, the captain waggled his eyebrows. “Want to steer?”
My answer was a big grin and I was soon behind the wheel of the small barge, learning the not-so-subtle tricks of keeping a boat on track. “Oh, you should’ve seen my fishing ship,” Matthews said, grinning at the memory. “She handled like a dream, cutting through the water like nobody’s business. Fastest ship in the fleet, and with the best crew to boot. Nothing like this hunk of rust.”
“This isn’t your ship?”
“No, it is.” Matthews didn’t sound all that enthusiastic about the fact, but he still patted the dash as if comforting a pet. “We’ve put some serious blood and sweat into her to make her better and faster, so she’s a bit of a sleeper. She may not look like much, but she can outrun most vessels her size. Still, it’ll always be like comparing a tank to a high-end sports car.”
His wistful tone made me smile and I was about to ask him to tell me more when a chill blast came from the lower entrance. I froze as I heard a Scottish voice say, “I thought I saw her come up this way, boss.”
Niall’s head poked above the deck, and a wicked grin split his face. “Well well, if it isn’t the little sheila herself. We’ve been looking all over for you, darlin’.” He waved dismissively at the men beside me. “You mates stand aside, she’s coming with me.”
“Yeah,” Matthews murmured, “I don’t think so.” Both men moved in front of me, forming a thick wall. “She’s staying right here.”
Niall’s angry gaze switched to the two men as I saw Matthews reach under the table behind him. “You’ll do as I say,” the Australian demanded, but his threats didn’t seem to faze the seamen in the slightest.
“You gonna let him talk to you like that?” Frank asked calmly, not taking his eyes off the two men.
“No,” Matthews replied, “I don’t think I much like his tone.”
Face mottling with rage at the defiance, Niall pushed his thick coat aside, showing the handgun at his hip. “She’s coming,” he bit out slowly, “with us.”
Frank whistled. “He thinks he’s a gunslinger, captain.”
Matthews grinned. “That’s not a gun.” He glanced over at Frank. “I’ve always wanted to say this to an Australian.” He pulled out what he was hiding beneath the table, pointing the shotgun straight at Niall. “Now, there’s a gun,” he said, lips pulled back in a grim smile.
Immediately both sets of hands across from me went up. “What is it with this bloody ship?” Niall raged. “I didn’t pay good money to get treated like this. You work for me!”
“These men are mine, not yours,” Lucas’ cheery voice called up from the base of the stairs. I breathed a sigh of relief as he ascended, brushing past the two irate men. “Why don’t you get downstairs and see what your own boys are up to?”
“Boss,” the Scotsman warned, blocking Niall’s path when the Australian looked ready to lunge.
Niall shoved his man out of the way and pointed a finger at Lucas. “That girl’s ransom is mine, Loki.” Niall slapped away the other man’s grip but left without another word, banging the door shut behind him.
“Ransom?” Matthews looked at me. “You must be important to someone big to get that man’s panties in such a twist.”
“My brother.” Lucas cocked his head at me. “Who doesn’t know she’s here with me.”
Matthews whistled. “You’re on your own there,” he said, snorting. “I’m not getting in the middle of that one.” The captain pointed a thick thumb toward Lucas. “Did he ever mention how I met this city slicker?”
I grinned, sensing a good story. The tension in the room finally eased as Lucas rolled his eyes and leaned against the console. “You going to tell everyone that story?”
“Only the ones I’m sure will hold it over your head.” The captain gave me a wink. “I’m just off the job, at my favorite hole in the ground looking to unwind and get a little drunk. So this man comes up to me in a bar, dressed in a suit and tie, and asks me if I’m looking for work. Mind you, I stink of fish, haven’t had a good shower in weeks, just got off my boat. Had to fire a friend’s son from my crew because I caught him smoking weed, so I wasn’t in the best of moods anyhow.
“He offers me big money, enough to get my attention. I still think he’s a pretentious little ass though so I make him a deal: if he works for me on the boat, I’ll listen to whatever he has to say. Lad here tries to play up his smirky bullshit but I’m not having it; frankly, I was happy to see his back so I could get back to drinking. Well, imagine my surprise when he shows up the next morning at my boat ready to work. Totally unprepared too, but still there.” Matthews snorted. “I immediately regretted my offer, but I’d given him my word.”
“You worked me to the bone,” Lucas added, crossing his arms. The slight smile on his face took out any bite from his words, however.
“I worked you like I work any of my other greenies. It was the boys that gave you most of the flack.” The captain looked over at me. “But wouldn’t you know it, the little shit managed to get through it without breaking like a little girl. Even won the respect of my men for giving as good as he got while working hard. Means a lot when you’re on the water. So when we get to land and I offered him his share of the take, he tells me to keep it and offers me a job.”