Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's List\Saved by the Viking Warrior\The Pirate Hunter (48 page)

‘He did his best, but we didn't stand a chance.'

‘Were there any other survivors?'

‘I saw a few, tried to convince them to swim with me for shore, but most of the sailors can't do more than a few strokes and wanted to wait for the Navy to mount a rescue.'

Mia saw the pain in his eyes. He was mourning for the dead sailors, probably a whole ship of young men in their prime now dead, swallowed up by the sea.

‘I'd just about given up when I saw you on the cliff.'

He turned to look at her again and the intensity in his eyes made her self-conscious. She glanced down and to her horror remembered she'd thrown off her clothes before jumping in to rescue him. Her undergarments were sodden and sticking to her skin, revealing almost everything that lay beneath.

He must have seen her stricken expression and hastily looked away.

‘I'd offer you my jacket, but I seem to have misplaced it.'

Mia forced herself to smile. He was just a man, she repeated in her head. He might be a very handsome man with an infectious smile, but he was just a man all the same. They were from very different walks of life and after today she would probably never see him again.

‘My house is not too far,' Mia said. ‘Do you think you will make it if I help you?'

‘Lead on.'

Mia stood, forcing herself not to cover certain parts of her anatomy with her arms, and held out a hand to help Will up.

‘Thank you, my lady,' he said, struggling to his feet, then offering her his arm.

Arm in arm they staggered along the sand. Mia could feel the warmth of his body as it brushed against hers and couldn't help but remember the feel of his chest underneath her hands.

‘Stop it,' she muttered to herself.

Will stopped suddenly, causing her to careen into him. She suspected normally he would be able to withstand the force of a small woman travelling at such a slow speed, but in his weakened state his knees buckled and he fell to the ground. Mia tried to pull her arm from his, but was too slow. She felt her feet stumble, followed by the inevitable fall towards the ground.

She landed squarely on top of him, her nose touching his.

‘Ooof,' he said quietly.

Stunned, Mia couldn't move for an instant. She could feel the hard muscles of his chest pushing against her breasts, their legs tangled together and lips so close that just a small twitch and they would be kissing. She tried not to notice how his hips were pushed up against hers, but couldn't deny the heat that rose through her body in response to his closeness.

‘Mia,' he murmured. ‘My angel.'

Before she realised what was happening Will had reached up and pulled her lips on to his, sealing them together with a passionate kiss.

‘Mia, Mia, Mia,' he whispered in between frantic kisses.

Her body responded immediately, moulding to his and burning with desire. She knew she shouldn't. They were from different worlds, and he was almost certainly delirious, but what was the harm of one kiss?

‘Stop!' The shout came from quite a distance away, but it paralysed Mia.

Slowly she raised her head and groaned. Coming towards her were four men wearing the unmistakable uniforms of the English soldiers garrisoned in Bridgetown.

‘No, no, no,' she whispered.

She glanced down at her companion, wondering if he was able to make a dash for it into the trees that lined the beach. He had passed out on the sand with a contented smile on his face. She shook him none too gently and glanced once again at the soldiers. They were much closer now, making good progress over the powdery sand. She contemplated leaving Will and making a run for it on her own—he didn't strike her as being a wanted man.

Too late. She'd just staggered to her feet when the first of the soldiers arrived and threw her back to the ground.

‘Don't move,' he shouted rather unnecessarily. With the rifle to her back Mia wasn't planning on moving a single muscle.

* * *

Will felt as though he'd slept for a month. He contemplated rolling over and letting sleep consume him for another few hours, but the unusual sound of keys jangling was enough to make him open his eyes.

He was lying on mouldy straw in a fetid cell with only a sliver of light to illuminate his surroundings. Probably for the best, he thought.

The jangle of keys came closer and Will pushed himself up into a sitting position. Every muscle in his body screamed and begged him not to move again for another few days at least.

The door to the cell opened and through his half-open eyes Will could see a large figure standing in the doorway.

‘William Greenacre, what on earth happened to you?'

Will's eyes opened fully and peered into the gloom. He recognised the voice, but couldn't quite place the owner.

‘We thought you were dead.'

‘So did I,' Will murmured.

The figure in the doorway strode into the cell and clapped Will on the shoulder.

‘Edward Thatcher,' Will said. ‘It's been years.'

‘Last time I saw you must have been at your old man's funeral. Good fellow, sorely missed. That must have been what, seven years ago?'

