The fat guard didn't help her, and was content to watch the two of them trying to enter the building. He blew great puffs of pungent smoke into the air as he watched them from the corner of his eye. Herbert got the same feeling from him as those watching from the boats when they went ashore. He was being measured, weighed, and, as usual, found wanting.
I'll show them. Whatever task they want me to complete, I'll finish it.
Once Christina pushed Herbert inside, he was able to take over and wheeled himself forward to meet with Alexandre and Victor. Inside, there were other men waiting, watching, and smoking. They sat at tables or sprawled out on patterned blankets and rugs and pillows as they filled the air with smoke. Hebert could see many of them either had weapons directly on their person, or lying on the table in front of them.
"Where to now?" Herbert asked, ignoring the many eyes on him. Victor pointed up, and Herbert groaned. "You must be joking," he said with a sigh.
Victor walked to the right wall of the room, and pulled aside a blanket to reveal a set of stairs. Herbert wheeled himself into the small opening to examine his next struggle. Stone steps, two dozen of them, led to the second floor.
Christina leaned into the alcove and looked up the steps. "I can push you up," she offered.
"No, no," he said. "It's easier if I climb myself."
Herbert pulled himself from his wheelchair and flopped down on the stone floor below. He climbed up the steps, dragging his dead legs behind him as he did so. Though the day was hot, the stone was cold on his hands, as cold as his legs had been a few nights ago. His strong arms pulled him up each step with ease, and before long he was at the top.
Victor followed behind, carrying Herbert's wheelchair. At the top of the steps he set the contraption down, and Herbert was able to return to his seat.
Victor walked ahead of Herbert into the room on the second floor. Inside, directly in view of the stairs' opening, was a man sitting in a chair next to a table. He had been watching with a smirk on his face the entire time.
"This is who's looking for Calico Jack?" the man said, incredulous. He had a Spanish accent, but spoke English easily.
Herbert wheeled into the room to better see who was insulting him, and Christina and Alexandre followed right behind him. The man was a skinny Spaniard, who nonetheless looked lithe and agile. He was clean-shaven, and his hair was slicked back. He had a pistol on the table next to him, and beside that a plate of half-eaten food. On the other side of the table were two men, no doubt his personal guards. Their hands were hidden underneath the table, probably holding weapons at the ready. To the right side of the room, there was an open set of double doors, and two naked woman lying on a bed. Herbert did a double take upon seeing them, but once the shock of the sight was over, he stared at Victor's contact.
"Hello, sir. I am Herbert Blackwood, and this is my sister, Christina. I understand you have information on where Calico Jack is."
The man had a wide grin on his face. He glanced to the women in his bed, then back at Herbert. "You like 'em, do ya?" he said. "Give them a couple pieces of eight and I'm sure they'd have those legs of yours workin' in no time." The men at the table laughed.
Herbert ignored the comment. "It is customary to give one's name after receiving one."
"I was waitin' for this one to introduce me," he said, pointing to Victor. "But I suppose that's not possible at the moment, is it?"
The man and Victor exchanged glances, but Herbert was unable to decipher the significance of what he was saying.
"The name's Luis Delgado. So, you fancy yourself chasing down the King of the Caribbean, do you now?"
Herbert gritted his teeth. "Yes. I was told that you had information for us."
"Aye, I do, but not for you," he said.
Herbert's jaw dropped. "What is your meaning? Are you not a man of your word?"
"Oh, I am. I told… Victor here, that there would be a hefty price for the information I'm selling. I wanted to see who it was I was dealing with before then, because when you go against the King of the Caribbean you want assurances. You can't pay the price, boy, so piss off." The man turned around and went back to eating his food.
"What is it you want, exactly? Gold? We have that. Weapons? We have those too. Whatever price we have to pay, we'll pay it," Herbert said.
"It's nothing so simple as money or weapons, boy. You would need to kill someone for me. That task is too much for a crippled boy to handle. Go home before my men here throw you on the street."
