Pirate’s Promise: The Girl Had Nowhere To Go But Into His Arms...

by Bobbi Smith

  Adam heard Abner's and the constable's shouts behind him, but he paid no attention as he threw his rifle down and ran to Cyrus's side. Blood trickled from the corner of Cyrus's mouth as he smiled grimly up at his most hated enemy.

  "You may think you've won, Trent, but you haven't!" He began to cough violently as death tightened its hold on him.

  "Won?" Adam stared down at him in confusion. What kind of game was this man playing? "Won that, Shackelford? What are you talking about?"

  "Lianne . . ." Cyrus groaned.

  At his uttering of her name, Adam grabbed him by the shirt front and hauled him upward.

  "What about Lianne!" he demanded viciously, knowing that the man's life was draining from him and that he had to know what was happening.

  "You've lost her . . ." he told him with a defiant gleam flaring in his eyes for an instant before fading to a painfilled daze. "Suzanne arranged it all . . ."

  "Suzanne?" Adam thought of the note and realized that they had worked together to exact their revenge.

  "She hates Lianne as much as I hate you," Cyrus spat viciously.

  "Lianne!" Adam suddenly recognized the danger she was in. He lowered Cyrus back to the floor intending to rush to her rescue. But Cyrus's next words stopped him before he could stand to go.

  "That's right . . . Suzanne has plans for her." He gave a hoarse, coughing laugh. "But you're too late already, Trent! Even though she'll never be mine now, at least I know she won't belong to you any more . . . She'll pay for what she did to me . . . She'll pay with her body, and she'll pay with her soul!"

  Adam knew true fear. If Suzanne's and Cyrus's hatred was savage enough to cause them to arrange his murder, God only knew what they could have planned for Lianne.

  "What have you done to her?" he demanded fiercely, nearly out of his mind with worry. Adam was torn between the need to race to Belle Arbor and the need to stay and get the whole truth out of Cyrus.

  But fate took the decision from him as Cyrus went tense, groaning Lianne's name in a despairing lover's whisper. He slumped visibly then, his life over.

  Adam got to his feet, intending to leave immediately for home.

  "We saw and heard everything, Mr. Trent. There'll be no charges filed," Horace Watkins, the constable, told him.

  "Right," Adam answered distractedly, anxious to be on his way.

  "What he was saying about this Lianne . . ."

  "Lianne is my wife," Adam told him tersely, "and she's in some kind of terrible danger. I have to get back home . . ."

  "Of course. I'll send help with you."

  "I can't wait for your men. It might be too late already! Send them to Willow Bend plantation. Suzanne Labadie is the one you want."

  "They'll be on their way within the hour," Watkins promised. "What about your shoulder? Don't you think you should have a doctor take a look at that?"

  "There's no time for that," Adam answered, hurrying from the room, and he never looked back.

  The ride to Belle Arbor had never seemed so long as Adam again took off cross-country in an effort to get back home and save Lianne. The miles were endless to him as he and his tiring mount struggled to reach the plantation. When he finally charged up the drive to the main house, his horse was foam-flecked and near exhaustion. He dismounted before completely coming to a stop and raced up the steps, shouting out her name.

  Sarah heard Adam's call and came to meet him. Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of his bloodstained shirt. "Mr. Adam . . . what is it? What happened to you?"

  "It doesn't matter, Sarah. Where's Lianne? Where's Becky?" he asked impatiently.

  "They're not in the house. They were working in the garden earlier, but I haven't seen them for a while."

  Adam rushed to the garden. He found their discarded tools, but no further sign of them. Sarah had followed him, and he turned on her furiously.

  "Where else could they be? Where else could they have gone?"

  "Mr. Adam, I don't know. Why don't you tell me what's wrong? What's happened?"

  "Cyrus Shackelford tried to have me killed this morning, and there are plans to hurt Lianne, too . . ."

  "Dear God!"

  Adam's exhausted mount had drawn the attention of the stablehands, and, hearing the talk that something must be wrong up at the big house, Alex went to see what was going on. He found Adam in the garden with Sarah. At the sight of Adam's wound, he thought of Mark, and tears of fear filled his eyes. Without hesitation he ran to Adam and wrapped his arms possessively around him.

