Guardian Angel (32 page)

“It was a question of trust,” Nathan explained. “My father had turned his heart against England, Caine. He didn't think either one of us would be safe here. Harry was our best bet.”

“Why didn't he think you'd be safe?”

“The letters,” Colin answered. “The Earl kept all the ones he received from the other two. Nathan's father's operative name was Fox, and he was one of the three in the Tribunal. The other two were called Ice and Prince.”

“My father was a very idealistic man,” Nathan interjected. “In the beginning, I think he saved all the letters for future generations. He believed he was doing something . . . heroic for England. Things soured fast, though. Soon enough it became only for the good of the Tribunal. Anything was just, as long as it furthered the scope of their power.”

“It was a slow metamorphosis,” Colin said. “The first letters were signed with the closing, ‘for the good of England.' Then after the tenth, or perhaps the eleventh letter, the closing changed.”

“To what?” Caine asked.

“They started using the phrase, ‘for the good of the Tribunal,' ” he answered. “Ice was the first to sign his letter that way, and the other two followed suit. Their corruption was complete by that time.”

“They started acting independently long before that, Colin,” Nathan remarked.

“The end justified their means,” Colin explained to Caine. “As long as they believed that what they were doing aided their country, they could justify anything.”

“Very like your attitude, Jade,” Caine announced.

She was so startled by that comment, her eyes widened. “No, not at all like my attitude,” she argued. “Caine, I'm nothing like my father. I don't approve of what he did. It's sinful to admit, but I don't have any feelings for him, either. He chose his path.”

“Your father's lands were confiscated, his fortune taken away,” Caine said.

“Yes,” she agreed, wondering what he was leading up to with that remark.

“It's the reason you steal from the wealthy, Jade. I'd say you're getting even.”

“I'm not!”

Her shout told him he'd rattled her with that opinion. “Power corrupts,” he said. “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

“You needn't quote Machiavelli to me, Caine. I will agree that the Tribunal was after absolute power.”

“You were on the same path.”

“I'm not,” she cried out.

“Was, Caine?” Colin asked.

“Was,” Caine announced. His voice was hard.

“Then you . . .” Colin began.

“Not now, Colin,” Caine ordered.

“What are you talking about?” Jade asked. “I've never been after power.”

Caine ignored her protest. “Tell me the rest of this,” he ordered Nathan.

“Our father had a change of heart,” Nathan said. “His conscience began to bother him when his director, a man named Hammond, was sanctioned.”

“Sanctioned?” Colin scoffed. “What a pleasant word for such a foul deed.”

“Hammond was director over all three,” Nathan interjected. “There was Ice, Prince, and Fox. Anyway, in the beginning, they did whatever they were ordered to do. It wasn't long, though, before they started acting independently. Hammond was beginning to get wise to their doings and the three were certain he was growing in his suspicions. Ice came up with the idea that they sanction him.”

“My father didn't want to kill Hammond,” Jade said. “Papa was on his way to London to warn the director when he was killed. At least that's what we've been able to piece together.”

“Who was killed? Your father or Hammond?” Caine asked.

“Our father,” Nathan answered. “He had sent Hammond a note telling him that he had to meet with him as soon as possible, that it was an urgent, life-threatening matter.”

“And how were you able to piece that together?” Caine asked.

“Hammond showed me the note at my father's funeral,” Nathan replied. “He asked me if I knew anything about this urgent problem. I didn't know anything, of course. I'd been away at school. Jade was too young to understand.”

“Our father confided in Harry and gave him the letters he'd saved.”

“And Harry told you everything when you were older?” Caine asked Jade.

She nodded. She refused to look at him and kept her gaze directed on her lap.

“Harry wanted Nathan to go with us. Father had a ship and Harry was bent on becoming a pirate. Nathan wanted to finish school. He thought Harry was taking me to an island in the south and that I'd be safe until he could come and fetch me.”

