Page 106 of On Her Team
“Exactly.”
Nolan motions to the deck. “Tanner will charge straight down the center deck like he’s raiding a British merchant ship. Let him. He thinks chaos equals victory. This is when you tag him.”
I tap my chest. “Me?”
“Yes.” He points at Gage. “You’re our flanker. Use the lower cargo hold. Stay low. Move fast. Pop up behind those rum crates and apply pressure.”
Gage salutes. “Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Corbin is our real problem. He’ll take the high ground. Probably the captain’s deck. He’ll wait. He’ll be patient. And he won’t make a sound. We’ll bait him.” Nolan smirks. “I’ll draw his fire from mid-deck. While he’s focused on me, Gage takes the stairs to the upper deck. Addy rotates starboard side and picks off anyone who tries to help.”
I widen my eyes. “Did you say starboard?”
“Yes. Commit to the theme.”
“Good thing I grew up on an island obsessed with pirates,” I mutter.
“And one more thing.” He looks directly at Gage. “You do not abandon position because Addy yelps.”
I scowl. “I won’t yelp.” I’ll probably scream, maybe shout, but there will be no yelping. I refuse to be a damsel in distress.
Nolan ignores me to address Gage. “You will hear her yelp. You will want to charge heroically across the deck. You will not. You will stay in your lane.”
Gage grumbles. “I don’t break formation.”
“You absolutely break formation.” Nolan pulls down his mask. “Remember. We control the ship. We control the angles. We don’t play pirate chaos.”
The horn blares and chaos erupts instantly.
Tanner screams, “FOR THE GLORY OF THE GALLEON!” and sprints straight down the center deck.
I fire at him before ducking behind a stack of rum barrels. “I got him!”
“You missed,” Nolan mutters as he leans out to shoot.
Paintballs splatter against the wood. One explodes against a crate inches from my face. I’m not complaining about wearing a face mask anymore.
“Starboard!” Nolan yells.
I dart right. Bad choice.Smack.A paintball hits me square on the outer thigh. There’s a sharp, hollow pop before neon blue paint bursts on my leggings.
Ouch! “Sinking smugglers!”
Gage whirls toward me. He growls. “Who hit her?”
I point to Corbin on the Captain’s deck above. Gage fires blindly toward the upper deck, but Corbin ducks behind the wheel.
“Get back!” I yell at him. “You’re exposing yourself.”
“Don’t care,” he mutters.
“We’re going to lose.”
Those words have him shutting up and ducking behind a barrel.
“Cover me,” I shout before making my way to the next barrel. Except my leg doesn’t listen to me. It trembles before giving out. I crumple to the floor.
Gage rushes to me.
