Keeper of My Dreams (St. John Series Book 4) (15 page)

Madison gave a worried look at her friends, grabbed both girls and raced up the slope. Reanna turned to find the men closing fast. She then looked at the wooded area. “Come on, Kristina. We have to hide.”

Kristina nodded and followed Reanna into the thick brush. As they made their way into the foliage, Reanna spotted a fallen log. She pulled Kristina over to it and helped her down.

“Lie here and don’t move,” Reanna whispered.

“Where are you going?”

“To buy Madison some time,” Reanna said as she pushed through the bush.

Reanna trudged through the wooded area and down the slope, making enough noise to wake the dead—or at least she hoped. As she pushed through to the clearing, she saw the men in the middle of the slope. She emerged from the undergrowth and yelled, “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

The men turned towards her.

“She look like a Spaniard to you, Billy?”

“From here she looks just like a Spaniard. The other dark-haired wench was huge. Not like the capt’n’s description. I’m guessin’ that’s her.”

“I agree,” Tim replied.

They raced down the slope towards Reanna. Her eyes grew wide. Oh, no! Now what? She had their attention, but that was the extent of her plan. She let out a scream, hiked up her skirt and darted down the beach. No matter how fast her legs moved, she could hear the men gaining on her. She looked over her shoulder and could see the men were just feet behind her. In the next instant, she felt her body being tackled to the ground.

“Hold her,” one of the men yelled.

The tall thin bald man wrestled her over onto her back.

“Let me go!” Reanna screamed as she struggled against him. She managed to get a hand free and struck the man’s cheek.

The man drew back his hand and struck her with a backhanded slap. Stars appeared before her eyes.

“Don’t hit her too hard, Billy. The capt’n said not ta damage her too much.”

“Well, then, I’ll let you fight this hellcat, Tim,” Billy replied, dodging the hands attempting to strike him. He managed to capture both her hands and tied them in front of her. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of grain.

“We better get goin’.”

“Help!” Reanna screamed.

“Weren’t we supposed ta get two of ‘em?”

“Help!” she screamed again. She kept repeating the word as the men spoke.

“There weren’t, but one ta get,” Tim said as he winked. “Ya get ma meaning, Billy?”

Billy nodded his head. “We better get goin’, then. Dem other women will be back soon with ‘elp.”

“Help!” Reanna yelled again.

“Aw, hell. They’ll find us fer sure with her yellin’ like that,” Billy said.

“No, they won’t,” Tim replied, punching Reanna, rendering her unconscious.

“Thought ya said not ta hit her.”

“I had ta do it out of necessity sa we could leave unnoticed. The capt’n won’t mind. Now come on. The dinghy is just around da bend. We better hurry.”

* * * *

Kristina made her way through the thick brush and watched as the men raced down the beach with Reanna over one’s shoulder. She followed them, staying hidden in the foliage. They trudged around a sharp bend and down the beach for about a mile. Peering through the thick brush, she saw them toss Reanna into a dinghy and begin rowing out into the surf. Her eyes traveled to the ship docked in the bay. Her eyes grew wide with recognition.
The Demon
was anchored in the small cove.

“Dearing,” she whispered.

She turned and made her way back down the beach to the sloped path. As she crested the top of the hill, she spotted Max racing towards her. A chill ran down her spine as she noticed his expression. It had been years since she had seen that look and she had no doubt that Max was about to kill someone—painfully.

A look of relief came over Max as he spotted his wife. He was thankful now that his horse had thrown a shoe, forcing him to return to Nicholas’s home. Racing to his wife, he pulled her into his arms.

“Are you all right?” Max asked.

“I’m fine. They have taken London.”

“Who?”

“Dearing.”

“Roger Dearing? He died.”

“Well, it was
The Demon
I saw anchored just off shore.”

“Are you certain?” Max questioned just as Nicholas arrived.

“What’s going on?” Nicholas asked.

“Angelica has kidnapped Reanna.” Max turned to scan the ocean for intruders.

“What?!” Nicholas asked in disbelief. “Are you certain?”

“I know what
The Demon
looks like,” Kristina snapped. “You have to go after her.”

