“I’m tempted to shoot you now,” Lewis said to Luke, “but it would ruin the rest of my plans.” He knelt down, forced Luke’s head up by pressing the pistol under his chin. “And I have such wonderful plans. Plans that involve your lovely wife.”
Luke muttered oaths. Lewis grinned and stood. Then with a snarl, he pulled his foot back and kicked Luke solidly in the ribs.
Luke collapsed to the deck.
“Mother of God,” Joe cursed.
Blake held his tongue, though his hand tightened around his pistol. He didn’t dare use it, however, not when he had only one shot.
Lewis laughed and the sound slithered down Blake’s spine. As though he sensed it, Lewis moved to stand in front of Blake. Arrogance poured from Lewis’s gaze as he glared at his former captain.
“Underestimated me, didn’t you? Thought I was nothing but a useless deckhand. Well, if I haven’t proven you wrong yet, let me assure you that I will before the night is through.” His teeth looked small in his mouth when he laughed, and it took all of Blake’s will not to lunge for him. Only the thought of what lay ahead, what Lewis was capable of with those four men behind him, kept Blake silent and rooted to the deck.
“Nothing to say, Blake?” He tsked. “You disappoint me. Thought after all the bullying you did on your ship that you’d have some words for me. But you’re not so confident now, are you?” He leaned forward, eyes narrowed. “You owe me. And I’m not going anywhere until I collect everything that’s coming to me.”
He stepped back, inhaled deeply. His hands came to rest on Luke’s pistols, which he’d tucked into the waist of his trousers.
“Now,” he said. “Where’s my gold?”
“Sam, stop pacing, it’s making me dizzy.”
Her sister stopped long enough to spare her a glance. “Well, if you’d try the food I prepared for you, then you’d be too busy eating to watch me pace.”
Alicia sighed, looked down at the melon, oranges, and apples her sister had cut for her. It was all beautifully arranged and very colorful, yet Alicia had no appetite. She set the plate onto the side table.
“I’m not hungry.”
“Alicia, you didn’t eat supper. You need to feed the baby.”
Because she knew Sam was right, she took a wedge of apple and sank her teeth into it. Sam nodded her approval, then went to the window and pulled back the curtain.
“It’s too dark to see anything.” She turned to Alicia. “How do you suppose it’s going?”
“I wish I knew.” Alicia finished her fruit and went to the window, taking the curtain from Sam and drawing it open farther. The darkness prevented her from seeing anything but her reflection and those of the candles that Sam had lit around the parlor.
“I thought Sam Steele was long gone, that it couldn’t hurt me anymore,” Sam said.
The distress in her sister’s voice tugged at Alicia. Sam was always so strong, so sure of herself.
Alicia let the curtain float back into place and took Sam’s hand. “It’ll be over soon. Then you needn’t worry any longer. Luke and Blake will take care of everything. And with Nate being Steele, it’s over.”
Sam shook her head and something in her eyes made Alicia’s belly clutch.
“I don’t know, Alicia. I have a very bad feeling. Right here,” she said, pressing a fist below her heart.
“They’re fine,” Alicia repeated, as much to reassure Sam as herself.
Lewis’s nostrils expanded along with his chest. “What do you mean you didn’t bring me any gold?”
Though Blake kept his gaze firmly on Lewis, he could see Luke out of the corner of his eye. Luke struggled to stand, and though he wavered and cursed, he managed to stay on his feet. Blake could only hope that they’d all be so lucky before this was through.
“It’s not here,” Blake said, trying for extra time. If they were going to get out of the mess they were in, then Blake needed time to think of a plan. “It’s on my ship.”
“Really?” Lewis asked in a syrupy voice that Blake didn’t trust. “Shall I simply wait here while you fetch it?” Laughing, he turned to his men and gave a sharp nod. One of them strolled forward.
“Show this man what happens when I’m lied to.”
Blake braced for it, but the fist that connected with his face felt like a cannon blast. His head rang with it, and a fiery pain ripped across his cheek. For a moment the deck of the ship rose and fell on a wave of dizziness.
