Romancing the Pirate 01 - Blood and Treasure (13 page)

She handed the bottle back to Henri. He shook it a little, held it up to the sunlight, and then flipped it over. Only a drop slid out of the neck. “Another dead man.” Henri sighed. His comment extended beyond just the empty bottle.

“’Tis solely in your company,” she quipped. “Perhaps ’tis you, not me, who is prone to these recent mishaps.”

“If it is true, then only because you are a distraction.”

“Ah. That being the case, I shall call my wiles successful.”

Zane smiled, conceding he had been bested. And not a moment too soon.

The ship began to glide on the water as wind unfurled the open sails. The landscape slowly slid from right to left behind the scampish captain she faced. Graveled, she looked to Zane.

“It appears that with the sudden departure of your passage home, you will be my guest a while longer.”

“Guest?”
Again? Not that it was necessarily a bad thing being in his charge.

“Unless you fancy being my prize, instead.”

“Is there a difference?” She carped, adding a deep scowl.

“Aye. I can be avaricious with my bounty.” His demeanor darkened.

Blade cleared his throat. “Uh, I hate to break up this riveting raillery, but we have another problem.”

“Problem?”

“Situation, really. Nonetheless, you won’t be pleased.” He jerked his head toward a small boat nearing the brig.

“What the poxed devil?” Something very threatening resonated low and ugly in Zane’s intonation.

They hurried to the rear of the vessel.

“Doing a fair job keeping up to a moving ship.” Blade made what seemed an instinctive move to check himself of his weapons.

Zane called to the nearest seaman. “Throw out a line.”

Henri, on the balls of his feet, peered over the edge. “Do my deadlights deceive me? Is that? Oh, perish and plague. We be marked for it now.”

“You don’t need to be superstitious to know we’re in for some trouble.” Blade cracked his knuckles.

“I should cut the line,” Zane said through clenched teeth.

CHAPTER 7

Lianna looked to the little boat and then looked to Zane, looked back at the little boat and back again to Zane. A bulging vein manifested itself on his forehead. And she had thought
she
was a trial. Evidently, someone had her beat.

She squinted to see who made the gallant effort to catch the brig in a rowboat. A young lad. No. A young woman. The lone woman climbed up the entryway line and jumped with both feet on board.

Lianna noted her bronzed skin, long dark brown hair pulled back to her nape, large dark almond-shaped eyes, and full lips. She wore men’s trousers, a red sash at her waist from which hung a cutlass, and a brown fearnought jacket. Her thin figure did not have too many curves, but she made up for it by wearing her tunic unlaced showing much of her taut cleavage. Even in men’s clothing she was an exquisite, almost exotic beauty.

By the expression on Zane’s face, this woman fell far short of a welcomed visitor. No arms wide, no hugs, no
Right pleased to see ya
. Only glaring and silence.

Blade made no cordial movement either.

“Captain Zane Fox.” The stranger showed off her alluring smile. “Forgive me for my intrusion. When I saw the
Rissa
anchored in the bay, I just had to come pay my respects to my dear friends. I’m sorry I missed all the excitement. It’s been too long.”

“Not long enough.” Zane stood stiff, his nostrils flaring as the young woman continued on, undaunted.

“You’re looking very good, Zane. You too, Blade.” She turned and winked at the blond man.

“And Henri, don’t you look dandy. Still fancy the ribbons and bows, I see.”

Henri spat at her buckled shoes.

“Missed.” She chirped and twirled away.

The brash caller took a few steps in to better scan the ship. “I am so glad to see that you’re still alive, Zane. I was afraid you might have met with a hangman, or worse, swallowed the anchor for a parcel of land.” She stopped a breath away from Zane, standing almost as tall as he.

“What is it that you want, Sadie?”

Lianna let her mouth go slack.
Sadie?
Sadie Greene? Uh-oh.
’Twas no wonder why the entire crew stalled at a standstill. On closer inspection, the ship suddenly seemed smaller. Hard-bitten tars gathered in and the mood spoiled with the evil sneers upon their dirty faces.