Max nodded. He turned towards Nicholas. “Have Samuel go ready the crew.”

“You’re going after her on
my
ship?”

“
The Abyss
now belongs to me. If you recall, you gave her to me,” Max reminded. “Now quit arguing the proprietorship of my ship and have Samuel ready the crew.”

“Go!” Kristina yelled, chiming in.

Nicholas turned and raced towards his house.

Kristina turned to her husband. “You have to let Eli know.”

“Like hell I do,” Max replied as he turned and headed towards the house. “You can inform him once we leave.”

“But London is his responsibility!”

“And he did a hell of a job looking out for her.”

“If it wasn’t for her, those men would have me!”

“What are you talking about, woman?”

“London hid me in the brush and had the men chase after her. I happened to overhear them as they raced past my hiding spot. They were after a Spaniard, Max. A Spaniard! Now who called me that in the past?”

A look of revelation came over Max. “Angelica.” His voice was cold and icy.

“Exactly. If you recall, she tried to have me returned to that tavern I was sold to.”

“Surely she would not attempt to do so again.”

“Wouldn’t she? She’s vindictive, Max. She wants you. You should know that after the encounter we had with her after Alex and Madison married.”

The image of that encounter flooded Max. They had been returning to Nassau just after Nicholas and Madison married.
The Demon
attacked
The Abyss.
Angelica and Kristina fought . . . again. As they battled, Angelica promised Kristina that one day Max would be hers. Kristina thoroughly trounced Angelica for a second time.
The Demon’s
crew escaped. As the ship pulled away, Angelica vowed that she would seek revenge.

“I’ll gather the crew. Have Samuel inform Eli.”

“No, Max, you must tell him.”

“Why me?”

“He’s your brother.” Kristina grabbed his arm. “She was with Madison and me. She was a guest in Madison’s home. We promised Eli that we would look after her.”

He ran a hand through his thick black hair. “Bloody hell. I hate it when you’re right.”

“Go. I’ll be fine.”

Max shook his head. “No. I will take you to Robert’s home.”

“Max,” Kristina protested.

“No. It is on the way to Eli’s. I have to know you’re safe before I leave. If anything happened to you, Kristina, I . . . I—” He swallowed hard as the emotions flooded him and tenderly brushed her cheek.

She captured his hand. “I love you, too. But I’ll be fine. Besides, Mrs. Potts is here. She’s a better shot than Smitty,” Kristina teasingly reassured as she spoke of Nicholas’s extremely faithful housekeeper.

“I’ll stop by Robert’s and have him come here then.”

“Fine. Just go before they get too far gone.”

Max escorted Kristina into the home and instructed Mrs. Potts to gather any weapons in order to protect the women. He mounted another horse and raced towards Robert’s house. The Earl spotted Max approaching. Max didn’t dismount as he informed his father of what had transpired, instructing him to go to Nicholas’s home to protect the women. Max then turned and galloped his steed to Eli’s house. This was not a message that he wanted to deliver. He had a feeling that Eli had grown attached to the houseguest.

Max leapt off his horse before it even stopped. He opened the door and yelled, “Eli!”

Eli emerged from his study with a dark scowl on his face. “What do you want, Hart?”

“London’s been taken. Now hurry. There is no time to explain.”

“Who?”

“I’ll explain on the way. Now come on.”

“Let me get my weapons.”

“There is no need. I have plenty on my ship.”

“Ship?” Eli asked, hiding his dread.

“Yes. Now hurry.”

Eli nodded his understanding and bolted to the barn. He gave Albert and Natasha the same story relayed to him by Max.

Eli looked to Natasha. “Do you have any remedies for seasickness that will not make me drowsy?”

“No, Masta Eli. Aal me ‘ave a ones dat will mek yuh sleepy.”

“That will have to do. Hurry to your quarters and bring it to me.”

“Yes, sah.” The voodoo woman hurried to her home.

As Eli was leading his mount out, Natasha returned with the needed potion. “Only drink sumall sips. Maybe dat will kip yuh fram getting too sleepy.”

