Читать книгу Seducer - Kayla Gray - Страница 10

Captain Angel swung his legs over the railing of the larger merchant ship, landing solidly on the spotless deck. The Oxford had surrendered without a single shot being fired. He was pleased to keep his perfect record intact.

The rumors that had started before he’d taken his first ship had been instrumental in creating an adequate fear of the pirate known as Angel. It didn’t matter to him that people called him a pirate. His loyalty to his country was what mattered, and if as a pirate he could help America gain her freedom, then that’s what he would call himself.

“McKinney, take ten men into the hold,” Angel said. Then, to others, he ordered, “Secure the ship. Check all the cabins. Henry, you and Rawley take three men and round up the crew. Shoot anyone who resists. I want every English carcass on deck in five minutes. Go!”

Sailors scattered to do Angel’s bidding, while some of the Oxford’s crew gathered under the mast talking in hushed, worried whispers.

“Cap’n Angel, this here’s Cap’n O’Brian,” one of the sailors stated, shoving the tall man forward.

“O’Brian,” Angel repeated the name with contempt. “What am I going to find on this ship that might anger me?” he asked, watching O’Brian’s eyes bulge.

“The Oxford is a merchantman. I—”

“Very well. With each lie I’m going to exact payment. For the first lie it will be your right hand. Your left hand for the second lie, and then I’ll move to your legs, below the knee.”

O’Brian blanched white. “If I come forward with the information, would you consider sparing my crew?”

“Don’t trifle with me, Captain,” Angel said, lifting his sword to press the edge firmly against O’Brian’s throat.

“I have guns. And six cannon. Shot…and a dozen kegs of powder. You can have them all.”

“Oh, I know I can have them all,” Angel replied. “Well, well, well. Good old merchant O’Brian is carrying weapons for the British,” he sneered. “I should cut you down right here and let you bleed out on the deck of your fine English ship. Tory swine.”

“England is your sovereign, too. You Colonials would be nothing without England. You would have all died out in this pitiful wilderness a hundred years ago without our protection…our money to back you…our trade. How dare you treat us this way now!”

“Captain, please,” begged one of the Oxford’s men.

“Don’t say any more, Captain,” pleaded another.

“What do you know? O’Brian is a man, after all. There’s a rumor going around that you Loyalists are all eunuchs, castrated by the king himself. But not you, O’Brian. You can still speak for yourself, can’t you?”

Angel pushed forward, forcing the captain back as the tip of the sword blade nicked the man’s bearded neck. O’Brian turned red-faced, his eyes as round as moons. He obviously believed he was about to be skewered for his rant.

“I think we should all be able to speak for ourselves. And that is precisely why I dare, Captain O’Brian. I dare because I believe in freedom for this fine country of mine. What do you say to that?”

“Your fine country? Why, you’re nothing more than a pirate. You’ll be hanged by your country the moment you’re caught,” the captain sniffed.

“Enough! I tire of your speeches and my sword is thirsting for English blood,” Angel said, drawing back his sword.

The low murmurs of the men gathered on the deck ceased as they waited for the blow to fall. Some lowered their heads, while others crossed themselves, their faces showing the fear of men about to die. Captain O’Brian was trying to face death bravely, though he was visibly shaking.

“Captain Angel!”

“What is it?” Angel turned to McKinney, whose whiskered cheeks were flushed as red as the hair that covered them.

“There’s women on board, sir,” he said into his captain’s ear.

Angel pulled back. That was not something he expected to hear.

“Aye. Two of ’em. Below. One of ’em says she’s the fiancée of Hugh Davis, Captain.”

“What did you say?”

“You heard me right, Angel. What do you want me to do with them?”

“Leave the women be, pirate! I promised to see them safely home. They are under my care,” said Captain O’Brian.

“It looks like today you’re going to be breaking your promise, old boy,” Angel replied, walking away. “Bind him and the others. Have someone report to me on the progress below. I want to be out of here in an hour.”

“Aye, sir. The women?” McKinney asked.

“I’ll take care of them myself,” Angel said, heading toward the hatch.

