To Catch a Pirate (4 page)

“I can’t help you. Crimson Kelly would have my head on a silver platter and my blood poured into his golden goblet.”

“Are you afraid of him?” she taunted.

He laughed. “I fear no man … or woman.”

“Then help me find him.”

“In exchange for my freedom?”

“Yes. I promise you that you will be set free.”

He barked out his laughter, the sound echoing between the planks. When his laughter quieted, he slowly let his gaze roam over her, as though he were measuring her worth.

“Do you think me a fool?” he asked. “A promise is easily given. I’ve never known one yet to be kept.”

“I’ll keep mine. You have my word on it.”

“Your
word
?” He looked to the rafters, then slowly turned in a circle. “Where is it? I don’t see it. It has no substance.”

“Many a thing with substance can’t be seen.”

“And I trust nary a one of them. The same as I don’t trust you.”

The frustration ate at her. How could she convince him? “I owe you. You didn’t kill me or take me captive when you had the chance. I’ll return the favor now, but you must help me find Crimson Kelly.”

“Ferret owed me his life as well, yet he struck a bargain with you quickly enough. You’ll do the same when a better offer comes along.”

“I won’t. I swear —”

“Save your swearin’. I have no interest in promises. Nor have I an interest in helping you.”

“When we reach New Providence it’ll be too late.”

He scoffed. “Like I said. I’m not a fool. It’s already too late.”

“I’ll give you twenty-four hours to reconsider. At that time, we’ll decide whether to set course for New Providence or elsewhere.”

He did nothing more than stare at her. Insolent bastard. When she could no longer stand to look at him, she spun on her heel.

“Princess?”

She looked back at him. “I’m not a princess.”

“But you act like one, as though the world is yours to command, and I was put on this earth for no other purpose than to do your bidding.”

“I can’t deny that I consider you beneath me. If I were a boy, I’d spit on you.”

“If you were a boy, I’d have taken your life in the hold.”

A shiver went through her at the utter conviction of his words.

“Is nothing of value to you?” she asked.

“Precious little.” He jerked his head toward her. “Don’t suppose you’d leave the lantern.”

“Afraid of the dark?” she taunted, loathing him more with each passing moment. Had she really thought she had the power to convince him to help her?

“Not fond of the rats. The light keeps them at bay.”

She should leave him in the dark, with the rats. He’d come around more quickly if she did. But she wasn’t as ruthless as he was. Didn’t want to become like him.

She hooked the lantern on a peg near the cell. With one last look at him, she turned and made her way out of the hold. He’d cooperate with her one way or another. If she had to take a cat-o’-nine-tails to his back, he’d cooperate.

*  *  *

James waited until the door above banged shut. Then he slid down to the floor and awkwardly brought his chained feet closer to his chained wrists. Embedded in the heel of his leather boot was a slender wire, something he kept on hand for emergencies. He’d always known capture was a possibility. He believed in being prepared for anything. Although a few things tonight had certainly taken him by surprise.

He wasn’t limber enough to reach the wire with his teeth, so he used his fingernails to work it free. When he finally had it in hand, he inserted it into the lock on the manacle of his left wrist. He dug it around, listening as the tumblers clinked, right before the manacle snapped open. He quickly opened the other one. If he heard anyone coming, he could put them back on easily enough.

Rubbing his chafed wrists, he glanced around now that he had a bit of light. Wasn’t much to see. A brig was a brig. He could tell by the constant creaking of the ship and its rolling motion that they’d set sail. That surprised him. It seemed he was the only cargo they’d meant to pick up.

The girl coming to see him had taken him off guard. Her offer even more so.

He wasn’t the one she was really after. She wanted Crimson.

It seemed they had a common goal in that, at least.

But he didn’t trust her any more than she trusted him. Grant him his freedom? Not bloody likely.

But that didn’t mean that he couldn’t obtain it. On his own terms.

*  *  *

Annalisa stood at the prow, staring into the night. It was so incredibly dark on the sea. Sometimes she felt as though it could swallow her whole.

“What did he say?” Nathaniel asked quietly beside her.

She sighed deeply. “He refuses to help. I’ve given him twenty-four hours to reconsider.”

“And if he still refuses?”

