The Pirate's Heart

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  Approaching the hooks, Katherine had to duck behind a pile of barrels when a pair of large male hands appeared over the side of the ship. When the rest of the man followed, she held her breath and knew a moment of real fear. It was Boucher The Butcher and he was not a pirate known for his kindness. While Jack might have been the most feared pirate in the area, Boucher was not far behind. He was also far more vicious and a good deal more merciless.

  The taverns and bawdy houses and drawing rooms of Bridgetown were filled with stories of his cruelty. Especially what he did do female captives. And the captains of the ships he conquered.

  Things he did to people like her and Jack.

  No, she could not and would not allow that to happen.

  Katherine waited a few more moments until the last of the men that had followed Boucher up the rope ladder had joined the fray before she moved again.

  As stealthily as she could, she moved to the side of the ship and peered over. As she had suspected, the ropes ladders were still there but the skiffs were now empty. Likely they had been lightly manned in the first place and those aboard them had been the best-trained fighters. Boucher’s plan had probably been to overwhelm The Darkness’ crew and keep them occupied until Boucher’s own ship could pull aside using the ropes attached to the hooks so that they could launch a full-scale invasion.

  Again, those hooks had to go.

  Crawling on her hands and knees now, Katherine approached the first hook, still praying no one would notice her. When she looked down, she saw that the hook was already starting to bow and crack at weak spots in the metal. If the hooks were already damaged, possibly even from previous use, then they were likely even more poorly made than she had assumed. Perhaps even made within the last few days.

  The only problem was, the moment she attempted to snap the hook in two – assuming that she could for she was hardly strong enough – all heads would turn in her direction. Including Boucher’s. Considering that she was also likely the reason that Jack’s ship had been attacked, it was a fair assumption that The Butcher would leave behind whatever battle he was then engaged in, even if it was with Jack himself, and come after her. Therefore, she needed to be ready.

  Glancing out over the ocean, Katherine could see the other ship now drawing closer, though navigating the shallow waters was proving a bit difficult and therefore, slowing its progress. She had no time to plan! Damn it all!

  Then she looked back at the barrels where she had been hiding moments ago. They were heavy and loaded with something nearly immovable. She knew that from when her leg had hit one last night as Jack had dragged her across the deck. What was in them anyway?

  Returning to her hiding place, she risked a peek inside.

  Cannonballs. The bloody barrels were full of cannonballs. Only Jack would do something like that.

  Still, if she could somehow manage to knock over one barrel, the others would likely follow and, provided everything rolled the right way, the weight of the barrels and the cannonballs combined would snap the soft metal of the hooks.

  That, at least, would solve the problem of Boucher’s approaching flagship, for Katherine could see that here in the shallows of the island, pulling the other ship close enough to board The Darkness was simply not possible. The attackers’ only hope was to drag Jack’s ship back out into the open water, using the hooks and ropes to tow it out when the crew was subdued.

  Well then. That settled the matter. Katherine would have to hope and pray that Jack’s crew was skilled enough to fight off the attackers until she could put her plan into action. The plan would work. She was confident of that. She simply needed time to put everything into motion.

  She was only one woman and could only be expected to do so much, after all.

  Looking around, Katherine looked for something to help her tip over a single barrel but there was nothing. At least nothing on this deck anyway. But on the deck above? There were more cannonballs and those were held in place by a net. And a net she could cut, sending the cannonballs everywhere, hopefully into the barrels as well.

  As plans went, it wasn’t much but from the look of things, the crew of The Darkness wasn’t fairing very well. And where was Jack?

  Katherine was also aware that the weight of the balls might damage this ship, too, but it was a chance she had to take. So as quickly as she could, she raced for the steps only to hear someone cry out from behind her.

  “There she is, boys! What we’ve come for! Seize her! Then we burn this ship to the ocean!”

  That had to have been Boucher. She should have known that anyone with eyes would know she was female, what with her unbound tits and all.

  Without thinking, Katherine reached into the pouch at her hip and seized a dagger. She turned and threw it on instinct, praying that she hit her mark while she continued to run for the steps. A howl of pain told her she’d hit someone, but she had no idea who. Sadly, it likely wasn’t Boucher. She wouldn’t be so fortunate.

  Her surprise attack had bought her time, however, and she managed to reach the netting quickly. Cutting the ropes that held the cannonballs in place was another matter. She already knew her saber was dull, and only some of the ceremonial daggers were sharp. Most were actually quite dull and it took precious seconds to find one that would work.

  “Allow me.”

  Risking a glance up, Katherine saw Jack looming over her. He looked different somehow, but she did not take the time just then to ponder why. Nor did she question why he had been missing for the better part of the battle. Instead, she gestured to the cannonballs.

  “Cut the net,” she commanded. “The balls will roll free and knock over the barrels filled with more cannonballs which will then crush the grappling hooks. The metal is weak and they will fold like paper. The guide ropes will likely snap or can then be easily cut. The Darkness will be free to run.”