  "Adam! You can't die like Mark! I won't let you!"

  "I'm not going to die, Alex," he promised, giving him a reassuring hug.

  "But somebody shot you!"

  "Some very mean men, but they've all been taken care of already."

  "They have?" He brightened a bit.

  Adam nodded, keeping his arms around the boy to comfort him and ease his worries. "Have you seen Lianne or Becky?" He tried to sound casual, not wanting to upset him.

  "Not for a long time," he said, "but we'd better find her. She's going to be worried about you."

  "You're right, Alex, she will be. You didn't see her with Becky down at the stable, did you?"

  "No, she wasn't there."

  "Sarah, I want Lianne found now!" Adam snapped with firm authority, and Sarah ran to do as he'd instructed.

  The search proved fruitless, as he'd feared it would. Adam finally allowed Sarah to nurse his shoulder, and then he donned a clean shirt. Leaving a frightened Alex in her care, he got a fresh mount and headed for Willow Bend and Suzanne . . . the true link to Lianne's and Becky's disappearance.

  Though his shoulder and arm were beginning to ache, Adam dismissed the pain. Nothing mattered but saving Lianne and Becky from whatever horrible fate Suzanne had plotted.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Since Shark had left Willow Bend at dawn, Suzanne had been beside herself with excitement. As the hours passed, she became convinced that everything had gone just as Shark had planned. Certainly, she reasoned, she would have heard something if it hadn't.

  Suzanne was thrilled to think that Lianne had disappeared from Belle Arbor without a trace, and she could hardly wait for the time to come when Adam would once again be hers. Judging from what little she'd been able to learn from Shark, it would be a matter of another six weeks or so before he returned to her. By the time he got back, she intended to have Adam's full attention again. She would betray Shark to him then, winning even more of his confidence and, hopefully, all of his love.

  Suzanne sighed in dramatic fashion as she pictured herself wrapped in Adam's strong embrace. The memory of his avowal of love for Lianne intruded on her happiness, but she shoved it away. She knew Lianne really meant nothing to him. The stupid chit had trapped him into marriage by getting herself with child. Suzanne was positive it would be easy to win him back now that she was gone.

  The sound of a horse dashing madly up to the house brought her out of bed. Suzanne ran to the window and was absolutely delighted when she caught a glimpse of Adam below. Her heart filled with joy at the thought that he'd come to her so soon, and she raced to her dressing table to make sure that she looked her best before she went out to see him.

  "Where is she?" Adam challenged as he pushed aggressively past the maid and into the house without waiting for an invitation.

  The servant recognized Adam, but was puzzled by his obvious anger. She answered promptly, hoping to placate him, "Miss Suzanne is in her room, sir. Shall I get her for you?"

  "Never mind. I'll go get her myself." He brushed past her and started up the steps.

  "But Mr. Adam, sir . . ." she protested, trailing after him, but there was no diverting him.

  Adam stalked down the hall with the maid at his heels. "Mr. Adam, I don't think this is a good idea—"

  Even as the servant tried to stop him, Suzanne's bedroom door opened, and she stepped unawares out into the hall.

  "Adam!" Suzanne had no trouble sounding surprised as she
came face to face with him right outside her bedroom door, for she was indeed. The fact that he'd come upstairs looking for her filled her with confidence. Her eyes were aglow with a fervent fire as she stared at him hungrily. "It's all right," she told the girl. "You can go."

  "Yes, ma'am."

  "Adam, it's so good to see you . . ." She cooed, stepping nearer to stand close in front of him. She was hoping he would take her in his arms and kiss her, for it had been a long time since they'd been together.

  "Yes," he bit out, barely controlling his fury, "it's good to see you, too." For what it was worth, Adam really meant his words. During his ride to Willow Bend, he'd been afraid that Suzanne might be gone when he got there, and he was pleased to find her still in residence.

  "I've missed you terribly," Suzanne said with emphasis as she rested a hand on his forearm.

  Adam flinched as she touched his injured arm, the pain reminding him all too vividly of her viciousness. When the maid had at last gone out of sight, he stopped all pretense of being the courting suitor. Grabbing her wrists in a viselike grip, Adam glared murderously down at her.

