by Dana Roquet
“Stephen have you lost your mind?” Ham growled, struggling to restrain him as he continued to punish Tim with his fists. “Stop it Stephen! Get hold of yourself!”
Ham shoved Stephen off his dazed younger brother and the two combatants lay gasping for breath upon the grass.
Wiping blood that trickled from a cut on his lip Tim came to his feet, “What the hell is this about?” he gasped.
“Don’t play innocent with me you little bastard!” Stephen came to his feet and immediately took another swing but his arm was caught by Ham and held fast, “Your tryst with Desiree!”
“What the hell!” Tim roared, “What the devil are you talking about?”
Stephen shook Ham off his arm with annoyance, “The bluffs!”
“Christ! You are insane!” Tim hissed, taking a step toward Stephen with intent. Ham placed a hand on the chest of each, keeping the two at arms length from one another, “Where did you get that idea Stephen?”
“Vanessa said…”
“Vanessa!” Tim barked, “And you naturally believed that little tramp!”
“Desiree admitted it!” Stephen roared back, reaching out to jab a finger against Tim’s shoulder, shoving him back.
“All she could have admitted to would have been crying on my shoulder because some ass paid her a late night visit and she was upset!”
“Nothing happened?”
“Not a thing! I give you my word! What do you think I am Stephen? I am your brother for Christ’s sake!”
“Then why did she…” Stephen began again but Tim interrupted him.
“Listen you fool I gave you my word. If you want to fight, go find sweet Vanessa and lay into her! I am going after Desiree. She ran into the jungle! You may not give a damn about her but I for one—do!” He turned, starting across the lawn.
“Stephen?” Ham questioned.
“What?”
“Are you going after her?”
“Tim will find her. I am going to have a few words with Vanessa Haines.”
“I do not think that is wise Stephen. Desiree needs your words more.” Ham stated softly. Stephen made no response but instead turned for the house.
“Stephen don’t be an ass—go after her. You did the damage. Only you can repair it.”
Stephen stopped in his tracks and turned back, locking eyes with his old friend. Then with a nod, he went in the direction Tim had gone.
***
Desiree ran through the dense weeds, between twists of palms until she stumbled onto the stone walkway that led through the jungle. She walked on the path; the same one Tim had brought them down, upon their arrival and was heading toward the docks. Her pace slowed as she moved further from the house and the scene she had left behind.
She had been so close to settling their differences she felt sure. This night would have been a new beginning for them. She should have sensed trouble when Vanessa approached them in the yard. She should have asked Stephen to stay with her instead of trying to be gracious and mature and bowing out. She had played right into Vanessa’s hands. What had Stephen been about to say when she approached and interrupted him? Now she would never know.
How dare he accuse her of having sex with his own brother! How dare he believe that spiteful woman’s lies as truth and then trap her into admitting to something she was not guilty of. He had intentionally worded it to trick her into a confession. It was, no doubt, his intention all along.
Perhaps he had been having second thoughts about the talk they were to have shared later this night, concocting the entire hoax with Vanessa’s help. Twisting the innocent details to rid himself of her permanently; making it so difficult and embarrassing that she would have to leave the island—unable to share the same house with his family. He would be happy to know he had succeeded in that—she would make her plans to leave in the morning. Enough was enough. She could no longer endure the horrendous situations in which she kept finding herself involved.
As the end of the path loomed ahead, she decided that she had best turn back and return to the house. She would go directly to her rooms and avoid any more confrontations this night.
A rustle in the brush behind her was the only warning she had before a hand clamped over her mouth and an arm came about her waist, lifting her off the ground and then a harsh chuckle accompanied by a foul smell came over her shoulder and she kicked and wreathed, as she was plucked from the path and plunged into the blackness of the jungle.
