Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's List\Saved by the Viking Warrior\The Pirate Hunter (59 page)

Chapter Fifteen

‘W
here the hell have you been?' As soon as they'd stepped back aboard the boat, Lieutenant Glass had sought them out, looking extremely angry.

‘Gathering intelligence,' Will said calmly. And making love to Mia. And probably breaking her heart.

Glass looked the pair of them up and down and his lips curled into an unattractive sneer.

‘Gathering intelligence. I see.' He took a step towards them. ‘And this occupied you through the entire night.'

Will felt the anger boil up inside him. Normally he could control his emotions so well, but Glass had a way of bringing out the worst in him.

‘I understand why you are here aboard this ship, Lieutenant, but can we get one thing clear? I do not report to you or your precious Navy. I am a free agent brought in to do a job you have been struggling with for far too long. So whilst I am very pleased to share any intelligence I uncover, I will not report my every move to you. Is that clear?'

Glass stepped back as though Will had slapped him.

‘Is that clear?' he repeated, his voice dangerously low.

The Lieutenant nodded and looked around him. Nearly the whole crew had stopped what they were doing to listen to the exchange. Humiliation and hatred flared in Glass's eyes and Will realised he'd just made a powerful enemy.

‘We found where
The Flaming Dragon
has been sheltering,' he said in a conciliatory tone.

‘Good.'

‘And it seems we just missed it when we sailed around the island.'

‘Wonderful.'

‘But it does mean we can get an idea of Del Torres' schedule. It feels like we're closing in.'

‘Wonderful.' Each word was delivered in a flat monotone by the Lieutenant. ‘Unfortunately whilst you were off “gathering information”,
The Flaming Dragon
has attacked another merchant ship.'

Out of the corner of his eye Will saw Mia shift uncomfortably.

Lieutenant Glass turned to face her. ‘It seems this time your brother has killed twelve of their crew.'

The pain was so apparent in her eyes Will wanted to reach out and embrace her. Normally Mia's face was brimming with happiness and barely controlled mirth, but now all he could see was misery.

‘What a lovely family you come from, Miss Del Torres,' Glass said with a sneer.

Will felt the fingers of his hand bunch into a fist and it was all he could do to stop himself punching Glass squarely on the jaw. Mia must have seen the miniscule movement as he clenched the muscles of his arms and stepped to his side, resting her hand on his sleeve in a restraining manner.

‘If we have the coordinates of where my brother has attacked the second ship...' Mia trailed off as Will spun to look at her.

‘Genius!' he exclaimed and couldn't help planting a kiss firmly on her forehead.

Glass looked puzzled by their interaction. For an instant Will had the urge to exclude him from their discovery, but he knew that was petty and would only bring trouble in the future.

‘We have the position of
The Flaming Dragon
yesterday morning and her position today. From that we might be able to work out where she's heading next and when we have a chance of intercepting her.'

A look of comprehension dawned on Glass's face and for an instant he looked almost excited.

‘Meet me in the mess room in two minutes,' Will commanded, and hurried off below decks to his cabin to fetch the maps.

* * *

When he reached the mess room Glass and Mia were sitting in uncomfortable silence. Mia looked close to tears and he wondered what hurtful things the Lieutenant had said in the few minutes he'd been absent. Half of him wanted to pick Glass up by the collar and pummel him until he apologised to Mia. Will hated seeing Mia upset, but he knew now wasn't the time to set things straight with Glass. Time was of the essence; they might have a real lead on where Del Torres was and a chance to catch up.

He spread the map of the Caribbean out on the dining table and placed a finger on Smuggler's Cove in Tortola.

‘We know
The Flaming Dragon
was here yesterday morning. Lieutenant, where was the merchant ship attacked?'

Glass checked the coordinate readings on the top of the map and then placed a finger just west of the island of St Martin. Both Will and Mia broke out into wide smiles. They had him.

‘Care to share your revelation?' Glass asked frostily.

‘From past sightings and attacks we've worked out a proposed route Del Torres might take through the Caribbean, places he may shelter, that sort of thing.'

Glass sneered. ‘Del Torres doesn't follow a route. If he did, the Navy would have recognised the pattern and caught him.'

‘He follows a route,' Mia said quietly. ‘My brother likes to have a plan.'

Will pushed on. ‘We've got two points of reference and two sets of timings. We can work out the direction Del Torres is heading in and how far he will be from his starting point.'

‘Sounds very unlikely.' Glass remained unimpressed.

Will turned to Mia and together they pored over the map. She was standing close to him, so close he could smell her sweet scent radiating from her skin. He had a sudden flashback of when she'd pulled her dress over her head and given him his first view of her beautiful naked body. He swallowed and tried to banish the image from his head. Mia naked wasn't a picture that helped him to concentrate.