‘Eight.'

‘Let's get you out of this hellhole...' Thatcher held out his hand to pull Will up ‘...then you can tell me how you managed to survive that awful storm.'

‘There was a woman...' Will started.

‘Don't you worry about her, old chap, we've got her safe. Let's get you cleaned up and then I'll fill you in on what's been happening. The Governor is expecting you.'

‘But Mia...'

‘Good work there, Greenacre, we've been after her for months. You survive a shipwreck and apprehend the sister of Barbados's most wanted in the same day.'

Barbados's most wanted? Will screwed his eyes up, trying to concentrate. It had been a long day and he wasn't sure he could recall exactly what had happened. He remembered the storm and the swim and the feeling of dread as he saw the cliffs towering above him. Then the vision of Mia on the clifftop, her saving him and finally the kiss on the beach.

He groaned. He'd kissed her. He owed his life to her and he'd assaulted her when all she'd been trying to do was help. He wasn't sure why he'd done it. He had been pretty delirious, but really that was no excuse.

Will squinted as they emerged from cells into the bright Caribbean light.

‘It's only a couple minutes' walk to the Governor's residence. Think you'll make it, old chap?'

The muscles in his legs felt battered and achy, but it did feel good to stretch them out. If it was truly only a couple minutes' walk he was sure his legs would get him there.

‘What are you doing out here, Thatcher?' Will asked as they walked.

He'd known Thatcher from school—both boys had been at boarding school together—and whilst not in the same year they'd come across one another plenty of times on the sports field or during illicit night-time missions into the nearby town.

‘Advisor to his Majesty's Governor of Barbados.' Thatcher said it without much enthusiasm.

‘Can I deduce it's not a post you care for?' Will asked quietly.

‘The Governor's a fool. I spend most of my time trying to right the mistakes he's made.'

They'd reached the grand Governor's residence and Thatcher knocked on the door. It was opened immediately and they were shown inside. Thatcher was obviously well known in the residence. The footmen nodded their acknowledgement, but otherwise let him pass unimpeded from the entrance hall to the inner corridor.

‘Mr Greenacre, or is it Lord Sedlescombe?'

Will stopped and turned.

‘I offer you my sincerest apologies. My men had no idea who you were. I regret you had to spend time in one of our cells—most unfortunate for a man of your standing.'

A man in a pristine white shirt and a decorated red dress coat was coming down the corridor behind them.

‘Governor Hall,' Will guessed out loud, ‘it is an honour to meet you.'

‘Come, come, Thatcher, get the man a drink. He's been through hell and back.'

The Governor led the two men into a cavernous dining hall which had a table laid out with food at one end.

‘Sit, eat, drink.'

Will sat and took a long draught from the cup in front of him. He savoured the liquid, allowing the cool wine to soothe his parched throat.

‘I want to hear all about what happened,' the Governor said.

Will shrugged, running a hand through his hair, a delaying tactic so he could push the memory of the screams of the sailors from his mind.

‘We were only a few miles offshore. The storm hit and the Captain tried to make a dash for it.'

The Governor shook his head. ‘Captain Brent was a good friend of mine.'

‘The ship went down quickly and the few sailors who did survive the initial shipwreck wanted to wait for the Navy to rescue them.'

‘We've sent the boats, but I doubt anyone will be left now.'

‘I swam for shore and I'd just about given up when a woman dived in and saved me.'

‘Ah, yes, the infamous Mia Del Torres.' The Governor shook his head. ‘You're lucky she didn't slit your throat. As you know, her family are notorious throughout the Caribbean.'

Will frowned. That didn't sound right. The woman who'd rescued him was kind and caring and willing to risk her own life for a complete stranger. Not a notorious criminal. And the surname—surely it had to be a coincidence. The woman who'd saved his life couldn't possibly be related to the man he'd come to the Caribbean to hunt.

‘What happened next?' the Governor asked.

‘I can't really remember any more,' Will said, pushing the very clear memories of kissing Mia's soft lips from his mind.

‘It's a tragedy, a real tragedy,' the Governor said, ‘but at least you've survived. We've been awaiting your arrival eagerly these past few weeks.'

Will sensed the change of tone of the conversation; they were getting down to business.

‘We will give you whatever help you need to succeed,' the Governor promised, and looked enquiringly at Will.

