by Pride, Mia
Picking up his leather money pouch hidden beneath an old book of ledgers in the drawer, he grimaced when it felt lighter than it had before he placed it in there. “What the devil?” Opening the pouch, he looked in, then stuck his hand inside, feeling around. Empty.
He was on board a pirate ship, aye, but who would dare steal from the captain? Who would come into the captain’s quarters while he was on deck and rummage through his items? Had they been looking for something more important than gold? Was there a spy on board the ship?
Standing up from his chair, Juan growled and banged his hand against his writing desk. This was unacceptable and if he allowed this to happen on his first day as a captain, he would never have the respect of his men. Storming out of the cabin, Juan stepped onto the deck and looked at his men.
“Line up! Every one of you!” he roared. The men stopped their tasks and lined up before him, looking weary and uncertain at the towering Spanish Beast they had as their captain. He saw fear and unease, but as he walked back forth and stared each man in the eye, he did not see guilt.
“I was in my cabin…” he said slowly, walking back and forth with his hands behind his back, keeping a cool look of indifference on his face. “When I realized somebody stole something that belongs to me. I cannot allow this, si?”
Looking at the men, he saw a few swallow hard or shift their feet, but not much more. Narrowing his eyes, he stopped in mid-step and looked around the deck. “Where is Lawrence?” Carrick was also missing and something menacing niggled at Juan.
“I saw him dragging Carrick down to the sleeping quarters not long ago,” one of the men said. “He seemed verra angry with the lad.”
Juan groaned and turned on his heels, storming toward the stairs leading down to the sleeping quarters, determined to get answers. He knew there was something not right about Carrick. He should have followed his instincts. Bending low as he entered the dank and dark area, he looked around but could not see a cursed thing. This day was getting more aggravating by the moment, not at all what he had expected to be dealing with on his first day as a captain.
“Lawrence! Are you down here?” he shouted, feeling his patience wearing thin. He trusted his first mate, but he didn’t trust this Carrick lad at all.
He heard some whispering coming from the back of the room. Something that sounded much like Lawrence warning Carrick to stay put. “Over here, Juan.”
Lawrence stepped forward and came into Juan’s line of sight, still mostly covered by shadows.
“What is going on here? What has Carrick done? Aside from steal from me?”
“Steal from ye?” Lawrence turned away to look behind him into the shadows.
“Si. I thought you knew. Why else would you drag him down here? Did he do something else?”
Lawrence shifted from foot to foot, looking unusually uncomfortable before clearing his throat. “That is the problem, Juan. He isnae a… he.”
“Perdón?” What the devil was Lawrence talking about? “Carrick is not a he? What does that even mean? I am ready to throw the damned fool overboard and be done with him. I do not have time for this shite!” His patience had worn thin and he felt ready to snap. “Bring the lad forward!”
Lawrence nodded. “I will. Please just dinnae become overly angry.”
Furrowing his brow, Juan crossed his arms and stared, waiting for Lawrence to act. Turning around, Lawrence reached into the shadows and pulled Carrick in front of him. The lad was dwarfed in size standing between two men. All Juan could see was a skewed wide-brimmed hat with a wild tuft of hair tucked beneath it.
“Do you have my gold?” Juan whispered menacingly, staring down at the pesky street urchin. “Give me one good reason why I should not run you through and throw you overboard?”
“I dare ye to try,” he heard Carrick reply. “I dinnae steal. Ye did! I just took back what was already mine!”
This lad had some bollocks on him to speak this way. Juan wanted to be impressed, but he was much too tired and irritated for any other emotion. “How do you reckon it was yours?” he whispered, stepping closer.
“Cause ye took it from me last night!” Removing his hat, Carrick threw it on the floor and shook his head, revealing very familiar red waves of hair. But it was dark as night inside the cabin and aside from the flicker of one wall sconce, Juan was not sure if his hair was truly red or only shone red by the light of the fire.
“Who are you?” Looking at Lawrence, Juan clenched his fists. “Explain.”
