Within a Captain's Hold (26 page)

“Lass, ye listen to me. Tell ye same I tell the capt’n. ’Tis no use lookin’ back on what used to be. ’Tis a waste of time. What ye need to be thinkin’ on is now. Even tryin’ to figure out what’s to come is o’ no use, unless ye’re my Sarah. She says she knows things before they happen, but I can’t be provin’ any of it. I tell her she just guesses lucky.” He sighed and dropped himself to sit alongside Anna.

“I know ye’ve been through a time, but ye’re safe. Capt’n’ll see to it.”

“And then he’ll send me away.” The words sounded wooden to her ear.

Cookie scrubbed at his chin. “I see the way ye make eyes at the capt’n. I can see ye’re happy with one another.” Cookie nodded. “I’ve known him a long time. He loves ye.”

“If he ever did love me, I’ve ruined that. I’ve ruined everything. I betrayed his trust, and brought more trouble down upon his head than he deserves.”

Cookie shrugged one shoulder. He moved to put his arm around her but pulled it away mid-reach. “Dammit, this woman business be tough. I wish Sarah was here. I’m no good at this giving comfort stuff. I be a stitch-it-up or cut-if-off kind of guy.” He roughly patted her knee. “I ain’t ne’re seen the capt’n so caught before. He loves ya. I’d hang me hat on that if I was you. Ye’ve given Jaxon somethin’ he’s never had, never expected to have. Never thought he was worth lovin.’ He be mighty lucky, if ye’re askin’ me. Don’t ye forget that.”

She placed her hand over Cookie’s and gave the gnarled fingers a squeeze. “I’ll try to remember.”

“Ye rest easy now. Get yerself some shuteye. Ole Cookie be on watch.”

* * * *

The night passed without incident. Cookie strained eye and ear against the dark surf. The lass finally got to sleep. Everything remained quiet. Nothing amiss. But he’d be honest, he was never happier to see the sky begin to lighten. He’d breathe a might easier now.

As the sun began to stretch long shadows on its morning rise, he lifted his stiffened body off his stony perch to stretch. He’d lost all the feeling in his arse. He yawned a great gaping yawn, stretched his arms over his head, and then pressed his fists into the small of his aching back to work the stiffness from his spine.

Images of his Sarah filled his mind. He’d missed the soft roundedness of her against him last night. She was mighty nice to sleep with, all cushioned and warm. It was odd when he left her yesterday. She had hugged him tight and said,
“Ye run.”
He supposed she meant for him to hurry back to her. He’d never understand that woman and her ways.

Taking a deep breath of the clean sea air, Cookie scratched feeling back into his rear end and looked to the sky. Clouds were building upon the horizon. Rain would be arriving by midday. He gave his bearded chin a good rub and turned back to his post.

A sudden movement off to his right caught his attention an instant before something hard struck the side of his head. Lights burst behind his eyes but were quickly extinguished.

Blackness was the last thing Samuel Cookie Burrows was ever to see.

Wolfsan stood over the grizzled pirate and dropped the bloodied rock. He poked at the body with his toe and debated slitting the man’s throat to make certain he was dead. Such a messy business, slitting a throat.

The crashing of the waves below gave him a better idea. Dead or not, he’d just push him over the edge. If he weren’t already dead, the fall would finish the job quite nicely.

It had been such an exhausting night. He easily tracked the two from the governor’s house up here, but the night’s darkness made it almost impossible to see where he was going. The decision to wait out the night had been the best plan, though he didn’t get a wink of sleep knowing Annalise was within his reach. He’d dreamed of this day for weeks.

One more kill before he could claim his prize. The loathsome Captain Steele would be the sweetest one yet. He’d enjoy killing the bastard who’d defiled his Annalise. Soon. Very soon. He pushed at the body with his toe and yawned. This one had been almost too easy. The bumbling fool. Wolfsan pulled out his knife. A slice or two of leather, then a hearty shove and the job was done.

He didn’t even watch to see the body crash to the rocks below. How nice, the idiot left a perfectly good pistol. That, too, would come in handy. Now he’d wait for the light to brighten enough to find his love within her hideaway. He lifted his mirror from his pocket and checked his reflection. “We must look our best.”

