The Rogue’s Prize (50 page)

find a way to sort things out. That’s what

he did best.

“Who are you working with?” he

asked, hoping to force the man into an

admission.

Burton laughed wickedly. “Can’t

you oblige me a moment to bask in the

success I deserve for organizing this

little assembly?”

He ignored the madman. “Where is

Constance? What did you promise

Guffald in order to get him to help you?”

“Come now. You and I both know

Guffald is not a child. He needed no

coaxing from me to kidnap your wife.”

Burton’s brows drew together. “Do you

honestly believe that Guffald has been

ill-used? Ah!” he said, eyes rounding, “I

see that you do. Tell me,” he said,

sucking in a satisfied breath, his stomach

bulging, threatening to pop the buttons on

his vest. “Hasn’t it ever occurred to you

that Guffald was never working alone?”

Percy’s eyes narrowed. “What are

you talking about? Guffald has never

worked alone.”

“Surely you must have figured it out

by now.” Burton sat back with a wide

grin. “Mayhap not.” The man laughed

wickedly. “Perhaps you would prefer to

see with your own eyes,” he said.

“I’d prefer to see my wife.”

Burton

coughed

to

hide

his

amusement, and then clapped his hands

together gleefully. A door, hidden

behind an enclosed bookcase, creaked

open revealing a mop-headed sailor,

followed by his rumpled friend —

Guffald.

Percy lunged forward.

“Hold,” Burton exclaimed. “Do not

come any closer.”

“I’d like to see you stop me,” Percy

threatened.

Guffald’s movements were slow as

he shuffled into the room. His eyes

flashed a warning. Constance followed

him. She shifted into the light slowly and

a dark figure came into view behind her,

riding close to her skirts. A flash of

silver gleamed in the candlelight.

Percy’s eyes focused on his wife’s neck

where a knife wedged perilously close

to her jugular vein, so close droplets of

blood began to cascade in rivulets down

her neck and onto her bosom. He took a

step forward, but stopped as the face of

her assailant came into view.

“Frink!” he gasped.

“So good of you to remember me,”

the pirate captain teased. “It appears we

are back to where we started, Sexton.”

He leaned his mouth to Constance’s ear.

“Or is it, Your Grace?”

Constance winced as Frink blew

his breath into her face.

“Come. Come now, Frink,” Burton

insisted. “You may have your vengeance

later. For now, resist the urge to do what

comes naturally. I want Constance to

witness her husband’s death, not precede

it. It will serve her well to know who

her true master will be.”

“You son of a — ” Percy could

hear Constance whimper from across the

room as Frink applied more pressure

and another slender stream of blood

dripped down her neck.

“I’m only getting started,” Frink

promised, eyes gleaming.

Guffald stepped forward, slipping

between Frink and Burton with an ease

Percy would have never thought

possible. “You promised me she would

be safe, Burton,” he railed. “This was

not part of our deal.”

“
He
promised you?” Frink laughed

wickedly. “What did Burton promise

you? Your own ship? A safe getaway

with the woman you love?”

Burton

rose

from

his

seat,

grimacing at the chaos unfolding before

him. He pointed a crooked finger at

Frink and then aimed an overlong cutlass

he produced from behind his chair.

“Hold where you are!” he ordered

Guffald.

Percy’s fists clenched and his teeth

ground until he thought they would crack.

A deep-seated hatred surged within him

as he stared into Frink’s unrelenting

eyes. Burton was all bluster, but in

Frink, he would find no weakness. The

man had a reputation for gutting close

friends. And the captain had an axe to

grind where he was concerned. He’d

stolen his ship. Frink would do anything

to get back at him for that slight, not to

mention tricking him for nearly a year.

His ego had been bruised. And right

now, Constance would satisfy the man’s

need for vengeance.

“Release the girl,” Burton ordered.

Frink glared menacingly. “Be wary

of orderin’ me about, Burton.”

“Lord Burton to you, Captain!” Ah!

Burton’s weakness appeared to be

vanity.

“I thought you never took orders,

Frink,” Percy taunted, confident that if he

disrupted the confidence between the

two men, he stood a better chance of

getting Constance out alive.

“No one need ever know,” he said.

“If it weren’t for Whistler, I’d have

gained all I wanted and more, and you

would never have gotten the upper hand

on me aboard the
Octavia
.”

“Whistler.” Percy’s voice came out

in a rush. Josiah Cane? Burton’s eyes

settled accusingly upon Guffald. His

gaze followed, disbelieving. His gut

tightened

as

Guffald’s

treachery

suddenly cleared away all doubt from

his mind. He turned toward his friend.

“You?”

Guffald blinked nervously. “It was

the only way I could have her. Her father

would never have accepted me.”

“Simon has given you everything,

Henry.”

“You can’t possibly understand.

You’ve never been deprived of anything.

You, heir to a dukedom and now a duke,

have always been fancied by fathers as a

choice pick. I’ve never been given the

luxury of choosing a bride.”

Burton scoffed, unamused, and

carved his apple as if he had the

explosive situation back under control.

“Tsk. Tsk. Such a debacle. Makes my

stomach turn.”

Guffald continued making excuses.

