The Blue Diamond (The Razor's Edge Book 1) (33 page)

“Of course, Cass.”

“How badly do you want it
back?”

“What?” Keara exclaimed.

“One word to Maddox, and
I’ll have it back,” Ivory mumbled as she nibbled at her fingernails.

“But do you want it, is what
I’m asking.”

“If it’s worth even more
than what we thought, Cass, of course I want it back.”

“With justice I’m assuming?”

“If I’m being honest, I
really don’t care about justice, although he deserves it. However, in the brief
time he’s been with us, he knows far too much. He obviously met up with Jackson
in Charles Towne. Jackson was never interested in the other stones.”

“But…” Keara said as she
rose to her feet and sat on the corner of the desk, “if he was snatching that
stone for Jackson, what was the point? He must have known Jackson was going to
intercept our exchange with Carrington. Why should Jackson pretend to care that
the stone wasn’t in the bag, and more or less tell you to keep it?”

“Unless…for some reason,
Jackson just didn’t want Carrington to get his hands on it. Maybe he knew
Carrington would never come up with that kind of money. Ivory, I think that
stone is worth much more than you know—much more than any of us know.”

“Cass, as usual, you’re
fucking brilliant.”

“What did she say?” Keara
asked, appearing confused.

“Ke, Jackson knew something
that we obviously don’t. He had to have confided in, or made a deal with,
Tobias to get that blue egg. And Tobias figured it must be worth a hell of a
lot to someone.
 
Instead of turning on us
at the exchange, he kept it once Jackson was gone. He probably reveled in the
fact that you disposed of Jackson and figured he could trade it himself!”

“We need to find out what’s
so special about that blue egg,” Keara said. “You have me thinking now that the
fifty thousand in bounty may have more to do with that stone than it ever did
with your head. We need answers. As of this moment, Tobias has no idea that we
know he took it. I say we keep playing his little game until we reach Ocracoke,
and then we start digging.”

“Aren’t you afraid he’ll
make off with it as soon as we go ashore?” Cass asked.

“If we need answers, I know
where we can get them, and we won’t have to look far. First, we get the diamond
back. Then, we find the answers we need.” Ivory stood and walked to the door.

“It appears the end of the
line wasn’t so near after all,” Cass said softly.

“Don’t worry; we knew this
wasn’t going to be easy, but if anyone can find out what’s so special about
that stone, it’s Maddox. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’m starting to
think he already knows.”

Chapter
Thirty-Four

A veil of darkness draped
itself over the
Cutlass
as they
approached the waters around the south end of Ocracoke Island. They could see
the campfires in the distance, and they turned toward the shadowy masts rising
up from behind the marshes of the creek. Ivory watched as the orange glows
sprinkled their smoldering embers into the air and then transformed into wisps
of gray smoke against the black sky. She stood with her right foot propped at
the bow, clutching a line as they made their approach. Maddox had instructed
her not to raise her colors as they entered the sound as an alarm to Teach and
his men. He hoped the act of not showing their colors would prevent them from
being fired upon at first sight.

She swallowed hard and
waited the next fifteen minutes until the
Cat
was mere yards ahead. Maddox waved high above his head to signal that they were
all clear and could weigh anchor.
 
They
were careful not to come to rest too close to the other ships. There were
twelve in all. Ivory had never seen so many pirate vessels at one gathering
before. She’d heard of the brethren and how they did gather at times, but never
more than a half dozen.

The
Cutlass
was now tied together with the
Cat
, and measures were taken to ensure their quick release from
each other should they find themselves unwelcome in Teach’s private paradise.
Ivory was feeling uneasy, but strangely not about Teach. The twinge in her
stomach was about facing Maddox with her suspicions, but she couldn’t deny
them. Before she could collect her thoughts and make a solid decision as to how
to approach the situation about Tobias, Maddox landed on the deck before her
and requested her presence alone to speak in her quarters.

“They haven’t taken a shot
at us. That’s a good sign,” he said, smiling as he closed and locked the door.

“Do you believe it’s a good
idea to not prepare ourselves for an attack?”

“You’re prepared. Simply do
whatever it is you usually do when there’s the possibility of being fired upon,
love.” Maddox walked towards her, but she dipped away from him and turned her
back.

