Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been a while! But I'm back, and I'm so happy finals are over now! Anyways, enjoy this chapter!
FLASH!
"Please, don't- -don't do this- -" I whimpered.
"It's for your own good sweetheart. Now just squeeze my hand, Nathan's gonna fix you up, okay?" Sam said.
I wiggled around, desperate to get away, and practically begging for the pain to stop. I supposed it was going to happen, but that it didn't make it any less horrible to experience.
"No. Stop! Stop it! Please stop!" I cried.
"You guys need my help?" Sully yelled from the front of the plane.
"It's okay, we got it!" Sam replied.
"Sam. I got the bullet out, but I've gotta clean the wound now. Hold her down, alright? She's gonna thrash around like crazy." Nathan warned.
Sam nodded, noting that even in my delirious state, that I was more than likely to fight back. Before I could comprehend what was happening next, I felt an intense sharp pain that I hadn't experienced in a long time. I let out a scream as Sam pinned my arms down, Nathan moving to hold down my legs as my body thrashed around wildly. The pain is almost too intense as I feel the fresh sting of alcohol and a needle piercing my flesh.
Sam's looking down at me with a tearful gaze, and I can tell that he's always hated seeing me in such despair and not really being able to do a thing about it. As Sam mutters comforting words to me, I can feel my vision blur until my head drops back with a thud. I'm unconscious before I even realize it.
"It's okay. She just passed out from the pain." Nathan assured his brother.
Sam releases the pressure he has on my arms, as he leans back and brushes his hair back using his arm since his hand is bloodied. Sam grabs a clean rag and wipes the sweat and blood off of him, looking over towards Nathan as he finishes wrapping bandages around her waist.
"Holy shit." Sam breathes out. "That was...intense."
"Yeah, it's all good now. I just finished her stitches..." Nathan mutters tiredly.
"How many times have you had to do this for her?" Sam looks uncomfortable.
"Well aside from that gunshot wound in the Himalayas...not too often. It was usually the other way around." Nathan replies awkwardly.
"Right..." Sam nods.
"She'll be alright, Sam." Nathan told him. "The worst is over."
Sam clenches the coin from the St. Dismas cathedral tightly his fist as Nathan finishes cleaning up. When his younger brother moves to the front of the plane with Sullivan, he looks down at the floor with such intensity in his eyes.
FLASH!
Hours later, I'm debriefed on everything that happened in the plane. It's not until later that Nathan's explaining to me about the importance of the coin. When I see the etching of a volcano on the other side of the coin, I find myself growing hopeful when I remember there being a volcano right outside of King's Bay. It was a start, and maybe, we'd be ahead of Shoreline for a change.
By the time we make it hours later, it's already dark outside, and we're all exhausted. Sam insists on keeping watch on me as Nathan books two rooms for us. Wordlessly, we all turn in for the night as Sam escorts me in and is practically playing nurse with me. It's almost endearing to see Sam so gentle with me, but I hated him acting as if I was so fragile. I find myself grabbing a cold drink from the minifridge before tossing one over to Sam.
Walking towards the window, I crack it open just slightly and lounge in an arm chair nearby as I kick my shoes off and stretch out. I grab a joint and light it up using Sam's old lighter, inhaling deeply and swallowing the smoke before exhaling through my nose. I can hear Sam sniff the air and grumble about the stench before he turns around and looks at me with wide eyes.
"Uh...are you sure that's such a good idea right now?" Sam asked worriedly. "You just had your pain meds."
"I had a single Tylenol, not even the full dosage, over six hours ago since we ran out of the pills." I grumbled. "I think I have a more effective pain med right here."
"Where did you even have that?" Sam raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I exhaled deeply. "Want a hit? After the shit couple of weeks we've had to get to this point, I'd say we earned it. Plus we've got a long day tomorrow."
Sam looks around the room, debating mentally whether he should partake with me before he sighs deeply and comes over to sit with me in the other chair by the window. I can't help but smirk as I blow out smoke towards the window and hand the joint over to Sam. He coughs immediately after his first hit, and laughs as he moves to kick off his shoes. For several minutes, we pass the joint back and forth to each other. When my back starts to hurt, I grab the joint from Sam and move towards the bed, spreading out and splaying on the pillows as I take another hit.
I feel as if I'm floating on a cloud, and most of the pain has already began to dull. I hadn't even realized Sam had joined me on the bed as he drapes an arm around my waist, extremely careful of my injuries. I turn over until I'm hovering over Sam, pulling him in for a kiss as I exhale smoke into his mouth. Sam coughs as he breathes it in, but giggles against me as he gently bites down on my bottom lip. Sam grabs the joint and moves over towards the ashtray on the nightstand beside our bed, before putting it out.
As Sam turns to me again, the two of us stare at each other with glazed eyes and longing expressions. Sam smiles as he reaches for my hands, pressing small kisses to palms and my fingers. I can't help but let out a giggle as Sam continues, and I feel my breath hitch when he nibbles down on my index finger. After one more kiss, Sam lowers my hand and rubs small circles into my palm this thumb. I can feel myself melt against him before I realize it.