“I’m through listening to your lies. You show me the gold I came for or not only will you regret it, but so will your precious Alicia.”
Night had fallen fast, and though the lanterns hadn’t been lit, the huge moon cast enough light for Blake to see the man wasn’t lying. The problem was Blake was out of ideas. He looked to Joe. He still had a thick fist filled with sash pressed into Aidan’s shoulder. The boy’s eyes were closed and Blake wasn’t sure if he was resting or unconscious.
“Restin’,” Joe confirmed without being asked. But his face was drawn, and in it, Blake read the urgency. Aidan needed a doctor.
“I wouldn’t bother keeping the wound from bleeding. None of you will be leaving this ship alive.”
Blake’s blood ran cold while sweat beaded on his upper lip. There had to be a way out. They couldn’t let Lewis get to Alicia and Samantha. Despite their argument earlier, Blake loved Alicia and he’d give his last breath protecting her. He looked to Luke. The former pirate had a trail of blood running from his temple, his face was pinched, and he couldn’t quite stand upright. He didn’t look as though he could manage another fight.
“We’ll get it, whatever you want,” Blake said with his attention once again on Lewis.
Lewis grinned. “Oh, I’ll get what I want, what I came for, and what I deserve. I’d always planned to. Your mistake, Blake, is thinking I need you alive to get it.”
“We know where it is,” Luke said.
Lewis turned to Luke. “So does your wife, I’m sure.”
Luke snarled. “I’ll kill you before I let you get near her.”
“You won’t have a choice,” Lewis answered. He pretended to yawn. “This is getting tedious. You and you,” he said, pointing to the two biggest men, “stay here. Feel free to hurt them, but leave them alive. I’d like to witness their final moments. I can’t think of a better way to end a day. You two,” he said to the remaining men, “come with me.”
Blake didn’t think. He went on instinct and he dove for Lewis. Blake landed on his enemy’s back, Lewis grunted, and they both fell to the deck. Blake felt the back of his hands scrape against the wood. He pulled back his arm and ploughed his fist into Lewis’s side. Hearing the man yelp drove Blake. Now they’d see how tough the little bastard really was. He fisted his hand again.
Before he could make contact, he was roughly jerked to his feet. A thick arm banded around his neck, choked his breathing until he was gasping. Luke, who must have followed Blake’s attack, was also being held against a brick of a man.
Lewis wove to his feet, glared daggers at Blake.
“You’ll pay for that, you son of a bitch.”
Blake struggled. He knew what was coming, but he wasn’t going to go down without fighting. He jammed his elbows back, wiggled, and shoved, but the pressure around his neck only increased. He saw little white stars and felt a fear the likes of which he’d never known. Alicia was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it.
With his lungs burning, Blake turned to Luke. The pirate was watching Blake, but Blake knew by the way Luke was clutching at his captor’s arm that he was losing the same battle as Blake. Fog was creeping over Blake as he fought to remain conscious. He tried to shout when he saw Lewis and two men climb over the gunwale. But it wasn’t until Blake felt himself slipping, saw Luke fold limply, that Blake knew true despair.
Alicia, he thought.
Then the world went black.
Twenty-One
“Why hasn’t Joe come back yet? He and Aidan should have been back
by now.”
Alicia didn’t bother answering, since she’d already done so three times. But as each minute passed, her concern also grew. Sam was right. Joe and Aidan should have returned some time ago. Sam had expressly asked Joe not to stay and watch so she wouldn’t have to worry about them as well.
She angled her head toward the open window, prayed she’d hear their arrival. But the only sound that floated in with the damp air was that of palm fronds rubbing together. Even the night creatures were abnormally quiet.
“They have another few minutes, and if they’re not back by then, I’m going down to the beach. I can’t stand this waiting any longer.”
Alicia stood up from the couch, where Sam kept insisting she stay. Her sister spun from the door she’d been watching, as though willing Luke to come walking through it.
“Don’t think it, Alicia. You’re staying here.”
