The Pirate's Heart

by Bethany M. Sefchick

  She was also extremely confused. And hurt. And yes, more than a little scared. Finally. She must be overcoming her shock.

  “Why should I rest? So you can turn me over to him and collect the reward? No, thank you. If that is to be my fate, I beg that you simply get it over with and be done with things,” she tossed at the man as he turned his back to leave.

  Once more, the pirate regarded her with those dark eyes. Just then, she would have given anything to see beneath the mask. To see his eyes without the shadows and know what he was thinking. Because he wasn’t planning on killing her, or at least she didn’t think he was. Had he wanted her dead, he could have accomplished that much more effectively on the beach. That didn’t mean he still didn’t have plans for her, however. Plans she might not like.

  “Oh, Duchess. You still don’t understand, do you?” His voice was soft and she was now convinced that he had been the one she had heard on the beach just before she had been kidnapped.

  “Understand what?” Katherine did her best to put on a brave face, for she felt as if she was on the verge of falling apart. “That you wish to turn me over to a madman to collect your hefty payment?”

  “I’ve no plans to turn you over to Lord Wilds, my dear Katherine. No, not at all. You see, that is why I kidnapped you today. For had I waited? There were at least two other pirates waiting off the coast of Barbados who hoped to secure you this night and then turn you over to the bastard in order to claim their prize. No, I made certain to kidnap you first simply because, much like Lord Wilds, I have no intention of letting you go.”

  Katherine’s blood turned to ice. “You what?”

  Midnight Jack smiled again, that same smile that made her toes curl. “You see, Duchess, I plan to keep you for myself. You are mine now and I’ve no intention of handing you over to Wilds. Not now and not ever.”

  Then he walked out the door leaving Katherine absolutely speechless.

  Full darkness had fallen by the time Jack emerged from his cabin and strode across the deck to where his first mate waited for him. He had been sitting beside Katherine’s bed since the early afternoon when he’d first brought her aboard. There had been a time, however brief, when he had considered about leaving her in the care of his crew, but he’d eventually decided against such an action. Drugged as she was, Katherine was vulnerable. While, for the most part, Jack trusted his crew and he had hinted that they might have their pick of women once they reached the pirate haven of Tortuga, he could not be certain one of them might not decide to take what was not on offer.

  The only man he would fully trust with his prize was Ramsey, but the man had gone belowdecks as soon as they returned to begin preparing the evening meal. So Jack had sat with Katherine instead, waiting for her to wake up so that she would not be panicked when she awoke and realized she was no longer on Barbados. That had taken far longer than he had anticipated, but there was naught to be done for it.

  Now that she was awake? He would check on her frequently, but he needed to make certain they were well away from the island and making good time toward Tortuga before he could turn his full attention back to his lovely captive.

  “Anyone follow us?” Jack asked briskly as he gazed out over the inky black ocean. Even after all of these years, the sight of the dark water still unnerved him a bit and likely always would. The darkness was a reminder of how he’d begun his life of piracy, hence the name of his ship.

  Davis shook his head. “No. Last word out of Bridgetown was that Boucher and Garcia were waiting until nightfall to make their attempts to snatch the lady. They plan to follow our same course out but they’re hours behind us and The Darkness is much faster than either of their ships. If they do find us, we can outrun them easily. No worries, Cap’n.”

  Nodding, Jack placed his hands on the railing and affected as calm of a demeanor as possible considering the dark water swirling below him. Normally, he only felt a small tingle of fear at the sight of water like this but tonight, he wasn’t able to quell his fear as easily. “Garcia will give up immediately when he knows she’s gone. Unless there are plentiful whores in it for him, he’s not interested these days.”

  As the son of a Spanish pirate and a captured Dutch lady forced into the life of a pirate’s whore, Jack would have thought the man would be kinder to the women he took as part of his booty, but he wasn’t. More fool him, then, for Jack fully believed one of the women he routinely captured and then mistreated would eventually kill him in his sleep. Given the way the man slept like the dead, he usually gave them more than ample opportunity. Jack was inclined to provide them with a weapon should the opportunity arise.