‘I'll need a ship, full crew and someone with good local knowledge to assist me, preferably someone with first-hand experience of dealing with these pirates,' he said.

The Governor smiled. ‘We can do better than that.' He motioned to Thatcher, who disappeared out of the room. Will wondered what they were going to come up with.

‘We've had reasonable success in dealing with most of the privateers and pirates in the waters around the Caribbean,' the Governor explained, ‘but there are pockets left. Pockets we can't seem to find.' He tapped his fingers on the table in irritation. ‘They seem to go to ground whenever we get close. Someone is sheltering them, must be.'

‘Sounds a likely theory,' Will said. ‘In my experience a little local support goes a long way.'

‘Quite. But it will not be tolerated any longer. I have vowed to clear these waters of pirates and I do not intend to break my vow.'

‘Of course not, sir. And whilst the Navy is brilliant in beating the pirates when it comes to an out-and-out fight, often the pirates fight dirty.'

‘That's why we brought you in. You come highly recommended.'

Will took another sip of wine and grimaced. ‘Sometimes you need someone who doesn't mind getting their hands dirty for the greater good.'

And he didn't. He hated pirates. They were greedy, cowardly, arrogant fools. Fools who had killed his brother. Governor Hall wasn't the only one who wanted the Caribbean to be free from the plague of pirates. Will had worked for two long years to build his reputation so he would be deemed a suitable man to entrust with hunting Captain Del Torres and his crew.

‘Ah, here's the local knowledge,' the Governor said.

Thatcher re-entered the room, pulling a struggling woman behind him. In an instant he saw it was Mia.

‘Mia,' he said, standing up.

She glared at him with hatred in her eyes.

‘We have been trying to apprehend Miss Del Torres for some months now,' the Governor said. ‘Thanks to you we succeeded today.'

‘I...' Will started, but realised he didn't know what to say.

‘Miss Del Torres's brother is the Captain of
The
Flaming Dragon
, the scourge of the Caribbean. In exchange for her life she has agreed to assist you in locating her brother and his crew.'

Will smiled tentatively at Mia, but she just scowled in return.

‘Miss Del Torres will be released into your custody for the duration of your expedition and knows she will be killed immediately if she tries to escape or warn her brother you are coming for him. Killed in a most unpleasant fashion.'

‘What is her crime?' Will asked.

‘Her crime?' the Governor repeated.

‘For her to deserve the death sentence.'

‘Aiding and sheltering known pirates.'

Slowly Will nodded. He stood and took another sip of wine before walking towards Mia.

‘Your brother is a pirate?' he asked.

Mia looked defiantly at him, but nodded after a few seconds.

‘And you know where he is?'

‘No.'

‘But you know where he might be?'

‘No.'

He stood directly in front of her and gently lifted her chin so she was forced to look into his eyes.

‘I'm not going to hurt you, Mia,' he said quietly, ‘You saved my life.'

Her eyes remained stony and no emotion was displayed on her face.

‘I have a job to do, a very important job, and I will need your help.'

‘What choice do I have?' she said quietly in a voice that betrayed every ounce of contempt she held for him.

Chapter Two

‘Y
ou'll never catch them in that,' Mia mumbled quietly.

Will turned to look at her with inquisitive eyes. It was the first time she'd spoken since they'd left the fort, despite his valiant efforts to engage her in conversation.

‘Well, you won't,' she said after a few seconds.

‘I won't be able to outrun them,' Will corrected her. ‘I will be able to catch them.'

Mia fell silent again and looked around the dock. She knew some of the sailors judiciously avoiding her eye—she wasn't going to get any help from them. And the shackles that restrained her wrists weren't conducive to escape, either.

‘I hope you're not thinking of running away, young lady,' Thatcher said sternly.

She smiled her sweetest smile. ‘Why would I want to do that?'

Thatcher grunted.

‘I'm being treated so well.'

‘Were the shackles really necessary?' Will asked, turning back to look uneasily at the chains on her wrists.

‘Can't be too careful, Greenacre. This little lady had evaded us for months.'

‘Would have been longer...' Mia muttered, looking pointedly at Will.

Not that she really regretted saving him. If she hadn't jumped into the sea he would have been dead and she would have been free, but her conscience would never allow her to forget she had killed a man. And in her eyes allowing him to drown when she had the capability to save him would have been murder as sure as shooting him in the heart.

‘Shall we, my lady?' Will asked, motioning to the ship.