“Thank you.” Eli took the vial from Natasha and mounted his horse. He met Max at the front of his home and the pair raced to the docks.

Smitty saw the two men approaching
The Abyss
and a feeling of dread entered him. Samuel had given him a brief description of what had transpired. Max would be hard enough to deal with at his anger towards Angelica but add his brother with an equal temper to the mix and this entire ship would be a powder keg with a lit fuse. The anger from both men could be felt as they boarded the ship. Smitty had a sense of déjà vu. He had witnessed Max in this present state once before and an entire crew was sent to meet Davy Jones at Max’s hand. The sea-hardened pirate then turned his eye to Eli and he became even more nervous. Max had a dangerous aura to him, but what Eli emitted was no comparison. It was tenfold worse than Max. Smitty didn’t know the entire details of what had transpired but one thing he knew for certain . . . someone was about to die.

Chapter Nineteen

Once on board
The Demon
, the man known as Billy dropped Reanna on the deck. She landed with a clamorous thud causing her injured leg to hurt. Pain shot through her jaw from the blow that Tim had given her, causing her to flinch. She closed her eyes as a wave of dizziness came over her. A noise from behind caused her to turn.

The woman who approached was tall, even taller than Reanna. The wind caught a lock of the woman’s shoulder-length brown hair. Her eyes traveled the length of Reanna. The woman’s face was expressionless but her brown eyes held fury.

“Who is this?” Angelica asked brusquely as she kept her eyes on Reanna. When no one answered, she whirled to face Billy, a wild look to her eyes. “Who is this?”

“That Spanish lady you wanted,” he nervously defended.

“You idiot! Does she look like a Spaniard?”

“Ya said we were after two women. Sa I got ya one. The other one wuz expectin’. It wuz either her er some lady who wuz expectin’. Since the fat one disappeared, I took this one.”

“This is
not
who
I
wanted!” Angelica screamed as she took her cutlass out and placed it to Billy’s throat.

“I thought ya wanted both women? Since only one wuz around, I nabbed her.”

“I wanted the Spaniard more!”

“You didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout one of ‘em bein’ expectin’. Wuz that who ya wanted?”

“William!” Angelica yelled.

The teenage boy nervously approached. “Yes, Capt’n.”

She turned and gave him a tight-lipped smile. In a honeyed-tone she asked, “Did you forget to mention a pertinent detail about the Spaniard?”

William fearfully looked at the woman, “What detail?”

“Was the woman with child?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t see her. I just talked with the son.”

“You never saw her?!” Her scream was deafening.

“No, ma’am,” he answered nervously, shifting from his right to left foot.

Angelica sashayed to the boy. Taking her index finger, she traced his jaw. “I told you that if you pleased me then I would reward you in return,” she cooed. She licked her lips as her eyes lowered to slits. “You have not pleased me, William, therefore you must pay.” She ran her cutlass into the boy’s left lung. She pulled the sword out and shoved him backwards, causing William to fall to the deck.

Reanna’s heart sunk as she watched the boy struggle to breath. He reached towards the female captain. Coughing, blood emerged from the corner of his mouth. The captain turned away from him, dismissing his life as though he was an insignificant speck. Angelica walked over to Reanna. The back of her hand connected with Reanna’s jaw, causing tears of pain to fill Reanna’s eyes. She could taste the metallic flavor of blood as her lip bled. Reanna held her head up high, refusing to cower in front of the pirate.

“You have spirit. Good,” Angelica seethed. “It will make your death more memorable.”

“You can’t kill her,” a voice protested from above.

Reanna turned her gaze skyward as she watched a man climb down the mast. Hatred filled her soul as she studied him.

“Pray tell why not, Snowdon? That’s what we were paid to do.” Angelica seethed.

David hid his shock at seeing Reanna . . . alive. He needed to impress the captain. She was, after all, his meal ticket. “She is worth entirely too much.”

“Please elaborate.”

“Her father owns a manufacturing plant in London. We could ransom her for a hefty fee to her father or the St. Johns.”

“The St. Johns?”

“Yeah. Her father processes the raw materials they transport. Been doing it for years. They would pay up to keep him happy considering he’s the only person in all of England who is willing to work with that group of murdering rubbish.”

