Never Trust a Pirate

by Valerie Bowman

  “Please,” Danielle said to Rafe. “We must save him.”

  Rafe’s face was a mask of stone. “I haven’t always been my brother’s biggest supporter, but I’ll be damned before I lose him this way. I lost Donald Swift. I’ve no intention of losing anyone else in my family.”

  Grimaldi pulled out a rough drawing of Lafayette’s ship from his coat pocket and pinned it to the table. “Here’s what we need to do.”

  Rafe crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a glare at the general. “First. I must ask something. Something I couldn’t bring myself to ask on the journey here. But now I must know.”

  Grimaldi nodded his assent. “Yes?”

  “They say Cade’s the Black Fox. Is it true?”

  “No,” Grimaldi answered simply.

  “He’s not,” Danielle agreed.

  “Are you certain?” Rafe asked. “How can you be?”

  “I’m certain.” Danielle’s voice rang out loud and sure. She raised her chin to meet the viscount’s gaze. “I’m certain because I am the Black Fox.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Cade moved a bit to the right. Pain shot through his middle. He winced. At least one of his ribs was cracked. No doubt about it. The bloody Frenchmen had beaten him half to death. If he hadn’t been so foxed, no doubt he would be dead right now. Though if he hadn’t been so foxed, he wouldn’t have been caught off-guard. Damn it all to hell. Instead, he was locked in a cell in the hold of Baptiste’s ship.

  He was exactly where he deserved to be after his bout of stupidity last night. What in the hell had he been thinking? Leaving the ship. Getting so drunk. He should have at least stayed and spoken to Grimaldi. He’d been angry, hurt because Danielle wanted to end their affair. And jealous. Jealous of a bloody book about Wolsey. He was an idiot.

  Of course Baptiste had suspected he’d been followed. Years of hunting him had taught Cade that the man was no fool. Now Cade knew Baptiste was to thank for his being jumped outside of the theater in London. He’d said as much as he’d beaten Cade trying to get him to admit that he, or rather Rafe, was the Black Fox. The Frenchman wanted revenge for his stolen map and foiled plan.

  Cade hadn’t said a word. He’d allow the man to murder him before he would betray his brother. Cade had long suspected Rafe might be the Black Fox. His interest in the case, his constant questions. It made sense somehow. Cade would go to his death pretending to be his brother if it came to that. He wondered if Baptiste even knew Rafe had a twin.

  Had Baptiste been under the impression that Rafe had been after him all these years? When Cade met Grim in Spain two years ago, the general had mistaken him for his brother who was being tortured by the French. After Cade had explained himself, Grimaldi had offered him a proposition. Work with him to save Rafe, and Grim would ensure the black marks were erased from Cade’s past, including his criminal record. Grim would even deliver a convenient set of letters of marque making all of Cade’s and his crew’s ventures on the high seas perfectly legal. There had been no choice, really.

  Cade had allowed the general to assume he was doing it for the personal benefits, but the real reason, the only reason, was to scrub his blackened conscience clean. He’d let his brother down once. He would not do it again. So Cade had traveled with Grimaldi to France, but by the time they arrived, Donald Swift had been killed and Rafe had escaped. Still, true to his word, Grimaldi had done what he’d promised. Cade’s criminal record had been destroyed and his letters of marque had been delivered.

  But Cade didn’t leave France. He remained to find out why his brother had been taken in the first place. He’d learned that Russians were involved and there was smuggling and secrets traded for money. After pulling away layers and layers of lies and deceit, Cade had discovered the French sailor and politician, Lafayette Baptiste, had ordered Rafe’s torture and Donald’s murder. The Frenchman was a thief, a scoundrel, and a killer who had done many wrongs to many people.

  It was only recently that Cade had discovered Baptiste’s latest plot to bring Napoleon back from St. Helena. The Frenchman’s first step was to work with London turncoats who planned to help Baptiste and his men get past St. Helena’s guards. Those scoundrels were somewhere on the ship in which he was currently imprisoned. He’d like to rip each one of them limb from limb.

