“Dawn it is,” Shield agreed. “Oh, and Captain, I should probably tell you now so I’m being fair… It is I who will take the life from you. You will die by my hand, and no one else’s.”
Izzy’s mouth fell slightly ajar when she realized Johnny was amused by his statement.
“We’ll see about that,” was all Johnny would say before turning around to face both O’Malley and Izzy, and the three started heading back. “Let’s head back to the ship then. O’Malley, tell everyone what transpired here. Get your men ready. Get everyone ready. We cannot be late. We cannot let them win.”
Without thinking about it, Izzy slipped her hand in Johnny’s. The simple gesture took Johnny by surprise, and he glanced down at the young woman, offering her a simple smile. Though he squeezed Izzy’s hand gently in order to reassure her, the young woman was not relieved.
Not in the slightest.
36
It was about an hour before dawn, or at least, that’s what Izzy assumed as she peered out the window from the captain’s quarters. Currently, she was lying on her back, her head facing the window as it rested comfortably on Johnny’s shoulder, his arm around her waist. She was fully clothed, and nothing intimate had transpired between them the previous night, but Izzy needed to be close to him before he left to fight, and though Johnny wouldn’t admit it aloud, he needed her close to him as well. Her mind was frantic with worry, wishing that time would freeze and they could stay this way forever, no fighting—no risking his life for the greater good, just the two of them in each other’s arms. But no. This battle had to happen and as such, Johnny had to leave her. She just hoped he came back.
“Remember what you promised,” came a mumbled voice from beside her. Izzy refocused her eyes on the pirate beside her, his eyes still shut. There were times when he would read her like a book, as though he could see through her. It amazed her how he knew she wasn’t sleeping when his eyes were closed.
Then his words sank in, and she freely rolled her eyes, a dry look touching her features. “How could I forget?” she asked.
Though Johnny’s eyes were still shut, the corners of his lips turned up. He was amused. “You know it’s for your own good, darling,” he murmured before yawning silently and opening his eyes. The first thing he saw was her face, the worry written so clearly in her eyes. “How lucky am I, to be waking up to you this morning.”
Izzy looked away. She was so consumed in her thoughts that she didn’t even blush at his flattering words. “I wish you wouldn’t speak like that,” she told him. She paused, and Johnny could tell she was struggling with something she needed to say. He turned towards her, propping his elbow on his pillow and cradling his head in the palm of his hand, remaining silent so Izzy could say everything she needed to say. “Look, I don’t know if this is going to come out the way I mean it to; I’m known for saying things and they just come out wrong and people take offense at it when I didn’t even mean it that way.” Johnny’s lips curled up once more as she rambled on, unable to look him in the eyes just yet. “I know that you have to go and do this and save piracy from extinction and whatnot, but I don’t want you to go.” When she finished, she finally looked him in the eyes, hoping that he wasn’t affronted by what she had said.
In fact, Johnny was anything but. He remained mute for a long moment, simply staring at the woman in front of him, his eyes trying to memorize every inch of her face. Finally, he reached out and curled an errant strand of hair behind her ear, a tiny smile touching his lips at he looked at her with adoration.
“You know,” he began, his voice low, his tone serious, “that I’ve never had anybody worry about where I’ve been or what I’ve done or who I was with. I used to believe that it would be quite annoying, having to explain every action I did to somebody, and every reason why I did it. I know that I don’t have to do that with you, darling, but out of all the people in the world, I would choose to do so with you. I like the fact that you’re concerned about me. It means a lot, knowing that you care for somebody like me.”
Johnny swallowed, unsure where he was going with this line of speech, but somewhere deep inside of him urged him to continue. Johnny had never been daft; he knew that he was mortal, just like every person in the world, and that there was a good chance he would die in the impending battle. If he didn’t get this off his chest now, he may never have the chance to. “You’re the only person I trust, Isabelle,” he continued, his voice even softer than before as his hand cupped her cheek. “And I know this may sound selfish, but I am glad that I got you not only in your world, but in mine as well.” He smiled now, completely amused with the situation at hand. “You know, I never thought I would ever say this to another person, but I realize that as I’m about to, it will probably be the easiest three words I ever say. I want you to know that everything I said about love—I realize it wasn’t true. It couldn’t be true because I—”
Before Johnny could finish what he was about to say, Izzy reached out and placed her hand over his lips. Johnny cocked a questioning brow, wondering why she had wanted him to stop talking when she had to have known what he was going to say.
“No,” she whispered, almost desperately as her eyes filled with tears. “No. Don’t say that yet. You tell me after this war, after you have finished. Then you can tell me anything you want. But not now.” She pushed her brow up as a tear rolled down her cheek before finally releasing his mouth, letting her hand drop carelessly to the bed. “What you can say,” she continued, swallowing a bit before looking him in the eyes. “What you can promise is that you’ll come back to me. I came back to you, remember? And I’ll always come back to you.”
“Of course I’ll come back to you,” Johnny said, frowning when he saw another tear roll down Izzy’s cheeks. He reached out and caught them with his tongue. “I promise you that no matter where I am, my beating heart belongs to you, darling.”