  “She’ll be a handful, won’t she, Cap’n?” Davis followed Jack’s gaze out over the ocean and frowned. “You still think this is the right thing to do?”

  “It is the only thing I can do,” Jack replied, knowing his tone was gruff and not caring. “She is mine, Davis, and I won’t relinquish her. Make no mistake.”

  The first mate took a long drag on his cheroot and said nothing, as if pondering Jack’s words. “Boucher the Butcher will say otherwise when he finds out you have her. He wants the bounty on her head and not the chit herself. Are you prepared to fight him for her?”

  “I am prepared to die for her.” There was no hesitation in the captain’s reply.

  “Then you’re a fool,” Davis countered with a shake of his head. “No bit of skirt is worth that much. Certainly not your life.”

  Jack had expected that reaction from his first mate. Peter Davis was an excellent sailor but he understood precious little about humanity and the need for something more than a life of piracy. While he was a good and loyal crewman, he valued long-time friendships only a little and everything else associated with being a good person far less. Jack made certain to pay him more than enough that the man’s loyalty was never tested. Davis’ seeming lack of a soul made him an excellent pirate but at times, it also occasionally made him a reprehensible human being.

  “She is worth my future,” Jack finally replied, not quite ready to reveal all of his plans just yet. “Especially as this will be my last voyage.”

  Davis shook his head. “Naw, Cap’n. It’s only the sight of a pretty face that’s got you sayin’ that. Fuck her once or twice and that’ll be it, and you’ll be back to your old self in no time.” He shrugged. “Especially if you don’t intend to hand her over to Wilds.”

  It was little surprise that Davis did not understand Jack’s desire to walk away from this life. After all, he had been born to piracy. His father had been a pirate who had once haunted the waters off of the Carolina coast in America. His mother had been a pirate as well, though she’d begun life as a serving wench in a tavern in St. Augustine. Together, the two had terrorized much of the coast of the southern United States and had brought their son into the life as well. Most likely, Peter Davis would remain a pirate until the day he died, either by natural causes or one of the usual ways a pirate met his end – the end of a cutlass or a rope.

  “I was not always the man I am now,” Jack reminded his first mate. “I was not born to piracy as you were,”

  The other man snorted. “And yet you’re better at it than me.”

  That was true. Jack was an excellent pirate, somehow always managing to walk the fine line between rogue and respectable and not falling too far to either side. He was no saint. No man could be in this line of work and remain completely moral. But he liked to think he was not a bad man, either. He had simply done what was necessary to survive. To save his own life so long ago.

  “Be that as it may, there is an opportunity for me that lies on land. One that is too good to pass up, I’m afraid.” That was all Jack would say. No one on The Darkness, save for one person, needed to know what would become of him when this particular job was finished. “And the lady is a key part of that. Without her? My plans and goals cannot be accomplished.”

  Which wasn’t strictly true, of course, but it sounded good, and it gave Jack a reason his
men would understand for keeping her aboard. In general, women were considered bad luck on ships, though not so much now as in the past. Still, other than whores meant to be shared, pirates did not bring women aboard their ships. Though Jack had no intention of sharing Katherine. Not now and not ever.

  “So fucking her…” Leave it to Davis to turn his mind back to the sexual. It was in his nature, though, Jack supposed. Always thinking with his cock.

  “Is a pleasure I shall indulge in at my leisure. But I will indulge. Make no mistake that when the time is right, Lady Katherine will be beneath me, her lovely legs spread wide as I pound her cunny with my cock. Or her arse. Perhaps both. I simply want her more awake when I do so. It is so much more delightful when a woman is conscious, is it not?”

  That response made the first mate break out into a smile. “Ah, there’s the Midnight Jack I know. Though you was goin’ soft on me for a minute.”

