To Catch a Pirate (3 page)

He arced the sword through the air, slicing nothing except fog, but it made a whistling sound that echoed between the buildings. A warning. A dare. A challenge.

He heard the rush of footsteps behind him. He swung around. His sword hit another, the ringing of steel vibrating around him. He thrust with his knife and his opponent jumped back.

James was at a disadvantage. He knew it. There were too many. There was no escape. But he wasn’t going down without a fight.

“You can’t win against us,” the man who’d spoken before said. “Surrender to the captain of
The Dangerous Lady
.”

James spun around. “Never. I’ll never surrender to you.”

“I’m not the captain,” the man said.

“Is he too much of a coward to do his own work?” James asked with a sneer.

A pain shot through James’s head, and he dropped to his knees. Someone had sneaked up behind him and clobbered his skull. His weapons were torn from his grasp. He felt weak and the world was spinning. He tried to get up, but the ground was so much more inviting. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep.

Someone jerked him roughly to his feet and wrenched his arms behind his back. He felt the sharp bite of rope as his hands were bound.

He heard the enticing clinking of coins. He watched, stunned, while the man who’d spoken earlier tossed a small bag into Ferret’s waiting hands.

Ferret walked up to James. “Sorry, mate, but ye owed me fer takin’ me arm.”

Ferret took a swing, his fist clipping James on the chin and dropping him back to the ground.

“That’s enough!” a feminine voice shouted.

As awkward as it was with his hands tied behind his back, James lifted his head and watched the girl walking out of the mist.

With brown hair flowing past her shoulders.

She stopped only a few inches from him.

“So we meet again, James Sterling.”

It was the girl from the hold.

And from the look on her face, she had every intention of sending him to hell.

Annalisa Townsend sat at the desk in her cabin. She could hardly believe that she had finally captured James Sterling.

It had been almost too easy. That thought nagged at her. She’d ordered
The Dangerous Lady
to set sail as soon as she and her men had boarded the ship — with their captive in tow.

She’d learned a lot in the year since the attack on the
Horizon
. If pirates sought to seize her ship today, she wouldn’t seek refuge in the cargo hold. She’d draw her cutlass and fight the pirates. She was no longer weak and helpless. She was skilled with the parry and the thrust. She’d spent countless hours practicing, learning the techniques required to fight in close quarters aboard a ship. There was little room to maneuver, but her slender figure worked to her advantage. She was generally more nimble than her opponent, who was usually Nathaniel Northrup.

During most of the past year, she’d been under his tutelage. The young officer who’d helped her disembark from the
Horizon
had left the king’s service shortly after the attack. Like her, he felt he could better serve his country as a free agent, untethered by the rules that applied to the Royal Navy. Together, they plotted and planned how best to regain what they had lost.

With money her father had set aside to be used as a dowry when she married, Annalisa had purchased an aging ship and renamed it
The Dangerous Lady
.

She wanted nothing more than to capture Crimson Kelly and regain the treasure stolen from her father. When the pirate had burned their ship and left them adrift, it had taken them some time to make it to a port where they could report the thievery. There, they’d boarded a ship that took them to New Providence. The royal governor there, Rogers, suspected her father of being in league with Crimson Kelly. Why else had the pirate not killed them all? He arrested her father and charged him with piracy!

Annalisa had pleaded with Rogers to grant her a letter of marque, to give her the chance to sail on a ship and prove her father’s innocence. Rogers had merely laughed at the notion of a woman serving as a privateer. So she’d forged a marque. She needed it to declare her legitimacy at ports and to secure her crew. Otherwise, she would appear to be no more than a pirate herself — and at the mercy of other privateers.

Nathaniel had agreed to serve on Annalisa’s ship as quartermaster. As such, he was the second in command. When the treasure was returned, the ship would be his, his payment for his services. He’d helped her obtain a crew. And he’d instructed her in the art of fighting with the cutlass. He’d taught her how to fire a pistol with fair accuracy. She had two loaded pistols nestled in the belt at her waist. Her sword was at the ready, at her side, along with her dagger. She’d tucked a more slender dagger into her boot.

All along the Caribbean and the coast of colonial America, Annalisa had sent her men into various taverns and pubs to gather information and post reward notices. Pirates sometimes left one ship, hoping to find work on another. With enough grog in them, they’d sell their mothers, wives, and children.