Izzy bit her lip in order to keep her tears in check. She didn’t want Johnny to see her crying as the last thing he remembered. Instead, she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, burying her face against his chest. If only they had a little bit longer. If only the Royal Navy hadn’t demanded the extinction of piracy. If only, if only, if only…
Johnny held her in his arms for as long as time would permit. However, when he saw the first ray of sunlight start to cascade against the night sky, he leaned his head down and whispered, “It’s time to go, love.”
Izzy frowned, her lips pushing out into a pout as she sat up. She looked so utterly adorable that Johnny couldn’t help but chuckle at her face, wanting nothing more than to reach out and kiss her. But now was definitely not the time. He had to concentrate on the impending battle; distractions could cost him his life, and while he dearly loved Izzy, she was most definitely a distraction. Johnny pushed himself off the bed and stretched before rummaging around for some clothes.
While Johnny changed, Izzy kept her focus on the headboard. She had turned around in order to give Johnny some privacy, and it wasn’t until she heard him slipping on his boots did she realize he had finished, and that time was slipping too fast for her taste.
“You’ll be careful, won’t you?” she asked him, pressing her brows together as she regarded him with big eyes.
Johnny nodded, before standing up and sheathing his cutlass. “Of course, darling,” he said. “You don’t have to worry, my love. I know my way around a blade.”
“Like that’s going to keep me from worrying,” Izzy snapped as she slid off of the bed. She walked over to stand in front of Johnny, her arms crossed over her chest, as she regarded him for a long moment. Then, without warning, she stood on her toes and enveloped Johnny into a hug as she placed her lips tenderly onto his. Johnny was slightly taken aback only because it was usually he who initiated the kisses, the caresses, but at the moment, he didn’t think too much about it. Instead, he closed his eyes and tilted her head back so he could kiss her more passionately than he ever had, hoping to show her ho
w much he loved her without actually saying it.
Izzy wasn’t sure how long the kiss lasted, but she knew that it didn’t last long enough. When it was necessary to break apart due to the lack of oxygen, Johnny rested his hands on her hips.
“You’ll remember your promise, won’t you?” he asked her, his tone revealing only slightly that he was breathless.
“I will,” she agreed, nodding once, “just as long as you remember yours.”
Johnny didn’t say anything, but he nodded, and pulled her into his arms again. He held her for too short a time before finally releasing her.
“I have to go,” he murmured. He looked at her one last time before turning on his heel and heading outside.
37
How long had she been sitting there? She couldn’t remember. She couldn’t remember when Johnny had left her. She couldn’t remember when the clashing of the cutlasses rang out, or when she felt the ground and the walls vibrate around her due to the fighting that was taking place outside. She was curled into the corner of the room, her knees pressed as close to her chest as she could possibly get them, her arms hugging them to her chest, and her face buried in a red tunic of Johnny’s. Tears stained not only her cheeks, but the material as well, and time had passed so quickly she couldn’t recall when she had started crying or when she had stopped because she couldn’t anymore. Occasionally, her eyes would glance out the window placed directly across from her in order to see the color of the sky. At present, it was a sharp sky blue, which meant it had to be some time in the afternoon. There were times when she saw the Navy fighting the pirates, and she immediately looked away, feeling guilt reach up and squeeze her heart.
Izzy had promised Johnny she wouldn’t leave his cabin no matter what. And she really had every intention to keep such a promise. But as she sat there, completely isolated from the screams that rung out outside, she felt so…useless. It wasn’t as though she didn’t know how to handle a blade. Johnny had taught her how to handle a blade, and while Izzy didn’t consider herself as talented as he was, she wasn’t exactly a pushover. Granted, she wasn’t as strong as the weakest men out there, but she was quick.
And she could help.
Izzy tilted her chin up so now it was resting on the caps of her knees. Her weary eyes glanced out the window, and found that it was still in the afternoon, but it wasn’t as bright out. Maybe three o’clock? Four? Who knew anymore? Her eyes shifted over to a cutlass hanging on the wall adjacent to the window, just begging Izzy to take it. To join the fight with the other men to prove, to show that she wasn’t just some woman, some pirate’s whore. She wanted to show that she could hold her own, that she could help. And, more than anything in the world, she thought that maybe she could protect Johnny.
She knew it was a silly thought, but it was something she had to hold onto.
Izzy was the type of person who believed that everything happened for a reason. There had to be a reason why she fell into Johnny’s world. Maybe it wasn’t showing him how to fall in love, like she had originally thought. Maybe it was saving his life.
Was Johnny even alive?
How could she even think such a thing? Though the thought had caught her off-guard, it didn’t go away as she had hoped. What if he was lying somewhere, people tripping and stepping on him, bleeding to death? What if he was pushed overboard, into a sea filled with hungry sharks just waiting to catch a whiff of blood? What if—?
And she was just sitting there?
If Johnny was alive, then she would make this up to him later. If she survived it, of course. But she wasn’t as concerned with her survival as she was with Johnny’s. He was a savior of sorts, for crying out loud.
Without thinking, she pushed herself up, letting the tunic slip from her grasp and fall unceremoniously to the ground. She walked over to the wall and plucked the cutlass from its holder before staring at the door. She knew she should stay, but even if she had wanted to, the decision was already made for her. This was a promise she was going to have to break.