They walked up the gangplank and on to the ship. She saw Will hesitate for just a second before he placed his foot on the wood of the deck, overcoming the memories of what happened the last time he was aboard a vessel like this.

The crew were all lined up along one side, waiting patiently for their orders. One man stepped forward and approached their little party.

‘Captain Little. Pleasure to have you aboard, Mr Greenacre.'

The Captain was a lithe man of about fifty. His eyes flitted backwards and forwards all the time as if taking in every detail and his skin had the weather-beaten leathery look all sailors shared in the Caribbean.

‘Thank you for your hospitality, Captain.'

‘May I introduce my First Mate, Ed Redding.'

A young man stepped forward and shook Will's hand. He glanced at Mia and smiled sadly as if commiserating with her for getting caught.

‘And this is Lieutenant Glass.'

Another man stepped up and shook Will's hand.

‘A pleasure to serve with you, Mr Greenacre. It will be an honour to assist you in catching these pirates.'

‘Lieutenant Glass is here at the Navy's request. He will be representing their interests in our voyage.'

‘I am here to give whatever help I can.'

Mia studied him. He looked rather dashing in his pristine white waistcoat and blue coat—each of the buttons shimmered in the sunlight and reflected the mid-afternoon rays. There was not a hair out of place in his ponytail and not a single scuffmark on his shoes. He was most likely a stickler for rules and routine.

She diverted her gaze back to Will and watched as he walked down the line of assembled men, greeting each in turn, asking their names and a little about their lives. He was good at getting people to like him; Mia could see that already. The crewmen were not used to a Commander who took an interest in them as people. In a few days they'd probably lay down their lives for him.

‘When do we sail?' Will asked when he was back by the Captain's side.

‘The tide is favourable for the next few hours. If we miss that, we shall have to wait until the morning.'

Mia willed them to wait until the morning. That way she might have a chance of escape. Once the ship was out to sea she had no chance.

‘No time like the present,' Will said with a smile.

‘Where shall I set a course for, sir?'

‘Port Royal, Jamaica. I have some information to pick up there.'

Mia allowed herself a small, inconspicuous smile. Port Royal was a notorious haven for pirates even now with their new Governor, but it wasn't where her brother would be hiding out. He'd always said that although you could lose yourself in the crowds in Port Royal and Tortuga, if someone really wanted to find you and had enough gold they would be able to buy information about your whereabouts.

‘We will leave within the hour,' the Captain assured him.

‘That's my cue to leave,' Thatcher said, clapping Will on the back, ‘Best of luck and, whatever you do, don't let those pirates engage you in the open.'

‘I'll see you soon, old friend.'

Mia watched as Thatcher walked back to dry land and felt her hope of escape ebbing away.

‘Shall we make you more comfortable?' His voice was low and close to her ear and sent shivers down her spine.

‘I can't imagine that would be conducive to your plans,' Mia replied.

‘I am sorry, you know,' Will said. ‘I didn't plan any of this.'

Looking into his eyes, Mia nearly believed him. In fact, she wanted to believe him, but had to keep telling herself to stop being so naive. He was using her. He would extract whatever information he could from her, then deliver her back to the Governor to spend the rest of her days in chains.

‘Let me go,' Mia said quietly so only Will would hear.

He shook his head.

‘I'm sorry, that just isn't possible.'

‘I saved your life.'

‘And I'll always be grateful for that.'

‘But your gratitude doesn't extend to giving me my freedom.'

Will sighed and turned so he was facing her directly. He placed his hands on her upper arms and looked squarely into her eyes. Mia shivered a little at the contact and the proximity of his body.

‘When this is over I will argue your case, that I promise. I will do everything in my power to see you have your freedom back.' His voice hardened. ‘But you have to understand, my priority is catching these pirates and I won't let anything stand in my way.'

Mia swallowed hard, but held his gaze. He was a driven man. He reached over and took her hands in one of his, holding them still so he could unlock the shackles on her wrists. His hands were slightly rough against her softer skin, but his touch was gentle.

‘Shall I show you your quarters?' Lieutenant Glass offered, breaking the moment.

‘Thank you.'

‘We can put her in the brig on our way.' He motioned towards Mia, a sneer on his face.

Will turned slowly to face the Navy Officer. ‘The brig?' he asked.

‘It's a kind of prison cell on the ship, sir.'

‘I know what it is.'

