Seduced (28 page)

“—this is not a request.”

Letty sat bound to a rickety chair in a cold, dank and dirty room. In the flickering light of a candle placed halfway across the chamber, she could make out tables, chairs, even a bar. It was obviously some kind of gathering place.

Or a latrine. She wrinkled her nose at the vile odors around her. The place made Jack’s lair look like a palace, and for a moment she longed to be there with him.

But she wasn’t. No, she was with Madman O’Malley now.

She had been alone in this vast room for a very long time. In fact, she hadn’t seen anyone for what she guessed was about two hours. Not since O’Malley had tied her down and slashed a lock of hair from her head with a wicked-looking curved blade.

At least he hadn’t cut her throat. Yet.

She squeezed her eyes shut, but a few tears still slipped through, running down her cheeks as fear gripped her. Fear for herself, of course. She had looked into the eyes of the man they called Madman and she’d seen the truth in that nickname. There was no doubt he would hurt her. Kill her. Just for sport, not to mention because it would hurt Jack.

She was also terrified for Griffin, who had foolishly put himself in the middle of this chaos. O’Malley had dragged him along when they returned here. Her brother hadn’t fought, but she could see Griffin knew what a mistake he’d made. What remained to be seen was what he would do about it. She was furious with Griffin, but she didn’t want to see him injured or murdered because of his childishness.

Of course, most of her panic was because of Jack. Madman had made it clear he intended to kill the man she loved. And he would use her to get to him. Just as Jack had feared.

“Why didn’t I listen?” she murmured as she bent her head to her chest and let a few more tears fall.

The door across the room opened, slamming against the wall behind it, and she straightened, preparing herself to face whatever would come next. Madman strode through the door, certain, smiling a half-toothless grin that made his scarred face even more petrifying.

Behind him came her brother
, lantern swinging in his hand.
Griffin slinked past her, refusing to look at Letty even when she held her gaze steady on him. He lit the fire and other lamps around the room in silence.

Her heart sank. It seemed Griffin had chosen his side.

O’Malley approached her as the light in the room grew brighter and leaned in, catching her cheeks his rough hand and squeezing until the pain was sharp. “Wot does he want with you, little one?” he growled, his thick Irish accent almost undecipherable.

“Wh-who?” she stammered, determined not to give him any more information or ammunition than she already had.

He laughed as he shoved her face away and dragged a seat closer. He turned it around and sat facing her, draping his massive arms over the wooden chair back. “
Captain Jack
.”

She swallowed, weighing her options. It was impossible, for she didn’t know what O’Malley wanted from her, so it was difficult to guess how to best stymie him in his quest.

In the end, she decided to go with minimizing her relationship with Jack. She shrugged. “I’m using him, of course. And he’s using me. I slum in his bed, he gets money. It’s all meaningless.”

She saw Griffin turn away in the corner of the room, and she glared at him. This was no time for him to get squeamish when he’d caused all this.

Her attention was drawn back to O’Malley when he flipped his chair out of the way and moved toward her with a huge, broken grin. “Very interesting. If that’s so, luv, ’haps you’d like to try the same game with a real man.”

He grabbed for his crotch lewdly and Letty could see he was half hard already. Her stomach turned, and in a horrible moment she realized she could do nothing against the assault of a man twice her size and strength.

He reached for her as she drew a long breath, trying to center herself, trying to find a place she could take her mind where she would be disconnected from her body. But as he grabbed her, dragging her chair close, she heard her brother’s voice.

“Stop!”

O’Malley looked at her with a scowl. “Little brother is interferin’ where he don’t belong.” He spun on Griffin, and as he moved Letty caught her breath. Her brother had his gun out and was pointing it at O’Malley.

“Let her go now,” Griffin said, but his tone lacked strength or conviction. Letty could see his terror as clearly as she felt her own. But her heart still swelled with love for him. In the end, he would protect her rather than see her harmed.

O’Malley didn’t look impressed by the weapon pointed at his chest or the man who wielded it. “You shut yer mouth, boyo. You’ve done yer job.”

“My job never included handing my sister over to you,” Griffin said, his voice shaking.

“Don’t ya think so?” O’Malley said with a chuckle. “Don’t fool yerself, boy. I was always going to take everything that was Jack’s—including yer sister. And if yer smart, you’ll shut your mouth, let me do what I’m going to do and maybe, just maybe, I won’t kill you after. I might even let you shovel shit for me.”

Letty sucked in her breath as O’Malley slowly approached her brother. Griffin’s hand shook, and she prayed he would have the strength to pull the trigger. Of course, they wouldn’t make it out of here alive if he killed O’Malley. But at least they would fight. And at least O’Malley wouldn’t be able to hurt Jack.

But Griffin didn’t fire, and O’Malley reached out to wrench the gun from his grip. He turned it in his hand and slammed Griffin across the cheek with it, sending her brother flying across the room and into the wall, where he crumpled, staring up at his attacker in fear and confusion.

“Please, don’t!” she screamed as O’Malley turned the gun again and this time leveled it on her helpless brother.

But before he could fire, there was a rap on the door. O’Malley didn’t move the gun but shouted, “Wot?”

“Captain Jack is here, Madman,” came a weak voice from behind the door. “And he’s got his brother with him.”

O’Malley’s eyes lit up as he spun back to Letty. “Two Blackwoods for the price of one. Excellent. We’ll be back, luscious Letty. And I’ll let yer lover and yer brother see what I intend to do with you ’afore I end their lives. It’ll be a party, indeed.”