“How do you know this?” Angelica asked.

“Because she was my fiancée.”

“You bastard!” Reanna yelled at David. “How could you do this to me?”

David turned to Reanna. “Easy. Money.”

“But we were to be married! I came all this way looking for you!” Suddenly, memories flooded her as she remembered the night her ship was attacked. “You left me on that ship to die! You killed all those people. Why?”

“You came looking for me?” He decided to play innocent. If Angelica found out that he had not made certain Reanna was dead when they attacked that ship, she would be angry, and he would lose his current station upon the ship. “Stupid woman. If I hadn’t returned after two years, you should have figured out that I wasn’t going to. I have a new life.” His eyes turned to Angelica. He took a step towards the tall female pirate and placed an arm around her waist. “A better woman.”

“Are we ready to sail, lover?” Angelica purred as she traced David’s jaw.

“Awaiting your orders.”

“Weigh anchor!” Angelica yelled as she turned from David to face Reanna. “Ransoming you is a tempting offer, but I have other plans for you. Mr. Nubian requests your presence.”

“You’re taking her to Nubian?” David questioned with horror.

Angelica’s brows shot upward with suspicion at his protest. “Yes. The entire purpose of this endeavor was to return his stolen property. Since these dunces,” she said as she gestured her head to Billy and Tim, “have brought me the wrong woman, we’ll have to make do. I’ll somehow have to convince Mr. Nubian that this is his property. Since he never saw the Spaniard, it should be simple enough. We just need to make sure she doesn’t speak. But that should be easy to rectify,” Angelica said, pulling a dirk from its sheath around her waist. She took the blade of the knife and ran it along Reanna’s jaw. “I’ll just have to cut her tongue out.”

“You can’t cut Reanna’s tongue out,” David protested.

“My name is London,” Reanna corrected, hoping by using the name Eli gave her it would give her the courage she needed to face this crew.

“Why are you so concerned, David?”

He licked his lips nervously. “Damaged goods aren’t as valuable.”

“Watch me.” Angelica grasped Reanna’s jaw tightly in her hand. Reanna clenched her jaw closed, fighting the desire to cry out. Angelica squeezed harder. Reanna’s body overtook her mind and she opened her mouth. Angelica squeezed with enough force to keep Reanna from closing her mouth. “Hold her tongue, Billy!”

Reanna’s eyes grew wide as she emitted a panicked noise. David looked frantically at Reanna. Granted he didn’t want to marry her, but he didn’t want her harmed either.

“Drug her,” David said.

“What?”

“Mr. Nubian will not be pleased if his property is damaged. So drug her before you take her to him. That way she will not be able to speak, and even if she does, it will be so slurred that he will not pay heed to the British accent.”

Angelica gave one last hard squeeze and released Reanna’s jaw. “Take her to the brig and make sure no one touches her. If she’s a virgin, Mr. Nubian will be extremely pleased.”

“How will he know?”

“Because he plans on sampling her goods before he places her with the other whores. Now, no more questions. I need to focus on getting us out of here before we are spotted.” Angelica turned from the crew and proceeded to the helm. Her blood was boiling. Her plot was not going as planned. Those idiots had brought her the wrong woman—the one the Baroness wanted taken. Granted she was supposed to kidnap two women but the one the Baroness wanted taken was of no concern to Angelica. She was more interested in the Spaniard. Now Max would never be hers and she would have to come up with another way to get her revenge on the black-haired bitch. Another plan formulated in her mind. Maybe she could get Mr. Nubian involved with this issue. He did conduct business with Emerald Shipping after all. That might work. She would have to work out the exact details, but the thought gave her a small glimmer of hope.

* * * *

The Abyss
popped and creaked as it bobbed in the quay, awaiting the tide. The large three-mast black ship was intimidating and fast—even when fully loaded with cargo. However, the only additional weight today came from the many cannons mounted to the ship—forty of them. Each one loaded and ready to do battle.