"I haven't smoked a joint since we were in our early twenties. Jesus Christ, I never thought I'd miss an MJ so much until now." Sam hums against my lips.
"Ha...that brings back some happy memories of our teen years." I grinned.
"Oh yeah?" Sam drawls lazily.
"We'd always just chill on the rooftop of the orphanage. Or you'd take me all the way across the city to get to the harbor, where we'd stare out into the ocean...We'd just...we'd walk around the city and talk sometimes. Or...you'd kiss me until I was left breathless." I recounted. "You were really good at that." I smiled thoughtfully.
"Yeah...we did a lot of shit together huh?" Sam giggled. "Like when Sister Catherine caught me sneaking into your room? We were just making out on your bed. She didn't even recognize who I was in the dark, but she looked so fucking pissed at that moment that she nearly resembled a demon."
"Oh my God...I got into so much trouble for that." I snickered. "She even bolted down my windows at one point, remember?"
"Yeah, even had you switch rooms with someone else too. You were not happy about that whatsoever, but I mean...that only lasted about a month. It didn't really make a difference for either of us." Sam smirked.
"Dude, I felt like Harry Potter living in the cupboard underneath the stairs- -"
"Who?" Sam looked confused.
"Oh wow!" I gasped. "You haven't read Harry Potter! It's a series of books, mainly for children but- -they ended up bein' so fucking good. And the movies! Oh my god the movies were awesome..."
"There are movies too?"
"Holy fucking shit, am I gonna have a fun time educating you!" I winked at Sam.
"What could have possibly happened in the fifteen years that I was gone?" Sam chuckled.
"Oh this is gonna be fun." I smile devilishly.
"Now I'm scared." Sam mutters quietly.
I giggle as I maneuver myself to sit in his lap, and Sam's breath hitches.
"You alright, baby? I'm not hurtin' you am I?" I feign innocence.
Neither of us say anything as we stare at each other as my gaze falls to the tattoos along his neck and the stubble lining his jaw. I hadn't even realized that Sam is sitting up until his face is slowly inching towards mine. I hear him lightly gasp as I trace my fingers along his most recent tattoo along his neck.
"What do you think?" Sam asked.
I glance up and feel my face burn in embarrassment from all of the staring.
"Of what? Your tattoo?" I mutter.
I perk up when I feel Sam's hand casually rest along my thigh. The touch, despite not grazing my skin, is enough to send a jolt through my body. It reminds me of the auction at the Rossi Estate, when Sam rubbed small circles into my hips with just his thumb.
It was driving me insane...
"I like it. A lot. Reminds me of Jack Sparrow's tattoo." I breathed out.
"Jack Sparrow? Sounds like an interesting guy...an old lover?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
I let out a husky chuckle as Sam tenses against me, and I lean in to kiss him almost too gently. I let my lips graze his, enjoying the low groan he makes in the back of his throat as I nibble on his bottom lip.
"Somethin' like that...he's part of a movie series about pirates." I smirked. "And he's played by Johnny Depp."
Sam visibly relaxes beneath me, and begins to trace small teasing circles into my thigh again with just his thumb.
"That pretty boy? From uh...what's that film you liked...Cry Baby?" Sam chuckles.
"~Well, I was born on the wrong side of the tracks. In the backseat of a stolen Cadillac. I had my first cigarette before I could walk. And I was strummin' this guitar before I could talk.~" I sang softly.
Sam leans forward and kisses my neck.
"You're such a dork." Sam mumbles against me.
I grind my hips into Sam's, and laugh as he moans into my neck.
"You say that, but you've got an erection, so I must be doin' something right." I teased.
"Yeah, well...you did this to me." Sam merely replied. "You make me feel like a teenager all over again."
"I mean, I guess since I started this, it's only fair that I finish it."
I pull him in for a kiss and feel his cock grow harder as I grind into it. Sam pulls back and looks at me with adoration.
"As much as I would love that...you and I aren't exactly in our right minds right now. We just shared an entire joint and we're a little out of it."
I look at Sam in surprise and cease gyrating my hips.
"You're sure?" I asked.
Sam smiles lazily before giving me another passion filled kiss with a slip of the tongue. He pulls back and licks his lips.
"Tempting as it may be, I'm sure."
Sam moves to lay down, wrapping an arm around my waist as he holds me against him.
Despite only getting three hours of sleep, I feel perfectly fine. My injuries have been a bitch to deal with, but Sam had managed to distract me through the worst of it all. After smoking that joint together, we basically conversed all night long before falling asleep in each others arms. It was something I hadn't had with Sam since we were in our teens. I hadn't realized how much I missed our conversations until now. We talked about a lot of things and it mostly revolved around what I'd been up to with Nathan (although I'm sure he already heard it from him), how it was raising Anne, etc.
It was almost...refreshing.
"You alright, doll? I can get you some more pain meds if you need them. Just say the word. I picked some up from the drug store near the motel this mornin'." Sam assures me.
As I sit up in my spot in the Jeep, I let out a small hiss of pain before trying to give Sam a reassuring smile. Sam looks more worried as I do this.