Sadie slid her gaze to Lianna. She traced her eyes over her from head to toe. Lianna bit her lower lip. The girl wasn’t much younger than herself but Lianna wanted to shrink with the tinge of intimidation at the woman’s slow consideration.

“And who do we have here? Another one of your piteous jade conquests, Zane?”

Zane moved to unsheathe a gully tucked into his belt. Blade put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

Lianna had long grown tired of being dubbed a tainted piece. Confound it. What was it about her that made everyone think she sold her goods? Just who was this woman to say such a thing about a complete stranger? She was in dire want of being put in her place.

“Such a sour temperament.” Lianna put her hands on her hips and promenaded closer to the girl. “I don’t believe your conceit warrants my introduction to you.”

“Ha! A fiery one. You seem to have a penchant for those, don’cha Zane?” She ribbed him with her elbow.

“What do you want?” said Zane.

“Or is she yours Blade?” Sadie ignored Zane. Clearly she cared not that she stabbed Lianna with offensive slurs. “Maybe she belongs to you both.”

“Sadie –”

“For your information,” Lianna interrupted Blade before he could finish, much less start, what he intended to say. “I happen to be a business associate to Captain Zane.”

Sadie crisscrossed her arms over her chest. “I bet.” She snickered with amusement. “Business must be slow.”

“Why, you spiteful bitch.” The snap that broke the mule’s back cracked in Lianna’s head. She didn’t know this wench from Pirate Pete, but she sure as hell would not take her biting insults. She lunged for the woman.

Zane swung his knife up as Sadie drew her cutlass ready to slice Lianna open, deflecting the sword before it made deadly contact. Blade picked up Lianna and swung her over his shoulder, carting her off from within reach.

Zane rubbed two fingers at the bridge of his nose. He fought hard against his vast need to have both women strung up the mizzen mast. “Back to work, men.” Zane ordered the small crowd that had pushed in closer.

“Sadie.” He sheathed his dagger. “You would do well not to threaten a guest on my ship. You know the punishments you could face. Put away your sword.”

“See now, Zane.” Sadie slung her cutlass back onto her waist. “You always were a milksop when doling out penalties.”

He fast tired of her caustic remarks. “What concern do you have with me, chit?”

Sadie offered up that molten sweet smile he had always found endearing. So endearing, he would be made a fool with her whims. None more embarrassing than her indiscretion at Lady Gabriella’s Sea Captain’s Dinner. Sadie convinced him she was ready to attend a social banquet. He’d been proud to have her accompany him and show her off. Until she tried to seduce Captain Blankenship into murdering Captain John. She wrongly accused John as the man who helped the British capture and hang her father. She would have been removed discreetly from the party, but Sadie wouldn’t go quietly, cursing wildly and insulting the hostess. Zane had been furious at her behavior. And it took considerable hours in Gabby’s bedchamber to make it up to her.

Her dark eyes shifted, softened. “I have come to beseech you with my whole heart for your forgiveness. I had been young and childish. I know what I did in Havana was wrong and because of my impetuousness, good men fell.”

“Aye, that they did. And at the hands of a Judas.” He grew impatient. Again. Damned if he didn’t get testy as he aged.

“Please, Zane. I want to earn your trust once again. I want your permission to indenture myself to you, to the
Rissa,
until you judge me worthy.”

His ship had already cleared the bay for the sea. Zane had two choices. He could let her stay on until the next port of call or he could put her back in her rowboat and let her get herself back to Tortuga. Of course there was a third alternative. He fingered the pistol at his hip for a moment too long.

Zane looked deep into Sadie’s eyes, searching for a bit of truth, remorse, or even a hint of affection. He found none. He wasn’t surprised. ’Twould take a long time to heal both of their wounds. He was, however, a bit disappointed. He wanted to believe her, needed to believe her. His heart said to bring her back, his Little Wren. His instinct warned against it.

“My crew is a worthy lot. I need no more.”

“There’s always room for another hand,” she said.

“Aye. ’Tis a truth. But with you around, I tend to lose them.”