“I’ve already done that. I
meant, do you think it wise for us to leave our posts and immediately head to
shore?” she asked with her hands on her hips as she turned back to him and
stared off, pondering.

“Which is it? Take our
posts, or go ashore?” Maddox folded his arms at his chest and leaned back a bit
while looking over at her.

“Both, I suppose. We need a
plan, Maddox.”

“The plan is we go ashore
and make our introductions properly to Captain Teach. We explain to him in, no
uncertain terms, that we are in a great deal of trouble and simply wish to keep
our heads firmly on our shoulders for a bit, until we can figure out our next
move.”

“But you have met him,
right?”

“We’ve crossed paths, yes.”

“How did you find him then?”

“Is something bothering you,
love because I sense a bit of tension between us? Have I done something to
offend you?” he asked, again moving towards her.

“No,” she snapped. “Nothing
at all, I’m just not used to following the lead of someone else when it comes
to my crew. I’ve made a career of choosing my own path, and I’m questioning
myself. What you are sensing is my uncertainty.”

   
“Look at the time. I’m sure Teach is well
on his way through at least his second bottle of rum and should be in more
pleasant spirits by now—no pun intended,” he said, finally within the three
feet of space surrounding her.

Ivory gave an involuntary
smile and finally met his eyes. “When did you meet Teach?”

“Several years ago—in New
Providence, I happened upon the man himself engaged rather passionately with a
young lady of the evening. To put it simply, I entered the wrong room at an
inn. Had he not been, shall we say, quite engaged with the woman, I’m sure I’d
have lost my head over that quite innocent indiscretion.”

“That’s all?”

“Well, no. When he was
through, he inquired as to my room location and promptly walked in on me.
Unfortunately for him, I was quite alone and buried deeply in something else—a
book.”

Ivory smiled again and
walked to the window. “And?”

“He warned me to never again
choose the wrong doorknob, unless I wished to part from my offending hand.
Then, he insisted on a drink together.
 
So, I put on my boots, and we trotted down to the bar where we, along
with Master Green and several of Teach’s men, shared five bottles of rum and
exchanged childhood memories. Ivory, will you please explain to me what is
happening here because I am at a loss.”

“I told you already; I’m
accustomed to doing things my own way. However, not that I believe you shared
childhood memories, but knowing that you’ve at least met the barbarian…”

“That, my dear, is a most
exaggerated rumor. His antics are no more than those of an actor playing a
part. He is violent at times, and has done his share of pillaging, but once you
meet him, you’ll understand he’s no worse than either of us.”

“Shall we go, then?” Ivory
suggested, attaching her belt and turning away.

“Now? Don’t you want to at
least…?” He raised his brows and gazed at her through wounded eyes as he took
her softly by the arm.

“You mentioned the hour. Why
delay? The sooner we feel at home here, the better for us all.” Ivory pulled
away, armed herself and tied her hair back in a long white braid before
pressing her cavalier atop her head. As she headed towards the door, Maddox
caught her by the arm again and pulled her gently towards him.

“Not even a kiss, my love?”

“There is a time for lips to
meet and a time for them to speak.”

“Lips speak in many
different ways,” he whispered against her cheek.

Ivory pulled slowly back
from his face and stared up into his deep, emerald eyes. “Truer words were
never spoken…my love.”

“If we don’t come back by
midnight, turn this ship around and go home, Ke,” Ivory said as she made her
goodbyes.
 
Then, she and Maddox lowered
themselves into the skiff and headed for shore.

They rowed in complete
silence, as the boisterous voices and shouts of miscreant men carried over the
water towards them. They could smell the fires now, and the evening breeze
carried the aroma of fresh roasted pig and wet grass. Upon approaching the
shore, they leapt from the skiff and pulled it up onto the sand. They were met
by two scraggly looking fellows who were obviously well into the night with
drink, but who requested their identities, as well as the details of their
ships and crews. Maddox did not ask for Teach, but rather gave their
information and nodded in the direction of the camp. The men seemed satisfied
with their explanations, but Ivory was uneasy.
 
She pulled her hat down as far as she could to disguise her feminine
features and pulled at her tucked shirt, blousing it away from her curves.

Ivory’s mind wandered as
they followed the path through the tall trees toward the camp. She wondered if
Keara had detained Tobias and searched him as she’d ordered. Her pace quickened
to that of someone walking alone, without a care of anyone keeping up. She
wondered if Tobias did, in fact, have the blue diamond, and the more she imagined
it and the likely true value of the stone, the faster she walked and heavier
she stepped.