“When I started hearing about the escapades of a pirate named Pagan, I have to admit I never once considered that it might be Harry,” Nathan interjected.

“Why didn't you come for Jade?” Caine asked.

“He couldn't,” Jade answered before her brother could. “Harry and I were never in one place long enough. Besides, Nathan had his own problems then. Father's enemies knew he'd saved the letters. They were desperate to find them. Once Nathan's rooms had been searched, they left him alone . . . for a time anyway, until we started a fresh investigation of our own.”

“The letters were with you?” Caine asked. “Or did Harry hide them somewhere safe?”

“We kept them on the
Emerald,
”she answered.

“I want them,” Caine demanded. “Is this vessel near enough to send one of the men? Or perhaps . . .”

He stopped his question when she shook her head. “There isn't any need to fetch them. I can tell you the contents.”

“Word for word,” Colin said. “Pagan need only read something once, and it's committed to memory for the rest of her life.”

If Caine thought that talent odd, he didn't mention it. Jade was thankful he remained silent.

“Pagan, recite the letters for Caine,” Nathan suggested.

“If you call her Pagan one more time, I'm going to beat the hell out of you.”

Nathan scowled at Caine a long minute, then gave in. “All right,” he snapped. “I'll call her Jade, though only because I don't want anyone hearing her nickname.”

“I don't give a damn what your reasons are, just do it,” Caine grated out.

“Hell, Colin, I'm trying to be accommodating, but I swear to God I'm going to knock the arrogance out of him when this is over and done with.”

Jade believed a fight was imminent. She drew everyone's attention by beginning her recitation. The telling took over thirty minutes. She didn't leave a word out. And when she was finished, no one said a word for a long while. Everyone was slowly filtering through the information she'd just related.

Then Colin spoke. “All right then,” he began, his voice filled with enthusiasm. “That very first letter was addressed to Thorton . . . that's Nathan and Jade's father, of course, and it was signed by a man named William.”

“They hadn't been assigned their operative names yet,” Jade volunteered.

“Yes,” Colin agreed. “Then Thorton became Fox, and William became Prince. Ice is another matter, though. We don't have any clues as to his . . .”

“Colin, we can speculate about his identity later,” Nathan interrupted.

Colin nodded. “I went to Willburn and told him all about the letters, Caine. Nathan and I decided we had to trust him. He was our director, after all, and he'd taken good care of us. To this day, I still don't believe he was involved with the Tribunal.”

“You're an innocent,” Nathan muttered. “Of course he was involved with the bastards.”

“You'll have to prove it to me first,” Colin argued. “Only then will I believe.”

Nathan shook his head. He turned back to Caine. “We were sent to the south on what we now know was a setup. We were supposed to meet with two informants at the harbor. It was a trick, of course. Before we knew what was happening, we had both been bound and gagged, and tossed into the warm waters.”

“You aren't going to tell all of it, are you?” Jade asked. “There isn't any need, Colin.”

Neither Nathan nor Colin picked up on the fear in her voice. Caine did, and immediately glanced over to look at her.

“Get on with it, Colin,” Nathan muttered.

Jade, Caine noticed, was now clenching her hands together. He decided then that she must have witnessed something that had terrified her.

“I was the first to go into the waters,” Colin said, drawing Caine's attention again. “After they'd made long, shallow cuts on my legs with their knives, they tossed me off the pier. Nathan understood what they were up to, though I thank God now that I didn't understand at the time. I thought I still had a chance, you see.”

Colin's expression had taken on a gray cast. Nathan looked just as grim.

“Because Shallow Wharf was close by, we spent several days with Jade and Black Harry. Colin didn't know she was Pagan then, of course, and he developed quite a crush on my little sister,” Nathan continued.

“Yes, I did,” Colin agreed. He turned to wink at Jade. “I'll still have you, Jade, if you'll only give me a chance.”

She blushed while she shook her head at him. “You were quite impossible.”

