The man under Dowd’s boot was losing blood fast.
Will looked down into the man’s graying face and gestured to Dowd. ‘Ask him…where’s Jian Jun?’ The dying man pressed bloodied lips together and refused to answer. Dowd increased the pressure of his foot before asking him again. The man pointed a finger and answered Dowd.
Dowd signed, ‘One deck down. Aft cabin. Two guards. Chou Peng is with her.’
Will’s focus narrowed to a pinpoint. His white-hot anger had turned black. He traded his short sword for a twin-edged cutlass and headed aft. It was time to kill this bastard and be done with it.
He slid down the ladder without taking a single rung. A narrow passageway separated the walled sections of the deck. Little light reached into the dark, but Will could see a faint glow coming from the rear of the ship. There wouldn’t be much room to fight in these tight quarters. The secret was going to be getting in without trapping himself.
Stomping his feet, he kicked at one of the partitions, then stood back into the depth of the shadows behind the ladder and waited. One of the guards came forward to investigate. He and Will had a short intense meeting that ended in Will dragging the man’s body away from the passageway.
Will knocked against the wall again.
This time when the second guard came forward, he rushed to his crewmate’s side only to meet the hilt end of Will’s cutlass in a sharp blow to his temple. He crumpled over his friend’s body like cheap parchment.
Will’s heart fisted blood through his veins as he eased his way toward the glow, sword drawn. If the man on deck had lied…
The door in front of him was deeply carved with the winding figure of a dragon. Gold and cinnabar flames reached out from his gaping mouth.
Will reached over to the lantern burning low in its hanger and extinguished the light, tightened his hand over the leather-wrapped handle of his sword, and groped in the dark for the door’s handle.
He looked over his shoulder into the black abyss behind him before leveraging the iron latch. A splinter of shifting light pierced the dark. Will’s heart slowed with the practiced skill of a trained warrior. He channeled the cold detachment of a killer stalking his prey. But then he saw them.
Opening the door wider, the sight inside dropped a curtain of red over that chilled restraint. Jun was on her knees, blood ran down her cheek. Peng’s back was to the door. A lantern swung from one hand, the other held a pistol aimed directly at…fuck…
The bastard had returned to Pandang after Will and the men had left to steal the junk and found Ting and Qi. Ting held the child, doing her best to twist and curl her body over her daughter to protect her from the madman about to shoot them.
Jun got to her feet. She held her arms wide. Bringing Peng’s attention back to her. Will slowly opened the door a bit wider.
Pistol, lantern, side sword, dirk. Peng wore a baldric. He could have as many as two other pistols strapped to his chest. Will couldn’t remember seeing him wear that many weapons, but he couldn’t take the chance. At best, he still had one shot. At this range, Peng wouldn’t miss his mark.
Will noticed something else—a mere second before Peng noticed the same thing. Cold air. The temperature in the hallway was much cooler, and the rush of chilled air into the room spun Peng around.
The man was quick to swing the pistol’s business end in Will’s direction before lifting the lantern to find him standing in the doorway.
Sword raised, Will was no match for a pistol, but that didn’t stop him from taking a step toward Peng. His baldric didn’t hold any more guns. The man only had one shot, and Will would gladly take it. The bastard better make it a clean kill, or he’d be on him before the smoke cleared.
Instead, Peng turned back and aimed the pistol at Jun’s head. The air rushed out of Will’s lungs. No…you cowardly slime, shoot me! He froze where he stood.
Peng looked back and forth between him and Jun. After the initial panicked look in his eye, Will saw the pleasured sneer as Peng said something to Jun. Will dared a fleeting glance at her, but in that second, he saw a lifetime of emotions cross her face. Relief, fear, pain, hate, anger, pleading, love.
