Harlequin Historical September 2014 - Bundle 2 of 2: Lord Havelock's List\Saved by the Viking Warrior\The Pirate Hunter (52 page)

Mia felt as though she'd been punched in her stomach.

‘How old was he?' she asked quietly.

‘Seven.'

She took the grieving mother in her arms and hugged her, allowing the tears to stream from her own eyes, mourning for a little boy she'd never met.

‘I buried my only child yesterday,' the woman said eventually. ‘What kind of animal shoots a defenceless seven-year-old?'

Mia didn't have an answer for her. Instead she tried to convey her support and sympathy, knowing that nothing she could say would ever even begin to make up for her loss.

‘Can we take you anywhere?' she asked, motioning over to the other side of the square where Will was waiting with the horse.

The woman shook her head. ‘I feel closer to Roger here. I don't want to leave.'

‘Will your neighbours return?'

She shrugged, looking as though she didn't care if she was the only one left in Savanna-la-Mar.

‘Will you let me help you?' Mia motioned to the stain the woman was trying to clean off the front of the house. As she offered she realised it was the splatter of blood from where Roger had been shot.

Silently the woman nodded, allowing Mia to lead her into the house and sit her at the table. Once she was back outside Mia began scrubbing the wood, trying to get rid of the terrible reminder of the pirate raid. As she cleaned she knew her mind was made up. Jorge was her brother and she had loved him, but she couldn't continue to protect a man who allowed a seven-year-old to be shot for no reason at all. This poor woman's life had been ruined and Roger would never get the chance to live his. Mia knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she didn't do everything in her power to help Will find her brother and bring him to justice. If she didn't, it would almost be like she was killing little Roger herself.

Chapter Six

T
he evening was balmy, a tropical heat that made even the idea of sleep impossible for Will. He'd been sitting at the small desk in his cabin for well over three hours, studying the maps and the accounts of the sightings of Jorge Del Torres and
The Flaming Dragon
. He was trying to piece it together, trying to make a pattern, but so far he was failing. He supposed Del Torres might not follow a pattern. He might randomly sail from cove to port, terrorising merchant ships in between. Will doubted it though. Del Torres had evaded the Navy for years now. He had to have more of a plan than aimlessly sailing around the Caribbean as some pirates seemed to.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He was tired and hot and wasn't concentrating properly. He needed a break.

‘Just a few minutes,' he muttered to himself.

Will stood and groaned as he stretched the stiff muscles in his legs and lower back. He was a man of action, much happier in the saddle or chasing after fleeing pirates. He had gone to university more because it was expected than because of any real desire on his part, and he'd got his degree, but he'd been much more interested in the extracurricular activities. His father had paid his expenses and insisted his son get a good education. The man had been different to many of his peers' fathers; he'd wanted Will to have the same chances as his brother even though he was the second son and not the heir.

Well, not the heir at the time. Of course things were different now Richard was dead.

He flung open the door of his cabin and decided to take a stroll on deck. The ship might be small, but a few laps in the humid air might revive him a little at least.

‘Evening, Mr Greenacre,' Ed Redding, the First Mate, greeted him as he emerged from below decks.

‘How are things?' Will asked.

‘Making good progress. You have an exact destination in mind yet?'

Will grimaced. He'd instructed the Captain to sail for St Lucia. It was an island he knew had numerous secluded coves a ship could shelter in quite happily without being observed. But they couldn't just sail from cove to cove on each island. That wouldn't get them anywhere. He needed a brainwave, or some insight into how the men on
The Flaming Dragon
thought.

‘Not yet,' Will said.

‘Are you looking for Miss Del Torres?' Redding asked. ‘She's sitting at the prow.'

Will nodded and moved towards the front of the ship. It hadn't been his intention to seek Mia out; he'd assumed she would be asleep by now, but he wouldn't mind her company for a while.

She was perched on the wooden rail right at the front of the ship. She'd let her hair down and it was flying behind her, whipped by the wind. She looked so delicate and fragile sitting there that Will wanted to reach out and fold her in his arms.

‘Mia,' he said quietly so he wouldn't startle her. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall into the churning sea.

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him.

‘Join me,' she said after a few seconds. She patted a space on the rail beside her.

Will carefully climbed over and perched on the wooden bar. It was quite a precarious position, but he could see why she'd chosen it. With nothing but sea in front and below you could almost believe you were floating over the water.

‘I thought you would be in bed,' Will said after a few minutes had passed in silence.

‘No,' Mia said.