Peering into the cave, the dim space was not as deep as he’d thought. As the light reached farther into the shadows, Annalise lay wrapped in a blanket, sleeping along the back wall. He shifted the gun from hand to hand. The pistol would make this child’s play. He couldn’t wait to roust his captive beauty and bid her, “Good Morning.”

“My darling,” he sang. “Annalise, precious one, time to rise and greet the day.”

* * * *

Annalise awoke staring into the barrel of a pistol. She shrank back against the hard wall of the cave as realization washed over her. Even without his flamboyant wig or garish clothing, she could never mistake the dark evil of his soulless eyes. “
Wolfsan.
” Bile rose in the back of her throat.

“Please, my pet, we’ve been over this before. You must call me Benedict.”

“I’ll call you the devil,” she spat.

“Now, is that how a lady behaves? We will have to do something about that willful spirit of yours. It will never do for a duchess.”

Annalise scanned the opening of the cave, searching for Cookie. Fear and dread filled her. “Where’s Cookie? What have you done to him?”

“He had a splitting headache. He went for a short walk down by the water.”

“You killed him.” She shivered. Icy cold reached down to claw at her bones.

“I’m not sure. I could have. I suppose, but I rather imagine the rocks below did the actual killing. I just offered a bit of encouragement. He wasn’t in a position to argue, but he was kind enough to leave me his pistol.”

Annalise swallowed as sickness closed upon her. Herbert, Alice, Nell, and now Cookie, all dead at this monster’s hand. Anna reached for her throat. She struggled to keep from gagging. “You’re heinous. You’ll pay for the lives you’ve ruined. When my husband sends your soul into the fires of hell, I’ll personally dance upon your grave.”

“I shouldn’t count on that dance, my darling. I would count on the fact that you are now mine, and mine you shall remain. That man you believe is your husband is no match for me. He’ll die as easily as the rest. Although, I can’t promise you a swift death for him. I rather hate doing things in a rush. One should take his time with the things he enjoys, don’t you agree?” He shrugged and leveled the pistol at her face. “Now, please stand up.”

“No.”

“I suggest you do as I say.” He narrowed his eyes. “Stand. Up.”

“No.” She crossed her arms. “You’ll never lay a finger on Jaxon. He’s fought ships full of men fiercer than you and always won. You? You’re nothing. He’ll crush you like the pompous, loathsome, vile insect you are.”

“Enough.” Spittle flew from his mouth. “You’ll hold your tongue or I’ll cut it from you. I am out of patience,
my love
. So, unless you’d like to feel my wrath sooner than later…”

“Make it sooner.” She flung her arms wide. “Shoot me.” She tipped her head back and to the side. “Or perhaps you’d rather slit my throat.” She leveled a glare at him. “Either way, be done with it. I’ll
never
go willingly with you. You’ll
never
have me. I’d rather be dead.”

“Stand up.” His scream echoed off the stone walls and clawed into her skin. “Or I promise you, I shall torture your
dear
husband while you watch, killing him in the slowest, most painful way I can conjure. Then I’ll beat you into submission and chain you in my cellar until you learn to behave. Now stand.” Veins stood out on his throat. Black eyes turned feral.

Her mind scrambled for a way out. There had to be some way to stop him, fight him. She didn’t care about her own fate, but hearing what he’d do to Jaxon… Wolfsan’s threats weren’t idle. She’d witnessed the twisted evil he was capable of inflicting. Sliding her back up the cold stone of the wall, she stood.

Wolfsan’s expressions turned like pages of a book. Vicious rage to smug satisfaction to utter shock. “Good Lord. Why in heaven’s name are you dressed in a man’s breeches? You look ghastly. Horrible. I see we have much to do to return you to the proper lady you once were. And for heaven’s sake, release your hair from those disgusting rags.”

Before she could answer, he leveled the gun in her face once more.

She reached up and pulled the cloth from her head.

“Good, now move toward the front of the cave.” He glared at her and raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “I warn you, if you try to run, I shall shoot your legs from under you.”

Annalise moved to the mouth of the cave, searching for any sign of Cookie. There was none. Wolfsan stopped her by one of the tall stones. He demanded she put her hands behind her and tied her to the rock. The stone pressed tight against her spine. Her arms bent at odd angles. If she tried to move, sharp pain shot through her back and shoulders.

Wolfsan stood in front of her with an evil smirk. He lifted a single curl from her shoulder and brought it to his lips. “Did I ever tell you, my mother had hair just this color? Such a vain, heartless creature. She stared into her mirror, admiring herself for hours, brushing her hair until it shone like a precious gem.” Wolfsan rubbed the curl over his cheek and smelled it.