  Thankfully, Jack didn’t hesitate. Instead, he cut the netting as she had directed and the cannonballs rolled free. For a long moment, Katherine didn’t think her plan would work, but then with a resounding crash, the cannonballs fell to the deck below. There was some damage to the ship, but then she had expected that. More importantly, however, the rolling balls went crashing into the heavy barrels, knocking one over.

  All it would take was one. Katherine was certain of it. As she and Jack watched, more barrels toppled, their cargo of even more cannonballs rolling free. As The Darkness pitched and rolled – something she hadn’t accounted for – the balls scattered everywhere, which had the unintended effect of knocking people off balance.

  “Didn’t plan that, did you, Duchess?” Except that Jack wasn’t mocking her. If anything, he sounded…proud? No, that could not be right.

  Then the first of the grappling hooks snapped and her attention was once more drawn back to the battle. Boucher was still charging across the deck towards them, but he paused when he heard the distinctive snap of weakened metal. As if his head was on a swivel, it snapped around and he saw the first hook being crushed beneath the rolling balls.

  “No!” he bellowed and to Katherine’s surprise, he leaped over the side without thinking.

  “He’s running?” she asked incredulously to no one in particular.

  “He’s saving himself,” Jack corrected. “He’s figured out your plan and knows that once the first hook fails, the other four will as well. Look.”

  Katherine followed Jack’s finger and she could see that, as she had hoped, the rest of the hooks were beginning to give way. Not as fast as she had planned, certainly, but as the loose cannonballs continued to batter the hooks, they continued to crumple until they either slid free of the deck or snapped entirely.

  On the far side of the ship, Katherine could see Ramsey attacking the rope of the sixth hook with a cleaver. While that had not been part of her plan, the result was the same.

  “You’ve done well, Duchess, and earned my thanks. Now go back to the cabin and wait. There is a hatch here that will lead you back to the privy.”r />
  “No.” Katherine shook her head and reached for the bag at her hip, searching for another dagger. “If you fight, I fight. I might be your prisoner, but I will be no one else’s.”

  Beside her, Jack sighed as if the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. “Very well. But if you mean to stay and fight, make yourself useful. And for God’s sake, do up your shirt! Your tits are there for all to see.”

  Katherine glanced down and saw that Jack was right. His overly large shirt had come undone and completely exposed her breasts. Not that she cared just then and wondered why he did. She would have asked him about the matter but when she turned back, he was gone. But he had not left her unguarded. Beside her lay a bow and a full quiver of arrows with lethal-looking tips.

  Suddenly, the pieces of a puzzle she had not known she was working on began to fit together in her mind, what was once fuzzy becoming very clear.

  Then she looked at the bow and the arrows again. A poor choice of weapon for most women. But not for her.

  That was when the final piece fit into place and Katherine understood why Jack had looked different when he had surprised her just now. His headscarf was missing, likely lost in the battle.

  And he wasn’t Midnight Jack at all.

  Rather, he was someone she knew very, very well.

  And there would be hell to pay when they met again.

  Provided they lived through this battle, of course.

  Chapter Ten

  Jack did his best not to think about the brief spark of recognition he had seen in Katherine’s eyes just now as he did battle with one of Boucher’s men, wincing as the man made a lucky parry and nicked him in the upper arm so that he drew blood. Thankfully it was a shallow wound, and one easily attended to, but Jack had been careless to receive it in the first place. Actually, he probably could have defeated this man with one hand tied behind his back but he was so distracted by his lovely prisoner that he was becoming sloppy.

  Determined not to die today, however, Jack refocused his thoughts and made short work of the man in front of him. It was a waste of this man’s life that he had to die by Jack’s sword, but that was the way of things. As Jack made a move to cut the other man down, he noted that the other pirate appeared young, likely not more than eighteen years of age.

  Then again, Jack himself had been in this young man’s shoes once. He hadn’t been a pirate at the time, but he had been bleeding on a deck, believing that he was about to die, scared shitless and praying to every God that he could think of for help. Like this man, Jack had been marked to die.

  Only Jack had survived, mostly because he had been captured by a better crew. Because he had bargained for his life. Because the pirates that had raided his ship had more intelligence than the mutton-headed Frenchman now rampaging through the West Indies without care. Boucher was not known as “The Butcher” only because of his name and his penchant for killing people. Few sailors survived for long aboard his ship, mostly because Boucher took foolish risks. Just as he had today.

  “Please. Don’t. I surrender. Please.” Something in the young man’s voice hit the place inside of Jack that had been growing increasingly softer as the recent days had worn on. That was not good for a pirate, which was why Jack was leaving the life. After this one last sail, of course.

  Seeing a bit of rope lying nearby, Jack seized it and bound the injured young man hand and foot before securing him to one of the old deck rings. Bound like this, his crew would know the other man had surrendered and would not be killed in his absence.

  “I shall deal with you later,” Jack growled. “Be thankful I show mercy this day. I am not known for it. I am…”

  “Midnight Jack. I know.” The young man swallowed and Jack could see where he had soiled himself, a true betrayal of his young age. “Thank you.”

  Jack gave the young man a curt nod. “You will be dealt with later, but know that I have spared your life. Though I will exact a price.”

  The other man nodded, resigned but with a trace of relief on his face. “I understand.”