  Cade had never intended to return to London until he learned Baptiste would be there. While posing as the gadabout black sheep of a brother, Cade began to suspect Rafe was the Black Fox. The Black Fox kept getting in his way, got everywhere before Cade did, even stole the map and foiled Baptiste’s plans at every turn. For months Cade called in every favor. Met with every contact. Still he hadn’t been able to track down the elusive Black Fox.

  He’d tried to find out what British Intelligence knew about the operative from Tomlinson. He purchased the stolen map from Moreau. From O’Conner he’d learned when The French Secret would be leaving for St. Helena and where it would be stopping along the way. Cade’s intention was to hunt down Baptiste, expose him as traitor to his country, and depending on how angry he was that day, either kill him or turn him over to law enforcement.

  Then Danielle had stepped into Cade’s life and everything had been turned upside down. He should have guessed Grim was also after Baptiste. Cade had just never counted on the fact that Grim had placed a spy … a beautiful female French spy, to watch him in his brother’s home. He could almost laugh about it if his ribs didn’t hurt so much. He had to give it to Grimaldi. Cade had never suspected Danielle. Despite all that, he still wanted her with an intensity that frightened him.

  Where was Danielle now? The Frenchmen had let Danny and Sean go. The two men would have hurried back to The Elenor and informed Grimaldi and Danielle (or Cross) of what had happened. There was likely a plot hatching this very minute. Whether they would bust him out of gaol or leave him to rot, he wasn’t certain.

  He didn’t deserve their help. Especially Danielle’s. She wasn’t like the other women he’d known. She was beautiful and passionate and kind and caring. She was also a spy. Albeit an English one. Not a French one. He’d never met anyone who could fool him so thoroughly. And she’d been so passionate in bed. He wanted her again. He knew he’d keep on wanting her. Forever. She was like an incomparable diamond. He’d never forget her.

  He winced again. Yes, damn it. His rib was broken.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Danielle stayed in the cabin explaining the plan to Danny and Sean, who’d been shocked to learn that Cross the cabin boy was a woman. Meanwhile, Grimaldi and Rafe went to the quarterdeck where Grimaldi had apparently proceeded to beat the hell out of poor Rafe. Danielle had winced when she’d seen him. She was nothing but glad that Daphne wasn’t here to witness her husband’s bleeding and bruises. The man must love his brother indeed to take such a beating.

  After that unpleasant task was through, Danielle, Rafe, and Grimaldi had dressed all in black. Along with a small band of men trailing them, they silently made their way across the Spanish docks hiding in the shadows. They stole one by one toward The French Secret.

  “It’s every man for himself,” Grimaldi whispered. “Wait until the watch turns his back. You’ll have about thirty seconds to get onto the ship before he turns again.”

  The watch stood on the foredeck. He carried a sword strapped to his back and a pistol in his hand.

  First Grimaldi, then Rafe stole aboard the ship, perfectly counting the man’s time. It was Danielle’s turn next. She kept to the shadows, her breath roaring in her ears, her heart pounding. She waited for the watch to turn his back for a third time, then bounded across the gangplank. Once safely on deck, she pressed her back to the foremast.

  Rafe and Grimaldi nodded to her. Both were hidden in the shadows against the bulwark. Sean and Danny and the other men would come if needed. For now, they remained hidden among the crates on the dock.

  Rafe’s task was to fool the guards if they were to discover their prisoner had escaped. Grimaldi’s task was
to wait with Rafe on the main deck and come when and if he was needed. Danielle’s task was to find Cade. She knew the ship. She’d been on it before.

  She stole across the quarterdeck and past the mainmast, making her way toward the hold. She crept down the ladder on soft-soled boots, descending into the dark, dank hold. She stole past the crew’s quarters, pressing her back to the wood. Snores filled the air. A door slammed open down the corridor and she pressed her back to the wall, hard, her breathing coming in fitful spurts.

  “I’m just goin’ ta take a leak, ya blighters,” she heard an Englishman’s voice call. Soon the man was in the corridor coming toward her. She slipped behind another open door and held her breath. The man passed her, continuing up the ladder to the deck and Danielle expelled her breath, trying to calm the pounding of her heart.