Maddox reached out and took
her arm, signaling her to stop. “What is it?” she snapped at him.

“When we find Teach, I’m
asking you to please allow me to do most of the talking. I’m counting on his
memory of my shocked expression, and the wail of the young lady upon seeing it,
to remind him of me, fondly.”

“How could anyone forget
that?”

“Exactly…although I am
dressed quite differently this evening, and certainly not in my usual style, my
hope is my face will suffice.” Maddox’s smile was barely visible but for the
whites of his eyes and his perfect teeth.

“By the way, I forgot to
mention that you do smell much better than you did last I saw you. That shave
is also a noticeable improvement.” Ivory remarked as she marched ahead again.

“That was not
my
smell, my love, it was the clothing
and had you perhaps welcomed my kiss earlier, the shave may have improved that
as well. I will, however, accept your words as a compliment, considering your
affable mood,” he whispered with sarcasm and tried to keep up.

They continued on until they
reached the first of several groups of tents and shoddily built huts and
emerged from the darkness of the tree-covered path into another world. Groups
of six to ten men each sat upon the ground around campfires. Their faces lit up
rosy red in the reflecting flames as they laughed and chatted away. Several of
them lay sleeping on bed rolls in the sandy soil, or in the grass a few feet
away. As they passed the first group, a large man, bald but for long strings of
black hair hanging down his back, turned towards them and watched with one eye
as they passed.
 

“You there, who are ye, and
where ye headed?” he called out.

“Captain Maddox Carbonale of
Le Chat Noir
and Captain Ivory
Shepard of the
Carolina Cutlass
, sir
and you are?”

The man rolled to his feet
and stepped heavily towards them. “The name’s Tully. What brings ye here?”

“We seem to have found
ourselves in a precarious situation, Mister Tully, and we need…”

“A what?” Tully interrupted
and squinted his suspicious eye at Maddox.

“We’re pirates, Tully. We
need a place to hide out for a bit,” Ivory spoke as she crossed her arms and
stepped from behind Maddox.

“Well, why didn’t ye just
say so,” Tully said as he backed away and stumbled back to his spot by the
fire.

“Tully, where’s Teach?”
 
Ivory asked.
 
“We’d like to greet him proper and keep things straight.”

Tully turned back and
pointed off deeper into the camp. “Back there. Last camp. Biggest tent.”

They carried on, weaving
through the camps until, deep in the tall grass, they came upon a clearing. The
group of men sat much the same as the rest, but this band was roasting a large
pig on a spit. Ivory’s stomach growled at the aroma of the crackling hog as it
rotated under the hand of a tall, slim man with light hair and eyes. He pulled
a dagger from his waist, and Ivory and Maddox both took a step back.

“Have a taste?”

“Excuse me?” Maddox asked.

“Have a taste? I’m not sure
she’s done right yet,” the man said as he sliced off a hunk of meat from the
pig’s hock.

“No, thank you, but perhaps
you could direct us to Captain Teach?” Maddox asked, removing his tricorn.

The thin man’s face fell to
a solemn stare. He stood frozen for a moment, dagger in one hand and meat in
the other. “Is he expectin’ ye?”

“Well, no, but we’ve just
arrived, and we’d like to greet him properly to request his permission to stay
for a bit,” Maddox answered.

“Teach don’t care about
that. Ye’s pirates?”

“Yes,” Maddox answered,
glancing over at Ivory.

“That yer whore?”

Maddox’s arm went up faster
than Ivory could pull her sword. He pressed his arm back against her
mid-section and answered fast. “I beg your pardon, sir. This is Captain Ivory
Shepard of the
Carolina Cutlass
,
formerly of the
Blue Diamond,
as well
as the
Lady Jade
. I do believe you
owe her an apology.”

“Apologize to the lady,
Dungy, or you’ll be next on the spit.”

Ivory and Maddox turned
simultaneously to find Teach himself standing directly behind them. Once Dungy
made his apology, he scampered back to his seat on the ground and kept his eyes
turned away.

“Follow me,” Teach growled
and lead them off in the direction of his tent.

“Pleased to meet you again,
Captain Teach…”