A Hand Well Played

Jamaica 1783

Jaclyn worried her lower lip between her teeth, then quickly released it. You can win this. You’ve got this. She tossed a handful of coins into the center of the table. An accident on board the ship had forced Jaclyn to take Lina’s place in tonight’s card game. The game that would change their lives forever.

The dusky tavern in the heart of Port Royal smelled of sweat, sea, and men. Upon entry into the establishment, the scent was so strong that Jaclyn had to force herself not to choke on the stench. Now, with two rums warming her belly, the smell was the least of her worries. A crowd had gathered to watch the scenario play out at the card table, and by some miracle Jaclyn remained in the game. The winner of this round took all. The coins, the notes, the jewels, the map. Not just any map. The treasure map that Jaclyn and Lina had searched for these past six years.

The dealer shuffled the deck and snapped cards on the table in front of the players one by one until they each had five cards. Jaclyn picked up her hand, fanning the cards between her sweaty fingers.

“Pfft. I’m out,” the toothless man with a red bandanna wrapped around his head grumbled, throwing the cards onto the table. He settled back in his seat, arms crossed as he glared at the remaining three players.

Jaclyn studied her cards, recalling the rules and scenarios Lina and Sam had gone over with her time and again before she came ashore. Aces, pairs, threes, fours. No matter your hand, keep putting money on the table until you scare the other players away. That map is the key to our future.

“I remain.” The coins clinked on the table as the player in the top hat across from her upended the contents of his purse. He caught her gaze and winked.

“Aye, me too,” the barrel-chested man seated to her right said, tossing a handful of gems into the mix.

Her heart thumped in her chest. “I’ll stay,” she said, fingering the purse tied to her belt. She pulled out five gold coins and plunked them into the center of the table.

“Up the ante!” a drunk observer called splashing ale on Jaclyn’s shoulder.

The dealer nodded to the three players, giving them the option to drop out or remain in the game. Top Hat took his time deciding. His gaze slid from Jaclyn to the man adjacent to her before dropping a stack of notes into the money pile. With a grunt, Barrel Chest tossed a set of gold coins onto the table and Jaclyn follow suite.

Dear God, how was this going to play out? She stared at her cards, two aces and three queens. Her hand had to be the highest. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple and her chest tightened. The crowd closed in, whispering, watching.

The dealer banged on the table three times, gaining the attention of everyone. The tavern quieted, and he pulled a rough, yellowed piece of parchment out of his pocket. Hoots and hollers filled the silence as the dealer opened the map, stood, and held it in the air, showing it was indeed the true treasure map.

“Best hand wins,” he yelled over the noise. “Ladies first.” He nodded to Jaclyn, and the spectators hushed. She glanced around the table, then at the map. With a deep breath, she laid her cards on the table, face up. There was a collective gasp from the crowd.

The dealer nodded to Top Hat. With a smirk, he laid his hand down. Two aces and three kings. Jaclyn swallowed hard and felt the breath leave her. No, no, no!

“This game is rigged! Rigged I tell you!” Barrel Chest hollered, throwing his cards at Top Hat. Jaclyn shifted to the left just as his meaty fist came down hard on the table, cracking it in the center and sending coins and notes flying in every direction.

Top Hat guffawed and snatched the map from the dealer’s hands before pressing through the crowd and exiting the tavern.

“No!” Jaclyn called, jumping out of her chair and running after him just as Barrel Chest upended the card table with an angry roar.

The map. She had to get the map! Jaclyn ran out of the tavern, hesitating only a moment before catching a glimpse of movement ahead. She raced across the cobblestone streets after the tall man in the top hat. He danced in and out of the shadows ahead of her, his dark clothing blending into the night until she could no longer see him.

For over two hours she searched the inns and empty streets for the man in the top hat, to no avail. Eventually she returned to the beach to the pickup point, where Sam would meet her. The map and man were nowhere to be found. With a cry of frustration, she sank to her knees in the sand. She had lost, failed her dearest friend, and now they would have to discover a new way to live. If they didn’t find the treasure, they might as well give up. The treasure is what they had worked so hard for the last six years.

Blood, sweat, tears. Storms, fights, starvation. She would only give herself these few minutes to weep before the jollyboat arrived to take her back to her ship empty handed. Covering her face with her hands, she let the silent tears fall, releasing the frustration and heartache that consumed her.

“Is that your ship?”