"I'm fine. 'm just sore...slightly bruised...I'll be better in no time." I wince. "I already took something for the pain so I should be fine."
Nathan glances at me through the rearview mirror of the Jeep as he continues to drive.
"Please don't pop your stitches. That's all I ask." Nathan spoke up.
"I'm not that bad, Nathan." I rolled my eyes. "If anything, I was always the one patching you up."
"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to remind me." Nathan sighed.
"Watch your tone kid." I grumbled.
"Sounds like someone didn't get that much sleep." Sully said.
"Yeah, I uh...kept tossing and turning. It's not a big deal." I shrugged.
"I mean, considering that we've gotta long day ahead of us, it's a pretty big deal. I'm just worried darlin'." Sully told me.
"I'll be fine." I assured him.
"I feel like we should've left you at the motel. It was a bad idea bringing you with us- -" Nathan started.
"Wow, way to make me feel like shit." I chuckled dryly. "I'm not as helpless as you claim for me to be, Nathan."
"That's not what I meant! You just...you can be a bit...clumsy sometimes..."
"Whoa! Seriously? The hell Nathan? I'm not that bad- -" I scoffed.
"This comin' from the woman that was still tripping over her damn feet back when she was twenty three years old." Sam chuckled.
"Hey! I wasn't that clumsy!" I glared at him. "Samuel, I swear to God- -"
"Would you two quit it?" Nathan groaned. "It's like you two are seventeen all over again!"
"God what I wouldn't give to be seventeen again. Actually, never mind...I was a fucking hormonal wreck- -" I rambled.
"You still are." Sam smirked.
What the fuck is with all the attitude? It's barely been two hours since we've been driving, and already I've about had it with them.
I sighed angrily before punching Sam's arm as hard as I could, causing him to cry out.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?! I was only kidding!" Sam whined.
"That's it. You're sleeping with Nathan tonight when we get back to the motel. Sully, you are more than welcome to share my bed with me."
Sully laughed as he threw the end of his cigar out of the jeep after he finished it.
"I'm awfully tempted darlin', but I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Sully played along.
"What? I'm technically not a married woman." I smirked.
"You act like I'm not right here. Sully, not another damn word!" Sam huffed angrily.
"Aw poor Sammy." I cooed at him.
"Alright! I found something!" Nathan cut off Sam before he could argue.
Nathan parked the jeep, the four of us stepping out of it to explore the surrounding area. Nathan kept Sam and I separated, grumbling about how he was the grown-up between the three of us which I found to be hilarious and ironic all at the same time. I only found myself shaking my head with a small smile on my face, thinking how amusing this was, and how this trip was just like the good old days.
"So Tara, you and Nathan are thinking that Avery, Tew, and some other big-shot pirates pooled their treasure and came out here because...why exactly?" Sam asked.
"Who knows? Maybe for protection? British authorities were closing in on them." Nathan replied.
"It's more than likely to be true." I said. "I'm telling you guys. I don't think my parents were as crazy as people made them out to be."
"At this point...I think you're right about that statement. While your parents were enthusiasts, they were...well...they were brilliant." Sam smiled. "Are you gonna publish and finish their work when we find the treasure?"
I glance at Sam and give him a small smile.
"Y'know...I might as well." I shrugged. "It would be openin' up a door for me right? Good opportunity."
I lean closer to Sam and press a kiss to his cheek.
"I'll be sure to credit your ma too." I mumbled softly.
Sam grabs my hand before pressing a loving kiss to the back of it.
"I appreciate that." Sam nods gratefully.
We approached an old ruined tower made of a nice stone structure. It still surprised me at how impressive these structures were and how people from the seventeenth century were able to come together to create things like this. If this pirate utopia existed, with pirates from around the globe banding together...
It was just so incredible and mind blowing to think about. For Libertalia to be something of a reality than just mere fantasy.
I followed Sam and Nathan into the tower, as Sully remained over at the jeep. As we inspect the engraved markings along the smooth surface of the floor, we all noticed that it was actually Christopher Condent's sigil. We all stare at the symbol in awe and circle it slowly
"That's Christopher Condent's sigil. Captain of the Fiery Dragon. Operated out of Madagascar around Avery's time." Sam noted.
"At least we're on the right track." I shrugged.
"Could you at least sound more excited about this? I mean come on! Look at this! It's amazing!" Sam laughed.
I cracked a small smile as I took note of how handsome and adorable Sam was right at this moment, and how his child-like wonder shined bright despite all that he'd been through, and despite being in a prison for fifteen years.
"I'm still on pain meds, you forget that I'm a little too tired to be excited." I chuckled.
"Come on! You love pirates! I love pirates! You know about this stuff just as much as I do, show your enthusiasm! Look at where we are right now!" Sam grinned.
"Of course I love pirates, how would you have guessed by our daughter's name?" I retorted.
I walked back over to the jeep pulling out an item I kept in my satchel for all of my adventures. Nathan had never known that I still owned one, or that I took several pictures of him and kept it in a scrapbook, but I recorded all of our adventures with a polaroid camera. It was something that Sam had stolen and gifted to me on my sixteenth birthday, and it was something that I always took care of, and treasured which anyone would be able to tell given its pristine condition. I checked my camera for film as I started to sneak over to Nathan, Sam, and Sully who were still conversing at the tower.