She’d managed to learn that Crimson Kelly was in the habit of burying his treasure shortly after he gained it. He favored an island in the Caribbean for his purposes, which included hiding himself between voyages. But no one knew exactly where the island was located. He shared his maps, his coordinates, with no man.

But what cabin boy didn’t have a healthy dose of curiosity?

And James Sterling, if the rumors were true, had begun his pirating ways by serving as Crimson Kelly’s cabin boy.

“You caught him. Shouldn’t you be smiling?”

Annalisa looked up and met Nathaniel’s brown-eyed gaze. With his fingers, he brushed his blond hair off his brow. He was only twenty-five, fairly young to be the quartermaster of a ship. But he had an overall sense of justice that rivaled hers. When he spoke, the crew listened. With him standing by her side, they listened when she spoke as well.

“I fear capturing him was the easy part,” Annalisa said. “Getting him to cooperate is another matter.”

“Are you so certain he has the answers?”

Annalisa nodded. Since she began her quest to recover the treasure stolen from her father’s ship, she’d learned a great deal about Crimson Kelly and James Sterling.

“They say he was closer to Crimson Kelly than any man. That Crimson treated him almost like a son.”

“Odd, then, that he would maroon him.”

“He obviously fell into disfavor.” She waited a heartbeat before continuing. “And that might work to our favor.”

“You think he’ll want his own revenge?”

“Wouldn’t you?”

“Absolutely. But would I trust others to help me acquire it? I’m not sure I would.”

“We’ll give him no choice.”

“I’m not certain why you were so determined to catch James Sterling when capturing Crimson Kelly would give us what we need.”

“My reasons are personal, but I assure you they’re justified. And in the end, our present course will give us much more satisfactory results.”

Her comment was met with silence. As much as he questioned her, he also respected her opinion. Her plan involved finding Crimson Kelly and capturing his ship in order to reclaim the treasure. She knew — they all knew — Crimson Kelly wouldn’t surrender without a ferocious fight. But it wasn’t the treasure she really wanted. She wanted to free her father from suspicion, give him back his life. To achieve that end, she needed not only to recover the treasure but to deliver Crimson Kelly — alive — to Governor Rogers.

She shoved back her chair and stood. “I need to talk to our captive.”

Nathaniel came to his feet. “I’ll go with you.”

“No, I think it best if I talk to him alone.”

“That’s hardly a wise plan. It puts your life at risk.”

“He’s in irons and caged. He can’t harm me.”

“It’s not his hurting you that concerns me. It’s his charming you.”

She couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “I despise the very air he breathes. He’s a pirate!”

“With a reputation among the ladies. I daresay most of the information we gathered on him came from women he’d trifled with.”

“I promise you, Nathaniel. His charms will have no effect upon me.”

She repeated those words as she stood at the top of the steps leading down to the brig. He wouldn’t charm her. She’d almost forgotten what his kiss tasted like, felt like. She only remembered it when she drifted into dreams. Then it became so vivid, so real. To her mortification, she always felt a little thrill. Her life had been filled with gentlemen of the finest quality. James Sterling was like none of them. He was unpolished. A diamond in the rough. A scoundrel. A pirate.

He was the key to returning her father to her.

Holding the lantern high, she carefully descended the narrow steps. They creaked beneath her weight. She heard something scurry. A rat. How was it that they always managed to find their way aboard ships?

The dankness of the brig rose up to assail her nostrils. The flame in the lantern chased away the shadows until she spotted James Sterling squinting up at her from where he sat on the floor in the corner of his cell. There were no luxuries here. Men kept in the brig didn’t deserve them.

He regarded her with insolence. The mouth he’d once pressed against hers wasn’t quite smiling, not quite sneering. His flowing white shirt had seen better days. His unscarred cheek was bruised. He still wore a gold ring through his left earlobe. She’d never known another man to wear an earring. It made him seem all the more wicked. Made her heart hammer all the harder.

She cleared her throat quietly before barking out, “James Sterling.”

He grinned. “You have me at a disadvantage, lass. I don’t know your name.”

“Annalisa Townsend. You may call me Captain Townsend.”

He unfolded his body like a predator preparing to strike. In a smooth motion, he wrapped his hands around the bars and brought himself to his feet, towering over her by at least a foot. She didn’t recall him being that tall.

