Demons & Pearls (The Razor's Adventures Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

ye under guard until we reach port. Mister Green here seems ta’ think yer a pretty good risk. I, on the other hand, ain’t convinced ye won’t get yerself killed, sooner or later.”
    “You did not see her,” Green said. “I was witness to both confrontations, here and in Charles Towne. I see clearly now that this woman and her cousins deserve to live, perhaps even more so than most men I have encountered. I would like to volunteer as your sentinel, Madame Shepard.”
    “Sentinel? I can assure you, we won’t be requiring a guard. We can take care of ourselves.”
    Willy’s face appeared as if were about to split wide open, but he sat down and took a deep breath and said, “Mister Green, can ye give me and Miss Shepard here a few minutes alone? Go and see ta’ the crew and the securing of the cargo.”
    “Yes, Master McCormack.” Green nodded down at me as he exited the cabin. I could easily discern he was not pleased with being dismissed.
    “Now that the question of ye and yer ladies bein’ sold off is settled, I suppose I should get down ta’ the matter of the vote. This is how it’s gonna go, ye hearin’ me, lass?” Willy leaned across the desk towards me and spoke soft and low. “I must be outta me bloody mind, but there’s somethin’ there in ye I ain’t never seen a’fore in neither man nor woman. Ye fight like the devil and yer as smart as a whip and as slick as an eel, and as much as it pains me ta’ even say it, I’d take ye on me crew over more than half this lot. But…”
    “Spare me your narrow-minded apologies. You know I belong on this ship as much as any man capable of doing what I’ve done. You can call what happened out there today anything you like. I accept my limitations as a woman for now, but only for now. Given some time, I’ll work circles around this lot. We both know there is a way for me to join this crew.”
    “Not without signin’, lass. I know these men, and getting them ta’ vote you in isn’t gonna happen. Like it or not, yer a woman. How many times do I have ta’ say it to ye?”       
    “Well, there’s only one way to fix that!” I stood and leaned over the desk, grabbed the quill, and was about to dip it into the ink, when Willy grabbed my hand. “Let go of me,” I growled as I reached again inside my shirt. This time, I pulled my razor. “You missed this one when you searched me. Now release my hand before I remove yours.”
    “Then ye better take me hand, ye razor-wielding wench, because no woman will ever sign the code, nor be voted in as crew.”
    “Back in Charles Towne, when Barclay attacked my farm…you know the story.  But you don’t know the whole story. He attacked me. He tried to rape me. I choked him to within an inch of his miserable life with his own cravat. Then, I pulled his dagger from his belt and poked it into his gullet until I drew blood. He insisted I didn’t know what I was getting myself and my cousins into, but he was wrong. Barclay was the first man to ever call me a pirate. If I must take another name in order to stay alive and provide my cousins with a decent life in Jamaica, then let go of my fucking hand so I can get the hell on with it.” 
    “I’m tellin’ ye, lass.  Ye can cut off me hand and me head, too, if ye like.  But I know these men—what’s left of ‘em anyway—and no woman will ever be on this crew. Besides, it’s gonna be mighty difficult for me ta’ pay these men ta’ keep their dicks in their breeches if I got no hands.”
    We stared each other down for a few moments, when I suspected who the old man was who was paying for the four of us, and I knew he wasn’t doing it for the obvious reason. I don’t know why, but Willy let me go.  I thought better of this whole crazy idea and decided to bide my time. I’d find my way onto a pirate ship, but I had to accept that I’d never be able to do it without help. I sat down the quill and closed the book, but not for good.

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