Madelaine heard resolute footfalls coming down the passageway and gestured to Olivia to sit in a chair. “Someone’s coming. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Are you?” Olivia said, sitting down and blowing out a deep breath.

“I’ll be fine. Now, remember. You’re my maid. Try to be meek.” Madelaine tried to smile and hoped her friend didn’t see her lip quivering.

“You look lovely in my dress. We must make sure to make you a dress in just that color,” Olivia said. Her face was a pale shade of gray and her voice was breathy with fear.

Just then the door crashed against the opposite wall and a tall, black-clad figure filled the opening. The man would have been intimidating in his size alone, but his face was largely hidden by a full black beard and mask, giving him the appearance of a demon. He leaned casually against the doorjamb, crossing his thick arms over the wall of his massive chest.

“Good afternoon, ladies. Captain Angel at your service.”

Neither woman spoke. Madelaine had to swallow the lump in her throat. She feared Olivia might outright faint from the sheer menace the pirate exuded. He studied Madelaine with intense blue eyes that seemed to burn through her clothes to her very soul. He would know she was lying. No, now was not the time for thoughts of failure. One look at Olivia’s terrified face reminded her that she had to get hold of herself and act her part.

“Take what you want, Captain Angel, and leave us in peace.” She planted her hands on her hips, feigning a haughty indifference she could barely maintain.

The influence of his strength pervaded the cabin, leaving scarcely enough room for her to draw breath. Then to make matters worse, his sapphire gaze raked slowly over her body, sending a shiver of apprehension up her spine. Her skin tingled as if he had actually caressed her in the very places his eyes freely roamed.

“If I took what I want from you, my beauty, I daresay you would feel no peace afterward,” he said. “Unless you aren’t a lady, after all,” he added insultingly.

Madelaine forced her chin up a notch. She knew her upper lip was trembling and hoped he wouldn’t notice. She longed to avoid contact with those smoldering eyes that threatened to devour her, but she refused to let him see how he affected her. “I am a passenger on this ship. I care nothing about your business here, so be done with it and be on your way.”

“I think you’ll care about my business when you find out what that is, Miss…”

“I will not be sharing my name with you, Captain Angel. If you would like use of this cabin, I’ll take my maid and we’ll be out of your way.”

“You’re not in my way. Not at all,” he said, coming into the room and closing the door. “In fact, it would please me for you to stay right where you are.”

He pulled out a chair and sat down, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Madelaine didn’t trust his casual demeanor one bit. Muscles strained against the tanned skin of his crossed arms and bulged against the black material covering his thighs. He had a positively predatory look about him and she felt frozen where she stood. But why? He was just a man like all the others with whom she’d had unfortunate dealings.

“You have the look of a woman about to be married. Is that true?” he asked, regarding Madelaine harshly.

Her throat went dry.

Olivia gasped audibly.

“Ah, then it is true,” he said, his lazy smile mostly hidden behind his facial hair.

She swallowed and dug her thumbnail into her opposite hand to release her from the power of his mere presence. “And if I don’t arrive home precisely when I’m expected, my fiancé will send his entire fleet of ships after me,” she bluffed.

“That would suit me fine. But surely Hugh didn’t tell you he had a fleet of ships, did he? Last I heard, it was one ship. The Elizabeth.” He sneered the name through his perfectly white, gritted teeth.

“How do you know—?” Olivia gasped.

Madelaine spun around and gave her a warning look, then turned back to their unwelcome guest.

“You know the man I intend to marry?” Madelaine asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“I don’t answer questions,” he said with authority.

“If you know of him, then you know what he’ll do to you if you hurt us.”

Captain Angel laughed, the covered corners of his mouth lifting, softening the hard light in his blue eyes. Madelaine thought she glimpsed a flash of something that might make him handsome. It was hard to tell much with the thick facial hair hiding his features. But his cool smile quickly disappeared and his appeal along with it.

“He would pay anything for the safe return of my mistress,” Olivia squeaked from behind Madelaine.