Will’s resolve tightened in his gut. Peng was a dead man. He lowered his chin, and returned his battle focus to getting these women the hell out of there. The muscle in his jaw pulsed with a steeled determination. Patience…wait for it…
Peng’s mouth continued to move. One advantage of being deaf, Will could not be distracted by whatever vile waste was falling from the man’s lips. It wouldn’t spur a reckless reaction. It wouldn’t alter his focus in any way. Will would lay coin on the fact that Peng wasn’t praising his escape skills or bargaining for his life. Will inched closer. Crowding Peng would make him nervous and nervous men made mistakes.
He was shouting now. Eyes wild, the veins in Peng’s neck bulged with the effort. He pushed the pistol harder toward Jun and glared at the tip of Will’s sword. Pointing with the hand still holding the lantern toward the floor, spittle flew from Peng’s mouth. The pistol was cocked.
Peng wanted his sword on the floor, or Jun was dead.
Chapter 25
The gash in Jun’s cheek burned. She could taste the rusty tang of blood in her mouth. Will filled the doorway. The lantern’s light still swayed, catching the glint off his bloodied blade raised to end Peng’s miserable life.
But Peng had been too quick. His lust for revenge had poisoned his senses. He hadn’t realized it yet, but he was surrounded. The only thing keeping him alive was one pull of the trigger. When Will’s gaze met hers for that split second, she knew. He wasn’t leaving until Peng was dead. She saw something else too. Something worth risking everything for.
He loved her.
Peng’s shouts echoed in the empty cabin. “Drop your sword or I’ll end her life now.”
“Scream all you want, he can’t hear you,” Jun taunted.
“Shut your mouth.” He waved the lantern and screeched again. “Drop your fucking sword, you stupid bastard!”
Jun watched Will lower his blade to the floor and hold his arms wide. If he could hold Peng’s attention for another second…
“Kick it to me.” Peng swung his foot in frustration. “It’s like communicating with a damn rock.”
Will pushed the sword away from him with the toe of his boot. Jun smiled. He’d offered Peng the blade end. If they both lunged for the weapon, Will still kept the advantage. “He has more brains in his little toe than you have in your entire crew.”
“Shut up.” Peng moved forward and wrapped his arm around her in order to keep his pistol threateningly close to her face and ease forward enough to kick the sword away from Will.
Will’s eyes never left Peng. He didn’t move. The cold, dark intensity in his gaze made even Jun shiver. She’d known all along he was a warrior. To see it for herself was quite another thing.
“Where the hell are my men? He couldn’t have killed them all.”
“His dripping blade says otherwise.”
Peng tightened his hold. “Too bad he didn’t think to bring a pistol.”
“Too bad you didn’t think to bring two.”
“Shut. Up.” The barrel of his gun dug into the space behind her jawbone. “It will only take one shot to end you.”
Jun warned, “And one second after for him to be on you. You don’t stand a chance.”
Peng lowered the lantern to the floor, bending her with him, and pulled the dirk from his boot with his free hand. “Then the bullet will be for him, and I’ll just have to slit your throat instead.” He straightened and adjusted the position of the gun.
“Aim true.” Jun continued to taunt him. Sweat broke out on Peng’s forehead. She was getting to him.
“Oh, I intend to. Right after I finish off your maid and her little idiot brat.” Peng turned his head to look toward Ting and Qi.
Jun watched in horror as Qi scuttled across the floor like a crab across a hot beach. The child snatched Will’s sword, and slid it to him before ducking between his legs.
In one impetuous move, Peng swung his pistol and fired, but Will had dropped to grab his sword and Peng’s precious lone bullet did little but shatter the wood in the door frame behind Will.
With the shot still ringing in her ears, Jun saw her chance, and reached across Peng’s body to pull hard on the hilt of his side cutlass. The strength of the pull shifted his body around toward her as she yanked the weapon from its sheath. His foot caught the lantern on the floor and kicked it to shatter against the wall.
Smoke and sulphur from the pistol burned her nose. Peng threw the gun aside and made a wide sweep at her with his dirk, but it was too late. She had him.
With both hands tight to the grip, Jun lunged at him, catching Peng in his lower gut. She buried the blade as deep as she could then used her body’s momentum to draw the sword higher as she came up under his arm.