Chapter Forty
Desiree awoke to the brilliance of the day and by the position of the sun, she surmised it must be well into the morning. Her head throbbed and she would have reached to touch the painful spot but found her hands bound behind her back by a length of rope. The rope went around a palm tree and then spanning between her wrists and although comfortable, she could not bring her hands up further than her shoulders. Another length stretched from her waist to the base of the tree she was seated against, preventing her from rising. Her mouth was dry and her lips bruised by the gag which was wedged between her teeth and her hair pulled each time she tried to move, apparently caught in the knot at the back of her head.
The dense trees loomed around her but for the small clearing she sat in the midst of and it was a few moments before memory came rushing back to her. A man—she remembered seeing his face bearing a long deep scar from his forehead across his eye, ending just below his ear. The eye was distorted and had healed in a way that had left the outer portion permanently closed. She had seen him only briefly before he lifted a pistol and brought the butt down upon her head.
Then the rest of the memories came back to her, Stephen and Timothy fighting; the accusations made concerning her. She wondered if Stephen was looking for her and she could not tell what part of the island she was being held at. She could see nothing but thick jungle and could not even hear the sound of the ocean. Fear suddenly engulfed her. Perhaps she was no longer on Somerset. She had been unconscious and all the islands looked the same. She could be alone on a remote isle; left to die bound and gagged, with no chance of rescue or escape.
A rustling close by caught her attention and she was almost relieved to know someone else was about until the man with the scar bounded his way through the underbrush.
“Well now I see ye decided to wake up.” he rasped with a toothy smile, the scarred side of his cheek pulling at an odd angle.
Desiree did not move but watched him closely as he came to kneel before her, leering into her face. His tongue flicked out to moisten thick lips, as he took in the features of her face. Stubby fingers reached out grasping her chin and he roughly turned her face to the side looking at her profile, which pulled her hair painfully.
“Ye be a beauty me sweet young thing. Aye, a fine piece.”
His breath fell upon her face and the odor of rotting teeth caused Desiree to hold her breath. His clothes, begrimed with possibly months of filth and sweat assaulted her senses. His grimy shirt, once bright crimson, was tawny brown and opened to the waist, showing a layer of filth covering his neck and chest, streaked with fresh perspiration. Creases on rolls of flesh stood out stark white against the filth beneath matted black hair.
“I would a finished with ye last night were it not fer them blokes lookin’ for ye but by the time they finds us here, ye will be long dead and meself well on me way. Besides I thought to meself, why not have a bit of fun afore I goes. Makin' no never mind when ye dies, sooner or later won’t make no difference.” He touched his grimy finger to the matted hair of his head. “Good thinkin’ don’t ye agree?” he asked with a laugh, seeing the terror etched upon her face.
Desiree could see yellowed snags of teeth covered by a thick film of putrid food and her eyes turned from the sight. He rose to his knees before her, reaching for something in the weeds to her left and produced a small pack. She again held her breath as the stench of his body wafted in her direction with the movement. He sat back upon his heels, pulling a flask out of the pack and twisting the top off took a la
rge swig of the contents, part of which dribbled from his chin, adding to the streaks upon his chest.
“Kirwood be me name.” he leered, “Best introduce meself proper. Hey ain’t ye got a tongue in yer head?” He laughed evilly at his joke, taking in the assets of the woman before him with undisguised pleasure. Her hair tossed in wild disarray about her body only served to add to her appeal. His eyes lowered to her breasts and lower still to her slim legs, which were bare. The gown had rode up, exposing well-toned thighs.
Desiree desperately wished she could pull the gown down, seeing where his eyes strayed but with her hands bound as they were, she could do nothing. She did however, pull her legs up close beneath her and when she did so, his eyes came back up to meet hers. He reached out and grabbed the gag from her mouth roughly.
“I said ain’t ye got no tongue bitch?”
Without warning his anger flared and his hand lashed out, catching Desiree’s cheek in a back handed blow.
A groan escaped her lips despite her efforts to remain quiet and her eyes watered, blurring her vision. The jolt caused the trees about her to appear to spin and she heard an echoing chuckle, as he enjoyed his sport.