“We’ll take him to New Providence, and then I suppose we shall have to redouble our efforts to find Crimson Kelly on the high seas.”

“I suppose we could start the rumor that we have treasure on board. Bring the pirate to us.”

She’d considered that but dismissed it as too dangerous.

“He’s ruthless, Nathaniel. Better we be the ones doing the attacking.”

“As you wish, Captain.”

She glanced over at him. “Will you rename the ship when she’s yours?”

“I will. I shall rename her
Annalisa
.”

“That’s hardly a name that will strike fear into the hearts of pirates.”

“I care little for their hearts. I care only for yours.”

Suddenly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, she looked back out to sea. She liked Nathaniel. She was able to breathe normally around him. She didn’t grow warm. Her heart didn’t pound. Her lips didn’t tingle. Her knees didn’t grow weak.

She turned back to Nathaniel. “I think I shall retire. Tomorrow will be a long day.”

“Good night, Anna.”

She left him there and made her way to her cabin. She removed her clothes and slipped on her nightgown before climbing into her bunk.

Now that she had captured James Sterling, perhaps at long last she would finally drift into sleep without dreaming about him.

Wearing a blue ball gown, Annalisa crept through the shadowy passageway. At its end was a door. Around its edges was an unnatural glow. That eerie light prevented her from being immersed in total blackness.

The hallway was ominously silent. No sound whatsoever.

Fog swirled at her feet. A chill swept through her as she reached for the door handle. She pressed it. While she heard no click, she knew she’d unlatched the door. She pushed. It opened, beckoning her in.

She stepped through the portal. Her breath caught. Gold. Mounds and mounds of gold, diamonds, emeralds. All spilled at her feet. It sparkled and glittered. Almost blinding her.

Then she saw the most beautiful necklace she’d ever seen. A dozen rubies formed a triangle. She picked it up and secured it around her throat. The red stones lay warm against her chest.

She turned. There was a gilt-framed looking glass. Her gown was low, her shoulders bare. The necklace was gorgeous, with nothing to detract from its beauty.

A slap echoed around her. Crimson flowed from one of the rubies.

Another slap. Another ruby wept and blood trailed over her skin.

Another resounding slap —

Annalisa jerked awake. She pressed her hand to her throat. The only necklace she wore was the one her mother had always worn.

Another slap, muffled by her quarters, sounded.

But she was awake now. The slaps were real.

She clambered out of her bunk and grabbed her wrap. She was the only woman on board a ship full of men, most of them young. When she was above deck, she wore a plain brown dress that left her curves a mystery. Her belt held a light sword and a pistol. Nestled inside her boot was a dagger. She wore her hair in a single braid down her back. The breeze usually worked a few tendrils loose, but not so much that it became bothersome. A ship was not a London ballroom. She dressed appropriately, so she could move about unencumbered and swiftly.

She’d made it a rule never to run about the ship unless she was properly dressed, but she knew she didn’t have time to worry over such things at the moment.

Another slap filled the air.

It was the only noise on the ship — and that’s what had her tearing out of her quarters. The unnatural silence. As though no man worked. As though no man was even aboard.

She burst through the door that led onto the quarterdeck. Since it was one level up from the main deck, she had a good view of most of the ship. At the far end, men were gathered in a large cluster, but she could see over their heads.

She could see the man with his arms raised high, his wrists tied to the foremast. She could see one of the crewmen, the burliest of the lot — Kane — holding the cat-o’-nine-tails, bringing it back, flicking it forward.

“No!” she shouted.

But he had his momentum, and the nine writhing lashes with their metal tips slapped against James Sterling’s bare back. The man hardly flinched.

“Stop it!” she shouted repeatedly with each step she took as she pushed and shoved her way through the men, trying to reach the middle of the ship.

When she finally made her way to the front of the gathering, Kane stood there breathing heavily, the tips of his whip having left a bloody trail against the planked flooring.

Her pirate had his eyes squeezed shut, his jaw clenched, his hands balled into white-knuckled fists. But he made no sound. If it weren’t for the shallow rising and falling of his chest, she’d have thought he was dead.

“Anna, it’s best if you not interfere.”