  She continued down the corridor, pausing to listen outside the door of the room the man had left. From the sounds of it, a card game was in full play. Bottles clinked and much raucous laughter erupted from the room. There was no help for her. She would have to pass by and hope she wasn’t seen. She peered inside, her eye barely showing at the side of the door. Thankfully, the two other men in the room were not facing the door. She waited until they broke out into more laughter at some jest one of them had made and she flew across the space. Not waiting to hear if she’d been seen, she continued her flight to the end of the corridor and down yet another ladder to the bottom of the hold.

  A single guard lay sleeping outside the small locked cell. She took another deep breath. Was that where Cade was being held? For all she knew, Baptiste had more than one prisoner aboard. “Cade,” she called in a loud whisper. The guard stirred in his sleep.

  “Danielle?” Cade’s hoarse voice replied in a similarly loud whisper.

  Danielle pressed her hand to her chest. She’d found him. Merci dieu. She eyed the guard. This time, he stirred more and his eyes fluttered open. She didn’t have time to waste. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Then he stood and turned to her. There was no help for it. She would have to fight him to save Cade. She whipped her knife out of the back of her breeches and tossed it at the man’s skull, handle first. It hit exactly where she’d meant it to, squarely on the spot on the side of his head. He grunted and crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Cade’s surprised, bruised face appeared behind the grate in the door.

  “Grim?” he called. “Are you there?”

  She stepped out of the shadows, retrieving her knife. “I’m alone.” She pulled off her black cap to reveal her face.

  “Danielle, where’s Grim? You could be hurt. You must get out of here.”

  She shook her head. “You still don’t believe I’m a spy, do you? Shut up while I do my job.” She pulled a pin from her hair and knelt in front of the lock. Now that he couldn’t see her face, she took a deep breath and shuddered. She didn’t want to contemplate the bruises she’d glimpsed in the dim light from the one lantern hanging from the bulkhead.

  Cade’s fingers gripped the bars of his cell. His knuckles were white. “To the left,” he instructed. “Push it up and over.”

  Danielle rolled her eyes. “You’re not in charge now. I know what I’m doing.”

  She fiddled with the lock for a few more seconds before it gave way and the door swung open. Cade stepped out of the cramped space, pulled her against him, and kissed her. “Let’s go!”

  “For the record, it was to the right,” she announced smugly, trying not to let the horror she felt at the sight of his bloodied face show on hers. It felt so good to be held in his arms again.

  “Where’s Grim?” he asked.

  “With your brother.”

  Cade paused. “Rafe’s here?”

  “It’s a long story. Follow me.” They hurried away from the cell toward the stairs. “And by the way,” she said as they went. “I’m the Black Fox.”

  “What?” Cade’s voice was completely shocked.

  “I’ll explain later.”

  They raced up the first ladder, Danielle leading the way. They flew past the door where the men still sat playing cards. Just before they scaled the stairs near the captain’s cabin they heard footsteps running above them. “It could be Rafe and Grim,” Cade whispered.

  “Or it could be the crew,” Danielle whispered back. “In here,” she ordered. In a flash, she had the captain’s door open and pulled Cade after her. She shut the door noiselessly and they pressed their backs against the shadowed bulkhead on either side of the door.

  Footsteps sounded on the ladder, then the door to the captain’s cabin was flung open.

  Danielle held her breath. It was Baptiste. He stopped two paces into the room, his breathing heavy. He smelled like wine and old sweat. He surveyed the room. He held a pistol in his hand. If Danielle had been alone with him, she would have attacked right then, but she couldn’t risk Cade being hurt. What if the captain fired a round before she was able to subdue him? If they were lucky, beyond lucky, Baptiste would back out of the room and continue his search of the ship. One endless moment passed. Two.

  Danielle closed her eyes.

  “I hear you breathing,” Baptiste said just before he whirled around and trained the pistol on the door.

  They were not lucky.

  Cade stepped out of the shadows, his hands raised. “Don’t shoot.”

  “You are not alone.” Baptiste’s eyes darted back and forth. “I know zis. Who else is—”

  This time Danielle stepped out of the shadows, her hands raised above her head.