Her arm brushed against his and the soft contact conjured more pictures in his mind. Mia lying back in the sand, gasping in pleasure as he touched her breasts and giving herself to him completely as they climaxed together.

Mia coughed, startling him from his memories.

‘I said we can probably intercept
The Flaming Dragon
,' Mia said slowly.

Will nodded, trying to focus on the mission ahead.

He did a few quick calculations of speed and direction, then leaned closer to Mia. He plucked one of her hair pins from her head, allowing a few silky strands to fall free, and placed it triumphantly into the map.

Glass looked at him as though he'd grown two heads. Mia self-consciously tucked the stray strands of hair behind one ear. Will had to resist the urge to reach out and stop her. He wanted her to shake her entire head of hair free from its constrictions.

‘There,' he said triumphantly.

Glass snorted with amusement. ‘You truly think you can waltz in and pinpoint the whereabouts of Del Torres after a couple of days? You're deluded. Or mad.' The last part was said under his breath, but loud enough for Will to hear.

He just grinned. ‘Maybe,' he said, ‘but it's a damn sight closer than the Navy have been in two years.'

The Lieutenant turned bright red and his eyes narrowed. He'd suspected it before, but now Will knew—he'd made an enemy for life.

‘Go on your wild goose chase,' Glass said, his voice dangerously low. ‘And when you've spent all the Governor's money wasting time sailing around in circles whilst you bed this whore, let's see who the saviour of the Caribbean is then.'

Will felt the insult like a physical punch. He'd called Mia a whore. His body reacted instinctively, his right hand balling into a fist and drawing back. He felt the power in his arm as it began to straighten on its way to make contact with Glass's jaw.

‘Stop,' Mia said calmly and placed a gentle hand on his right arm. He felt the power being sucked out of his punch and let the arm drop to his side.

‘He's not worth it,' Mia said, her eyes holding a gentle plea.

‘He insulted you.'

Mia shrugged. ‘I've been insulted many times before,' she said with a small smile. ‘I'm sure my pride will survive.'

‘Apologise,' Will commanded, turning to Glass.

‘For telling the truth? Never.' With that the Lieutenant stalked out of the room.

Will was all set to follow him and make him apologise.

‘Leave it,' Mia said. ‘Honestly, he's not worth it.'

‘He called you a whore.'

‘I've been called much worse.'

Anger and indignation on Mia's behalf boiled up inside him.

‘By whom?' he asked, picturing himself hunting down every person who'd ever insulted the wonderful woman standing beside him.

Mia laughed. ‘By too many people for you to fight.'

Will felt some of the anger melt away at the sound of her laugh.

‘Sit down,' Mia commanded, ‘or I won't relax, thinking you're going to run off after the charming Lieutenant at any second.'

He sat and felt Mia sit down in the chair beside him.

‘You're not a whore,' Will said, turning towards her. ‘You know that, don't you?'

‘I know exactly what I am,' she said, ‘and comments from idiots like Glass don't bother me.'

He wondered how much she was saying to calm him down so he didn't go and beat Glass to a pulp for insulting her.

‘I'm the daughter of an Afro-Caribbean runaway slave and a Spanish sailor and I'm the sister of a Bajan pirate. But that's not who I am. I'm Mia Del Torres, I care about other people, I like to laugh and I'm kind to animals.'

Will grinned at her assessment of herself.

‘You're much more than that,' he said. ‘So much more.'

He felt his body inch towards hers and had the overwhelming urge to kiss her. He remembered the sweet taste of her lips and wanted nothing more than to press his lips against hers and get lost in the heady sensation that overcame him every time their bodies became entwined.

Will reached up and tugged the strand of hair he'd set loose earlier from behind her ear.

‘So soft,' he murmured.

Mia's mouth opened just slightly and he knew she wanted to be kissed. He twirled the strand of hair between his fingers, wondering if he could pull out all the pins and set her hair free before Mia realised what he was doing and stopped him.

He leaned forward and was dismayed to see Mia pull away from him.

‘We'd better tell the Captain,' she said, her voice husky and her cheeks flushed, ‘Otherwise we'll never get to the interception point on time.'

Will felt his response get stuck in his throat.

‘I'll tell him,' Mia said resolutely, then stood up and promptly fled the room.

Will looked after her with shock. He didn't think a woman had ever physically fled from him before. Yes, he'd had his fair share of flirtatious rebuffs, but Mia had run as if she were being chased by six wolves.

He sat in stunned silence for well over a minute, trying to figure out why she'd reacted like that. They'd kissed before. Only a couple of hours ago they'd been doing much more than kissing on the sands of Smuggler's Cove. He thought about her declaration of love and his silent response and cursed. How could he expect to kiss her again when she'd told him she loved him?