“Juan. ’Tis Kat. She snuck aboard the ship dressed as a lad. I have no idea why, aside from the fact that she is a ridiculous lass,” Lawrence added with a bit of bite in his tone.
“Kat?” Juan groaned and rubbed his face, no longer having any ability to control his anger. “Are you bloody insane? Why the devil would you come aboard a pirate vessel dressed as a lad? You are a reckless woman!”
Juan paced back and forth, attempting to control his ire but it was no use. They were out to sea and he was staring at his master’s young sister who had managed to sneak aboard his ship. She was going to be the death of him.
“You knew about this, Lawrence?” Juan turned and faced his first mate, beginning to regret taking Tomas up on his offer to captain this bloody ship and sail to bloody Scotland.
“Of course, I didnae. She is my son’s half-sister. She may not be my daughter, but,” he shrugged and nodded, “she is my daughter. I love her as I would my own. I would never allow her to do this. I am as shocked as ye.”
“Innae ye sweet, Papa,” Kat cackled and elbowed Lawrence in the ribs.
Grabbing Kat by the arms, Juan pulled her closer until their noses almost touched, yet even this close, he saw no trace of fear in her green eyes, not like he saw in everyone else who met his gaze. While it was refreshing, it was also infuriating that the lass continued to defy him and feel above all the rules. “You think this is funny, señorita?” Juan whispered. “You have put yourself in grave danger. You have surrounded yourself with men. Pirates. Worse, once we reach Scotland, you will be surrounded by even more pirates.”
“I am surrounded by pirates every day of my life,” she huffed, leaning in closer, her green eyes blazing. “Or have ye forgotten?”
“I have not!” he shouted, releasing her. “Tomas and Grace are not here to protect you, and even on Clew Bay, you may very well be dead if I had not saved you last night!”
“And then stole from me!” she shouted back.
“What is all of this about?” Lawrence asked, stepping between them.
“She was playing cards with pirates last night at the alehouse. She won some Spanish gold and the men were not pleased. I found her being held back by two men, the other ready to… God knows what with her before I ran him through.”
“This is true, Katherine Ann Burke?” Lawrence asked and she flinched, clearly not used to hearing her name used in such a way. Juan had never heard her called by her full name. He knew she had a different surname than Tomas, yet she still preferred to be called an O’Malley.
“Aye, ’tis true. And then he robbed me!”
“I had every intention of giving it back!” Juan protested, exasperated by her and having no idea what he was to do. “I needed to show you that you are vulnerable, as we all are. Just because you are the Pirate Queen’s granddaughter, does not mean you are untouchable.”
“Mayhap I dinnae wish to be untouchable.” Kat raised her brow and gave him that same look she had given him the morning before when she saw him in the buff. It unnerved him. Juan couldn’t tell if she truly was interested in him, or if she just wanted to make him uncomfortable, perhaps test his loyalties to Tomas, but either way, it did not matter. Kat was unmistakably beautiful with her bright shock of red wild waves and her emerald green eyes. He had seen jewels the very same shade in many treasure chests he had helped Tomas collect. She was slim with a womanly body. But none of that mattered. Aside from the fact that she was his master’s sister, he had given every bit of love
he had on this earth to his wife and when he lost her, he lost his soul, everything he had to offer, and every bit of desire to be loved in return. All he had left was the high seas and serving Tomas.
Deciding to ignore her comment, he pressed on with his questions. “So, you decided to come aboard my ship, simply to take back your coins? Have you any idea how much trouble you have caused?”
“It started with me wanting to show ye I could get my coins back, aye. But then I overheard ye talking to Lawrence about a Spanish galleon and that ye dinnae wish to be seen, so I decided to stay and find out for myself what ye hide. I ken ye harbor a secret, Beast.” Kat squinted her eyes accusingly and folded her arms.
Juan met her gaze. He had nothing to say. He harbored many secrets and none were hers to discover. Looking at Lawrence, Juan took a deep breath and clenched his fists, wishing he could take his anger out on one of the posts. “I do not have time for any of this. Take her to my cabin until I can figure out what to do with her.”