Mr. Smitty left the ship and went to Red’s to find out information. The old sea dog knew that Max had no desire to set foot in his former home. The demons his mother had instilled in him while he lived there still haunted him to this day. Smitty found a wench who’d had an encounter with Angelica. After some persuasion of the golden kind, the wench informed Smitty of the conversation she had with Angelica. When the blond doxy had divulged all she knew, Smitty went to two other establishments before he found out their heading.

Meanwhile on
The Abyss
, Eli was impatiently waiting for the return of Mr. Smitty. To help keep his mind occupied he observed the crew and their willingness to obey his brother-in-law. His eyes turned to Nicholas. He appeared all too at ease captaining this ship. The orders came out too easily for him, as though he had done it before. The crew did not hesitate at the orders, which Eli found odd. Odder still was the fact that the current captain, James, did not protest when Nicholas took command.

As Eli observed his sister’s husband, he couldn’t help but notice the resemblance Nicholas had to that damned pirate, Alexander Xavier. But that must be a coincidence. Nicholas had killed Alex after that pirate had kidnapped Madison . . . again. Eli scrutinized Nicholas further. Just give his brother-in-law an earring and he could pass as a pirate with his long blond hair and arrogant nature.

“Test the lines!” Max bellowed as he slid down the center mast.

“Did you get the halyard repaired?” Nicholas asked his friend.

“No,” Max replied with sarcasm. “I just order that for the hell of it. Of course they’re repaired.”

“Mind your tongue, Max,” Nicholas warned.

“You’re not the captain,” Max replied.

Smitty walked past both men laughing. “Just like old times.”

“When did you return?” Eli asked, watching the old sailor casually walk past.

Smitty simply laughed. “Been back fer while.”

Eli turned to Nicholas. “What did he mean ‘old times’?”

“Nothing,” Nicholas replied.

“What’s our heading?” Eli questioned.

“Harbour Island.”

“Why would that woman take London there?”

Nicholas took a thoughtful breath. How could he inform Eli of the real reason without giving away the truth about Max and himself? A bit of missing information never hurt anyone. “As you are aware, years ago Kristina was kidnapped and sold to a tavern. She escaped and asked Max for assistance. During that time frame a female pirate aboard
The Demon
named Angelica had an unfriendly encounter with Kristina. Kris beat the hell out of her. Angelica became pissed, naturally. My guess is she was hoping to have her revenge on Kris by taking her back to the tavern owner, but Reanna intervened and they took her instead. During his investigations, Smitty learned that the tavern owner is expecting his property to be delivered to his home on Harbour Island.”

“Who was the tavern owner?”

Nicholas pressed his lips together. He wondered how Eli would handle the information that one of their customers was the owner. “Mr. Nubian.”

“Who?”

“You know him better by Ambrose Setters.”

“What?!” Eli asked in disbelief.

“He is known to the upper crust as Ambrose Setters, entrepreneur and a respectable land owner. He is known in the lower circles just as Mr. Nubian, a man they do not want to anger.”

“You knew this and still conducted business with this man?” Eli heatedly asked.

“Yes. Max handled the situation involving Kristina and Nubian personally. I know because I was there.”

“Then why did he want her back?”

“How should I know? Angelica can be very persuasive.”

Eli clenched his jaw at Nicholas’s nonchalant nature. “How long will it take to reach Harbour Island on this vessel?”

“Once the tide is in, we’ll depart. It should only take about ten hours . . . maybe.”

“What do you mean maybe?”

“
The Abyss
is the fastest ship in these waters. The wind is good and since we’re lacking cargo, we might gain a couple of hours.” Nicholas could see the worry in his brother-in-law’s eyes. “She’ll be fine. She survived being afloat at sea with nothing, so just imagine what she could do on a ship full of opportunities.”

“She’s not like Madison,” Eli reminded him. “How Madison managed to survive on this damn ship with all those bloody pirates for three weeks is beyond me. It infuriates me that we have to go after London on
this
ship.”

“I don’t know. I kinda like it. It’s homey,” Nicholas said as a cocky smile crossed his face.

Eli gave Nicholas a look like he had gone mad. “Honestly, what does my sister see in you?”

“My charming personality.”