  Jack shook his head. “No, not soft. Merely cautious. If my plan is to work and we are all to receive the riches we desire, I need the lady to trust me. To fall under my spell, as it were. If I take her now and she despises me later? She might conclude that Lord Wilds is a better option. Then we receive nothing. No, I am going for the bigger payout in a few months’ time rather than a smaller but more immediate one. I would rather receive double the bounty and wait a month or two for it to fill my coffers than obtain a smaller portion now, wouldn’t you? It is all about seeing the forest for the trees or however that saying goes.”

  Davis nodded, seemingly satisfied. Much to Jack’s relief. He doubted his crew would turn on him. They were loyal after all. Still, this close to the end of his career and with Katherine aboard, he was not taking any chances. “And when we reach Tortuga?” The first mate flicked his eyes out over the darkened water again.

  He didn’t see what Jack saw, but it was unlikely he ever would.

  “First, there will be rest. Neither Garcia nor Boucher is welcome there so we should be safe for a day or so. Wench. Drink. Sleep. I care not.” Jack really didn’t care, for if things went as he planned, he might well leave The Darkness behind once they reached the northern island.

  “And then?” Davis pressed.

  Good God, the man truly would not let the matter rest! “And then I shall reassess matters. Decide how far under my spell the lady has fallen and then choose the most expedient and profitable course of action. I can do nothing more before then.”

  “Except fuck the wench, of course.” Really, was it not possible for the man to think of anything other than his cock in a whore’s cunt? Jack supposed not.

  “As I said, my friend, at my leisure,” Jack refused to allow the other man’s words to rattle him. “At my leisure. She will be well worth the wait. I’ve a taste for the innocent, you know, but it’s been some time since I’ve had such a woman in my possession.”

  As Jack had expected, Davis made a disgusted face. “Ah. So that’s it. Virgins. I don’t care for them myself.”

  Which was just what Jack had been counting on. He couldn’t think of one member of his crew who preferred innocent women to more skilled ones. Once word leaked out that Katherine was untouched, as Jack was now certain it would, she would be safe from his crew. For a time anyway. He simply hoped that he could hold out from bedding her until they reached Tortuga. Though given the way his body had reacted to hers earlier, he wasn’t sure that was possible.

  So perhaps another plan was called for, one he would see to when he returned to his quarters later.

  “There are plenty of skilled ladies where we are headed, my friend,” Jack assured Davis. “When we reach Tortuga, you can have your pick. Cunny or cock. Whatever you prefer. My treat.” He paused. “Just not Katherine. She is my prize and mine alone. I will fight any man to the death who tries to take her from me.” He wanted that bit of information spread about amongst the crew as well.

  Once more, as expected, Davis seemed incredulous. “Don’t think any man aboard would be that foolish, Cap’n. Especially not if there’s the promise of women in Tortuga. Or men. Not all cap’ns are so quick to allow that, you know.”

  Quickly, Jack tallied up the cost of a wench for each member of his crew. “Let the men know that should we reach the haven safely, there will be a wench for each of them. A woman or man of their choosing. My treat. So long as Katherine is left alone.” Then he smiled and reached for the cutlass that rested at his hip. “Though if I am defied in that order? Then any man who touches her shall find his cock stuffed in his own mouth and his balls up his arse. I do not joke about this.”

  “Understood.” Davis was no fool and after years of serving under Jack, the other man knew the threat was not made lightly. He was well aware that Jack would ensure that anyone who dared to defile Katherine would die a slow and painful death. “I’ll make certain the others know as well.”

  “See that you do.” Jack nodded in the direction of his cabin. “And if she arrives at Tortuga unmolested save for myself? Two women for you, if you like. Or whatever it is that you prefer.” It was a bit of extra incentive, but he would consider it coin well spent. Jack refused to take chances with Katherine now that she was his.

  “As you like, Cap’n.” Davis executed a quick bow and then scurried off, likely to spread the word belowdecks that the captive was off-limits and, knowing his first mate as he did, likely with a bit of an extra threat added for incentive as well.

