Hunt for the Panther 3 (9781101610923) Read Online Free Page B

anyway?”
    Fortunately, before she could find the answer, the door swung open again, and Admiral McCray walked into the room.
    “Scarlet!” He stopped and took off his blue cap, a smile spreading across his face. She stood up and let him pull her into a warm hug. For the tiniest moment, she even let herself relax, enjoying the feeling of having someone take care of her. But then she felt Miranda’s eyes on her back, and she wiggled out of her father’s arms. The voodoo queen was watching them intently, stroking her python’s head.
    “Thank you, Miranda,” said the admiral. “We won’t be long.” He pulled out a chair and sat down at the table, dropping his hat between himself and the frog.
    Scarlet frowned. How could her father be so comfortable in a place that was so … strange?
    Miranda nodded. “There are cookies on the counter if you get hungry.” She narrowed her eyes at Scarlet. “Looks like you could use a good meal.”
    “I just ate,” Scarlet said quickly, although it had been several hours since she’d snacked on the nuts Jem had packed. If the jars around the kitchen were any indication of the ingredients Miranda baked with, she’d rather pass.
    Miranda shrugged and slipped away again, leaving Scarlet and her father alone.
    Even now, it still surprised her to see him. Not that he’d changed much in their time apart; she’d known him the moment she saw him on Island X, about a month before. He’d arrived with his men, scouting the island for trees and spices to harvest, and she’d quickly realized that he’d completely forgotten everything about the island—he didn’t even recognize it as the place he’d called home for years.
    “Please, sit down.” He gestured to her chair, and she sat again. He picked up his cap, then set it back down on the table. “So.”
    “So,” she said.
    “Are the tree houses finished now?”
    “Almost,” she replied. “They look jolly—Fitz did a great job.”
    “And the garden?”
    “Done. Gil took a real shine to weeding and planting. Sina thinks we’ll have squash in a month or so.”
    The admiral nodded and fiddled with his cap. “And no sign of that pirate captain… what’s his name again?”
    Scarlet shook her head. The Dread Pirate Captain Wallace Hammerstein-Jones led the
Dark Ranger
, the ship Lucas Lawrence defected to. He was just as treasure hungry as Lucas himself, which meant more trouble for the Lost Souls, since Lucas had Uncle Finn’s treasure map. Scarlet tapped her feet on the floor, wondering if either pirate was in port that night and what her crewmates might do if they ran into them. She peered out the cloudywindow, hoping her father wouldn’t keep her long.
    “Speaking of captains,” her father continued, “do you have a plan to stop this new one from getting the treasure?”
    Scarlet’s head snapped back. “What new one?”
    The admiral looked down at the frog in the jar and noticed it for the first time. He grimaced and turned it so that it faced the wall.
    “The new pirate captain,” he repeated. “Surely you’ve heard of him.”
    Scarlet shook her head, suddenly grateful for her father’s presence in port. This sounded serious.
    The admiral frowned. “Everyone’s talking about him, though I have yet to meet anyone who has actually met him. Apparently a new pirate is rising to power, and he’s gathering a crew of the filthiest and fiercest pirates around. Rumor has it he aims to be the most powerful pirate in all the tropics. They call him the Rebel.”
    “What?” Scarlet cried, then lowered her voice. “What does that mean?”
    “Well, it’s someone who defies authority and—”
    “I know what
rebel
means,” Scarlet snapped. Then she bit her lip. “Sorry. I meant, what does this mean for
us
?”
    The admiral frowned. “Well, he wants the most powerful crew, the fastest and biggest ship, and control of all the treasure around.”
    “Shivers!” Scarlet tried to imagine it. Then she started as