He exited the room, but she heard him shout as he left, “Tie up the pup alongside the bitch.”

A man scuttled in as O’Malley’s footsteps exited down the hall and grabbed Griffin from his place on the floor. Her brother struggled, but the man hardly registered it as he flung him into another chair and tied him just as tightly as Letty had been bound. For a few moments the siblings stared at each other, and then Griffin began to weep.

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed. “I’m sorry, Letty.”

She nodded. “I know, love. But I don’t think sorry is going to save us. We can only hope the man you betrayed will. Jack is our only hope now.”

And Jack was walking straight into a deadly trap.

Jack watched as O’Malley’s men stripped War of his weapons. He felt them patting him, none too gently, to do the same to him, but all he could think about was Letty. He would have to play his cards perfectly if he wanted to get her out alive. Especially since it was just him and War here. He’d sent Condit back to Letitia’s cousins to see if any of the Woodleys could help. His own men were gathering, fulfilling plans that could only come to fruition once Letitia was safe.

O’Malley entered the room with a grin. Jack had never seen the man before, just drawings. They didn’t do him justice. Madman was tall and thickly muscled, with an ugly scar on his face and several teeth missing. He was a brute. A man not to be trifled with.

“We meet at last,” O’Malley drawled, his thick Irish brogue anything but lilting or pleasant to the ear. “It’s been too long comin’, Jack boy.”

Jack arched a brow, forcing the nonchalance that normally came so easily. “If you say so. I must admit, O’Malley, I hadn’t really given you a thought.”

“And that’s where ya failed,” O’Malley said with a scowl. “The devil you never see comin’ is the one who’ll shoot ya dead.”

“Then do it,” Jack said, opening his arms. “And be done with your games.”

O’Malley smiled once more. “Ah, you know that’d be too easy, now. We have a long day ahead of us, perhaps even a longer night if I’m havin’ fun.”

Jack lifted his chin. So he was to be tortured. If it came to that, he was ready. Pain was something one could master, at least to a point. He shot his brother a look and found War was stone-faced. Of course he would be. War had always been the silent muscle in their partnership so many years ago. Jack was the talker, the negotiator. Right now he had no idea what to say.

A fact that didn’t seem to bother O’Malley in the slightest. “I’m surprised you haven’t asked me where the Luscious Letty is.”

Jack took a small breath, trying to keep himself calm before he responded. The last thing he needed to do now was let O’Malley know how important Letitia was to him.

“Why would I care?” he asked with a shrug.

O’Malley gave a husky laugh, made smoky by hard living, and nodded. “You and the girl are of a mind. She also said you meant nothing to her. Even said she paid you to spread her legs.”

Jack tensed his jaw, but silently praised Letitia for being so willing to dismiss him. “Aye. A fine bargain, wouldn’t you agree?” he asked through clenched teeth.

“It would be, if I believed it.” O’Malley leaned in, and Jack scented whiskey on his breath. He’d been drinking already. That was a weakness Jack could exploit, perhaps. “But I don’t. I saw her eyes, Jackie. I see yours. She means something to you. Which is why you get to see.” He motioned to the other men in the room. “Bring ’em with me.”

Jack was grabbed from behind, but he didn’t struggle as he and War were maneuvered down a short hallway toward another room.

“See what?” he asked as they were shoved and prodded.

O’Malley turned on him with another of those loathsome grins. “See me have her. And then see me kill her brother. And then your brother. And then her. Because there’s only one way to dethrone a king, Jack. You know it as well as I do.”

Jack bit back his moan of pain, of fear, as they were led into the room. Across it, Letitia was tied to a chair, her brother tied to another beside her. They were guarded by a huge man who tipped his head to O’Malley as they entered.

She looked unharmed at present, though it was clear she had been crying. Jack breathed a sigh of relief at that, even though he knew it wouldn’t last if he couldn’t find some way to set her free.

“Jack,” she whispered, her brown eyes finding his, filled with relief at seeing him mixed with terror and guilt. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged, hoping to keep up the ruse that he didn’t give a damn about her. It was almost entirely impossible when he looked at her and saw what his presence in her life had done to her. But for him, she would be safe at her home living the life she deserved. Desperation mounted in him. He
had
to save her.

“Make the men comfortable, will you, boys?” O’Malley said. The men with War and Jack shoved them forward toward chairs near Letitia and Griffin as O’Malley moved toward her. “I’m more than ready to start the show.”

Letitia shook her head reflexively. Jack saw now that this man had already touched her. Not defiled her, perhaps, but threatened her with what was to come. She was terrified, even as she lifted her chin and tried to remain strong.

O’Malley pulled out a knife and held it up. Her lip trembled, but she didn’t recoil. “You remember this from earlier, don’t you, darlin’?” O’Malley asked. “But I’m gonna cut more than your hair with it when we’re done.”

He moved around behind her, and now Letitia tensed, her gaze finding Jack’s, as if to seek comfort. He held her stare, waiting for the slice he couldn’t stop. Waiting for her to bleed before him as she had in his dream from a few nights before. A prophecy, it seemed.

But instead of cutting her, O’Malley sliced the ropes that tied her to the chair. Letitia’s eyes widened and she jumped to her feet, making to move toward Jack. But O’Malley was quicker. He caught her around the waist and slammed her back into his chest, rotating his hips against her backside as she squirmed.