“I’ve a stake in this as well. And I will go. You’re not the only one in our family that can take care of herself.”
Their wills clashed in a long stare. A stare that was soon broken by the sound of boots on gravel.
“They’re back!” Sam shouted. She raced for the door, Alicia right behind her. Sam threw open the door, gasped, and stumbled back a step.
Squawk. “Man in house. Man in house.”
Alicia stepped around Sam and her heart sank. It was Lewis.
“You!” Sam said, grabbing Alicia’s arm. Her grip was like iron.
Alicia shook her head. “You know Lewis?”
Sam’s eyes were wide and her face was losing color by the second. “He’s Oliver Grant’s son.”
“What?” Alicia sputtered.
“Allow me,” Lewis said, coming into the room.
Sam scurried backward, pulling Alicia with her. Behind Lewis came two of the largest men Alicia had ever laid eyes on. The last one who entered closed the door behind him.
“Lock it,” Lewis ordered.
The sound of the lock being slid into position had a ball of fear tumbling in Alicia’s belly.
“In fact, Alicia, I have you to thank for leading me here. I had no intention of ever coming after Samantha until you came to the plantation.”
Sam’s gaze snapped to Alicia, and she released her arm. “You went to the plantation? When?”
“I—after I found Jacob’s letter. He’d mentioned you may have been on the plantation. I didn’t see Lewis there, Sam,” Alicia said, trying to make sense of Lewis’s presence. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“Ah, but you did. I heard you talking to that fat Fanny, heard you mentioning you were looking for your sister. At first I didn’t care. You see, Samantha,” he said, turning his attention to Sam, “I actually praised you for a while. You managed to elude my father. You were the one thing that bastard failed at. It proved I wasn’t the only failure in our family.”
His jaw tightened for a moment. “He kept journals on you, loads of journals about his desire to locate you, to make you pay for humiliating him. Had he known you were Steele, he would have succeeded. He’d have had the governor and the Navy and every other lawman and mercenary after you. But he didn’t know. And neither did I until”—his gaze shifted to Alicia—“until you.”
“But, but, I didn’t even know until Sam told me.”
“That was the key,” Lewis said, holding up one finger. “Sam. Nobody had put it together that the time of her escape coincided very closely with the first sightings of Sam Steele. And I wouldn’t have either, except you mentioned that you used to call her Sam. I started to put the pieces together. Same name, same sloop. From there it was really only a matter of following you.”
“You’re the one threatening me,” Sam said.
Alicia’s heart hammered. Lewis was the one who’d put the sword in the door, who’d scared Sam? Lewis had followed her, and all along she’d led him straight to her sister? She had brought this evil down on Sam, on all of them.
“You’re wondering how. Well, let me tell you. But first, shall we move into the parlor, where we can be more comfortable?”
He led the way, confident he’d be obeyed. Alicia watched his arrogant stride and wanted to be sick.
“I didn’t know, Sam. I swear.”
Sam remained ashen, but she took her sister’s hand and Alicia drew comfort from the contact. They sat next to each other on the couch opposite Lewis. His men stayed in the entryway, blocking any exit.
“After I learned that you’d bartered passage to Tortuga, it was simply a matter of getting myself there and waiting for you. I followed you right to that little shack you spent the night at, the one with the giant.” He grinned. “Luckily he keeps his window open. When he encouraged you to stow away on Blake’s ship, I went there looking for employment. The dwarf was in charge at the time, and he hired me on. And now you know,” he said. He leaned back, negligently crossed his legs.
“He’ll kill you when he finds out,” Alicia warned. Her voice held the conviction she believed. Blake wouldn’t tolerate being used in such a manner.
“Oh, did I forget to mention that part?” He tsked. “I left Blake back on the ship. He’s being, shall we say, well taken care of.”
Alicia jumped to her feet. Fear clutched its long fingers around her throat. While they’d been sitting idle, had Blake and the rest of them been hurt? Or worse?
“What did you do with Blake?”