Annalise jerked, trying to pull away from him.

He grabbed a fistful of hair and yanked her face back to his. He glared at her, fury blazing in his eyes. His breath was hot and foul in her face. “I will rip every strand from your head.” His lips curled. “You will
not
defy me again. I don’t wish to mar your lovely face, but I will if you continue to fight me.”

“You’re already a dead man. Jaxon will kill you.” She glared at him. His eyes were like black ice. She couldn’t stop the shiver that shook her to the bottom of her soul.

He smiled while sliding the cold barrel of Cookie’s pistol down her cheek. “We shall soon see who survives, my darling. Won’t we?” The hand holding the gun ran over the shape of her body. His touch made her skin stand on edge, and she pulled against her restraints to escape the vile stroke of his fingers, only to gasp in pain. His laughter echoed in the cave and filled her with a sickening dread.

“We’re going to have such fun. I’m off to deliver an invitation to your savage pirate husband to join our little party. Don’t miss me too much while I’m gone, my pet.” His lips grazed her ear. “Wait right here.” He threw his head back and laughed again.

Annalise watched him leave and began to count. How long before he was far enough away. Two minutes? Five? She struggled against her bindings and screamed with frustration and pain. She began shouting for help with all the air in her lungs. She screwed her eyes shut against the sounds of the surf crashing. The roaring bounced off the stone walls to combine with her shrill screams into some hellish swell of sound.

A sudden blow to her face caused her head to snap back and strike the rock. Lights burst behind her eyes. The taste of blood flooded her mouth. Her jaw felt shattered.

“Stupid bitch. Look what you’ve made me do. I knew I couldn’t trust you. You’re determined to fight me.” He fashioned a gag from the bindings she used for her hair and shoved it into her mouth. “You can’t win. Not this time.”

Tears stung her eyes as she struggled not to choke against the cloth in her mouth. Her face began swelling where Wolfsan had struck her. He left again, and she prayed Jaxon wouldn’t fall into his hands. He was smart and knew how to battle the worst of men. But Wolfsan was depraved and twisted, it was impossible to guess what plans he formed in the darkness of his mind.

* * * *

Clouds moved in to darken the sky by the time a panting Wolfsan returned. “Hello, darling, I’m back. Have you missed me?” He removed the gag and she coughed against the swelling of her tongue. Her jaw throbbed.

Wolfsan brought her water. She gulped it down, while eyeing him over the rim of the tin cup. When she was finished, he ran the back of one knuckle over her wet lip. “You see, I can be quite kind, if you give me the chance. You simply never gave me the opportunity to show you what a fine upstanding husband I could be.” His finger traced over the place where he’d struck her. “Instead, you defied me and ran. You forced me to travel across an entire ocean to find you.”

He began to pace before her. “I should be absolutely furious with you, but now that my long quest to have you is almost over, I find I’m softening my heart and cooling my anger toward you a bit. You may even come to appreciate the kindnesses I can show you. Perhaps you will come to care for me one day.”

“No. N-never.”

“We shall see, my love.” He brushed at his hands and examined his fingernails. “But for now, we wait.” He gave her an oily smile. “I’m positive your husband will be right along. I’m anxious to meet him.”

“What have you done?”

He pulled an ancient mirror from his pocket and smiled at his reflection. “We sent him a gift. Just a small trinket. You know how we enjoy sending presents, don’t you?”

Jaxon and Robbins arrived back at the manor after an entire night of searching for Wolfsan. They passed the word and put the crew on alert, looking for the duke with direct orders to report any information at once.

“Two score saw him show up like he owned the island, and now no one’s seen him?” Jaxon ran a tired hand through his hair. “Maybe he backtracked. We’ll search the grounds.”

“We’ll find him.” Robbins watched him pace the foyer.

“Oh, I can promise you that.”

“I swear on me mother’s eyes, he’ll pay for what he did to Nell.”

Jaxon thumped the boy’s shoulder. “He’s made a long account of what he owes, and I’ll see the bastard keelhauled, flogged, drawn, quartered, and his royal jewels hung out to bake in the sun. Don’t you fret, lad. It’s a small island, and we’ve a great many eyes searching for him. It’s only a matter of time.