The Blue Diamond (The Razor's Edge Book 1) (10 page)

“I was there, remember?
So…these jewels have stayed locked away ever since?”

“I told you, we have to find
just the right buyer. Cass has been searching, and we’re so close. She reached
out to a few contacts back in Charles Towne, but they said there was no one
they would vouch for. They did, however, recommend someone in Boston. You can
find, or lose, anything in Boston these days, if you understand what I mean.”

 
“Why don’t you go put those back where you
found them, and we’ll just pretend we never had this little chat?” James said,
wrapping her up from behind and sweeping her sun-kissed light brown hair away
from her shoulder. “You’re the only jewel I want on this island.”

“James, no matter how I try
to figure this out, I still just don’t get it.”

“I think I may, if you’d put
those things away,” he whispered into her ear, as he nuzzled her bare neck and
chuckled.

“Maybe Blacksnake hasn’t a
clue we have these stones after all? You said it yourself. If he believed we
had them, he’d stop at nothing to get them, and he certainly wouldn’t have
waited this long to do it. And why take Ivory, when all he had to do was raid
us? There’s something else he wants. Of course, that still doesn’t explain why
the owners of the merchant ship haven’t come after us, either. I mean…if I had
stashed what appears to be thousands of dollars in diamonds on a ship that was
taken, I’d certainly look for them.”

“Brilliant, Ke. Just one of
the many reasons I love you.
 
But isn’t
it also possible that the captain was working on his own behalf?” he suggested,
turning her around gently and looking down into her eyes.

“Of course, but the captain
of a merchantman just doesn’t pick up a bag of diamonds and hop on his ship and
sail away. There’s more to this, and I want to know what it is,” Keara stated,
again being pulled into an embrace. “Brilliant, aye? And all this time I
thought it was because of my juicy bum,” she said with an infectious giggle.

“Oh, that’s right. Thanks
for reminding me,” he growled, picking her up and tossing her over his shoulder
again.
 
He rushed towards the bedroom.

“Wait!
 
The stones!” she cried out. He stopped and
backed up to the table. As she snatched the bag she said, “Carry on.”

Chapter
Eleven

Carbonale’s
Le Chat Noir
was at full sail, and the
favorable winds and fine weather were pushing her through the water as if she
were gliding on ice. Ivory was stored away in a small cabin which she believed
had been used for prisoners before. Even as cramped as it was, at least she had
a window, a chair, and a cot. There was a pitcher of water and a cup on a
shabby maple tea table, as well as a trunk that Zara packed for her containing
a shawl, fresh stockings, shoes and the dresses to choose from for court. She
decided to lie down and, perhaps if she was lucky, sleep a while to forget
where she was.

When she lay back on the cot,
she could clearly hear the rushing about and loud chatter around and above her
that almost gave her a sense of comfort. At least these were familiar
sounds—yet oddly, they brought to the surface the first day after the pirate
raid back in Charles Towne. As she drifted off, she settled into that memory,
since she believed anything that happened from that moment forward, she would
force herself to forget. As soon as she closed her eyes, she could feel herself
being pulled backwards in time to her kitchen table with Cass… and the as yet
unknown change of fate which was about to unfold.

* * * *

 
“You
know we’re not safe here anymore,” Cass said, once Miranda and Keara had fallen
asleep.

“I know,” Ivory replied,
staring at the battered oak table top and trying to come up with a solution.

“I’m sure the one who got
away is long back aboard that ship and has informed his mates of what
transpired here. They could be at our door at any moment, Ivory.
 
Ivory? Are you listening to me?”

“Yes!” she shouted in a
whisper. “For Christ’s sake, I’m trying to figure this out. Have you any
suggestions to offer?
  
Because I’m
getting the feeling this is all falling on me, and you three killed four of
them before I even arrived, if you recall.”

“And how many have you
killed prior?”

“What difference does that
make now?”

“It makes a hell of a
difference and don’t pretend it doesn’t. None of us wanted this. We did what we
had to do—what you taught us to do to protect ourselves.”

“And a damn fine job you
did, too. What do you think I’d have found had you not done what we rehearsed?
I’ll tell you exactly what would have happened, Cass.
 