“Well little leidy, I best be about it and finish me job. I been promised gold for this bit. Must earn me pay.” he decided with calculated coldness.
In a lightening fast move, amazing for his bulk, his paw like hands had Desiree by the ankles, yanking her legs out straight before her. Through the numbing pain in her head from the blow, his intent sunk in with sickening clarity. From her parched throat a scream tore loose, shattering the quiet of the jungle and startling a snow white bird from its perch somewhere above and it headed skyward.
“Damn ye wench, shut yer bleedin’ yap or I’ll shut it for ye permanently!” he rasped, pulling a hand back as if to add another blow to her face. Instead, he grabbed the gag, jamming it back into her mouth and opening a small cut upon her lower lip.
From the side of his waist he pulled out a glinting blade from his belt and chuckled as her eyes flew wide, following the sparkling steel as it approached her. He lunged toward her belly with a flash of metal and Desiree’s breath caught, waiting to feel the blade enter her body but he pulled back and she felt the rope about her waist loosen, falling away in the stubby weeds beside her.
“Rest easy missy, yer not through yet. I be takin’ a ride first.” he assured with a laugh.
He grabbed her ankles once more, yanking viciously and pulling her small form to a prone position. Her arms wrenched as the bound wrists were now above her head. Striking the ground, pain exploded in Desiree’s head at the location the butt of the pistol had found and she felt as though she might lose consciousness, as the trees seemed to loop in sickening circles above her until the renting of her gown brought her back from the beckoning blackness and filled her with horror.
“Lawd almighty!” he whispered, gazing hungrily at the treasure he had just uncovered, “Lawdy!” he repeated. He wetted his thick lips with his tongue, smiling in anticipation. A trickle of saliva ran slowly from the corner of his mouth and he wiped it with the back of his hand before reaching for her breasts.
Desiree cringed, her stomach again churning as he straddled her and continued to roughly fondle her breasts. His hands moved over her body, down her belly to her hips and then he roughly attempted to wedge his leg between hers to open her thighs. Although the gag stopped the sound, Desiree opened her mouth and tried to scream as her leg jammed upward, catching him in the groin. He plunged forward, rolling to the ground beside her with a curse, clutching his injured crotch. He staggered to his knees and pulled the glinting dagger again from his waist.
Death shown in the snarling face but Desiree glared unflinching into his reddened watery eyes. The horror that this loathsome animal meant to have his way with her thrust through her to her very core and she welcomed the quick end the blade offered.
“Ye bitch! Yer time be up!” he sneered, hunching over her. As Desiree struggled valiantly, thrashing violently to try and thwart him, he straddled her hips and she froze as the steel of the knife ran the length of her body from throat to belly, ever so gently, “Where to begin.” he chuckled, touching the point of the knife to his jaw as he pondered.
Suddenly there was the briefest flash of movement and the lecherous man lifted from her with the force of a boot, catching him beneath the chin. He sprawled across the ground and scrambled to his feet, looking desperately for the blade. It glinted in the grass to his left and he dove, rolling upon his shoulder and coming up with it in his hand. Holding it clenched tightly before him, he crouched low, facing his foe.
Stephen was upon him with a ragged growl and Kirwood struck out with the gleaming blade, aiming for the lean waist. Stephen sidestepped the jab and the man stumbled forward with the momentum of the thrust, slashing thin air. Stephen grasped the wrist and pulled the arm up in the space between them. Their eyes locked and a match of strengths unfolded, arms trembling in an attempt to gain control.
Desiree drug her eyes from the two men briefly, half turning to grab the tree which she was still bound to and with her forehead against the rough bark, she drew herself up, pushing to her knees and finally coming to stand. Dazed, Desiree reeled back against the tree, closing her eyes for a moment until her vision cleared. When she was able to see again, she noted the knife was slowly turning and with wide eyes, the man Kirwood, watched the glinting steel move ever closer to his own throat, as bared white teeth flashed in a snarl and now deep brown eyes promised death. Tendon stood out as Stephen steadily pressed the blade to its mark. Terror showed on the man’s face and the knife dropped to the ground as his free hand came up with a blow to Stephen’s midsection, doubling Stephen forward with the impact. Stephen surged forward, catching Kirwood in the paunch and the two crashed to the ground in a blur of thrashing limbs.