  Satisfied that the man was secured and safe, Jack moved on, his eyes always seeking out both the cannonballs that were still rolling about the deck and Katherine. But mostly Katherine. He didn’t see her just then, but he could feel her, though that made little sense. He was not a man given to flights of fancy, but his gut told him that he would know if she was in immediate trouble.

  And trouble still remained.

  Though most of Boucher’s men had jumped overboard once the cannonballs started rolling, some of the most loyal still remained aboard his ship, likely hoping to take at least some of The Darkness’ crew with them when they fell. Those men were the most dangerous because they were, by far, the most loyal to Boucher and would not hesitate to put a bullet in Jack’s heart or gut him like a fish if they had the chance. Nor would they hesitate to take Katherine if they could find her.

  Quickly scanning the deck, Jack counted five of Boucher’s men remaining. They were all engaged with his crew and fortunately, his men had the upper hand in all cases. That was good. Still no sign of Katherine, though. That was not good. However, all of the hooks and the ropes binding the hooks to the deck were gone. The Darkness was free. It was time to get underway again, make for Tortuga, and hope that Boucher didn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve just then.

  Using the rigging lines, Jack began to swing from rope to rope and make his way towards the ship’s wheel. The sails were already raised since they’d been utilizing the favorable trade winds earlier. All he needed to do now was get his ship pointed back in the right direction and he could outrun the bastard Boucher quite easily. Again, provided there were no more traps set for him and his men, something he could not be certain of just then.

  Jack was almost at the ship’s wheel when something went whizzing past his ear. And then another. Risking a glance behind him, he could see Katherine on the deck that led to the bow of the ship, her arms raised as she let another of her arrows fly.

  Good God, was the woman mad? Likely so, though she had more than enough reason to be. He had lied to her, after all. But shooting at him? At a time like this?

  Would she really kill him before they could all make it to safety? Jack supposed that depended upon how angry she was with him. She did have something of a temper, after all.

  Despite it all, however, Katherine was a glorious sight behold, no matter her intent.

  Her unbound hair streamed behind her like a silken curtain and her shirt gaped open in front, exposing her breasts. Around her neck, diamonds and rubies glittered like hellfire. In short, she looked like an angry, vengeful, and yet completely erotic goddess. One who wished him dead apparently. Not that he didn’t deserve her wrath. He had kidnapped her, lied to her, spanked her in front of his crew, threatened to fuck her, and, well…the list did go on.

  Jack simply wished she would have picked a better time to exact her vengeance.

  Far below, Katherine let fly with another arrow. This time, Jack braced for the impact he knew was coming, likely straight to his heart. She was an expert shot, so while she might have missed him the first two times, he had a feeling she would not miss again.

  She didn’t.

  Eyes closed, Jack heard the dull thunk of Katherine’s arrow embedding itself into human flesh and yet, he did not feel the sting of injury. Not did he cry out in fresh pain. No, the only pain he felt was in his upper arm where the man had cut him earlier. If Katherine had missed him, then what had she hit?

  A groan in front of him provided the answer.

  There, lurking to the left of the ship’s wheel and behind a large stack of crates, was one of Boucher’s men, armed with an incredibly lethal-looking dagger. A dagger that Jack knew well, as it had once belonged to him before he had lost it in a battle in the jungles of Dominica. A dagger that Boucher had once vowed he would stick in Jack’s heart just before he gutted him.

  Turning to wave his thanks to Katherine before seeing to the righting of
his ship, he could only look on in horror as another of Boucher’s men approached her from behind and she was too busy looking back at Jack to notice.

  “Katherine!” he screamed, thankful that the earlier wind had died down a bit. It would make sailing a hassle, but the stillness allowed his voice to carry. “Behind you!”

  Then Jack was moving, his body once more swinging along the rigging ropes without his brain directing it. He had moved across The Darkness this way so many times that he could make the journey in his sleep and the less he thought about his next move or his next hand-hold, the quicker he was.

  By the time Jack landed on the deck, the other pirate had his arms wrapped around Katherine and was attempting to drag her down the steps to the deck below where he could take them both over the side. But likely not before taking his pleasure with his captive of course. Immediately, Jack’s gaze strayed to the pirate’s hand that cupped one of Katherine’s tits roughly. She was squirming against the man, which only seemed to arouse him more.

  “Oh, you’ll be a fine one in my bed once Boucher is finished with you,” the man growled into Katherine’s ear, so enticed by the sight of Katherine’s unbound tits that he hadn’t even heard the thud of Jack’s boots on the deck. “All that lovely cunt and these delightful titties will be mine. I might even share you, princess, if I’ve the mind. And once I’ve had my fill.”

  “No.” She tried to bite the man, but he backhanded her across the face. Still, that did nothing to dampen her anger. If anything, it only inflamed it.

  Katherine fought and kicked harder than ever, but this man was far stronger and, so far, he thankfully hadn’t noticed Jack. He was too busy telling Katherine exactly how he would defile her once he had her aboard Boucher’s ship. Such a bloody fucking fool. No wonder Boucher was not a terribly successful pirate. He employed idiots.