Madelaine cringed. She had hoped not to offer the option to the pirate unless it seemed all other avenues of escape were closed. From the look of disdain in his eye, those options were indeed gone.

“Really? And tell me, miss, how much would your fiancé pay to get you back? A farthing? Two? More? A shilling?”

“Perhaps the women you know are worth such a paltry sum, but I would expect that from someone like you. If you wish to know what a true man would pay for his love, I suppose you would have to ask him yourself.”

“Now that is a grand idea. And precisely what I intend to do. Now, be a good girl and come along with me.”

“No!” Olivia cried out at the same time Madelaine told him no. Olivia quickly clapped her hand over her mouth and fell silent, though her eyes were filled with terror.

A sailor appeared in the doorway, reporting on the progress of transporting cargo from the Oxford.

“Very good,” Captain Angel said, gesturing for the sailor to remain where he stood. “What is your name, girl?”

Olivia jumped at the pirate’s sudden attention on her, then answered in nervous haste, “Olivia.”

Madelaine felt her heart drop. If the pirate knew the name of Hugh’s fiancée, he’d know they’d tricked him.

“Obedient. I like that. Take Olivia on deck. Bind her hands like the others.”

“And this one?”

“This one’s coming with us.”

“Aye, Cap’n,” the sailor said, pulling Olivia to her feet.

“It’s going to be all right. I promise. I won’t leave here without you,” Madelaine whispered. Olivia grasped at Madelaine in fear before being pulled out the door.

“Your maid means a lot to you. But you do know she won’t be coming with us. One of you is bad enough, but two troublesome women would be more nuisance than you’re worth.”

“We wouldn’t be a nuisance if you would leave us be,” Madelaine said, trying not to shout. She had the overwhelming urge to run after Olivia, but he must have sensed her intention and moved slightly to block the door. It was hardly necessary. She was in no way a match for him, and he damn well knew it. Even so, his expression hinted at how much he would enjoy a fight from her. She would never give him the satisfaction. For now, she would have to proceed by his rules.

“I will come with you, Captain, but you must allow me to bring my maid. If you deny me, I promise you will know the true meaning of trouble.”

He took a step closer, forcing her to tip her head back to look him in the eye. Despite her instinct, she didn’t back up even a step. She stood her ground and waited for his anger to explode. Instead of hitting her, or shouting at her, he laughed.

A deep, gritty, purely masculine sound of pleasure. It took Madelaine quite by surprise. She remained still, watching his features closely. There was something odd about the beard. His personality seemed as large as the man himself, but it was all hidden behind the wiry, dark beard. She looked closer and held in her gasp as she realized the hair was fake. He was simply hiding his identity. As she stared at his face, wondering what he looked like under the disguise, he lowered his dark head to whisper in her ear.

“While I’m sure you know how to get your way with Hugh, my sweet, I must tell you, he and I are nothing alike.”

She shoved at his chest, but he caught her wrists and pulled them behind her back. He bent down close to her, making it impossible to disregard the perfect angles of his face, his straight nose and white, even teeth.

“Don’t threaten me again. Threats make me angry and you won’t like me angry.”

Madelaine swallowed, the dispassionate warning in his voice reminding her that despite his good looks, he was no different from any of the brutish men she had come up against before.

Still, it was difficult to ignore the warmth of the long fingers that captured her wrists. He held her in a firm grip, but not cruelly. The smell of him filled her nose: the exhilarating scents of citrus, ocean air and tobacco.

What was wrong with her? The man was a pirate. He was about to take her and hold her for a ransom that would never come. She had to pull herself together and think about things that really mattered.

“Now, I can’t keep calling you ‘Hugh’s fiancée.’ What’s your name?”

“You don’t know that, too?” she snapped, trying to wrench free of his grip. “This is indecent. Let me go and I’ll tell you.”

“You’ll tell me this instant. Or things will get much more indecent,” he growled.

“Madelaine,” she said through gritted teeth. She had to use her real name, since Olivia had given hers, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember Olivia’s last name. She had to know it in order for the pirate to demand ransom.