Lewis looked down at his fingernails, shrugged. “Teaching him a lesson he won’t soon forget. But don’t worry, I’ve ordered him not to be killed until I return.”
“What about Luke?”
Lewis looked at Sam and chuckled. “He’s in much the same position as Blake. Although I must say they’re in much better shape than Aidan. He’s probably bled to death by now.”
With a keening wail, Sam went after Lewis like a cannon blast. She landed on his lap, where she began beating him with her fists.
“You bastard! I’ll kill you!” she raged.
“Get off me!” Lewis shoved her just as his men came running forward. Sam sprawled to the ground but she immediately regained her feet. She faced Lewis, her hands curled into fists at her sides and her face red with fury.
Lewis also stood. He waved off his men before they grabbed Samantha. They stepped to the side. He then straightened his shirt, inhaled deeply.
“I see now why my father followed you across the Caribbean. Are you this boisterous in bed?”
The slap came fast and it echoed through the room. “You’re as much a bastard as your father,” Sam spat.
He grabbed her, yanked her against him. “Want to see just how alike we are?” he asked, thrusting his pelvis against hers.
“Let go of me!” Sam yelled while she strained against him.
Alicia ran to help but was cut short when one of the giants blocked her way. Without a hint of emotion in his ebony eyes, he stared her down. Alicia didn’t stop to weigh the wisdom of her actions. She’d worked years in the shop and she’d become quite strong. She intended to use those muscles now.
She came at him, hand raised. As expected, he grabbed it easily before it made contact with his face. She tried with her other arm, putting more force behind it. He grabbed it as well, then yanked her hard against him. Alicia smiled sweetly.
Then she rammed her knee up between his legs with all her might. His eyes crossed. He doubled over and wretched all over the floor. Looking about madly, she caught sight of the other man coming at her. But she also saw a weapon. Dumping the fruit from the bowl, she swept the wooden vessel up and smashed it on the back of the fallen man’s head.
“Alicia!” Sam yelled, but it was too late. The other man grabbed her. Taking her hair in his fist, he all but lifted her off the ground. Alicia gasped at the needles of pain that pricked along her head. Her vision blurred, forcing her to blink away the tears.
“Let her go!” Sam ordered.
Lewis laughed. “You’re not the one giving orders, Samantha. Now, take me where you hide your gold. And d
on’t think about lying to me or you’ll see the same fate as your husband.”
Alicia saw Sam’s chin quiver a moment before she steeled it.
“If Luke didn’t give you any, what makes you think I will?”
He cackled. “If you want your sister to remain alive, you’ll do as you’re told.”
Alicia hadn’t noticed it before, but the man holding her suddenly drew a pistol. He cocked it with his thumb and pressed the cold barrel to Alicia’s temple. All Alicia could think of was her baby. The baby she might never get to see if Lewis ordered the man to pull the trigger.
“Sam, get the money,” she said.
Sam locked gazes with Alicia and nodded. “I’ll do it.”
“That’s better,” Lewis said. He released Sam, who scrambled out of his reach. “But don’t try anything stupid. If anything happens to me, you can kiss your sister good-bye.”
“It’s upstairs,” Sam said.
Lewis pointed with his gun. “Lead the—”
“Alicia!” Blake yelled from the front door. It shook within its frame as he tried to force it open. “Alicia!”
Lewis’s eyes went wide. “Don’t let her go,” he ordered to the man who held her. He grabbed Sam again. “Take me to the gold!” he barked. He pushed Sam toward the stairs.
Before they could cross the room, the front window exploded and Luke came crashing through the glass. He rolled to the floor. Lewis cursed and scrambled to get himself and Sam into a corner. Luke leapt to his feet, drawing his pistols at the same time. Both aimed at Lewis.
Her ears were still ringing as the front door smashed open and Blake barreled into the kitchen. His left eye was already swollen and his lip was split. He had a gash along his cheek and a trail of dried blood crept from there to his jaw. His hands, Alicia noticed as he aimed his pistols, were also scraped. Oh, God, what had happened to him?
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