Pete and the Pirates

It was supposed to be a two-day trip, not a trap. Leaving behind the Florida scrub, young Pete finds himself aboard the cattle steamer Virgin Mary, bound for Havana. But the open sea offers no safety when a U.S. warship appears on the horizon, shadowing their every move. Pete quickly discovers the danger isn't just behind them-it's on deck. Captain McClure and his ruthless first mate are smuggling a stolen Army payroll chest. When they decide Pete is a loose end they can't afford, the boy must rely on his upbringing and his family's creed: In omnia paratus-prepared in all things. Thrust into a violent mutiny, Pete seizes control of the steamer. His only hope for survival lies in an unlikely alliance with Ivan, a colossal Russian cook with terrifying strength and a surprising mind for mathematics. With a warship closing in and a crew of traitors below decks, Pete must execute a desperate plan: run the Virgin Mary aground on the untamed Florida coast. But making landfall is only the beginning of their problems. The swamp holds its own dangers, and the man leading the navy search party is the last person Pete expects to see-.