“Very good, Madelaine. Now, let’s get you out of here and settled on the Sea Ghost. You’re going to be my guest for a while.”

“Actually, I’d rather not, if you don’t mind,” she said, still trying to twist out of his grasp.

“But I do mind, Madelaine,” he said, grinning wickedly. He let go of her wrists, took her hand and led her out the door and down the corridor.

“Since I have no choice in the matter, the least you can do is allow me my maid,” she said. “Hugh will pay extra for her,” she added in a rush.

Captain Angel turned to look at her, an odd expression on his face. “Do you really believe that? Or are you lying to get your way?”

“I…I believe that, of course,” she said, trying to sound indignant. “Hugh loves me and would want me to have the companionship of my maid in such a terrifying circumstance.”

“You don’t seem terrified to me. You seem to be quite courageous, as a matter of fact.”

“Well, I’m not,” she insisted, placing her free hand on her hip. “I’m just determined that you bring Olivia with us. She’s very fragile—her health is poor. She won’t survive without me, I just know it.”

“You’re rambling, my beauty. Your maid looked hale and healthy to me.”

Madelaine groaned. “What about my reputation? You have to consider what this could do to me,” she tried. “Hugh may decide not to marry me if he knows I’m alone on a pirate ship. He may not even pay my ransom if he thinks there could be a scandal.”

“And you love this man? A man who would discard you so easily?”

“I…of course.” She nodded, knowing she’d talked herself into a corner. She shut her mouth, praying she had said enough to convince him to let her have Olivia.

“Hmm, I wonder,” Captain Angel replied, turning to regard her with suspicion in his eyes. “You don’t behave like a woman in love.”

“And I suppose you know how a woman in love behaves,” Madelaine replied sarcastically. The ironic truth was that she didn’t know what love felt like and his observation was more painful than she would have thought possible.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he advanced on her, a determined, nearly predatory look in his eyes. She backed up a step, deeper into the shadows of the passageway, feeling panicked. In a desperate attempt to distract him, Madelaine grabbed the beard and pulled hard. The disguise came off easily, and she tossed it aside and spun around to run.

But the pirate didn’t so much as flinch. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back, trapping her easily against the wall. With his face exposed to her now, she found herself mesmerized. The man truly was an angel—at least to behold. His face was magnificent, his jawline strong and angled to perfection. A heavy pulse throbbed there, and she assumed his scowl was due to her unmasking him. Almost casually, he braced his long legs wide, on either side of her, his body barely an inch from hers. She bit her lip and lifted her chin, waiting for him to strike her. Instead, he braced his hands on the wall on either side of her shoulders and brought his face toward her until he was a scant breath away.

As if he was going to kiss her.

Instead of feeling repulsed, as she had with Geoffrey, Madelaine felt a strange exhilaration that made her tremble. She found herself holding her breath, waiting. Waiting for him to claim her lips. Her heart beat wildly in her chest and a heat began to swirl and spread from her belly down deep into her core. Never had a man made her feel such a stirring thrill—such an eager anticipation of being touched.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer. And he made no further move to touch her. But his deep blue eyes raked over her intimately before they filled with cruel light. Suddenly she realized her lips were parted, her head tilted up, practically inviting him to ravish her. And from the look on his face, he realized it, too.

He laughed contemptuously and she felt her face flame with the heat of her shame. She hurled a very unladylike curse at him and shoved at his chest, but it was like trying to move a marble statue.

“Such language from a happily engaged young lady. You’d better not let Hugh hear you talk like that. Appearances are important to him. He won’t like knowing his future wife speaks like…a pirate.”

“Get away from me, you blackguard. What do you think you’re trying to prove, anyway?”

“That you don’t love Hugh,” he said pointedly.

“How…how dare you,” she sputtered. “You know nothing about me.”

Alarm spread through her as she nearly tripped over his boots in her rush to get away from him. Was he guessing? Did he sense the truth? Did he know she wasn’t Hugh’s fiancée? She had to find Olivia fast.

His deep chuckle filled the space behind her as he followed her up the ladder and into the bright afternoon sunshine.