It was only then that she noticed Nathaniel standing to the side, his hands behind his back. How could he appear so utterly calm, as though he was merely waiting for tea to finish steeping?

“Why are you doing this?” she asked.

“Sterling refuses to help us. He’ll begin each day with a dozen lashes until he is broken —”

“No!”

He took a step nearer to her, a hardness in his eyes that she’d never before seen. “Anna, you have too gentle a heart for what is needed. So now he shall deal with me.”

“I’m captain of this ship. I forbid flogging.”

“Don’t be rash. It’s a common practice to give a man who is disobedient a taste of the cat. Take away that punishment and you’ll have to find another to keep the men in line, lest ye have a mutiny on your hands.”

“I’d think you’d have a mutiny if you went about flogging them.”

Nathaniel looked past her. “You men are dismissed. Get back about your duties!” He returned his attention to her. “You are captain because it is your ship, not because you have the experience to lead.”

“This is not leading. This is bullying.”

She spun around to find Kane still standing there. She snatched the whip from his hand, marched to the side of the ship, and tossed it into the murky depths of the ocean.

She stormed back to the mast and addressed Kane. “Cut Sterling down immediately and carry him to my quarters. Then fetch the physician.”

Kane touched his fingers to his brow. “Aye, Cap’n.”

He pulled his knife free and went about cutting the bindings that held Sterling secure. Annalisa felt tears sting her eyes at the sight of poor Sterling’s bloodied back. She heard him muffle a moan, obviously trying not to let on how badly he’d been hurt.

“You’re not going to have him in your quarters dressed like that, are you?” Nathaniel asked, clear disapproval in his voice.

“I doubt he’d be able to stand wearing a shirt, at least not until the doctor’s tended to his wounds.”

“I wasn’t referring to his clothing but yours.”

Only then did she remember that she’d come straight from bed. She turned to face him. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“I know how important finding Crimson Kelly is to you. I did this for you.”

“Gentlemen generally give flowers to a lady when they wish to earn her favor.”

He gave her a sad smile. “Flowers are bad luck aboard ship. Considered to be an omen of deaths to come. Perhaps when we return to shore …”

She shook her head. He was missing her point entirely. “Sterling can’t be broken.”

“Every man can be broken.”

She glared at him, at the ruthlessness of his words. So unlike him. While she knew he was brave and strong and determined, he’d never been cruel. The crew liked him because he treated them all fairly. She liked him because he believed in justice — as she did.

“You act as though I’m the villain here,” Nathaniel said. “Yes, it was brutal, but brutality is all he understands. I didn’t think you’d object.”

“Then why do it while I was asleep?”

“Because neither did I think you’d have the stomach for it.” He took her hand. “I suspect most of the men have been flogged at one time or another. It’s part of life at sea.”

“Not aboard my ship. Is that understood?”

His jaw tightened, his eyes hardened, and she expected him to object. Instead, he merely gave a brusque nod and touched his fingers to his brow in salute. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

“Thank you, Nathaniel. I depend upon your wisdom, your knowledge, and your dedication to righteousness. You are a man of honor. Please don’t lose that in our quest to recover what we lost.”

“Pirates are a blight upon this earth.”

“I don’t disagree, but neither should we stoop to their level.”

“Haven’t we already, Anna?”

She shook her head, refusing to acknowledge that she was closer to being a pirate than she cared to admit. “No, we have not.”

When she returned to her cabin, Dr. Gabriel was already there examining Sterling’s back. Sterling lay on his stomach, on her bunk, his eyes closed. She wondered if he was sleeping. She doubted it. He was probably unconscious. Or perhaps he’d closed his eyes in order to hide what he was feeling.

“How badly is he hurt?” she asked the doctor.

“Could have been worse,” Dr. Gabriel said as he dabbed a cloth against the cuts.

Sterling flinched ever so slightly.

“My apologies,” Dr. Gabriel said. “I’m going to clean the cuts, put some salve on your wounds. Bandage them up. I’m surprised by the condition of your back. It doesn’t appear you’ve been flogged before.”

“Pirates don’t flog,” Sterling said between clenched teeth.

“Truly?” Annalisa asked.

Sterling peered at her through narrowed eyes. “Hardly ever.”