It took her a moment to realize someone stood beside her in the sand. Lowering her hands from her face, she gazed at scuffed black boots with daggers strapped to the sides. Following the line up the dark breeches and shirt to the wild brown hair, amused hazel eyes, and a top hat.

“Pardon?” she asked, her voice sounding like she had swallowed sand.

“Is that your ship?” he repeated, taking his gaze from her to the lone ship anchored in the bay.

“Yes, why?” she inquired, pushing to her feet.

The stranger turned in a circle. “It appears my men have abandoned me and I’m without a ship.”

“Clearly you don’t sail with the right crew then.” She moved away from him, closer to the water. In the distance Saw rowed the jollyboat toward shore. The stranger’s footsteps were soft in the sand as he trailed her.

“Why were you at that betting table?” He asked.

“To get the map, of course,” she snapped.

“Yes, but why? What is the importance of it to you?”

“Due to circumstances, I’m not at liberty to share why we need it. We’ve searched for six years. Scoured the islands in the Caribbean and until recent days, thought the treasure lost.”

“Hmm. An uncomfortable situation, to say the least. But I have a proposal for you. I too seek something of much value that is with the treasure.”

She eyed him warily, his easy air disconcerting. “What is your proposal?”

“I’d like to hire your ship to take me to the treasure. I’ve got coin to pay you.” He held up a brown sack and shook it, the coins inside jingling.

“What?” her voice came out harsher than intended. “You expect me to take you to the treasure that I just tried to win in that dingy tavern?”

“Yes, and I’ll pay you.”

“What if I asked for half of the treasure instead?” She demanded, hands on her slender hips.

“I would say, you can have it all, except for one valuable item.” He held her for a long moment. “Don’t tell me you aren’t curious now.”

“Why would you do that? Give me all the treasure? Is that one item the only thing of value?”

“Certainly not. The one item is of great value to me but not to anyone else.” When she rolled her eyes he added, “I swear to you I speak the truth.” He thrust his hand out in an offering of sealing the deal with a handshake.

“The treasure is worth at least twenty-thousand or more. It is all yours. I just need my... item. And to get it, I need a ship.”

Studying his hand, she hesitantly reached out and clasped it. His palm and fingers were so cold they nearly burned. He shook her hand twice before releasing it, then handed her the coin purse. Palming the soft leather, she looked into the stranger’s solemn face. What had she just agreed to?

Three Days Later

“Are you sure this is the right place?” Jaclyn demanded looking from her ship anchored in the bay to the cluster of rocks ahead framed by overgrown green and brown shrubbery.

“Of course. According to the map, this is it. Plus, I feel it. My item is here.” He put a hand to his chest, closed his eyes and took a deep breath in.

“Well then,” Jaclyn said, motioning with her hand, “lead the way.”

Top Hat grinned and strode confidently ahead to the rocks while she trailed behind. Looking again over her shoulder to make sure she could still see Lina and Sam on the ship deck with their spyglasses.

“Come along my lady,” Top Hat called walking backwards as he motioned for her to hurry up.

She jogged to catch up with him, still leery of his strange attitude and demeanor. As they neared the outcropping of rocks, he circled it to the left and grinned, pointing to a cave entrance large enough for a man to walk through standing straight and tall.

They entered the cavern together and there in the center rested a brown and black trunk roughly three feet wide and two feet tall. Dark green moss covered the top of the container.

Jaclyn and Top Hat knelt side by side in front of the trunk. Using the hammer and caulking iron from the ship, he pried the chest open. Tossing the tools aside, he pressed the lid up with a grunt. It creaked as it opened, the hinges rusted from the humid sea air. Jaclyn marveled at the sparkle of gold coins filling the chest to near overflowing. Atop the treasure rested a leather-bound book. Hesitantly, she reached out and brushed the gold coins off the top of it. A fissure of energy raced up her fingertips as she trailed them across the lettering carved in the leather.

“I’ll see to that,” Top Hat said, reaching over her shoulder and snatching up the little black book. Still kneeling by the enormous chest, she spun to look at him. That was the item of value for him? Before she could ask a question, he spoke.

“I thank you for the use of your ship, my lady. That will be all.” With a tip of his hat, he spun on his booted heel and strode away out of the cavern and into the blinding midday sun. Jaclyn watched and listened until his footsteps faded, and she was left alone with the chest full of gold coins.

Twenty-thousand she scoffed. The coins that lay in the chest were easily triple that. Never again would they need to worry about food, shelter, or work.

“Lina,” she whispered, “We’ve done it. The world is ours.”