I smiled as I positioned the camera just right, catching the three of them off guard as they perked up from the snapping sound of the camera. I'm almost tempted to turn around and hide everything in my satchel, but I know I'm already caught when the three glance over at me in surprise. Sam is the first to react out of all of them. He stubs out his cigarette with his boot before he gets closer to see me with a polaroid camera. When he recognizes it as the one he gifted me all those years ago, he has the biggest grin on his face.
"Holy shit. Is that your old polaroid camera?" Sam asked excitedly.
"You still have that thing?" Nathan laughed.
"Fuck yeah I do. I've got tons of pictures you know, from all of our previous adventures." I admitted.
Sam turned to give Nathan a playful shove.
"I thought you said you didn't have any pictures." Sam teased his brother.
It's almost as if Nathan has some huge epiphany as he snaps his fingers and shouts at me angrily. I can't help but laugh at Nathan's reaction, and only further confirm his accusations.
"I knew it! Elena called me crazy, but I knew I heard that fucking thing!" Nathan grins madly. "She's so gonna kill you for not saying a word! Thinking that her beloved camera died in vain!"
"I mean, she never asked so..." I smiled innocently.
I step away as I move to put my camera carefully back into my satchel and glance down at the developing photo as I fan it lightly. I nearly jump when I feel something lean on me, but realize it's Sam hovering over my shoulder to look down at the picture.
"So how's it look?"
I jumped as I saw Sam stand right next to me, his hot breath fanning my neck as I stared up at him. It takes a few minutes of fanning the photo before the image begins to stand out, but I can't help but smile at the finished product.
"That's actually a really nice picture. It brings out my muscles wouldn't you say?" Sam winked at me.
I blushed as I let out a small chuckle and took the picture away, putting it in my satchel for safe keeping.
"I remember you used to hang pictures all over your wall of us back when we were at the orphanage. If you weren't overly interested in pirates like I was, I would have thought you would've become a photographer or somethin'." Sam said.
"You always liked to remind me of that." I rolled my eyes.
I turned to walk back to the jeep again, only for Sam to grab my wrist and pull me back around to face him.
"Maybe we can start a portfolio of our own back at the motel?" Sam whispered in my ear.
Despite how cheesy and hilarious that sounded, my eyes widened at Sam's husky and seductive tone, and I could already feel the want in between my legs throb again.
How does he manage to fucking do this to me?
"I'm gonna...g- -go to the car." I stammered.
I go to the Jeep, not bothering to turn around to see Sam's smug reaction.
FLASH!
My sweet daughter walked over slowly on her small legs, wobbling as she tried to remain balanced on the wooden surface of the floor. Nathan knelt down at least two feet away from her with his arms outstretched and huge smile plastered onto his face. The sight nearly made my heart melt into a puddle from how cute and heartwarming this moment truly was. Sully sat at the arm chair near an open window as he continued to smoke his cigar and read a newspaper, but I could see him glance over every few seconds with a smile gracing his lips.
"Come on, Annie! Get over here!" Nathan cooed at his niece.
I laughed as Anne tilted her little head in confusion, before the small child glanced over at me.
"Hey don't look at me for help, small fry. You want him, go and get him!" I smiled warmly at Anne.
Anne turned back to look at Nathan again before she finally began moving forward once more, making those cute little baby babbles that were too cute to mention. Nathan nearly cheered once Anne had made it over to him, and he immediately scooped her up in his arms, enjoying the giggles he got in response. Nathan propped Anne against his hip as he bopped her nose with his index finger which made her giggle once more. Anne opened her mouth, showing her two front baby teeth that were starting to grow in, as if she wanted to say something.
By now, Anne had only done cute baby babbles, and hadn't really said her first word yet. The look on her face made it seem as if she actually wanted to tell Nathan something. Nathan perked up almost instantly, as he urged her to talk, to try and get her to say her first words. Although I thought it was a long shot.
"Go on...speak my dear." Nathan said dramatically.
"mmm...dda...daa...dada. Dada!" The small child spoke.
Nathan's smile disappeared almost altogether, unsure of how to react. My smile had faded as well, along with Sullivan's. It wasn't until I could see my vision blur that I realized that I was now crying. I quickly wiped my eyes, before I broke down almost completely, and went over to Nathan to take Anne away from him.
"Come on, sweetie. Let's put you down for a nap, huh?" I mumbled softly.
"Tara wait- -" Nathan finally spoke up.
"It's okay..." I barely whispered. "I'm...I'm okay."
I'll be okay...Anne will be okay...
FLASH!
"Shit! Stop! Stop the damn car!" Sullivan shouted.
I was shaken out of my memories as the jeep had skidded to a stop. In the distance, we were able to make out a dust cloud, most likely from an explosion. It didn't take long to guess who was also here with us.
"Nadine's guys?" I tensed up.
"We don't know that..." Sam chuckled nervously.
"I see military types poking around so..." Nathan said.
"Son of a bitch." Sam cursed quietly.