“You have no idea what hurdles I’ve had

to jump in order to maintain our

friendship and rise through the ranks.”

“You earned your rank on merit,”

Percy validated.

The captain did not care. His eyes

focused on Constance. “A fact that does

not grant me permission to marry the

woman I love.”

Burton coughed. “I hate to interrupt

your confession, Guffald, but we sail

within the hour.”

Spurred into action, Guffald backed

away from Frink and headed toward the

door. Percy stood his ground. Cunning

and assured, he refused to give the

captain access.

“Move aside,” Guffald ordered.

“You’re not leaving my wife.”

“Don’t force me to hurt you,” he

pleaded. Guffald’s eyes darted from

Percy to the two other men. He blinked

— twice.

Percy caught on quickly. “She’s

pregnant, Henry,” he whispered.

“Percy!” Constance screamed and

elbowed Frink in his side. Dislodging

herself, she started to rush toward Percy,

but Frink was faster. Fed by a desire to

pay her back for getting the best of him,

Frink caught her and spread his fingers

over her breast, casting Percy a

victorious smirk.

Percy and Guffald watched in

horror.

“That’s what I’ve been missin’. A

warm,

unwilling

woman,”

Frink

bragged.

“Now, now,” Burton insisted.

“Don’t manhandle our prize, Frink.”

“Who are you to be spouting

orders? You want her for yourself. Don’t

deny it. I know where I stand and she

does too. I’ll have my fun before you

spoil her like the others.”

Burton began to squirm and his

rounded

eyes

beamed

white.

“Nonsense!”

“Others?”

Guffald

questioned,

turning.

Frink’s buoyant laughter filled the

cabin and he squinted wickedly at

Guffald. “Our lovely beauty won’t be

pretty for long if left in Burton’s hands.”

“What is he talking about?” Guffald

shouted.

“Don’t listen to him, Captain,”

Burton spat. “He’s only trying to get the

upper hand.”

Percy’s gaze stayed focused on

Constance. By now, she appeared ready

to collapse. Her eyes were filled with

tears and she’d grown pale. His heart

hitched, knowing he might never get the

chance to tell her he loves her. He hated

Frink, hated Burton, and wanted to kill

anyone who got in his way. Flexing his

fists, he waited for his chance to make a

move.

“I remember a certain filly, young

and primed to please a man when the

occasion allowed,” Frink taunted. “I

recollect she had auburn hair, eyes like a

calm sea — ”

Percy’s heart hitched.

“She welcomed the driving thrusts

of a rutting man, and begged for more

like a starving harlot.” Frink cackled as

his hand stroked Constance’s breast.

Percy felt every muscle in his body grow

rigid. He wanted to know more and

hated himself for it.

“Burton,” Frink confessed, “is not a

pirate. He doesn’t live by a code. I’m

thinking you know what I’m talking

about, Sexton. But not Burton. He has

certain desires that cannot be quenched

until he’s destroyed whatever treasure

he’s found.”

“Enough!”

Burton

screeched.

“You’re ruining everything!”

“I hold the cards now — or should

I say treasure? I’ll decide when enough

is enough.” Frink turned his bloodthirsty

stare upon him. “You infiltrated my ship,

ate and slept with my crew, Sexton.

Killed and murdered with the best of us

and worked your way into my trust.

You’re a black-hearted wretch. This

girl,” he said, notching her neck with his

blade, “means something to you and I

want you to watch her suffer.”

“You talk too much, Frink. Bring

me the girl,” Burton railed.

“Give her to me, Frink.” Guffald

began to move slowly toward the

captain.

Frink’s eyes narrowed. His lips

tightened until they resembled slits.

“I’ve never seen a man scour the earth

for answers the way you did, Sexton.

Funny — the answers have always been

at your feet.”

“Frink!” Burton howled.

“Makes no difference now, does it,

Burton? Sexton’s a dead man. As a

matter of fact, we’re all dead,” he said,

looking at every man standing in the

room. “Burton will make sure of it.”

Frink centered his attention upon him.

“I wanted you to know that

Burton’s the man you’ve been searching

for. He took your sister because he

wanted her. The only problem was, you

stood in his way. When he couldn’t get

past your father, he made certain the man

was badly maimed for his trouble. Sly

one, he is.”

Percy’s heart thumped wildly. He

glared at Burton and waited — waited

for Frink to finish. His gut clenched,

every muscle primed to kill.

Burton’s eyes took on a demonic

fire. He confessed. “No matter how

much weight I tossed around or how

many times I begged your father to grant

me permission to court your sister, I was

met

with

disdain.

Your

father’s

dismissal was his final mistake.” He

wrung his hands gleefully. “Celeste was

foolish. She believed my amorous

advances and pledged her loyalty to me,

above that of her family, above you,

Blendingham. You cannot imagine how

much I’ve coveted that knowledge. But

you — oh! You were the perfect brother,

always attentive, never at a loss to

defend. I vowed to have her no matter

the cost. We snuck away to Gretna

Green. But midway, Celeste could talk

of nothing but you. She feared losing

your regard and begged me to take her

back home. But once I had her, I was not

going to be left empty-handed.”

Constance locked her gaze upon

him. Pity filled her eyes. But he did not

care. He listened and waited, primed to