He sensed she didn't want to talk straight away so he stayed quiet. He wondered if she was still thinking about their trip to Savanna-la-Mar. She hadn't told him exactly what happened when she had gone to talk to the crying woman, but he could more or less guess. She'd been contemplative and quiet ever since.

Will could feel the salty sting of the spray on his skin and felt invigorated. After hours of sitting in his cabin this was what he needed.

‘How are things going?' Mia asked eventually. ‘With your maps, I mean.'

Will shook his head, ‘Not well. I can't work out any pattern, any way of predicting where your brother will go next.'

‘Maybe you're looking at it wrong,' Mia suggested. She glanced at him, a small smile on her lips. Will felt a frisson of excitement dart through him at her smile and had to stop himself leaning over and tracing the contour of her lips with his fingers.

‘I've got no doubt I'm looking at it wrong. Otherwise I'd be making at least a little progress.'

‘Maybe I could help.'

‘I would love your help,' Will said slowly. ‘It's just...'

She looked at him quizzically, then her face fell.

‘You're worried I might send us on a wild goose chase trying to protect my brother.'

Will knew it was ridiculous as soon as she said it, but it had been exactly what he'd been thinking.

‘Even you,' Mia said quietly. ‘Even you are so quick to condemn me because of who my brother is.'

‘I didn't mean that, Mia.'

‘I've never done anything to hurt anyone. I may have had to steal when I was a child, but I've never committed a crime as an adult. Yet still everyone thinks I'm a criminal.'

‘Mia, I didn't mean anything by it. It was a stupid comment.'

She looked into the distance and Will could see her jaw clenching and the small muscles of her face flicking as she pressed her teeth closer together.

‘Fine. Do it on your own,' Mia said eventually. ‘See how far you get.'

Will edged closer to her. He wanted to reach out and touch her, but he was very aware of the big drop to the sea below. He didn't want to startle her into falling off.

‘I just meant he's family. Jorge is the only one you've got. I'd imagine it would be pretty tough helping me catch him.'

Mia turned to look at him again. Her jaw had relaxed, but her expression was sad.

‘Jorge is my only family,' she said quietly. ‘He's the only person in the world who actually cares a little bit about me. But I told you earlier I know what he's doing is wrong.'

Will sat quietly, he wanted her to vent all of her anger and sadness.

‘And if I sit by and do nothing whilst he's hurting other people, that makes me as bad as him.'

‘No,' Will said, ‘that's not true.'

‘That's how it would feel.' She paused. ‘Earlier today, when I heard how that young boy had been killed, I knew I had to stop Jorge. He's out of control and, if he condones the killing of children, he's not the brother I once loved any more.'

Will reached out and took her hand gently. Mia jumped a little as his skin connected with hers, but she didn't pull away.

‘Fine,' he said, ‘I'm sorry. I know you wouldn't lie to me to lead me down the wrong route. It was a stupid thing to say, insensitive.'

Mia looked at him for ten long seconds, then nodded. Will felt like she'd looked deep into his soul. He hoped she hadn't found him wanting.

‘So what do you suggest?' he asked.

‘Five more minutes,' Mia said, ‘then we'll go and have a look at your maps and charts.'

He could give her five minutes. Mia had turned away from him again and was looking out into the darkness. He wondered what it was she was looking for, but didn't want to disturb her thoughts. Instead he closed his eyes and enjoyed the sound of the calm sea lapping against the ship.

Mia's hand was still underneath his and he enjoyed the physical contact. It had been a long time since he'd been with a woman. Ever since his brother had died he'd been on a one-man crusade to avenge him. Hopefully soon his efforts would be rewarded. He wondered what he would do once he'd found the men responsible for Richard's death. He'd been on the move for so long he didn't know if he could settle into the role of English lord and landowner.

He glanced again at Mia. Maybe settling down wouldn't be so bad with a good woman by his side.

He almost laughed at himself for the absurdity of the thought. It was wrong on so many levels. He didn't even like Mia like that.

He did find her attractive. She was a kind and caring person. And she made him laugh. But they'd been thrown together in the most ridiculous of circumstances. They were from different worlds in more respects than one. If that wasn't enough in itself, when this was all over Mia would be in mourning for the man he'd sent to the gallows. Add to that the fact that he wasn't used to sharing his life with anyone, the whole idea was preposterous.

No, certainly not a good idea. That didn't have to stop him from imagining what was beneath her rather tightly laced bodice.

‘Shall we?' Mia asked.