Lieutenant Glass stood looking at Will with a perplexed expression. Neither man spoke for twenty seconds.

‘It's very secure, sir.'

‘I don't doubt the security of the cell.'

‘I'm sorry, sir,' Lieutenant Glass said eventually. ‘I don't think I understand.'

‘Miss Del Torres is helping us with our mission.' Will spoke slowly. ‘She has very kindly agreed to impart her valuable knowledge so we may be successful in catching these scoundrels. I don't think we should be locking our guest up in the brig, do you, Lieutenant?'

‘Guest, sir?'

‘Yes. Guest.'

Mia felt herself scoff. It wasn't a ladylike noise, but she could see the Captain and the Naval Officer mirrored her disbelief.

‘Are you planning on escaping, Miss Del Torres?' Will said, turning his attention on her.

Yes, yes, yes. Yes a thousand times.

‘No.'

‘There you have it,' Will said with a smile.

‘But...' Glass protested.

‘Yes?'

‘She's the sister of a pirate.'

‘And I once was the neighbour of a man who beat his wife. Does that make me a violent lowlife?'

Glass looked at him as if he'd grown two heads.

‘But what if she tries to escape?' he queried valiantly one more time.

‘Then we'll have to catch her.'

The Lieutenant was stunned into silence.

‘Lead on,' Will commanded, taking Mia's arm in his own. ‘Take us to our rooms.'

Mia allowed herself to be led forward and down into the bows of the ship. Men scurried backwards and forwards, getting everything ready for their voyage.

‘This is your room, sir,' Glass said, opening the door to a cramped but well-furnished cabin. It had a large four-poster bed that filled over half the floor space. Mia felt herself drawn to it and scolded herself immediately; she was there as a prisoner, not to lounge about on the bed of a man she barely knew.

‘Nice bed,' Will said.

Mia realised she'd been staring and quickly averted her eyes.

‘And for Miss Del Torres?' Will asked.

Ed Redding, the First Mate, came down the stairs behind them.

‘Miss Del Torres can have my cabin,' he said. ‘Come this way.'

‘I don't want to put you out,' Mia said quickly. ‘I'll be quite comfortable in the brig.'

Redding turned to her with a laugh. ‘No one is comfortable in the brig, miss.'

‘But where will you sleep?'

‘There are spare bunks with the rest of the men. I'll be fine down there for a couple of weeks.'

‘That's very kind of you, Redding,' Will said, ‘I appreciate it.'

The First Mate led the way further into the ship and stopped outside a narrow wooden door.

‘It's not much,' he said, ‘but it's comfy enough.'

‘Thank you,' Mia said.

‘I'd better get back up on deck. We'll be leaving in a few minutes.'

Redding left and Lieutenant Glass reluctantly followed behind, leaving Will and Mia alone.

‘Will you be comfortable here?' Will asked.

Mia realised he was genuinely concerned. He might be her captor and willing to use her to find her brother, but he was considering her comfort at the same time. Things could be worse: she could be in the hands of Lieutenant Glass.

‘I will, thank you,' Mia said.

He turned as if to leave, then slowly spun round again to face her.

‘Mia,' he said slowly, ‘I meant what I said earlier.'

She looked at him. The small frown line in between his eyebrows was back again.

‘I might not agree with the Governor's methods and I am sorry you've got caught up in this, but I have made an oath to bring your brother and his associates to justice and I need your help. I know you don't want to be here, but if you help me I promise I will do everything I can to protect you when we get back to Barbados.'

Mia nodded slowly. She felt torn. She believed him, she believed that if she helped him he would try to protect her, but she also knew it would be in vain. She'd watched so many men and boys she'd known from childhood hang and she knew if she set foot on Barbados again as a prisoner she could well be heading for the noose.

‘I understand you are going to feel loyalty to your brother, but he has killed hundreds of innocent men and women. I can't let that continue.'

He moved in closer so there was only a sliver of air between their bodies. Mia looked up at him and tried to concentrate—she found it so distracting when he was this close. They stood for a moment just looking at each other, trying to figure out what their next move was. She had to consciously stop herself from reaching up and running her fingers through his golden hair, pulling his head down so his lips met hers.

‘Shall we return to the deck?' Will said suddenly, stepping away.

Mia felt as though she had been jolted awake from a trance. She nodded and docilely followed him up the wooden stairs and back into the humid air.