Authors: Sarah West
Passion's Tide (34 page)
“Pay attention now men, this is important
.
In less than ten hours we will drop sails and ride the current until we are parallel alongside l
a
Costa de Morte.” Logan pointed to a spot on the azure
waters of the map that was tacked to the wall in the orlop
.
“We will not be anchoring, however
.
Elijah, Pax, Deacon, Anton, Johnny, and Henry will row ashore and enter the village of Caión, where they will establish themselves as inconspicuous observers
.
They will have four d
ays to gather information that will assist us in bringing down Antonio Castaños Mendoza.”
“Why aren’t you goin’ with them?” Creed asked.
“I am too visible,” he replied
.
“Mendoza and his men know me, and posters of my face are plastered on every dock fro
m San Sebastian to
Puerto de Tarifa
.” The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile
.
“There’s quite a large sum on my head for anyone who manages to capture me alive and bring the
Imperial Shadow
to shore
.
I haven’t made many Spanish friends over the p
ast few years, especially among the seafaring smugglers.
“Eli is in charge of organizing the shore group, including delegating tasks and choo
sing a suitable meeting spot
.
But as he is also at risk of being recognized, he will spend much of his time ac
ting as runner between land and shore, bringing us the information we need.”
“What about the rest of us? How come they get to run around Spain
while we sit on our asses here on the boat?” Buck called out
.
“Tell me, how would it seem to the people of Caión if a large group of strangers all appeared at the same time?”
He scratched his beard
.
“Well, I suppose that would seem downright suspicious.”
“I think you’ve answered your own question then,” he said as he turned back to the group
.
“For anyone else w
ho is angered by the situation, know that if we successfully bring down Mendoza you can have a week of paid leave…” a cry arose from his men. “ … once we reach England.”
The cheering subsided and he dismissed them for the night, leading Amber back onto the deck
.
He closed his eyes to the cool air blowing across his face, and leaned back against the railing.
“Why are you giving them lea
ve in England, instead of Spain? I would think that Spain would better suit a pirate’s devilish nature.”
He smiled, his eyes still closed
.
“Luckily for everyone, you aren’t a pirate.”
He could hear the haughty tone in her voice as she replied, “
W
hat
do you mean by that?”
“My dear, if you were a pirate, neither I nor Mendoza would stand a chance against you
.
You’d contro
l the sea within six months.”
“Oh!” she laughed, pleased by his response
.
“I thought you meant—”
“I know what you thought
.
And know that I hold nothing but respect for you.” His eyes opened as he felt her soft body sidle up along his, causing him to har
den immediately.
“You’re sure that’s the only thing you hold for me?” she teased, her hands wandering to the obvious bulge in
his breeches.
“Hoyden,” he snarled as he grabbed her hands and brought his lips against hers with a punishing fury.
She chuckled as she pushed him back a step, only to tug him towards the cabin
.
“You may be right, but for tonight I’m
your
hoyden.”
The thought lingered in the back of his
mind
even as he shut the door behind them and all but ripped off her clothes, plunging in
to her with such intensity that she shuddered around him instantly
.
As he worked towards his own climax it continued to nag him, and even afterwards when she fell into a deep sleep in his arms, he couldn’t shake it from his mind.
He couldn’t deny that she heated his blood, but there was something else about her that tugged at his heartstrings
.
He knew that he needed her for more than tonight, as she had carelessly mentioned, but he had no idea what to do about it.
A full forty-eight hours had passed before Eli returned to the ship with news
.
Amber was sitting at the table in Logan’s cabin, puzzling over a chessboard and trying to capture his knight when Noah announced his arrival
.
Logan pulled out a chair for his friend, who entered in a rush and coll
apsed into it with a grateful sigh.
“It took me a damn hour to get out here,” he complained as he accepted the glass
of rum Amber poured for him.
“It will be far easier going back, as you can just let the tide carry you to shore
.
Now tell us, how is eve
rything going?” He picked up his bishop and knocked Amber’s pawn off the board.
“As well as we could have hoped
,” Eli returned
.
“We settled in without complications, and as far as I know we have not been recognized
.
The men spent their nights in the
central pubs around town, listening for any news of Mendoza.”
“And?” Amber pried, leaning across the table.
“
Nothing of importance, yet
.
We’ve identified several of his men and we are hoping one of them will lead us to him, but so far no hints as to the
location of the
Negro Rosa
or it
s Captain.”
Amber collapsed backwards with a sigh of disappointment, but Logan seemed unperturbed by the lack of progress
.
He commended Eli for
having done
a good job, and bade him return the following day with more news
.
After he left, Logan turned his attention back to Amber
.
“What has you pouting now?” he asked, gesturing to the board to indicate that it was her move once again.
“I’m impatient.”
“That’s always been painfully obvious,” he noted as he watched her slide her rook to an empty square
.
“Anything else?”
She faltered before answering
.
“I had hoped to see Spain.”
He frowned. “I know you did, and I’m sorry if I misled you into thinking this was a vacation. But if we went ashore I’d be putting us both in danger. I’m too recognizable.”
“I see…” she murmured, watching him as he rubbed the stubble on his
jaw and contemplated his next move. “Did you shave this morning?” she asked suddenly as an idea struck her.
He looked up
.
“I haven’t gotten to it yet toda
y
.
Why?”
“Because, just maybe, you won’t be recognized if you don’t look like yourself.”
He pu
shed back his chair and stood to look in the mirror
.
“You may be on to something here.
Before
you get your hopes up
however
, we’d only be able to spend one night ashore, and we’d still need to be very careful. Even with a disguise we can’t risk drawing attention to ourselves. Perhaps if we stay on the outskirts of town we’d be safer, and close enough that Eli can reach us quickly with any news. But only for one night!”