Standing nose to nose with him, Peng looked at her in shock. His mouth opening and closing like a fish, before the dirk clattered to the floor behind her.
“You missed, you stupid fool. Now you’re dead.” She gave one final twist to the blade and sneered into his ugly face. “Are you watching me now?”
Peng’s body crumbled against hers as Will reached her. He shoved the weight of Peng off her. Blood soaked her front and down her thighs. Will didn’t stop to find out if any of it was hers.
The lantern had started a fire. Its flames were already racing up the side of the dry bamboo walls. Hot, black smoke blanketed the ceiling.
Will pushed Ting and Qi out of the room before he scooped Jun into his arms and followed close at their heels. They met four men coming from the other direction.
Jun could hear the fire’s anger behind them as it feasted on the back cabin.
One of the men grabbed Qi and nearly threw her up the ladder way. He pushed Ting up behind her then stood aside to let Will try to navigate with her still in his arms. Jun pushed out of his arms and ascended without aid. Will’s hand never left her back. She joined Ting and Qi in the bow. Bodies littered the deck around her.
Will and the other men hurried to lay a boarding ladder across the span of water to a smaller junk waiting alongside. The first flames licked up from the tail of the ship. If they didn’t get away, the fire would soon claim the other ship.
As with the ladder way, one of the men saw to Qi and Ting. He pushed Ting ahead and lifted Qi into his arms before carrying her across.
Two of the other men didn’t wait for the ladder. They swung instead on ropes to drop onto the deck of the smaller junk and began to untie the clew lines holding the corners of the sails.
Jun was next across, then came the last of Will’s men. Flames totally engulfed the back end of her once beautiful junk. Will stood silhouetted against the fire’s glow, then he was all at once in her arms.
No sooner had his feet touched the deck, but the men boomed the sails to catch the wind and the little junk leapt forward through the water.
Will cradled her face in his hands, gently fingering the small gash marring her cheek, before running his touch over her body. Did he think some of the blood staining her clothing was? She caught his wrists and shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m fi—”
His mouth claimed hers as he wrapped her tight in an embrace and kissed her soundly. With her arms around his neck, Jun clung to him, tugging on his beautiful hair. His lips bruising hers with the force of his kisses. Will lifted her off her feet and crushed her to him. He held her as if he’d never let her go. Her heart soared with the thought that he never had to.
“Ahem…” A man standing nearby cleared his throat.
Will heard no interruption and continued to deepen his kiss. Jun pulled back and laid her fingertips over his lips before pointing shyly at the man.
The glare Will shot in his direction made Jun laugh.
“Beggin’ Capt’n’s pardon,” the man made a few gestures as he spoke. “Where the hell we be goin? Back to Pandang?”
Will nodded, ‘Yes.’
Jun answered, “No.”
“Bloody hell.” The man planted his hands on his hips. “Not bad enough that I been shipwrecked, imprisoned, beaten, battled, and nearly roasted.” He flung a hand toward the burning ship behind them. “Now I get to take orders from two bloody Captains.” He crossed his arms over the broad span of his chest and leveled them both a glare of his own. “Make up yer minds. I just need to be knowin’ which way te point this square-nosed tub.”
“South, Mister…?”
“Griffin, ma’am.” He tugged at the front of his hair as if tipping a cap.
“South, please, Mister Griffin. And ten degrees east if you don’t mind.”
He tugged at his forelock again. “I don’t mind a bit, ma’am.” He gave Will a playful shove on his shoulder. “Carry on.”
Ting and Qi were having their own reunion. The man holding Qi had pulled Ting into his arms as well.
Griffin huffed at them. “At ease, Dowd, get yer arse to them sails and work that junk magic only you seem to know.”
The man kissed Qi’s forehead and handed the child back to her mother. Even had Jun not heard his name, she would have recognized the resemblance between him and his daughter.
“Dowd?” Jun raised her eyebrows at Ting, who flushed to the roots of her hair.
“Aye, mistress,” Ting watched her man head toward the forward mast. “My Dowd.”