You’d have all been raped, beaten, and left
for dead… or worse, dragged off in the night to their friends for more sport.
I’m proud of you all. I’m proud of us.”

“Well? What do we do now?”

“How much money have we
saved?”

“I’d have to check with
Miranda, but I’d say we have a couple hundred dollars. But we were going to use
that to move up North.”

“If we don’t get our asses
out of this, there won’t be an “up North” for any of us.”

“Well, there are no bodies,
and we’ve scrubbed this place clean, but the word of one coward pirate is more
than enough to bring another five or ten. Do you think we can take them?”

“Five, yes. Ten, no.”

“Look, they’re raiding the
whole area. They normally don’t hang around. They take what they can and run.
The one who ran, it’s possible that in the dark, in a place he’s never been
before, he wouldn’t even be able to lead them back here.”

“The river.”

“What about it?”

“They followed the river to
get to the houses… and to us. How about you and I take a little boat ride
upstream and see what we’re up against?”

“You’re crazy, Ivory.”

“Maybe so, but I’m not crazy
enough to sit here any longer and wait for them to come to us.”

“What about Miranda and Ke?”

“Wake them up. Pants, coats,
hats, pistols, and blades. We’ll all go.”

“You’ll get us all killed
before we’re done.”

“Have some faith. If we stay
here, we’re dead anyway—one way or the other.”

“Good point, but at least we
could hide somewhere until they move on.”

“Cass, let me ask you
something; are you really happy here raising chickens and vegetables?”

“It’s a nice life. It’s
peaceful and…”

“Safe?”

“It was…but what are you
suggesting?”

“I don’t know yet, but I’d
like to find out what it’s like out there before what’s out there comes after
us again.
 
Maybe next time, we won’t be
so lucky,” Ivory whispered when an unfamiliar sound snapped her head around to
see the fletching end of an arrow poking out from the wall just to the left of
her head. “Never mind, they’re already here. Get down! ”

Ivory and Cass dove beneath
the heavy dining table and tipped it forward for cover. The box of blades and
arms scattered to the floor, and Ivory tipped the table back again halfway,
drawing on Cass to push it forward until they could tilt it back and bring the
bulk of the weapons to their fighting side.

“Miranda and Keara, get on
the floor!” Cass called out towards the bedrooms. “We’re under attack again!”

Keara came crawling out on
her hands and knees, dragging the already loaded and ready blunderbuss tucked
under her arm. “How many do you think?”

“We don’t know. Can you make
it to the window?” Ivory asked.

“I suppose if I don’t at
least try we’ll find out, sooner rather than later.”

Keara reached her vantage
spot at the window, and through the sheer curtains she saw a tall, slim man in
a plumed tricorn, wearing a long black surcoat trimmed in gold thread. He
appeared to be simply strolling towards their front fence. He was flanked by
three pirates on his left and two on his right.

“Would you believe it
appears the captain himself is about to enter our yard?”

“I’d believe just about
anything at this point,” Miranda mumbled.

“Hello? Is anyone at home?”
inquired the deep, male voice coming from the front yard.

“You just stop right there!”
Keara shouted from the window. With the unmistakable barrel of the blunderbuss
pointed directly at him, the man raised his arms from his sides and waved the
other men to stop.

“Madame, may I have a word
with the man of the house?” he asked. The swarthy captain stood at least six
feet four inches tall, not including his hat. He stood with his feet spread
wide apart, and on them he wore knee-high black bucket boots. With his hands
raised, his coat opened in the front enough to see a large pistol tucked in his
leather belt, as well as a cutlass. “Hello? Sir?”

The front door flew open,
and Ivory stepped out, a broadsword in her right hand and a pistol in her left.
Her long white hair was stuffed inside of a worn black leather cavalier hat. It
wasn’t until she was standing there, facing them down, that she realized she
was still in her night clothes, although she had at least remembered her hat,
belt and boots before bolting out the door. The men burst into laughter at the
sight of her, but her face was as cold as a gravestone, and just as rigid.

“I’m so sorry to have
disturbed you, Madame,” the man said, removing his hat to bow, when she fired
the pistol into the air, nearly knocking herself off the porch.