  "I want the truth and I want it now!" he snarled, pushing her back against the wall and holding her pinned there.

  "Adam . . . stop! You're hurting me!" Suzanne's look of wide-eyed confusion at being so manhandled was not fake. She was used to roughness from Shark, but she had never expected it from Adam. His actions alarmed her, and she realized with a terrible, sinking feeling that something must have gone wrong.

  "I'll do more than hurt you, Suzanne. It's going to be a while before the law shows up. I want to know where Lianne is long before they get here. Do you understand me?" Adam questioned savagely, tightening his already brutal hold.

  "Lianne's gone? Why do you think I'd know where she is? Maybe she's left you because she knows how much we truly love each other. Maybe — "

  Adam gave her a hard, teeth-rattling shake. "Lianne didn't leave me, Suzanne. I know you're in on this with Cyrus. He told me everything."

  "Cyrus . . ." She blanched at this.

  "Yes, my dear, Cyrus. His little plot to have me killed didn't work, though."

  "What? Cyrus tried to have you killed?" Suzanne stared at him aghast. "That can't be true! He only wanted to get Lianne. He said so. We agreed — "

  "So, you agreed on everything, did you?"

  "No! No! I never wanted you dead! Adam, I love you!" Suzanne was suddenly crying as she kept trying to free herself from his restraining hold. She wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him, to tell him she loved him over and over until he believed her. The thought that Cyrus and Shark had double-crossed her left her furious.

  "Love?" Adam stared down at her with loathing. "What you feel for me is the furthest thing from love I've ever known," he sneered.

  "No, Adam, really . . . I do! I love you! I only wanted to get Lianne out of the way so we could be together. I know she forced you into marriage. I know you don't love her. You proposed to me! I'm the one you want. I'm the one you love."

  "That's where you're wrong, Suzanne. I don't love you."

  His words were like a knife to her heart, and she rushed to use her most powerful weapon to win him.

  "Adam, you will! You will when I tell you . . ." She hurried to tell him about Shark just so he would see her in a different, more favorable light.

  "Tell me what?" he interrupted, glaring at her with a deep, abiding hatred.

  Suzanne saw the emotion reflected there, but she went on anyway, desperate to convince him of how wild she was about him. "About Shark . . ."

  He stiffened. "Shark?"

  "Yes. I know you're looking for him, and I can help you find him. I can! I was going to tell you later, but I'll tell you now," she went on quickly, all the while praying inside that Lianne would be nowhere around when Adam caught up with the smuggler. Suzanne was totally dumbfounded when Adam did not react enthusiastically to the news.

  "Save it, Suzanne. If you think I care more about finding him than locating Lianne and Becky, you're wrong. What's happened to them? Where are they? What did you and Shackelford have planned?"

  "Shark's got Lianne, Adam, and probably Becky, too," she answered immediately. "Don't you see? My plan was perfect!" Suzanne went on a little crazily. "You're rid of the wife you didn't want now, so we can be together. You and me. Just like it was before . . ."

  Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but Adam didn't even notice. He had gone completely still at her announcement that Shark was involved in this —that Shark had Lianne and Becky. Without conscious thought, he released her arms and closed his hands about her neck.

  "You let Shark have them? You turned two good women over to that animal!" Adam went wild at the thought, his hands tightening menacingly on her throat. He had seen what Shark did to women! He had lived through it once . . ."Where are they, Suzanne? Where has he taken them? Tell me now, or so help me, I'll strangle you right here!"

  "Cyrus is supposed to meeting them tonight at Pelican Passage," she croaked beneath his brutal hands. Weakly, she grabbed at his arms in an attempt to break his murderous hold. She was gasping for air.

  "Cyrus won't be meeting anyone tonight, Suzanne," Adam ground out coldly. "Cyrus is dead."

  "You killed him?" Suzanne swayed weakly as she felt her consciousness fading.

  It was the bite of the chain against his palms that brought Adam back to reality. He released Suzanne abruptly, staring with blazing eyes at the fine golden chain and crescent medallion she was wearing.