Desiree watched numbly as slowly a victor emerged. Straddling Kirwood, Stephen rained a shower of blows upon the man beneath him. Kirwood fought to deliver returning blows but could not make his mark and blood began to mar the already hideous face as Stephen attempted to turn it to pulp. Desiree watched without emotion as her tormentor was brought ever closer to death’s door with each successive impact of Stephen’s fists. Kirwood's flailing arms fell limply to the grass and the curses he had sputtered now became hoarse moans. The clearing was silent but for the sound of fist against flesh and then through the underbrush stormed, first Ham and Timothy, followed by Michael Colter and a host of seaman.
Ham was the first across the clearing to Stephen’s side and he clasp Stephen about the chest from behind in a bear hug, pulling him off the semiconscious man, “Easy Stephen, easy.” he said gently, waiting for his rigid body to relax and sanity to return to his young captain.
When Stephen nodded slightly, Ham released him and Stephen hauled the man to his feet by a fist full of shirt and shoved him at two of his waiting men, “Get this bastard out of here.” He ordered and then turned his attention to Desiree, as all eyes seemed to turn at the same time to the slight trembling form beside the palm tree.
With her hands bound as they were, Desiree could do nothing but press herself against the rough bark of the tree to shield her exposed body from the many eyes before her. With her own eyes tightly closed, she turned her face away.
Stephen gestured to the men. Dragging their prisoner along, Ham rushed all out of the clearing toward the trees and town beyond. Michael Colter looked to his sons and then he too, headed into the jungle, leaving Desiree to their care.
Timothy approached Desiree first while Stephen hung back a bit, knowing that at this moment his younger brother was closer to her than he had been in weeks.
“Desiree?” Tim questioned gently stroking her back and she turned her face in his direction.
The bluish bruise wickedly marring the delicate boning of her cheek sent white hot rage through Stephen and he came forward, loosing the ropes that bound her wrists, heaving the offensive restraint into the jungle,
while Tim carefully removed the cloth from her mouth and sailed it away. Tim smoothed her hair from her face and she sobbed with relief, turning from the tree and pulling her open dress about her as best she could. She leaned back against the tree for support, looking from one pair of concerned eyes to the other.
“Did the bastard touch you?” Tim gritted, taking in her rent gown.
Desiree shook her head emphatically, “No but it was so horrible!” she sobbed, accepting Stephen’s shoulder and burying her face against him.
Tim removed his suit coat and with gentle urging helped Desiree into it. The garment hung well past her loins, lending modesty to her state of undress and she glanced up at Stephen as he completed the last fastener.
“Thank you Stephen,” she whispered brokenly, “You saved my life…” but then she paused and stiffened, moving back from him as if burned by his touch. Her eyes filled with pain as she remembered the accusations he had made that had driven her away from the party and into Kirwood’s clutches. She looked at the discolored skin beneath his eye and saw that Tim sported the same affliction, coupled with a wicked cut across his upper lip.
“Tell him Tim! Tell him nothing passed between us!” she said, stepping back a pace away from the two of them. Stephen regarded her with concern and she stepped back another pace and cried, “Nothing happened!”
“I know.” Stephen assured softly, approaching her but she held up her hand halting him.
“Your own brother!” she spat, “Mon Dieu what do you think me?”
As she spoke, Stephen began to weave before her eyes. He was speaking but she could not hear the words over the sound as though water was rushing, echoing in her ears. She felt her knees buckling beneath her and the two men grew hazy and darkness closed in around her.
Stephen scooped Desiree into his arms as she started to fall, cradling her against his chest. Tim pulled the coat close about her body and they hurried through the jungle toward home.