Will hoped she hadn't seen where he was looking.

He swung his legs over the wooden bar and held out his hand to help her over. Gracefully she hopped back down to deck and took his arm as they walked back to the stairs leading to the cabins.

‘Right,' Mia said as she flopped down on to his bed, looking much more comfortable than the last time she'd been there, ‘where shall we start?'

Will resisted the urge to sit beside her; he was feeling distracted enough as it was.

‘Well, this is us,' Will said, unrolling a large map of the Caribbean. He pointed out the approximate location of their ship. ‘And I've instructed the Captain to make for St Lucia.'

‘Why?' Mia asked.

Will ran a hand through his hair, ‘Best guess,' he said eventually.

‘So what else do we know?'

He reached behind him and picked up some papers from his desk.

‘I've got a whole list of alleged sightings of
The Flaming Dragon
from the past six months.'

‘Good. Why don't we put those on the map? I'm always much better with a visual representation.'

Will frowned. He didn't have a clue what she wanted him to do.

Mia sighed. ‘Wait here,' she said and bounded out of the cabin.

He didn't exactly have anywhere else to go. A minute later Mia was back holding an assortment of hairpins in her hand.

‘Okay, what type of sightings do we have?' Mia asked.

‘What?' He had no idea where she was going with this. And he was rather distracted as she squeezed past him and flopped back down on the bed.

‘What type of sightings?' she repeated, slower this time, as if speaking to a halfwit. ‘You know, attack on another ship, raid on a town...'

‘We've got six confirmed attacks by
The Flaming Dragon
on merchant ships. Three raids of small towns. Three supposed sightings in ports and one Naval chase.'

‘Let's start with the attacks,' Mia said, taking over.

‘Okay.' Will was unsure what she wanted him to do.

‘Where and when was the first one?'

‘February fifteenth. Six miles south of Basseterre.'

Mia took one of the hair pins with a red end and stuck it into the map.

‘Next.'

‘March twentieth. Ten miles south of Puerto Rico.'

‘Next.'

‘April twenty-fourth. Forty miles west of St Lucia.'

‘Next.'

‘May thirtieth. Twelve miles east of St Kitts.'

‘Next.'

‘July fourth. In the middle of the Greater Antilles strait between Haiti and Jamaica.'

‘Next.'

‘August eighth. Fourteen miles south of Puerto Rico.

‘Right,' Mia said sitting back to admire her handiwork. ‘Let's move on to the raids.'

‘March tenth, Road Town, Tortola, and July twentieth, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic...' He paused. ‘And August thirtieth. Savanna-la-Mar.'

Mia took three pins topped with a fake pearl and stuck them into the map. A picture was forming. It didn't make any sense at the moment, but Will had to admit it was easier to picture the route of
The Flaming Dragon
when it was laid out on the map like this.

‘Right, how about the Naval chase?' Mia asked.

‘That was on June the first. The Navy sighted
The Dragon
close to the island of St Martin and gave chase east before losing her somewhere near Puerto Rico.'

Mia stuck a plain hairpin in at the location of the start of the chase and where the Navy had lost them.

‘So just the random sightings left.'

He recited the dates and locations and Mia stuck the last pins into the map. When they had finished she inched up the bed and admired her handiwork. With her head tilted to the side she looked so pensive Will didn't want to disturb whatever thoughts were running through her head.

‘Clever boy,' she murmured.

‘Excuse me?'

‘I'm not talking about you,' Mia said, still staring at the map.

‘Your brother?'

She nodded her head.

‘Come over here.' She patted a space on the bed beside her.

Will moved slowly. He was aware of how close they would be sitting, and tonight Mia was affecting him in a rather strange way.

‘Come on,' she repeated impatiently.

He sat down beside her. They were so close their thighs were touching. Mia had tucked her feet up underneath her again and Will knew if he looped his arm around her waist she would be in his lap in a second, two at the most. He felt the blood start to pulsate in his temples. His hand brushed against her arm and he felt the thrill of such close contact.

‘Look at this,' Mia said, leaning over the map. As she leaned forward Will found himself looking at the mounds of her breasts rather than the map.

‘You're not looking,' Mia said, her voice an octave higher than usual.

‘I am looking,' Will murmured, his eyes moving up her body to her face.

He knew he had to have her. It didn't matter that it wasn't a good idea. It didn't matter that their relationship would never work out in the real world. Will couldn't think straight. All he could see and feel and smell was Mia. It was as if she'd taken over every one of his senses and he just needed to devour her.