“I willnae go to yer cabin.”
“Yes, you will! You cannot stay down here with these men! I will not allow it!”
“Ye are not my husband! Ye cannae tell me what to do!”
“I am your captain and as of now, I am your guardian. Thanks to your foolishness, I now have to run this ship and keep you out of trouble!” He was shouting, but by the devil did she drive him insane.
“Come, Kat,” Lawrence said, taking her by the arm. “He is right. Ye have forced his hand. Tomas would never allow ye to sleep in the quarters.”
“Where the feck am I supposed to sleep then?” she shot back, looking at him and Lawrence.
“In the captain’s quarters,” Lawrence responded.
Juan shot him a look and frowned, shaking his head. He would be damned if this stubborn woman was to sleep in his quarters for the next several days. Yet… there was truly no place else for her to stay.
“Devil take it!” Juan roared, turning away and stomping back up the stairs before he lost what little patience he had left. Now she would take over his bed, the one thing he was grateful for in this entire mess. His sanctuary. She was taking over his life and destroying it. She also had keen instincts and suspected he had secrets. If she caused him trouble, he would end up being forced back to Spain.
The men stared at him wearily while they continued with their duties, clearly unsure what was happening.
“I have discovered the thief and he has been dealt with.” Relief washed over their faces, knowing they would not be punished, yet he knew they wondered who it was and how he had been dealt with, but it was important to keep the men on their toes and guessing. A balance of respect and fear worked best.
Juan needed to keep busy. The journey had just begun and already he was counting the days until they returned to Clew Bay, so he could get this wild lass out of his hair, or so he hoped. It seemed no matter where he was or what he was doing, Kat O’Malley was there to remind him that he had met his equal… and his foe, in the form of a wee Irish lass with hair the color of flames and a temper to match.
Chapter Four
Mayhap she had not thought this plan through very well before acting. Staring at the wooden panels on Juan’s wall for the better part of two hours, Kat plopped back dramatically on the bed, kicking her feet in frustration. Had she simply taken the coins and left, he would have had to deal with the knowledge that she was a better thief than him for the entire duration of his journey. But, mayhap she had wanted to be caught. After all, despite her indignation, she was relieved to have a clean bed and a quiet space to sleep in, rather than sharing a space with smelly men and diseased rats.
Juan intrigued her more than she wanted to admit, but now with naught to do with her time besides analyze her situation, she had to admit that she had risked more than she bargained for simply out of curiosity about Juan. Who was he really? What was this secret he hid, the secret that made him fear returning home? It was true that much of her desire to learn more about the man was to make certain he was worthy of Tomas’ loyalty. She wanted to be of use to her brother who had done much for her. But it would be a lie to say that some part of her did not wish to know more about Juan for her own interests.
After all, he was indeed intriguing. And after what she had seen of him the morning before, much more intriguing than she had expected. But, Kat wasn’t interested in his dark good looks, well-built body, or mysterious air. Nay, she simply wanted to solve those mysteries. There was a reason she was good at playing cards. Every game had a strategy, even those of luck. The luck was in discovering the strategy and using it to one’s advantage. Her advantage was simple enough. She was a woman. She was instinctively underestimated. Because she was wee in stature, men believed her wee in intelligence. But while Kat could not brag about having a fine education growing up like her sister by marriage had, she had learned logic, instinct, strategy, and survival in Clew Bay, as well as having grown up at Burke Castle with her mother and father, where there was never a safe day. An attack was always looming.
Nobody was loyal, except for family. Not even family. Her grandmother’s brother had betrayed her and died for it, at the hands of Tomas. Juan appeared as loyal to Tomas as any man, yet he had benefited from that loyalty, had he not? He was now a captain of this ship. How loyal would Juan remain once he was as powerful as the man who saved him, and how long before that same dagger Juan had used to gut her attacker ended up buried in her brother’s back?