He was a fool. A damn stupid fool. Will knew he should stay away from Mia, but he felt as though every time he saw her she drew him closer in. He wanted to kiss her. More than that he wanted to lay her down every night and make love to her.

‘Idiot,' he murmured. He'd always prided himself on being so self-possessed, his every action well thought out, yet now all he wanted to do was throw caution to the wind and sail off into the sunset with Mia.

Chapter Sixteen

M
ia felt her heart pounding, but wouldn't allow herself to stop and catch her breath. He'd nearly kissed her again. She had seen the unmistakable look in his eyes as he'd inched closer.

‘Captain,' Mia called as she emerged into the Caribbean sunshine, ‘we've got a new destination.'

The Captain smiled and gestured at the brooding figure of Lieutenant Glass leaning over the rail.

‘I gathered as much. Although the Lieutenant informed me I was about to set off on a wild goose chase.'

‘I think this may be it,' Mia said, her hands shaking with trepidation. ‘When we arrive at our destination I think the men should know to be prepared.'

The Captain looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. Mia gave him the new coordinates and he set about organising his crew.

‘We should be there at first light tomorrow,' he informed her. ‘Make sure you get some rest before then.'

She was left alone on the deck as the crew busied themselves, readying the ship for departure. She was torn between wanting to stay on deck and feel the sun on her face or retreating to her cabin. If she stayed on deck, there was the risk Glass might seek her out and she was sure Will wouldn't leave her sitting on her own for long, either. What she wanted right now was some space to think. To assess and plan for the events of the next few days and make her peace with them.

So she turned on her heel and headed back below decks. It seemed dark out of the direct sunlight and Mia shivered at the loss of the sun's warmth.

Back in her cabin she closed the door firmly behind her and sank on to her narrow bed. Over the last few days she'd been thinking increasingly about what would happen when she laid eyes on her brother. She hadn't seen him for so long she wondered if she would recognise him.

Mia dreaded his reaction, the shock at being betrayed by his own sister, the anger that he couldn't even trust his own flesh and blood to stand strong with him. She wondered again if she was doing the right thing, but immediately dismissed the doubt in her mind. Her brother was no longer the little boy she'd known and loved, he was a ruthless killer.

She'd meant it when she had told Will there was more to her than her parents and her brother. She was her own person and she could make her own decisions, decide what was right for herself. And she knew helping Will catch Jorge and his crew was the right thing to do, even if a pang of guilt sliced through her every time she thought about it.

Mia closed her eyes and allowed her head to flop back on to the thin pillow. It had been a tiring few days. One didn't often save a man from drowning, get arrested, and commence a hunt for a pirate ship all in one week, let alone fall in love.

She tried to push thoughts of love from her mind—they weren't helping anyone. She was pleased she'd told Will she loved him, otherwise in the long years of loneliness she might regret her silence and wonder how he would have responded if she'd just been brave enough to declare her love. There was definitely no regret in her mind, but she had wanted him to respond. Maybe not with a declaration of love in return, that would have been too much to ask, but with something. She needed to know how he felt about her. Mia thought it was more than simple lust; she saw caring and concern in his eyes when he looked at her and he was always seeking out her company even when there were other people around.

‘Enough,' she told herself, knowing mulling the matter over in her mind would just make her feel worse.

Instead she tried to clear her head and get the well-advised rest the Captain had recommended.

* * *

Mia stirred, stretching her legs out and allowing her eyes to flutter open. She felt a pang of hunger and realised she hadn't eaten all day. Her lips were dry with thirst, too. She opened her eyes to find the cabin in complete darkness. With no idea what time of evening or night it was she sat up and moved to straighten her dress. Someone would be up on deck keeping watch, she was sure they would point her in the right direction to find some bread and something to drink.

A noise just outside her cabin made her pause. It sounded like someone was approaching quietly. For a second she had a stab of panic as she wondered whether she'd locked her door, then told herself not to be so silly. No one on the ship wanted to harm her—it didn't matter if she hadn't locked the door.

Nevertheless she waited for a few seconds for whoever it was outside to walk on past. The sound of retreating footsteps never came and Mia began to wonder if she had imagined it all in the first place.

She was just about to get up from her bed when she saw the handle to her cabin door turning very slowly. She froze, eyes locked on the handle, wondering if it were just a trick of the light. Her answer came when the door clicked open and swung inwards. She nearly screamed, but caught herself.

Mia peered into the gloom, wondering if it was Will coming to pay her a visit. She felt a thrill of excitement at the thought.

A silhouette came into the room and quickly closed the door behind them. Mia could tell it wasn't Will by the way he walked and immediately she felt a chill run down her spine.

‘Who is it?' she asked in a whisper.