When she rushed out of the cabin, she immediately took in as much of her environment as she possibly could without making herself an obvious target for any Navy man. Her eyes recognized the sky’s musky color—it was probably pushing five o’clock now. The screams and clanging of metal on metal and the shots being fired from pistols, she managed to block out. Her sole intent was to find Johnny, and to find him as fast as she could. She turned around, catching sight of another ship a couple of feet from this one, and frowned. It was then that she realized there was more than one ship involved in the fight, which meant there was more than one ship Johnny could be on. And if that was the case, how would she try and find him when he could be on any of them? In fact, how would she get across to another ship?
As subtly as Izzy could make herself, she started walking around the ship, taking care to avoid any and all eye contact, as well as watching the men fight, literally, to the death. A couple of times, the stench on the ship caused Izzy to stop walking and grab her stomach; if she didn’t force herself to remain as calm as possible, her stomach could easily push up the contents it had already digested. She realized something, then. This wasn’t a movie where the gory parts weren’t looked upon; this was real life. Men from both sides were dying all around her—Hell, she could die right now if she wasn’t careful.
She needed to find Johnny as quickly as possible. Her eyes scanned as many of the people as possible on the ship, but found that he wasn’t there.
Okay, this doesn’t mean he’s dead, Izzy tried to reassure herself. It just means that he’s not on this ship.
Luckily for the young woman, nobody noticed her. Her frame was smaller than usual, and she wasn’t trying to attack either side, so the men all but ignored her. Another lucky break for Izzy was the fact that she could clearly make out the inhabitants of the ships across the way. However, she could only make them out on one side. So…how to get over?
It was then she heard a scream coming from up above. The young woman glanced up, her mouth literally falling open when she saw a man (she couldn’t make out what side he was on) swing across the gap between ships on a rope that originally meant to guide the sails. When he landed, he crumpled to the floor. Before the rope could head back to the side, Izzy managed to grab it. She needed to plan this as best as she could; she couldn’t fall short or she would miss the ship, and she couldn’t go too far or else she’d go past it. Her measurements had to be perfect.
“The one time math comes in handy,” she muttered to herself, before coiling her other hand on the rough exterior.
Izzy glanced behind her, and when she saw the path was somewhat clear, started to back up. She could feel her hands sweating, and hoped with all her might that her grip would be strong enough to hold onto the rope until she reached the ship. She quickly said a quiet prayer and then started to run with the rope until she couldn’t run anymore. With a squeak, she coiled her body around it as best as she could as she flew across the sea. Her heart leapt into her throat when she made it to the ship. Knowing it would no doubt hurt, Izzy braced herself before letting go and falling a couple of feet until she landed on her backside. She let out a frustrated moan, but like the other ship, nobody paid her any attention. In fact, she was starting to get annoyed at the fact.
Up until the point when she noticed Johnny.
He was fighting someone she was unfamiliar with—no one from the parley yesterday. His chocolate brown eyes were fierce, determined, and though some portions of his shirt were stained red, he seemed to be all right. Izzy clapped her hands together once, before covering the lower half of her face with them. She was so happy she could cry. She hadn’t realized just how worried she had been about him until that very moment.
Of course he would be alive. Of course he would! How could she ever doubt that?
A sharp movement behind Johnny cut her happiness short, however.
It was that man—David Shield—the one who was supposedly in charge of the entire Navy
fleet. Izzy took a step forward before narrowing her eyes, trying to see what he was doing. Inside, her stomach churned. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good.
Then she saw the pistol.
Izzy didn’t even have to think. She couldn’t even breathe. Everything fell into blackness around her; she noticed nothing in her current environment. All she could see was the pistol pointed at Johnny. She screamed Johnny’s name, but couldn’t hear it, and then, she pushed herself in front of the pirate just as Shield fired his shot.
38
Johnny managed to reach out and catch Izzy before her body crumpled to the floor. She had been shot in the left side of her chest, but oddly enough, she had yet to make a sound. No squeak of surprise, no cry of pain. Johnny’s eyes were on Izzy and Izzy alone as his knees gave out and he slowly fell down. When he could no longer stare at the young woman in his arms, his eyes shot upwards in hopes to meet the man who had shot at him. He growled when he locked onto David Shield, who, though surprised at what had transpired, didn’t seem completely affected by the outcome of events.
“Well, you’re still alive,” he snipped as his eyes traveled down to look at Izzy with an enigmatic expression on his face. “I guess we all have our aces up our sleeves, hmm?” He perked his brow and regarded Johnny with a look that could only be described as taunting.
Those in battle surrounding the pirate captain and the navy lord all stopped fighting as they looked at the fallen woman. Even the Navy men had sympathy pooling in their eyes, while some willingly gave Shield a dark look. They seemed to have come to the realization Shield was going to shoot Johnny in the back, and had it not been for the young woman, most probably would have succeeded in doing just that. Even such an action against a powerful man was deemed cowardly among both types of men.
To Believe a Buccaneer: A Scandalous Adventure at Seas Series Page 18