"Come on. We can still get around them. Don't panic just yet." I told them.
"Says the woman who got shot and nearly bled out by said mercenaries." Sam muttered.
"Sam, I swear to god, you act like I'm some fragile fucking doll one more fucking time..." I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Well I'm sorry if I worry about you- -"
"Look who's talking." I scoffed. "Says the man that owes Hector fucking Alcazar a shit ton of that damn treasure we're after." I mimicked Sam.
"You're hot when you're angry, you know." Sam smirked.
I felt my face heat up quickly as I averted my gaze from him.
"...shut up." I grumbled.
"Guys. If you could just put your lovers' quarrel on hold for just a minute." Nathan hissed at us before lowering the binoculars he held tightly in his grasp. "We're gonna have to take them out quietly. They're directly in our path, alright? We can't get around them as much as I'd like to."
"Damn it. Alright, let's get this over with. We've got places to be after all." I muttered softly.
Nathan moved the car slowly, hiding it behind a huge boulder to make sure Shoreline mercenaries didn't spot us immediately. The four of us went around the ruins nearby, and decided to split up to take out Nadine's men faster. I went into the tall grass, slowly sneaking up on a big burly man as my arms wrapped around his neck and brought him back into the tall grass as I quietly had him in a tight choke hold until he fell unconscious. I heard voices nearby and quickly ducked into the tall grass again, listening in on two soldiers that were having a conversation concerning us, or rather me.
"The boss wants us to grab the woman with the Drake brothers." The tall burly one said.
"What the hell for, mate? Can't we just kill them all and be done with it?" The shorter man asked.
"Nadine and Rafe wanted to do some shit to her I think. Boss lady mentioned using her against the Drake brothers, but rich boy had other plans." He responds.
Whoa, what the fuck?!
One of them perked up after hearing something nearby and aimed their gun over at a bush. That was when I made my move, quickly and quietly moving over until I hit one of the men with the end of my Para pistol right in the back of his head. The other whirled around, letting out a shout of surprise as I thought quickly and shot at his hand, and causing him to drop his gun. He cried out, dropping the gun instantly as he began to charge at me instead.
I was tackled to the ground, where his arms maneuvered around my neck into a choke hold. He proceeded to strangle me, probably until I fell unconscious. I struggled with all of my strength to ensure that it wouldn't happen. The last thing that I wanted was to be a hostage used against Nathan or Sam, but as my vision began to blur, I could feel myself falter in movement.
"Sssh. It's alright. Just go to sleep, luv." The Shoreline mercenary hushes me.
"Aaaaah…" I gasped.
In the knick of time, the pressure is relieved from my neck. The man slumps against me as I gasp for air, and I push his body off of me as I'm helped from the ground. I'm relieved to find that it was Sam that rescued me.
"Wow...that went more smoothly than I thought it would." I commented sarcastically.
"You can say that again." Sam chuckled nervously. "I think that's the last of them though."
Should I tell them about what those two guys said?
"You alright? They didn't do- -"
"No, I'm fine." I cut him off. "I'm okay...thanks."
"You look a little out of it, are you sure...?" Sam continued.
"I'm okay. I was just thrown off from how strong the guy was." I lied.
Sam didn't say anything else as we both walked back to the jeep and continued up to the old volcano.
FLASH!
I eyed the blonde woman in front of me, glancing down at her ID tag that indicated that she was a reporter.
"Who the hell is this?" I stared at the woman skeptically.
Nate's eyes widened before he wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
"Haha. This is Elena. She's funding the trip to find Sir Francis Drake, remember?" Nate chuckled nervously.
Oooooh. Right...I actually forgot about that.
"Elena Fisher." She held out her hand.
I smiled as she gave me a firm handshake and a confident grin.
"I like you." I gave her a nod of approval.
Elena was thrown off by the comment before she gave me a nervous smile.
"Let's get going shall we?" Elena turned to Nathan.
"Don't worry about Tara. She's all bark and no bite." Nate joked to lighten the tension.
"Don't make me hurt you, kid. Compare me to a dog again and we'll see where it gets you." I glared at him.
Elena hid her mouth behind her hand in attempt to refrain from laughing.
FLASH!
I kept my eyes closed during the drive, loving the warmth the sun was giving me. I could feel myself smiling faintly from the memory of my first encounter with Elena, before my smile faded at the very thought of the young reporter.
Maybe I should tell Elena about this? But then again...it isn't my place to tell her...but Nathan's being a pansy about it. Protect her my ass, he's missed this life. He just won't admit it yet...I missed it too.
I reopened my eyes adjusting my sunglasses to the top of my head, effectively pushing my hair back almost like a headband. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I finally began to realize that Nathan was using that grappling hook on the front of the car to get us up this slippery and muddy hill.
And of course, that's when shit went down.
When the boulder along the muddy hill gave in, I yelped as the car slid as it was being flung over a cliffside. Nathan was immediately flung out of the driver's seat from the sheer force of the car swinging over the cliffside. Sam's reflexes are amazing, as he quickly caught his younger brother by his wrist before it was too late. I panicked, moving as quickly as I could, and using all my strength as well as the adrenaline coursing through me, and climbed into the driver's seat as Nathan struggled to get back into the Jeep. Sullivan looked at me with wide eyes, yelling profanities and telling me to floor it.