It looked as though he wanted to say more. Instead, he slammed his eyes closed and hissed with a sharp intake of breath as Dr. Gabriel continued his ministrations.

Watching his suffering, it was difficult to remember he was a pirate and no doubt deserving of such treatment. If only he’d agreed to help her, he’d have been spared.

Still, she couldn’t find it within herself to blame Nathaniel. After all, she’d toyed with the notion of taking a lash to Sterling’s back. How could she remain angry at her quartermaster for actually carrying through on something she’d considered? The difference, she supposed, was that even as she’d thought it, she’d known she’d never give the order to carry out the punishment.

Her world had been turned upside down when the pirates had attacked. Her innocence had been shattered. She despised them. Despised them all.

Despised James Sterling most of all.

Because even now, she longed to be kissed by him once again.

*  *  *

Annalisa Townsend had very nice ankles.

If he were a gentleman, James wouldn’t look. But then he’d never claimed to be a gentleman. Quite the opposite, in fact. He’d always admitted to being exactly what he was: a rogue, a scoundrel, a pirate.

And any pirate worth his salt would steal a peek at Miss Townsend’s ankles.

After the doctor left, she’d moved a screen into place and gone behind it to change her clothes. Obviously, she’d assumed he was either asleep or unconscious. Otherwise, she’d not have done something so daring.

But his back felt as though fiery flames licked at it. It would be a good long while before he found solace in sleep.

The screen stood on spindly legs, the bottom open, giving him a clear view. And so he watched her feet, her ankles, a bit of her calves as she went about dressing herself. From time to time, she would place one small, slender foot on top of the other. After a while, her hands appeared over the top of the screen as she wiggled into her dress.

When she came out from behind the screen, she walked to the bunk and stared down at him. He’d closed his eyes, surprised to discover that even though he couldn’t see her, he was acutely aware of her presence. When she moved away, he peered through his lashes and watched as she sat in a chair at the table and slipped on her stockings, then her boots.

She turned her head slightly and looked at him. He knew he still appeared to be asleep, because she didn’t seem at all concerned. He wondered what she was thinking. What did she see when she looked at him? Did she think badly of him?

Of course she did. He was idiotic to think otherwise. Why did he care that she wouldn’t think favorably of him? He didn’t care at all.

A knock sounded on the door. She popped up from her chair, smoothed her skirt as though needing time to gather herself. “Enter.”

The door opened and a seaman walked in. “Yer breakfast, Cap’n.”

Carefully, he balanced a tray, his stomach serving as an anchor since he had only one arm. Ferret!

“Bloody hell! What are you doing here?” James demanded, coming upright and grimacing as pain knifed through his back.

Screeching like a mouse cornered by a cat, Ferret dropped the tray and skittered back.

Anna spun around, the wrath of a thousand women scorned evident in her face. “How long have you been awake?”

“Long enough.” Groaning, he swung his legs off the bunk.

Her second in command crashed through the door, his sword drawn. Always the knight in shining armor. Disgustingly so. James found himself wondering if he’d kissed Anna, if she’d kissed him back willingly. Had she freely given to Northup what James had been reduced to stealing from her?

“What’s amiss here?” Northrup said, his voice full of authority.

“Nothing,” Anna said, clearly exasperated.

“I didn’t know he be out and about. I thought he be in the brig,” Ferret said.

“He should be,” Northrup said. “You!” He pointed his sword at James. “On your feet. Handsomely now!”

“No,” Anna said. “He’s still bleeding. He’ll stay here through the day. Less chance of infection.”

“And more chance of his causing mischief.”

“He’s hardly in a condition to get into mischief.” She nodded at Ferret. “Clean this up and bring some more.”

“Aye, Cap’n.” Ferret made quick work of cleaning up what appeared to be porridge. Since it had been in a wooden bowl nothing had broken, so he was spared that mess.

Everyone was quiet while he worked. No one quite trusted him not to repeat what might be said in the captain’s quarters. When he finally left, Northrup said, “Anna, you can’t keep Sterling here. The men will talk. Your reputation —”

“Went to the devil the day I decided to captain a ship.” Looking none too pleased, she walked over to James. “Lie back down so I can see if you undid the good doctor’s work.”