Herbert's blood boiled. He didn't come this far to leave empty-handed. "I've been a cripple since I was young, and I can handle a bit. Want me to show you how I handle a gun?" Herbert said.
Delgado looked at Herbert with a smirk on his face, and then got up and walked over to him. "Cheeky one, are you?" he said. "I like that." He backhanded Herbert hard in the face, knocking his wheelchair over and spilling him on the floor.
Christina and Victor started to draw weapons, but Herbert held up his hand. "Stop!" he commanded. The two stopped before things escalated, but both gritted their teeth and furrowed their brows in anger at Delgado.
Herbert turned himself over and crawled back to his wheelchair. Delgado stood in the exact spot where he had hit him, watching Herbert as he lifted the wheelchair back upright. Herbert carefully pulled himself halfway up the chair, and then punched Delgado in the nether regions. He doubled over, and then Herbert smashed his head into Delgado's. He was sent back and landed on his ass, clutching his head with one hand, and his groin with his other.
Herbert mounted his wheelchair, ready to protect himself or get out of the room, but Delgado's men were just sitting there at the table, laughing and pointing at their leader. They were saying things in Spanish that Herbert wasn't totally able to pick up. He was able to understand a few words, such as "knocked," "beaten" and "balls."
Delgado sat on the floor, in pain and rubbing both ends of himself for a bit. "Now, that's what I was looking for!" he yelled, but immediately he winced from the pain again. "Are you going to help me up or what?" he said, looking at Herbert.
Herbert extended his hand, and Delgado grabbed it and pulled himself up. "I need a drink after that one," he said in a lively tone.
Herbert's brow was now permanently cocked in confusion. He looked at Victor for an answer, but Victor just shrugged.
Delgado sat down at his seat and downed whatever was in his cup in one drink. Then he let out a great belch.
"I'm sorry, so now you're going to help us?"
Delgado nodded with a smile on his face. "You can always tell who a man is by how he reacts to an insult. If I needed a negotiator, and you had convinced me, I would have helped. If I needed a dog, and you left here with your tail between your legs, I would have helped. Today, I needed a fighter, and you didn't disappoint," he said while pouring himself another drink. "You didn't have to go for my manhood, though." Delgado once more rubbed himself as he took another long swig of his drink.
"So, you'll tell us where Calico Jack is?"
Delgado shook his head. "Not quite. Calico Jack never sailed here, and I've no idea where he is."
Herbert glanced at Christina. She had a disappointed look on her face, but it seemed to be more for him than her own sake. He wasn't going to be able to have his revenge as he'd wanted. In some way, deep beneath the surface, the news relieved him.
"But I know where one of his subordinates is going to be. From there, you should be able to do the rest."
Herbert's eyes lit up. Being able to find one of Calico Jack's men was good enough for now, and would go a long way towards repairing things with Edward when he arrived.
"So," Herbert said, "where is he?"
Delgado held up his finger. "Not so fast. The deal, if you'll recall, is that you'll need to kill someone for me. Only then will I give you the information."
Herbert glanced over at Christina, and she nodded. "Who is it?"
Delgado lost the smile he had been wearing since agreeing to
help Herbert. "I need you to kill my brother," he said.
Herbert was shocked. "Your brother?" he blurted out. "Why do you want your brother dead?"
"I prefer to keep such business in the family. Just know that he is heavily guarded, and it won't be easy. None can know it was me, or I stand to lose much. That's why I'm fortunate to have you all fall into my lap," he said while motioning to Herbert and the others.
"Where is your brother?"
Delgado got up, went over to a dresser on one side of the room, and pulled out a piece of paper along with a quill and ink. He began writing something. "My brother lives in Panama City. He is owner of a large brothel, and you will find him there surrounded by many armed men who work for him. Take care when you kill him. I wouldn't want you dying on me," he said with a smile over his shoulder.