"GO GO GO!" Sullivan shouted.
"I'M GOING GOD DAMN IT!" I snapped.
I had my floor pressed down on the gas, and surely enough, we were slowly moving up until we made it back onto the surface. I finally stopped as I took a deep and shaky breath before I turned around to give Nathan an extremely intense glare.
"No more driving for you today." I told him.
"What? You can't just- -" Nate started.
"Argue with me, and I'll make sure you regret it." I sigh angrily.
"Someone woke up in a bad mood." Sully joked lightly.
"When someone wakes up to almost falling off of a fucking cliff, it might make that someone a little mad." I nearly growled.
Sully raises his hands up defensively as he inches back into his seat.
"Tara, relax. We're fine- -"
"I'm not changing my mind, you know." I cut Nathan off again.
"Sam. Come on..." Nathan turned to look at his brother.
"Hey, don't look at me, you're the one that pissed her off. I'm just glad it isn't me this time." Sam responds.
Nathan sighed before giving in, folding his arms as he slumped in the backseat like a child would whenever they didn't get their way. I would have found it amusing, but I still felt angry as I grabbed the map from Sully, inspecting it carefully to see if we were on the right track and following the directions.
"Alright. Let's get going. You'll get your driving privileges later, Nate." I said.
"I'm a grown-ass man, you can't just- -"
"I can and I will. Respect your elders, kid." I smirked.
"You're only a few years older than me!" Nathan whined.
I could feel myself calm down as I continued to drive for the next half hour, taking in the beautiful sites that this area had to offer. It wasn't until Sully started to make conversation before I was in a decent mood again. Sam talked about how he spent a lot of time reading a lot of books in the prison, and how a certain guard had a soft spot for him because he kept bringing Sam books all the time. When Nathan asked why he didn't get the guard to send word to us that he was alive, Sam had a grim look on his face. Sam merely replied that he did try, but the guard wasn't seen again after that attempt.
After fighting more Shoreline soldiers and after more driving, we found ourselves at the biggest tower of them all. It didn't take long to guess that we were at Avery's tower based off how tall and extravagant it was. We all scrambled to get out of the jeep, exploring the area to look for any openings inside the tower, but so far finding none. Nathan eventually found a door that led underground to some cellar, and there we found a way in after getting rid of a opening that was bricked over. I nearly laughed at Sullivan's reaction to Nathan blowing up the wall to get into Avery's tower, but found myself stifling my laughter with my hand instead.
"You're not mad at Nate still are ya?" Sam asked.
"Nah, I feel better. I was just terrified, and you know how I get when that happens." I replied.
"Oh I know all too well." Sam smiled.
"Let's go into that damn tower huh?" I grinned.
Sam grabbed my hand and began pulling me along with him, careful about my wounds as we both jogged quickly to Avery's tower.
We were not disappointed with what we saw.
I looked around the spacious room in complete awe, walking slowly as I took it all in. Inside, I was jumping with excitement, truly giddy at what Avery had left behind for us. Deep down, I had a feeling that the treasure wouldn't be in here, as I was still thinking about our time in Scotland. If Tew and Avery teamed up together, who's to say that Avery didn't recruit other pirates from that time period as well? It was not only thought provoking, but truly exciting as well.
It was just as my parents had always told me when I was but a small child, about the tales of a pirate colony, a utopia, known as Libertalia. I took my parents words like gospel, especially when they showed me all of their findings as if it was something from a children's tale, and it was then that I grew curious as well as fascinated with pirates from that moment on. When I first met Sam and Nathan at the orphanage, it was our common interests and our higher intellect that brought us closer together, and my love for pirates only grew exponentially over time.
Libertalia exists...I know it does. My parents knew it did.
Sam could barely contain his excitement and ran down the spiral stairs that led underground, and so we chased after him.
"He seems excited." Sully commented.
"Well, he's got a lot riding on this." Nathan replied.
We crawled through a small space in the wall, finding Sam at the other side of the room with sculptures and all sorts of engravings on the wall. Of course, there was a St. Dismas statue as well as a map along the wall, but I let Nathan, Sullivan, and Samuel talk amongst themselves because of their excitement. I didn't want to take that away from them. I stand with Sam as he inspects the wall with the St. Dismas sculpture, and I move to inspect the map more closely. Then, I pull out the coin we obtained from the St. Dismas Cathedral in Scotland. The coin held more secrets than I initially realized.
"Whoa...magnificent. Don't see a treasure though." Sully mumbled.
"Hey guys...?" Sam called out to Nathan and Sully. "Come check this out." Sam muttered.
"Ah, Saint Dismas." Nathan grinned. "We meet again."
"So...what have we got?" Sully asked.
"More sigils." I noted. "There's our boy Avery. Thomas Tew. That's um..."
"Adam Baldridge. That's uh... Joseph Farrell, and that's Richard Want."
"And there's Anne Bonny." I smirked. "All pirate captains."