  Alone on the deck, Jack turned back to study the door that led to his cabin.

  Katherine.

  She was there and, after all this time, she was his.

  What came next? He really wasn’t sure.

  But the one thing he did know for certain was that at some point between here and Tortuga, they would end up in bed together. There was no other outcome. For he’d seen her reaction to him earlier. Her body knew what her heart and mind could not yet admit. She wanted him. Just as he wanted her. And he would have her. For Midnight Jack always got what he wanted and Lady Katherine Sedgewick was no exception.

  Chapter Four

  When Katherine finally awoke again, sunlight streamed in through the cabin’s two windows, illuminating the room. To her surprise, she’d awoken alone, her arm still tied to the bedpost just as it had been the night before. She had been all but certain Midnight Jack would be waiting for her again, and there was a small stab of disappointment that he wasn’t.

  It made no sense. None at all. She should be grateful that he had left her unmolested last night, and she was. To a point. Because there had also been a tiny sliver of disappointment that he hadn’t been waiting beside the bed for her to awake, as she’d hoped.

  In truth, Katherine still wasn’t afraid of the man. She should be. But she wasn’t. Which was, perhaps, part of her problem.

  Growing up on Barbados, she had heard stories over the years of how pirates generally treated the women they kidnapped, and much of those stores were not good. She’d heard tales of horror that ranged from being tossed in the ship’s brig to being chained up on deck while the entire crew took turns pleasuring themselves with the woman in question. Others claimed that the women prisoners were whipped or otherwise humiliated in front of the crew before being ill-used by the captain and a few of his men.

  No story had ever included a tale about a lady being allowed to pass her first night aboard a pirate ship in a rather comfortable bed and completely unmolested. Yet Katherine had been, and she didn’t believe it was an accident. Midnight Jack did not strike her as the sort of pirate to forget the details, especially when it pertained to the captivity of a woman.

  If she had been left alone, it was only because he had wanted her to be.

  Yes, Katherine was still tied to the bed, but not completely. She did have some freedom of movement. That in and of itself was a gift, as was the light blanket she had discovered draped over her that morning, indicating that the man had returned to his quarters at some point during the night. He also clearly hadn’t tried to touch her intimately, as her un
dergarments were exactly as she had left them the day before.

  She was certain he had his reasons for doing this, though she couldn’t imagine what they might be. He really was a puzzling man, especially for a notorious pirate.

  From what Katherine could see of his cabin, Midnight Jack also seemed to be a very learned man. This was not the quarters of a man who was foolish or stupid. There were books, maps, a globe, a compass, a sextant, a spyglass, and several other navigational tools spread out on the desk. There were two bookshelves filled with maps and charts, as well as classic works by Aristotle and Newton.

  Not a typical pirate, then. Not even close.

  Though everything here was made of dark wood, possibly mahogany, it was all kept polished to a high sheen and the fabrics on the chairs well-kept rather than worn. The bed she lay upon was soft and the pillows exquisite, as were the beddings themselves. Everything here looked to be of the highest quality money could buy, though given the sparkle of what looked to be a small fortune in jewels, gold and coins peeking out of a corner cubby hole, she imagined Jack could afford the expense.

  A deep blue velvet coat draped over a nearby chair indicated the man also had both excellent taste in clothing and a means to acquire those things, as well. Not that Katherine had needed any more proof than his shiny black boots that she had seen the night before. She knew quality footwear when she saw it.

  A pair of gold-rimmed spectacles lay on top of the maps, indicating that Jack needed them to see for close work. A second pair, slightly bent and obviously older, the sheen long gone, were tucked into a small corner of the desk, hinting that he might really not be able to see the maps and other printing without them and so kept the older pair at hand in case the new ones were damaged. Somehow, out of all that she saw spread out before her, those two pairs of spectacles made him seem more human. Not to mention a bit more relatable.