Blade had set Lianna to her feet. Smartly, he kept her within arm’s reach. They were only a few feet away listening to the exchange. She could see how easily a man could lose himself to Sadie. She was undeniably persuasive, her beauty captivating. Lianna felt a little green. And as of late, green had not been a good color for her.

Sadie reached out to touch the captain’s arm, her lips puckered and sullen. “Please, Zane.”

He put his hand over hers, still looking at her lovely face. “Dear Sadie. You will always have a place within me.”

Sadie appeared to relax a degree, as if a mountain had been cleared.

“Indeed, a black cancerous spot which I can never fully eradicate.” He jerked her hand off his arm.

Ouch
! Lianna’s envy faded.

Sadie stood stunned for only a moment before one corner of her mouth turned up. “My venom courses deep,” she hailed. “I am only asking for a chance to remedy our relations.”

“And I would be a fool to be lured by the songs of a siren to her rock. I am not deluded to your wiles, Little Wren. You still harbor a good deal of hate. Until you can learn to let go of the past, I think it best we leave our relations behind us.”

Sadie shot Lianna a cold glance.
Oh, if looks could kill, I would take cover.

“I should have you shackled up and marooned on the next spit of land,” Zane continued. “Fortunately for you, we are under a time constraint that denies me the pleasure. And we cannot return to port. As you may have become painfully aware, you are not welcomed on my ship. However, unless you take my advice and disembark now while we are still within Tortuga waters, you may remain on board and will be treated fairly. But once we get to Port Royal, Little Wren, you are on your own. And permit me to say, you will need to watch that back of yours.”

The woman nodded. “What more could anyone ask for.”

“A bit of garlic.” Blade’s whisper amused Lianna.

“See that you stay out of the way.”

She snapped to. “Aye, aye, Captain Fox.”

Zane gave her a disgusted eye roll, and then turned to Blade, Henri and Lianna. The three of them looked as if they had been watching a bull get milked, uncomfortably straining to see what would happen next. He couldn’t blame them. Even he felt a surreal detachment.

Sadie couldn’t have picked a worse time to worm her way back into his life. As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t completely despise her. But he really couldn’t spare the effort in dealing with her and her designs. A bad feeling about it all coursed in his blood.

“Blade. The men need to make all the repairs necessary while we sail. We will have to double up on watches and be ready for battle. Henri, see Willie keeps the course for Port Royal. Bennington has his neck on the chopping block but he will not attack us in Jamaican waters. He will not risk forcing Governors Wilcox and Abbott to face off over the medallion. That would send repercussions all the way to King George’s throne. Neither wants to relinquish a prize such as The Serpent to His Royal Highness.”

“The Serpent?” Sadie perked up with curiosity.

“This is no concern of yours,” he said. He kept his back to her and went on. “Once we get close enough, we’ll make way to Garra Island to finish repairs.”

“We be hard pressed to make it, Capt’n. She’s takin’ on water,” Henri said.

“Make it happen.”

Henri grumbled and set off to the helmsman, taking one last longing look down the empty bottle of rum he still carried.

“Jason!” Zane called.

The scrubby boy popped his head up from behind the capstan and came running up with such enthusiasm that he reminded Zane of a pup ready to chase anything thrown. He was a damn good kid.

“Take Miss Whitney to her cabin.” Zane turned to walk away. “Oh,” he paused, “and take Sadie, too.”

“What?” Both women choked on the word in unison.

“Space is limited and I need you both out of the way.”

“Whoa there, Zane,” Sadie said.

Zane speared her with his glare. “Would you rather I strap you to the bowsprit?”

Sadie didn’t answer. Lianna opened her mouth and then thought better of voicing her own objections to his decision.

As an afterthought, Zane took Sadie’s pistol and cutlass. A smidgen of regret buried somewhere within him as she gave him a slow, seductive smile. “And, Jason, lock the door.” He returned the smile with one more wicked.

Blade and Zane watched Jason lead the two women away. The pitiful lad skittered between them, spooked as a wee mouse between two feral cats.

“Do you think that was wise?” Blade asked. “Putting the two of them together like that?”