"All right, so maybe your pirate pool theory wasn't so ridiculous after all." Sam chuckled softly.
"It was technically my parent's theory." I pointed out. "But yes. It wasn't farfetched after all."
"All right, so uh...let's see, what do you think the trick is here?" Nathan asked. "You gotta push a button, pull something?"
I backed away as I watched Nathan and Sam run their hands all over the St. Dismas sculpture and stood over by Sullivan.
"Maybe one of the arms...?" Sam guessed.
"Guys. There's literally no switch." I pointed out. "Get over here."
"Boys. Whenever you're done fondling poor Saint Dismas, I think you might want to come take a look at this." Sully told them.
Sam and Nathan did as instructed as Sullivan continued to talk.
"The trapezoid is obviously the volcano. The crown, that's King's Bay."
"We got ourselves a map, gentleman." I smirked, clapping a hand on Sully's shoulder.
"Victor, you're a goddamn genius." Sam muttered.
Really? I get no credit whatsoever? Eh whatever...I'll let Victor have his moment.
"You hear that Nate? Genius." Sully smiled smugly.
I can't help but roll my eyes at Sullivan's comment and smile faintly.
"Yeah, yeah." Nate waved his hand. "Okay so...if we're here. This tower lines up with Avery's sigil."
"I knew that from the moment we drove up to the tower that this had to have been Avery's. He was such a narcistic showboat." I scoffed. "If it wasn't his, Tew would have been my second guess."
"Okay then, so the other sigils..." Sam trailed off.
"Must be the towers from Avery's time." Nathan concluded.
"Well, I mean...our treasure's gotta be in one of them right?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but which one? I count twelve towers." Sullivan noted.
"I don't know guys..." I muttered softly. "It just doesn't sound right to me."
Nathan pauses and glances back towards me.
"What do you mean?" Nate raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, it's more than obvious to me. The trials, mentions of paradise, the whole pirates pooling together...it's apart of something bigger." I gently nudged Nathan.
"Are you still on about the whole pirate utopia? I mean, I just thought it was too much of a farfetched- -" Nathan started.
"Farfetched? Nathan, look at where we are right now. Look at this map. You can't tell me it's farfetched or ridiculous because I know it's true. My parent's were right about Libteral- -"
"Hey Victor." Sam spoke up, interrupting me.
I would have snapped at Sam, before I noticed that he was knelt down, holding a cigarette that was still burning.
"You didn't start smoking cigarettes by any chance, did ya?" Sam asked.
"Looks like we're not the first ones here." I mumble nervously.
Distantly, we heard shouts, and knew immediately that Shoreline was here with us the entire time for an ambush. The four of us scrambled to find cover, removing our guns from their holsters as we got ready for a battle with more Shoreline soldiers once more.
"We'll finish this later! I promise!" Nathan told me.
"It's fine Nathan! Let's just focus on getting rid of these assholes!" I replied.
An explosion shook the area as hunks of the ceiling fell. It wasn't long before the entire room was in a shoot out with Shoreline soldiers surrounding us.
"It was a goddamn ambush!" Sam hissed.
"No shit! I could have told ya that when they fuckin' showed up!" I shouted angrily.
I noticed heavily armored men with shotguns and began to run, hoping to throw one of my grenades at them to break off the armor before taking them out. I groaned as I carefully lifted up my shirt, leaning again the stone structure as I glanced down at the bandages wrapped around my waist, seeing that my wound from Scotland was opening up and bleeding through the bandage.
"Shit." I muttered to myself.
I put my shirt down, reloading my pistol before shooting at Shoreline soldiers nearby. It wasn't until five to ten minutes into the battle that I found myself being pulled by the back of my shirt being thrown against a wall by a man from Shoreline. The tall man moved fast, disarming me before I knew what was happening and having me in a hold with my arms behind my back. As his chest was pressing into my back, I began thrashing around wildly in attempt to shake him off, but nothing appeared to be working.
"I've got her!" He called out.
OH FUCK NO!
"Get the fuck off of me!" I snarled at him.
I threw my head back, catching his face and hearing a crunch before he cried out and released me to hold his face. I threw my leg up in a high kick, hitting his head again before I knocked him unconscious. I hissed and held my side from the sharp pain.
Fucking damn it!
Another man came running at me, before he was tackled to the side by Sam who quickly hit his head with the end of his gun.
"You alright?!" Sam yelled worriedly.
"Not really!" I groaned in pain.
I held my side before I realized the noise had begun to die down, meaning that we took out every Shoreline soldier in the room. We all grouped up near the St. Dismas sculpture, noticing Sam digging into the pockets of an unconscious soldier nearby.
"What're you doing?" Nate asked.
"Just confirming a suspicion. Shit, look at this." Sam growled.
Nathan took the slip of paper from Sam, cursing to himself as he examined it as well.
"They figured out the towers too." Nathan sighed heavily.
"Locations, sigils, the works." Sam explained.
"So now what?" Sullivan asked.
"Now what? Now, we're screwed. Because there's four of us and there's God knows how many of them. And they have a head start!" Sam grumbled.
"Yeah, but they don't know which tower to go to yet." Nathan told him.