“Colin followed her around like a puppy,” Nathan said. “When he realized she wasn't at all interested, he was so disappointed I had to take him drinking.”

“I fell in love with two other ladies that night, Nathan,” Colin remarked.

“They weren't ladies,” Jade remarked.

“No, they weren't,” Nathan agreed. “How can you even remember, Colin? You were sotted, man.”

Colin laughed. “I remember everything,” he boasted.

Caine held his patience. He could tell, from their dark expressions, that they needed to jest with each other in order to get through their memory.

Jade didn't have as much patience. “Tommy and I followed Nathan and Colin when they went to keep their appointment. They were so secretive about their plans, I became very curious. I also had this feeling that something was amiss.”

“Who is Tommy?” Caine asked.

Jade literally bounded out of her chair and hurried across the room. “Nathan, you finish this story while I see to refreshments. I'm tired of talking about this.”

Nathan started to call out to her but Colin stayed the action by putting his hand on his friend's arm. “It's still difficult for her,” he whispered.

Nathan nodded.

“Of course it's difficult for her,” Caine interjected, his tone harsh. “My God, she must have watched you . . .”

“She didn't watch,” Nathan whispered. “As Colin was explaining, I knew what their plan was as soon as they cut Colin's legs. I put up a struggle when they tried to use their blades on me, ended up getting shot for my trouble. My shoulder was on fire when I went into the water.”

“They cut us to draw the attention of the sharks, of course. The harbor is always full of the scavangers because of all the garbage that's thrown in. The blood did draw them, like flies to a carcass.”

Colin could see that Caine's patience was wearing thin. His brother was leaning forward in his chair with a grim look on his face. “Bear with us, Caine. This isn't a pleasant memory for us.”

Nathan nodded. “It was just past sunset,” he began.

“I could still see their fins though,” Colin interjected.

Caine was sitting on the edge of his chair. He now understood the reason for Jade's nightmares. She dreamed about sharks. My God, the terror she must have endured made his heart pound.

“Pagan told Tommy to fetch a boat, then she took his knife and came into the waters after us. The men who'd put us there were sure we were done for and had already left. Pagan . . . I mean, Jade, got to me first. I was closer, I guess. Anyway, she pulled me toward the boat. A shark got a fair nibble out of my leg when they were hauling me in. Tommy lost his balance and fell overboard. He never resurfaced.”

When Colin paused and turned to Nathan, his friend took up the telling.

“I still don't understand why, but the sharks kept away from me. They were in a frenzy and Tommy had become their target. Jade had gotten Colin into the boat by then.”

“I tried to help,” Colin whispered. His voice was hoarse. “But I passed out. The next time I opened my eyes, I was on the
Emerald
. The oddest-looking man I'd ever seen was trying to press me into a game of chess. Honest to God, Caine, I wasn't sure if I was in heaven or hell. Then I saw Nathan sleeping on the cot next to me. I saw his sister, too, and I suddenly remembered everything. It seemed to me that it had all just happened, but I found out I'd been ill for quite some time.”

Caine leaned back in his chair in an attempt to ease the tension in his shoulders. He took several deep breaths, then noticed Colin and Nathan were doing the same thing.

“Did she know . . . when she went into the water, did she know there were sharks?”

“Oh, yes,” Nathan whispered. “She knew.”

“My God, the courage that must have taken . . .”

“She won't talk about it,” Colin interjected.

“She dreams about it.”

“What?” Nathan asked.

“She has nightmares,” Caine explained.

Nathan's brother slowly nodded.

“Matthew and Jimbo wanted to go after the bastards who'd tried to kill us, of course,” Colin said. “Jade wouldn't let them. She had good reason, though. She wanted the men to report back to their superior that we were both dead. Jade felt it was the only way to keep us safe. It was the right decision, I think. Nathan and I are content to stay dead for a while longer, until we find out who in hell is behind this treachery.”