  “Damn it, Danielle,” Cade muttered under his breath.

  Danielle kept her eyes trained on Baptiste and his pistol but her words were for Cade. “You don’t think I’m going to allow you to get shot alone, do you?”

  The barrel of Baptiste’s gun swiveled back and forth between them and the Frenchman backed up a few paces into the cabin to secure his position, holding both of them at bay. “Danielle?” he asked. “Danielle who?” His eyes narrowed.

  “Why don’t you put the gun down so we can formally introduce ourselves?” Cade asked, the hint of a smile on his cracked lips. “Perhaps ring for tea.”

  Baptiste’s lip curled in a sneer. “So funny, Captain Cavendish. It will be a pity to kill you.”

  “I’m certain you’ll find a way to live with it,” Cade replied, still grinning.

  Baptiste cocked the pistol. Danielle braced herself, ready to jump in front of the bullet to save Cade. More footsteps sounded on the stairs outside the cabin and Danielle and Cade turned in time to see Rafe and Grimaldi fly into the room. Grimaldi held a pistol, too. He quickly trained it on Baptiste. Baptiste’s eyes narrowed and he glanced between the brothers, clearly confused. “There are two of you?”

  “Seeing double?” Rafe smirked.

  “Put zee gun down,” Baptiste ordered Grimaldi.

  Grimaldi’s eyes were hard pieces of coal. “Why should I?”

  “Because you have more friends here for me to kill.” Baptiste sneered.

  Grimaldi’s lips twisted. “You only have one bullet. I’ll kill you as soon as you fire. I’m willing to bet my life on the fact that I’m a much better shot than you are.”

  Another sneer from Baptiste. “Your own life, perhaps. But which one of your friends here would be worth it for you to lose?” He waved the gun at all of them.

  Grimaldi cursed. His finger gripped the trigger.

  “Don’t do it, Grim. He’s bluffing,” Rafe growled under his breath.

  “Am I? Captain Cavendish, or whatever your name is, do you want to be zee one to find out for certain if I am?”

  “Shoot me, you son of a bitch,” Cade ground out.

  “No!” Danielle yelled. She stepped toward Baptiste. “You can only get out of here safely if you take one of us with you. Take me.”

  “I don’t want you,” Baptiste scoffed. “I want zee man who started all of zis. I want le Renard Noir. Now which one of you two bastards is it?” Baptiste waved the gun at the twins. “Admit it and I wil
l let zee rest of you go.”

  Cade and Rafe exchanged uneasy looks.

  “Come now, brothers,” Baptiste taunted. “Which one of you will betray zee other to save himself?”

  “If you want the Black Fox,” Danielle ground out, “then you’re going to have to kill me.” She ran for the window and vaulted onto it.

  “No!” Cade made a move to follow her but Baptiste’s gun brought him up short.

  “Danielle, don’t!” Cade shouted.

  Danielle remained perched on the edge of the window. Baptiste had barely spared her a glance.

  “Let her go,” the Frenchman said. “We don’t need her.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong, you bastard,” Danielle said from the window. “For I am the Black Fox.”

  “Don’t jump,” Cade called to Danielle. “You can’t swim.”

  Baptiste swiveled around, a look of equal parts confusion and horror on his face. “Quelle?”

  Danielle glared at the Frenchman. “The night I stole your map you said to me, ‘I want to see the face of the man who would steal my secrets.’ Do you remember? Well, here is the face of the woman who did it. Take a good look.”

  Danielle turned her gaze to Cade. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. Then she vaulted from the window.

  “No!” Cade shouted. “Danielle, I love you!”

  A splash was his only answer as Baptiste went racing for the window.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  Baptiste fired a shot out the porthole at Danielle before Grim and Rafe tackled him. They knocked him onto the floor and wrested the pistol away from him. Cade leaped over the fray to try to jump out the window after Danielle. It was no use. He was too large to fit through. He was only able to get his head and one shoulder out, enough to look down and see a shadowy spot growing in the water. It was too dark to tell for certain, but cold nausea gripped him. No doubt it was blood. He clenched his fist and pounded it against the side of the hull, screaming her name. But there was no sign of Danielle.