“That’s all I need,” she promised him as she stretched up on her toes to kiss him
.
“What do you think?” Logan asked as he
scratched
the dark hair that now covered his face.
“Well, I don’t usually find beards attractive, but you may just be the exception.” She leaned back to survey his appearance
.
“It makes you look quite dashing.”
He grinned, a flash of white teeth beneath the shadow of hair
.
“Are you ready?” He scooped up the small satchel she had packed for their tri
p ashore
.
“Are you certain you want to do this? My feelings won’t be hurt if you’ve changed your mind and would rather stay here.” Her dark glare answered him
.
He sighed and shrugged into his blue waistcoat
.
“All right, let’s go.”
He opened the door and ran into Noah, who fell backward from the force of the impact
.
Logan extended a hand, the other
rubbing his now throbbing nose
.
“I’m sorry Captain, are you all right?”
“Fine,” he returned, pulling the flustered man to his feet
.
“
D
on’t worry
.
N
ow, did you have something you wanted to tell me? I assume that’s why…”
“Yes
, of course, my apologies again.”
“He was going to tell you the prodigal son has returned,” Eli announced as he stepped into view
.
“Or prodigal first mate, more accurately
.
And
I come bearing news.”
“Good,” Logan said as he brushed past him and threw the bag into the longboat
.
“You can tell us on the ride to shore.”
Elijah stood looking befuddled as Amber joined Logan at the side of the ship
.
They gave him an expect
ant look
.
“I’ve just come from there!”
“I’m aware it’s where y
ou just came from, and you can row back with us now, or do it by yourself later
.
Either way, we are leaving.” Eli grumbled and dragged his feet, but he climbed into the boat
.
Logan settl
ed beside him on the bench and handed him the second oar, which
Eli
laid across his lap as the boat was lowered down into the water
.
Together they untied the lines that held them to the
Imperial Shadow
,
signaled to the crew that they were ready, and began rowing
.
Eli broke the silence first.
“What’s with the beard?”
Logan shot his friend a glare
.
“I value my life a little too much to take a bullet from some vigilante who recognizes my face from the drawings posted all over the ports
.
S
ince we are going ashore, I figured it would be prudent to take any precautions necessary.”
“And why is it that you’re going ashore? I thought you made it clear that you were going to work from the ship.”
“He’s taking me because I asked,” said Amber, joining the conversation
.
“I’ve wanted to see Spain ever since I was a little girl and my father read me a book about the history of the Moors,
so I persuaded him to take me for a night
.
We are going to stay at an inn in Zorrizo.”
“Nice little town, not as
much
fun as the coast,” Eli remarked.
“That’s hardly the point. Now, what news did you have?”
“Oh that’s right, I had forgotten
.
Your beard is just so distracting
.
And manly
.
Do you know you look rather dashing?” Amber chuckled as Logan rolled hi
s eyes.
“I told him the
same
thing earlier.”
“Ladies, enough
.
Eli, please, continue.”
“We located Mendoza
,
H
e’s been staying at the Maravilla Inn, mostly laying low
.
He comes out of his room only to gamble and get more tequila
.
And,” he said, w
ith a pointed look at Logan, “to pick up a nueva señorita.”
“A different woman each night?” Logan asked in Spanish.
“Sí.”
“¿Por qué?”
They both turned to look at Amber, surprised at her question
.
“You speak Spanish?”
“Yes, as well as Latin and a bit of French
.
Why are men always so shocked to learn that a woman can study just as they can?” She shook her head
.
“They think they’re the only creatures
G
od graced with a brain.”
“I’m fairly certain that I’m offended by that comment.”
“Eli,” Logan whispered, “you’re not helping our side
.
Shut up.”
“
What
do all these women have in common?” Amber prodded, curious as ever.
“Well for one thing, most of them are married
.
He picks up lonely wives while their husbands are conducting business or
are
otherwise engaged
.
He plays the perfect Spanish host, promising to show them the most beautiful parts of the coast, and then he gets them drunk and seduces them.”
“Anything else?”
She didn’t miss the look Eli shared with Logan before he answered, “he has a certain taste for…redh
eads.”
Her head jerked up to meet Logan’s firm gaze
.
“Absolutely not
.
Whatever you are thinking, Amber, forget it
.
You are not getting involved.” She started talking at the same time as Eli, but he quickly cut them off
.
“Eno
ugh! I’m not putting her in danger, and that’s final
.
Eli, what else do we have on him?”
“Unfortunately that’s it
.
We’ve planted men outside the inn day and night but he doesn’t leave, and none of his men have led us to his ship
.
Even our own searches
of the coast haven’t turned
up
anything
.”
“Logan, I’ll do whatever I can to
—
” he held up his hand to stop her.
Amber watched in silence as Logan ground his teeth, at war with himself about what to do
.
Minutes passed
.
Finally he sighed
.
“I don’t like
this, but I must admit it is our best chance of catching him, and quick
.
But if we do it we must plan it thoroughly and carefully, I don’t want her in over her head.”
“I’ll be by her side the whole time, Logan.”
“Oh no you will not
.
You need to lay low,
and besides, you’re too obvious
.
I’ll watch her.”
“And you aren’t obvious? More people want you dead than me.”
Logan’s dark scowl silenced him
.
“I’ve had plenty
of
experience at keeping to the shadows
.
If I’m to let her embark on this foolhardy missio
n she is going to be within my sight at all times.”
“You don’t trust me? Thanks very much for the vote of confidence.”
“Don’t play the wounded victim, Amber
.
Y
ou know full well that I have
complete
faith in you
.
Regardless, if you’re do
ing it, you’re going to do it under my supervision.”
“So we aren’t going to Zorrizo?”
He sighed
.
“No, we are going to stay in Caión
.
God help us.”