“All of you!
 
Remove your weapons and toss them to the
ground!” she shouted.

The men turned and looked at
each other curiously and then erupted again in laughter.
 
One by one, Miranda, Cassandra, and Keara
appeared from behind Ivory and took a spot at her side—each holding two blades—except
for Keara who, with a heave and swing, propped the blunderbuss on the porch
rail and aimed it directly at the captain. All at once, the men fell silent,
and the captain dropped his hat back on his head with a wide grin.

“Ladies, why so armed? We
have more than enough money to pay,” the captain said, laughing again and then
folding his arms across his chest.

“I beg your pardon?” shouted
Miranda.

“They think we’re whores.
They think this a fucking whorehouse,” Keara whispered through her teeth.

“Gentlemen, I can assure
you, you couldn’t be more mistaken,” Cass spoke, straightening her back, which
only served to raise her chest at them, inciting more laughs, as well as a few
vulgar terms of twisted admiration.

Ivory had heard enough. She
handed Cass the pistol, stepped forward, and turned towards Keara who still
rested the gun on the rail. “If he makes one move, shoot. Shoot through me if
you have to, but shoot him… and then kill them all.” She turned back from the
second step and started to descend, never taking her eyes off the now sneering
captain. “You, sir.
 
I’d have a word with
you, please!” she shouted, pointing her broadsword in his general direction.

“Me first? Well of course me
first, I am the Captain, after all,” he joked, grabbing his crotch and swaying
like a willow in the breeze again, inciting his men.

“You may play with yourself
all day long, but I can assure you that your little worm won’t find a hole to
hide in on our land.” Ivory stood firm, holding the sword out in front of her,
daring them to advance. “Now, if you’d like to speak to me like the true woman
I am, approach me, sir. If not, I’d suggest you and your men remove yourselves
from our property.”

“You’ve intrigued me,
Madame,” the captain said, hushing his men and telling them to stand down.

“Follow me,” Ivory said,
leading the captain into the house. Cass, Miranda, and Keara all bore holes
into the man, glaring at him as he passed through them to enter.
 
Then, side by side, they stood guard over the
home as the lazy sailors sat or laid down in the grass to wait.

“This gun is so damn heavy,”
Keara mumbled, sliding a chair beneath the barrel to keep it propped up and
level.

“What do you suppose she’s
talking about in there?” Miranda asked.

“Do you trust her?” Cass
answered, never looking away from the lounging men on the ground.

“Well, yes, I trust
her.
 
But, it would be nice to know what
the hell is being said.”

“I suppose we’ll just have
to wait, Mir,” Keara sighed.

Inside the house, the
captain assisted Ivory in turning the table upright, and she pulled the arrow
from the wall with a firm yank and tossed it to him. “Here’s your hello back,”
she said, and then pulled him up a chair and took one for herself.
 
She laid down her sword, but held the grip
firmly in her hand.

“You’re quite the woman
aren’t you, Madame…?”

“Ivory Shepard.
 
And those other formidable young women are my
cousins. I see no need to share their names, as of yet.”

“Well, Madame Shepard, you
obviously called me in here for a reason; so, what is it?”

“Well, Captain…?”

“Captain Christopher Barclay
of the
Demon Sea
,” he said, leaning
back in his chair and looking over Ivory as if she were a meal about to be
brought to the table.

“You have two choices as I
see it, Captain. You can either take your crew and leave with your lives, or…”

“What makes you think that
just because you have guns and blades that you could take on all of us and
live?” he interrupted and asked, as he leaned towards her and pressed his fist
into his hip.

“Aren’t you already missing
a few men, Captain?

“I suppose you’re going to
tell me you’re responsible for that.”

Ivory leaned back out of the
Captain’s breath and said, “Or you take us with you, wherever you are headed.”

The Captain laughed, low and
soft at first, and then gradually it grew louder and harder, angering Ivory
with every breath he drew to carry it.

“Pick your best man.”

“What?” he asked, still
laughing.

She rose from her chair,
kicked it aside so hard it tipped, and spun across the floor and repeated,
“Pick your best man.”