Leaving Will’s embrace, Jun crossed to Ting. The women hugged tightly, before Jun knelt and hugged Qi. “One day soon I will learn how to make all the signs I need to tell you how grateful I am that you are so smart and brave. Until then I do know how to say, ‘Thank you.’” Jun repeated the sign three times before pulling Qi in for another tight hug.
When she looked up, Will was nodding his own approval at the girl. Qi beamed at him.
Then he held out his hand to Jun and led her away from the others. Together they climbed the short stairs to the raised deck along the back of the junk.
Again he fingered the wound at her cheek until she lifted his hand and kissed his palm.
“I’m fine.”
Will made some gestures, and looked about them shaking his head. He held his hand flat and mimicked writing.
Jun shrugged her shoulders. The treasured writing slate was miles away by now. “I’m sure there is something on this ship we can use.” When she attempted to start her quest, he stopped her. His eyes held hers as his hands flew in a rapid succession of gestures. She missed almost all, but the message was repeated in the series of expressions that crossed his face.
Will paused. He reached out to trace the line of her lip, frowning. She wished she could understand. His frustration mirrored her own. Then he held her hand and gently tugged at her arm. He pushed back her sleeve and tapped a finger on the tender skin of her wrist.
Slowly, he ran the tip of that finger across her skin. Pointing to himself, he repeated the motion. ‘I’ He looked at her expectantly before continuing. ‘L’
Will was using her arm as a writing stone.
‘O,’ ‘V,’
Jun’s eyes flew to his. He shook his head and tapped her arm again, bringing her attention back to his writing.
He ran the side of his hand over her skin as if erasing the letters. He began again.
I, L, O, V, E, Y, O, U
When she lifted her eyes again, there it was written as clearly in his eyes as it was upon her skin. He loved her.
“I love you, too. So much, so very, very much.”
Will lowered his gaze to her mouth. Jun shook her head and reached for his arm instead.
I, L, O, V, E, Y, O, U Jun released her hold on him just long enough to sign ‘more’.
Chap
ter 26
As the pale pink beginnings of the dawn stretched across the sky, Will and Jun stood in the bow of the ship.
Griffin soon joined them. Jun was grateful to have him and Dowd along to help translate. Although, she and Will had little trouble communicating all through the night. Her skin still tingled. He’d written ‘I love you’ over the crest of her breast. ‘I love you’ along the inside of her thigh. Across the small of her back. Down the flat of her belly. He’d marked her. Like the tattoo she wore, she now wore his words as well and would feel them on her skin and within her soul all the days of her life.
“How are we supposed to find an island that isn’t even on a map?” Griffin grumbled.
“Because I’ve been there before and will guide you.”
Will’s hands flew. Griffin explained. “He wants to know why you’re doing this?”
She started to tell Griffin, but he was just the interpreter. Looking back at Will, she answered his question. “Because it’s time.” Jun slipped her hand into Will’s. “I’ve spent my life fighting and scraping to stay at the top. Years of hard work. It was all I had. It was my identity.”
“Not so fast…” Griffin’s hands struggled over a few of the signs.
“Sorry.” She squeezed Will’s hand. “The fire on Fu’s junk was my chance. Jian Jun is dead. She perished along with her trusted first mate, Chou Peng.” Jun made the sign for a term she’d learned last night from Dowd to describe Peng. ‘Rat Bastard.’
Will’s gaze broke from hers to watch Griffin’s signs. He looked back at her and signed. Griffin spoke over her shoulder. “He says, What about your fleet? Your empire?”
She waited to gaze into his eyes again. “I don’t have to go back for the fleet to go on. Pandang harbor was full of hundreds of ships. I’m sure by now the dragon has eight new heads. It’s time to walk away. If I go back, I may never get another chance.” She put her hand over Will’s heart. “It’s time to live my life. Mine. Not my dead husband’s. It was out of respect for him I stepped into his boots, but I lost who I was along the way.”
Within A Captain's Soul Page 18