Delgado handed the paper to Herbert, and it had the name of the brothel written on it: Las Tetas. Herbert didn't know exactly what it meant, but he could guess. Underneath that, the name 'Marco Delgado' was written.
Herbert blew on the ink to dry it, then folded the paper and placed it in his pocket. "We'll be back soon," he said, turning around and heading to the stairs.
"I cannot wait for your return," Delgado replied.
With the others' help, Herbert descended the stairs and left Luis Delgado's house. Herbert had a wide smile on his face. Though he wasn't going to get Calico Jack, he was closer than ever to one of his men, and it was only a matter of time before they found the rest.
Herbert turned around to face his comrades and his sister. "Let's head to Panama City."
10. Panama City
"Steady, now," Christina said while holding Herbert's wheelchair place.
"I know." Herbert carefully gripped his chair and one end of the stagecoach they had been travelling on. After his grasp was secure, he moved from the coach to the wheelchair in one swift motion. Once seated, he wiped his brow of sweat and gazed at the sun, which was now lowering below the horizon. "There, that wasn't so bad," he said.
Christina smiled at her brother, then glanced around as the stagecoach sped off down the road. Surrounding Herbert and Christina were five crewmates who had also just left the stagecoach, and Tala. A short distance the road Alexandre, Victor, and five more crewmates emptied out of another stagecoach.
After hiding the Queen Anne's Revenge northeast of Porto Bello, Herbert and some crewmates had taken stagecoaches to Panama City the next morning. The trip had been slow and bumpy, the day was nearly spent, and they were all the more sore for it.
Herbert sighed and glanced down. If not for these legs and that wheelchair, we could have ridden horses and been here hours ago.
"Now, to find the brothel," Christina said as she absently scratched Tala's fur.
"First we should find an inn. We're not going to rush this," Herbert said. "We need to find the nearest inn from here, otherwise Edward won't know where to find us."
"That's assuming he even gets the letter you left," Christina said, eyeing her brother.
"He'll check for it, I'm sure," Herbert said, hoping his words would come true. He turned around to head down the road. "Come, let's move." Christina nodded, and they joined the other crewmates to enter the city.
Unlike Porto Bello, Panama City was bustling with activity. They'd had the coach leave them at the edge of the city where they could see the winding road leading to the centre of town. Dozens of people walked in all different directions, and another dozen stood around talking. The smell of fresh dirt, food, sweat, and the sea all found their way to the group as they took in the sights and sounds.
Travelling through the dirt road brought them through the heart of the city, and they were quick to find an inn in which they could stay.
Christina helped push Herbert up the stairs, and the crew all entered the establishment. Inside the inn there was a small area for receiving guests, a set of stairs to the right, and a large first floor for eating and drinking. The inn smelled of spilled ale, piss, and the collective odour of those in the room as well as those who had long since departed. It overpowered the smell coming from the food, but it was not unlike the smell in lower decks of the Revenge, so Herbert found it tolerable.
"Oh! Pets stay outside, miss," the innkeeper said, pointing to Tala.
Christina smiled and apologised as she pulled Tala outside and ordered her to stay.
They paid for some rooms, and sat at the tables to have something to eat other than the travel rations they'd had on the ride over. Herbert, Christina, Alexandre, and Victor sat with a few crewmates, while the rest of the men sat at another table nearby. They made sure to occupy the corner so that none could overhear them while they discussed their plans.
"Victor, you seem to have been in this area before," Herbert said. "Do you know anything of the brothel Luis mentioned, or of his brother?" Victor shook his head. "So we wouldn't be able to request an audience under the pretense of you catching up, would we?" Herbert's question was rhetorical, but Victor still shook his head once more. "I suppose the first step is finding it. After that, we can inspect it to see what we should do next."
"Why don't we just burn the whole thing down?" Christina suggested.
Herbert looked at her as if she were mad. "No! That's a horrifying thing to say. Why would you even think of that?"
Christina shrugged her shoulders. "Edward would do it," she said.
"No, he wouldn't."