"That's great, Nathan, cause neither do we." Sam rolled his eyes.
It was then, that I had a sudden epiphany, and pulled out the coin we retrieved from Scotland. I was right about it being important the entire time. I glance at the other side and notice the worn out sigil. I hold it up to next to the one it matches.
"Yes, we do." I spoke up.
Nathan's eyes widen in surprise, before he grins at me.
"It's a little worn down, but that right there, is a match." I pointed out.
Sam appears as if he doesn't want to get his hopes up, but he perks up when he realizes that we're onto something.
"Are you sure? Because I mean, it could be this one too." Sam pointed over at another sigil.
"Crap." Nate mutters softly.
"But still...two beats the hell out of twelve." Sullivan commented.
"You've got that right." I nodded in agreement.
I toss the coin to Nathan, not bothering to look back as I begin heading back to the Jeep.
"Alright, Sam and I will take that tower. Sully and Nate get the other one." I said with finality.
"No no no no no, Rafe's guys are gonna be all over these towers by now." Nathan objected.
"Exactly. So if we wanna have the chance to catch them, then we gotta split up." Sam nodded in agreement with me.
"Sam, just hold up a second will ya?" Nathan sighed.
Sam catches up with me easily, taking note of how slowly I was moving to begin with, and pauses as he looks at me worriedly.
"You alright?" Sam raised an eyebrow.
"I'll be fine, just need to catch my breath is all." I mumbled softly.
Sam rolled his eyes at my lie before he moved my hand from my still healing wound and pulled up my shirt.
"Shit, you must have popped open yer stitches when we were fighting those assholes. Come on."
Sam gently pulled my hand until we were over at the jeep again.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I need you to take off your shirt." He told me.
Sam rummaged in the trunk of the jeep before pulling out more bandages from a small bag. I took off my shirt while being thankful that I remembered to wear a bra today. Sam used a pair of small scissors to cut through the bandages as well as my old stitches before he started to clean my wound with alcohol.
"You know, usually someone buys me dinner first before they try to get me out of their clothes- -OWW!"
I yelped as the alcohol was being dabbed against my wound, feeling the fresh sting. Moving quickly, Sam already has a thread and needle prepared, and gets to work on replacing my stitches.
"Yeah, but we didn't do that when we were back in Italy did we?" Sam smirked. "As I recall, you slipped out of that sexy dress and told me to take a shower with you."
Sam finishes stitching me back up, looking pleased with his work before he moves to wrap new bandages around my waist.
"Damn that hurt." I hissed.
I move to put my shirt back on with Sam's help, and whimper as Sam places his hands along my hips carefully.
"Relax, it's over now. You sure you're okay for this?" Sam muttered.
I bit my bottom lip as I reach up and place my hands to his chest to steady myself.
"I actually feel a lot better now. I'm so glad I have you to...take care of me." I slid my hands underneath his shirt.
"I always take care of my woman." Sam winked.
Our foreheads gently pressed together, our breath fanning each other's face as our lips inched closer.
"Are you sure God's got nothin' to do with this?" Sam quoted me.
I chuckled softly from Sam's reference to our playful banter at the Rossi Estate and could feel myself grow pleasantly warm as I pushed myself closer to Sam.
"I think you might be onto something." I smiled.
Sam pressed his lips to mine, rubbing small circles with his thumbs on my hips. I smiled into the next kiss, brushing my fingers against his nipple and heard his sharp intake of breath. Before our kissing grew more heated, we heard Nathan and Sully from a distance and pulled away immediately.
"Really Sam? You're trying to get it on in the rental?" Nathan rolled his eyes.
Sam blushed before smiling nervously as he tries to defend himself.
"No no, I was actually changing her bandages and her stitches, she opened up her wound and- -"
"You're not fooling anyone kid." Sullivan smirked.
I slipped my shirt back on, laughing at Sam's reaction before I turned over to Nate and Sully again.
"He just can't keep his hands off of me sometimes, what can I say?" I joked.
"Do not indulge them!" Sam gave me a playful glare.
"You can't blame him, being in prison for fifteen years and all- -" Sully teased.
"It wasn't like that!"
"She's like my sister, Sam, really? Pullin' that shit around me- -"
"Guys! Cut it out!" Sam blushed.
"Let's just get going alright? We can settle this later." I laughed.
Sam got into the driver's seat in the Jeep as I got into the passenger side.
"You run into any Shoreline and you call us okay?" Nathan told us.
"See you soon." Sam nodded, looking flustered.
Hey guys! With my break almost being over, I wanted to finish this damn chapter since I'm feeling like I'm in an Uncharted mood right now. I just got the PS4 Slim Uncharted bundle with my Christmas money and was so happy! If you guys ever wanna play with me on Survival or Multiplayer mode, my username is Assanine21. As for my username, it was an inside joke with my little brother, so ignore it lol ANYWAY, thank you guys so much for your support on this story. Let me know what you think of this chapter. The FLASH is for flashbacks, just in case anyone gets confused, I've had several people message me about it. It's just how I write, so if you don't like it, too bad! lol I love you guys so until next time!
-bellas2silly