“So formal,” he fairly purred, “after we’ve been so … intimate.”

“We weren’t intimate.”

“You taste of strawberries. How many lads know that?”

She wanted to slap him. Instead, she could only curse the bars for being in the way, while at the same time being grateful they were. Her bravado was faltering. Facing him in person was much more disconcerting than she’d thought it would be.

“You stole that kiss and my ring. I’ll have it back.”

His grin widened. “By all means, I’d be more than delighted to return the kiss.”

She scowled at him. “I meant the ring, you insolent dog.”

He held up his left hand, examined it, studying the ring that circled the smallest finger. He took a step back. “If you want it, come and get it.”

He seemed to anticipate the challenge far too much. Did he truly think she’d enter the cell? She’d not give him the satisfaction.

She waved his suggestion away. “I’ve decided you can keep it. It’s worthless anyway.”

“So I learned.”

She didn’t know what she expected of him. A little less cockiness. A little fear perhaps. Maybe he didn’t realize exactly what was going on here — or what she wanted him to think was going on. Her marque was
forged
, after all. Not even Nathaniel knew that. But it had been the only way to give the appearance of legitimacy and get a crew to follow and respect her. Desperation required desperate acts. And lies.

“Are you familiar with New Providence?” she asked.

He simply looked at her.

“It’s in the Bahamas,” she explained, her impatience with him growing.

“I know where it is. I’ve sailed these seas a good many years.”

“I plan to transport you there.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested.”

“It’s not an offer. It’s a promise. I take it you’re familiar with the reputation of its royal governor.”

“I understand he is a man who possesses little humor.”

He was attempting to goad her with his nonchalance. She had no plans to be goaded. But her temper was becoming sorely pricked.

“The king has charged him with ridding the area of pirates. Governor Rogers has the power to try, convict, and execute. He has exercised that power quite frequently of late.”

“His mum must be proud.”

“You’re not taking your situation seriously, Mr. Sterling. I intend to deliver you there to stand trial. I shall serve as a witness against your evil deeds, as shall Mr. Northrup. The outcome is inevitable. You’ll no doubt be found guilty of piracy.”

“No doubt.”

“You’ll find yourself dancing the devil’s jig on the gallows.”

“I’ve never been much for dancing.”

She wondered if he realized exactly what she was saying. On the one hand he seemed intelligent, on the other … well, he was stupid enough to become involved with pirating.

“You’ll be hanged,” she stated sternly.

“A rather ghastly way to go, I suspect.”

“Indeed. It is not pretty, nor is it pleasant.” Not that she’d ever actually witnessed a hanging, but she had a vivid imagination.

She gave all that she’d said a moment to sink in, to let him ponder the ramifications of the life he’d led and the destination to which he was sure to arrive.

She cleared her throat. “I have the power to grant you your freedom.”

He cocked his head to the side, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. It was evident he didn’t quite trust her. He was smarter than he looked.

“You went to a great deal of trouble and expense to capture me. Why offer me my freedom?”

“I’m not offering you your freedom, but I’m willing to trade you for it.”

He stepped nearer to the bars, his cocky grin back in place. “My freedom for a kiss?”

“You vastly overestimate your charms. Freedom for information — as long as that information bears fruit.”

He narrowed his eyes again. “What information?”

“The whereabouts of the island where Crimson Kelly buries his treasure.”

“Even if you found the island, you’d not find the treasure. Have you not heard how he secures his secrets? By blinding those who help him bury it, leaving them to roam over the island for the rest of their days. They say that when you get near enough to the island you can hear their souls weeping in misery.”

Annalisa shuddered with the thought. She shored up her resolve to get through this en- counter without revealing any squeamishness. “If I can find the island, I can capture Crimson Kelly there when he returns to it. I’ll force him to tell me where he buried the treasure.”

“It’s in the Bahamas. Now set me free.”

He rattled the door, and she despised that the unexpected action startled her. She was striving to be the one in control. Being so easily undone was not a good sign. Touching her mother’s necklace, she gathered courage.

“The Bahamas is a vast area, with more than a hundred uncharted islands. I need more information than that. I need coordinates, longitude and latitude. I need a precise location.”

“Surely you jest.”

“I assure you, Mr. Sterling, on the matter of the treasure entrusted to my father, I never jest.”