Aye, that was what Kat was interested in. Juan was an enigma, a very well made one, she must admit, yet she thrived off solving mysteries and knew his missing pieces were in Scotland, residing on that Spanish ship, and if she had to betray him to those men to root out the truth, she would do so if only to save her brother in the end. Some would call her paranoid, but she had lived a life watching men grow into power, just to destroy the ones who gave it to them. Tomas had been kind to her since he arrived in Ireland last year. He was fierce, wise, loyal, and deserving of a true form of loyalty that only his family could provide. Not this arrogant, deceiving Spaniard. He even had Lawrence fooled, but she would discover the truth.
So, while being found out and dragged to his cabin had not been a part of her plan and certainly a lesson to be learned about making decisions based on emotion instead of calculation, it had worked out in her favor. Carrying sacks of grain was not how she wished to spend the next few days, and her breasts ached from being bound.
Reaching beneath her tunic, Kat untied the small knot in the linen wrap and breathed a sigh of relief as it loosened and slowly unraveled around her. Tossing it on the floor, Kat grabbed her breasts and massaged the blood back into them, laughing at herself. Imagine Juan’s surprise if he came in and found her rubbing her breasts.
That’s when it dawned on her. She had finally figured out her strategy to solve his mysteries. Being prickly was obviously not working. Juan avoided her at all cost and rightfully so. How could she truly figure the Spaniard out if all she did was push him away? How many men had she manipulated simply by batting her lashes or adding an extra sway in her hips when she walked away? It was not her fault men were so easily distracted. And Juan was a man. A large, muscular and very well-endowed man… not that she had many to compare it to, but she had seen enough to know that what Juan had hanging between his legs was impressive by any standard. And though a part of her wanted to know much more about that part of him, Kat had to keep boundaries. She had no intention of bedding the man. But if she could charm him, soften him to her, and mayhap make him trust her, perhaps he would reveal a bit more of himself.
It could work. It had to. Plan in place, Kat looked at the warm bed she had been sitting on for two hours and decided if she was stuck here, she may as well get some use out of it and get some sleep. Pulling off her breeches, Kat let her tunic hang around her legs, just above her knees and stretched, yawning. Some people became sick from the sea, but not O’Malleys. To her, the sound of the water and the rocking of the waves were a lull
aby, soothing her soul and beckoning her to sleep like a mother’s womb. She was born upon a ship at sea, after all.
Climbing onto the bed, Kat slid beneath the covers and placed her head on the one soft pillow he had, yawning once more. Now that she had a plan, and a good one at that, her mind was ready to rest.
Kat O’Malley may not be a lady, but she could play the role of one much better than she had played the lad. And, as far as she was concerned, her brother’s life depended on it.
Why was he allowing Kat to control him? The ship was in order and the last meal had been served, yet while his men readied themselves for bed, Juan hovered outside his own cabin, afraid that when he opened the door, she would come at him hissing and claws out, like a stray cat.
He held a plate of pork, potatoes, and carrots for her. Fresh food was short lived on any ship, so the first meal was always the best and it only felt right to send her a peace offering in the form of a savory meal.
After all, as much as the señorita distressed him to no end, he had spent the entirety of the day contemplating what to do about her and, no matter how he dissected the situation, the truth remained that he was stuck with her for the time being and well after the journey ended, with her being Tomas’ sister. It was best to force a grin and do his best to remember the manners he had been taught in Spain… the manners of royalty.
Knocking on his own cabin door, Juan fought back the ire he felt at having to in the first place, once more forcing his smile. “Kat? I brought you a meal.” Waiting for a few moments, he realized she was either sleeping or lying in wait to gut him. Either way, he had to enter to find out.
Opening the door slowly, Juan peeked inside carefully. How did this wee lass have the fecking Beast of the Bay peeking around corners? This was his ship and she was in his cabin, by the devil! Taking a breath, he remembered to be calm with her.
“Kat?” Not seeing any sign of fangs or claws, Juan decided it was safe enough to enter his own quarters. A single wall candle flickered near the bed and he saw her form beneath the sheets, red hair sprawled across his pillow.