  Suzanne was choking and struggling to regain her breath, when she noticed the strange stillness about Adam. "What is it?" she whispered, fearful of what he would do next.

  Adam grabbed the chain in a tight fist and tore it from her neck. "Shark gave you this months ago, didn't he?"

  "Yes," she replied weakly, trembling violently as she cowered against the wall before him.

  "Did he tell you where he got it? Did he tell you where it came from?" he thundered.

  "No . . ."

  "Shark stole it from a woman who was very dear to me — after he'd raped and brutalized her during a raid on my ship." Adam lifted his medallion from beneath his shirt to show her that they were identical. "You see, Suzanne, it matches the one I'm wearing."

  Suzanne gasped as she stared at the jewelry. Suddenly, she knew the cold hard truth of Adam's feelings for her. He had never loved her! He had hated her this entire time. Using her had only been a means to catch Shark and now she had given him what he'd wanted freely!

  "You were only using me! All this time you were using me!" She erupted into viciousness at the realization. "I hope you never find your precious Lianne! I hope Shark's long gone by the time you reach the rendezvous! I hope you never see your wife or your sister alive again! They deserved what he's got planned for them!"

  Adam grabbed her again and shook her hard. "What's his plan, Suzanne?"

  "He's going to sell her into slavery!" she spat out, and she knew a moment of wicked glee at telling him the news. "After he's used her himself, of course. Who knows if your brat will even live long enough to be born!" Suzanne taunted, hating him as she'd never hated another.

  At her words, Adam threw her violently from him, afraid that he might really kill her if he kept his hands on her for a moment longer. Knowing that he had to get to Pelican Passage as quickly as possible, he turned his back on her and started to walk away.

  "You'll never find her, Adam! You're a fool to even try! Why would you want her now anyway, when you know Shark and his men have already had her?" she called after him.

  Adam was beyond listening to her. His thoughts were focused solely on Lianne and Becky and the terror they must be feeling at being held at Shark's mercy. As he reached the top of the stairs, the maid was just admitting the constable from town.

  Watkins looked up to see Adam. "Trent! You're already here!"

  "Suzanne Labadie's up here, Watkins, and she's all yours. She's part of an illegal slave-smuggling rin
g. She's got a partner named Shark."

  Watkins sent his men upstairs to take Suzanne into custody as Adam descended and started out the door.

  "What about your wife, Trent?" he asked as Adam hurried passed him.

  "Don't worry about it. I'll take care of my own," he answered tersely as he strode from the house.

  Watkins stared after him for a moment, puzzled by his strange reply. He would have gone after him to ask him more, but his men were already returning with the Labadie woman in tow.

  Adam raced back to Belle Arbor, praying all the while that there would be some word from Beau. It had been days since he'd sent the message to him, and he hoped that Beau had received it by now. Adam knew his only hope to catch Shark would be as Spectre aboard the Sea Shadow.

  Beau stood in the main hall, his expression growing more and more outraged as he listened to what Sarah was telling him about what had happened.

  "Both Lianne and Becky are missing?" Beau repeated sharply in disbelief.

  "Yes, sir," she answered nervously.

  "And Adam's gone to Suzanne's alone looking for them?" he asked worriedly.

  "Yes, sir, Mr. Beau. He left a long time ago, and we haven't heard anything . . ."

  "I'll go right now. He may be in trouble . . . big trouble . . ."

  "What kind of trouble, Beau?" Alex asked, emerging from the parlor where he'd been hiding to listen to the adults' conversation.

  Beau turned to the boy, wishing he'd known of his presence before he'd made his statement. "Nothing good ol' Adam can't handle, Alex, but I'll go see if I can help him. What do you say?"

  "Don't let him get hurt again, Beau . . ." Alex's dark eyes were huge, and his fears were easily discernible.

  "I won't," he promised, and he gave him a quick hug before turning to leave. Beau and Sarah had just stepped outside when he spotted Adam coming up the drive at breakneck speed.

  "It's him!" Beau quickly ran down the steps and along the drive to meet him.

  "Thank God!" Sarah cried as she hurried after Beau.

  Adam had never been so glad to see anyone in his entire life. He threw himself from the horse and embraced Beau heartily.