‘So you are awake.' The unmistakable condescending voice of Lieutenant Glass froze her to the spot.

‘Get out,' Mia said, raising her voice slightly.

‘That's not very hospitable, my dear.' He took another step towards the bed.

Mia realised he was drunk, very drunk if the overpowering, sweet smell of rum could be trusted.

‘Get out or I'll scream.'

‘Go ahead. Everyone else is in the mess room eating. No one will hear you.'

Mia calculated the distance between her cabin and the mess room. He was probably right, but there was no way she was just going to sit here and let him do whatever he had planned.

She opened her mouth to scream. Before a single sound could come out Lieutenant Glass launched himself across the room and clapped a hand across her mouth.

‘Now, now,' he said, swaying closer to her.

Mia bit down on the fleshy skin of his hand. Glass howled in pain and momentarily withdrew, giving Mia a few seconds to take in a breath and let out a scream. It only lasted half a second, one at the most, but Mia hoped it would be enough.

Glass raised a hand and slapped her hard across her cheek.

‘Shut up, you stupid whore,' he said, looking round for something to silence her with.

He grabbed a washcloth from the stand beside her bed and shoved it into Mia's mouth. Roughly he pushed all the material inside, making her gag as the damp cloth hit the back of her throat. Instantly he pinned her arms to her side and stopped her struggles.

‘Be quiet and this might not end badly for you,' he instructed.

Mia had no such intentions. She thrashed her body from side to side, trying to break free from Glass's grip so she could pull the cloth from her mouth and shout for help.

‘Stay still.'

He climbed on top of her, pinning her hips to the bed whilst still holding her hands by her side.

‘I don't know why you're struggling, whore,' he said. ‘I know you like it.'

Mia felt sick. She was pinned to the bed completely, barely able to move, and the cloth in her mouth meant she couldn't even shout for help. She needed to do something quickly or Glass would hurt her. Badly.

He grabbed both of her hands in one of his and held them above her head. Mia realised with panic this meant he had a spare hand to do whatever he pleased with.

She started bucking wildly, hoping to throw him off balance so he might at least release her hands. Again and again she thrust her hips in all different directions but he was just too strong and too determined.

Mia thrashed her head from side to side and tried to clench her legs together as Glass used his free hand to push up her skirts.

‘You've been letting that arrogant bastard Greenacre take you all week. Why don't we see how you like it when a real man makes you scream?'

Mia started trying to work the washcloth from her mouth with her tongue. She felt a sob of despair trying to escape. It seemed hopeless. He had her pinned down and at his mercy and no one was going to come to her rescue.

She eyed up the washbasin on the stand beside her bed. It was made of some sort of ceramic material. If she was able to dislodge it the resulting crash when it hit the floor and shattered might be enough to bring someone to investigate. If only she could pull one hand free, she'd have so much more of a chance, but Glass's grip was a strong as any iron manacle and she doubted it would weaken any time soon.

Glass started loosening his breeches and pushed one knee between her thighs. Mia resisted with everything she had, still trying to thrash from side to side. She knew if he got himself positioned between her legs she had no hope.

‘Don't pretend you're not enjoying this,' Glass said, ‘I know your sort. Make out you are all sweet and innocent when we all know what lies beneath.'

He shoved his knees so hard against her thighs Mia thought she might pass out with the pain. She would certainly be bruised tomorrow. That was if she survived until tomorrow.

‘You don't deserve to live,' Glass spat at her. ‘You should be swinging from the gallows with crows pecking at your eyes.'

Mia didn't know where all his hatred for her came from, but she realised he wanted to hurt her so badly she would wish she was dead.

Now firmly in position in between her legs, Glass reached to push his trousers down a few inches further. As he did so Mia felt his balance teeter slightly and grabbed her opportunity. She rolled to one side, engaging every muscle in her body in her attempts to dislodge him. Glass rocked with her and to Mia's dismay he didn't fall off, but she did feel his hand loosen its grip on her wrists above her head. She wrenched her arms free and felt a bubble of elation as she ripped the cloth from her mouth and let out an ear-splitting scream.

At the same time her other hand lashed out, knocking the ceramic washbasin to the floor where it landed with a loud crash.

Glass froze for an instant, anger and surprise mingling in his face. Then he slapped her again, this time with such a force Mia felt her teeth slam together and her brain rattle inside her skull. She jerked backwards and felt the even harder blow of her head hitting the wooden bed frame. Everything spun as she frantically tried to keep her grip on the conscious world, knowing if she accepted the welcoming darkness Glass would win.

Valiantly she tried every trick she knew of to ward off unconsciousness, biting her tongue to try to make herself feel something, but the seconds stretched out before her and the darkness marched on.

Mia's last thought before she fell into oblivion was a hope Will wouldn't have to see her like this.