"To have a second opinion," Alexandre began, "la fille has a point. It would be the safest… for us at least."
Herbert glared at Alexandre. "No fire." He took a drink from his cup. "I want this to be clean. We only have to kill Marco, so we should only kill Marco. There's no need to have anyone else involved unless we have to."
Alexandre bowed his head. "By your command, Captain," he said, producing some laughter from the other crewmates.
Herbert sighed. There was no point in telling the Frenchman to stop. He knew what he was saying and was just trying to get a rise out of Herbert. "We need to find out who Marco is before we can kill him, so I'll go to the brothel tonight and investigate. Perhaps I will bring some other crewmates with me as well, just in case." Herbert was looking at the men at his table and the one next to theirs.
"I'll go with you," Christina said.
Herbert gave her a similar look as before. "A brothel is no place for a young woman… well, not unless you're— no, absolutely not."
"What of it? I know what goes on there. You don't have to be afraid of me participating, if that's the problem."
Herbert was taken aback at first, but quickly regained his composure. "That's not the… The men might try to take advantage of you."
The anger was clear on Christina's face. "I can take care of myself, and besides, that's why the rest of the crew is there, is it not? We'll be watching out for each other."
Herbert stopped looking at his sister and instead stared straight ahead. "I've said all I'll say on the matter."
"You're treating me like a—"
"Enough!" Herbert yelled. His voice cut through the din of the inn, and caused a slight hush. All eyes were on their table, staring at him and his sister.
Christina's tan cheeks reddened a touch, and her mouth was stone. She didn't say another word as she left the table and headed for the second floor. On her way she pointed at the open doorway. "Venir," she commanded Tala, and the wolf raced to her side. She rushed up the steps before the innkeeper could say a word to her about the beast, and slammed the door to their room behind her.
Alexandre had a smirk on his face, and his dark, sullen eyes showed a hint of amusement. "That went well," he said.
Herbert looked at the crewmates sitting with them. "After we eat, we head out to the brothel. Choose five amongst yourselves to join me, and tell them to stay alert and find out any information they can on Marco. One way or the other, tomorrow Marco dies."
…
Herbert wheeled himself up to the front of the brothel names Las Tetas. It was l
ate into the night, almost time for people to be sleeping, and yet lantern light poured from all the rooms inside the brothel. Judging from the noise alone one would think it were the middle of the day in a busy street.
The brothel was located in a secluded part of the city with few houses nearby, so they didn't have to worry as much about noise as others might. It was a large, three-storey house with many rooms, and many of them overlooking the sea.
Herbert looked at the shallow steps leading to a small patio and an open doorway. I might be able to… He pushed himself forward and leaned to one side, lifting the right side of the wheelchair up. He moved forward on the left wheel and dropped the right end down on the top step, then with another push over the side of the steps he was on the patio. The wooden machine creaked and groaned with the movement, but stayed together throughout the affair.
Someone nearby whistled and clapped. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
Herbert looked over to see a few men standing around, looking at him. The one who spoke was eating an apple. He was shirtless, and looked to be a local patron, with his tanned complexion and short, dark curls. He had several tattoos adorning his body in various patterns Herbert didn't recognise. Around his neck he also wore necklaces that clinked against each other as he moved.
Herbert chuckled. "You spend enough time in this contraption and you learn a few things," he replied. "Where did you learn how to speak English so well?"
"You spend enough time around you Brits and you learn a few things," the man said with a wink.
Herbert held out his hand. "Herbert Blackwood."
The man looked Herbert over for a moment as he took a bite of his apple. After a few chomps, he threw away the core and shook Herbert's hand. "Fernando." After shaking his hand, Fernando walked up to the door. "Care to join us inside?" he asked.
Herbert grinned. "I would enjoy some company, lads, but of a different persuasion. You flatter me with the offer."
Fernando laughed, and his friends joined in. "Cheeky. I like that."
Blackbeard's Justice (The Voyages of Queen Anne's Revenge Book 3) Page 12
