by Smith, Bobbi
"No," he said bluntly as he started from the room. "It's better this way."
Chapter Twenty-nine
"Adam's not going to Suzanne's, is he, Lianne?" Alex asked as he climbed into bed. He was trying his best to be brave, but his bottom lip was quivering with the effort.
"Of course not, sweetheart," Lianne soothed as she tucked him in. "He told you, this is important. I'm sure it's business and nothing else." Once he was snugly under the covers, she sat by his side, knowing that he needed to talk for a while.
Alex's eyes were huge in his face as he regarded his sister solemnly. "I'm glad you married Adam. I love him a lot."
Lianne felt a tightness in her chest at his words. "I know you do, Alex, and Adam loves you, too."
"Do you really think so?" He brightened at the thought.
"Of course. Do you think he'd go off and go swimming with just anyone?" she teased playfully.
"No, I guess not. We had fun, Lianne," Alex told her earnestly as he remembered the carefree afternoon they'd spent at the swimming hole.
"And I'm sure you're going to have fun again, Alex, just as soon as Adam takes care of all his business."
The little boy curled on his side as he sighed deeply. "I know. I just wish he'd hurry."
Lianne reached out to smooth back his hair from his forehead and press a kiss there. "He'll be home soon."
Filled with love and tenderness, Lianne stayed with him, holding his small hand in hers. While she sat there waiting for Alex to drift off to sleep, she tried to imagine her upcoming confrontation with Adam and anticipate what he was going to say in response to her demand that he choose between Suzanne and her. Lianne grimly told herself that she knew exactly what he was going to say, but still she knew she had to try.
When Alex finally fell sound asleep, Lianne got up from the bed and wandered about the room, gathering up her courage to face Adam. It was then as she paused by the window to look out that she heard Adam speaking below. Lianne couldn't make out what was being said, but as she watched he left the house alone and headed off across the grounds toward the boat dock.
Lianne's blood ran cold. Adam was going to Suzanne, and he was planning to spend the next several days with her! Propelled to action, she hurried from Alex's room. Lianne darted down the stairway taking care to be completely quiet, for she didn't want to run into Becky right now. All she wanted to do was to catch up with Adam and have it out with him. She was thankful as she made her escape from the house undetected. Racing full speed down the path to the dock, she was frustrated to find that Adam had already gone.
Lianne stood there staring off into the gloom of the bayou, uncertain for a moment, but she quickly put her indecision from her. She had to catch up with Adam! Having traveled the bayou all her life, she knew it like the back of her hand, while Adam had only minimal experience with the intricacies of the waterway. Lianne was certain that she'd have no trouble overtaking him before he reached Suzanne's.
Hurrying to free the rope of the other skiff tied up there, Lianne climbed nimbly into the small craft. Grateful for the pale, guiding light of the moon, Lianne set out determinedly after her husband.
Brody and Michaels, two experienced crewmembers from the Sea Shadow, were waiting for Adam when he arrived at Pointe Bayou.
"Captain Trent!" they called out to him in slightly hushed tones as they saw him heading in their direction.
Adam spotted them on the bank and waved his return greeting. He jumped easily from the craft after coasting in near them.
"Good to see you again, men," he told them as they helped him pull the skiff out of the water and hide it behind some bushes.
"Captain Hamilton's waiting for you, sir. We'd better set out right away," the tall, thin Brody said.
"Have you seen anything of Shark?"
"Not yet, sir," Michaels offered.
The news did not surprise Adam, although he was disappointed by it. "We're going to catch him soon, men. It's only a matter of time now," Adam said with confidence as they made ready to head out of the bayou and back to sea in the Sea Shadow's boat.
They were just about to push off when one of the men whispered urgently, "Captain Trent! Someone followed you!"
Adam looked up and suddenly cursed vividly under his breath as he immediately recognized Lianne.
"Damn!" he swore with a vengeance. What the hell was she doing here? But Adam knew he had no time to ponder her totally irrational actions.
"Who is it, sir?" one of the men asked.
"My wife," Adam replied tersely. He glanced around, trying desperately to come up with a plan to avoid a confrontation. He spoke softly as an idea occurred to him, "She knows nothing of my identity as Spectre, and it's necessary to keep it that way. There's no way we can avoid her, so here's what I want you to do." He was already climbing out of the boat. "Take her captive."
The men looked at him with something akin to outrage. "Captive, sir?"
"Shut up and move before she finds out what's going on! Tie her up and blindfold her. I can't risk her seeing me. Don't use my real name. From this point on I'm Spectre, and don't call Mr. Hamilton by name, either. I'll wait here for you," he snapped, and they hurried to follow his orders.
Lianne had always felt comfortable in the bayou, even at night. She'd always thought it a tranquil, unthreatening place. For some reason, though, as she negotiated the tricky bayou passages this evening, she was filled with a sense of foreboding.
Lianne tried to put the worry from her mind. It was true that she'd heard that bad things did occasionally happen in the backwater areas. Yet, in all of her years, she'd never had any such encounter and had eventually come to dismiss those tales as ridiculous. Lianne told herself firmly that it was nonsense, that she was only nervous about confronting Adam, but still the icy tendrils of fear lingered in her soul as she rushed onward trying to catch up with him.
They were upon her suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere. One moment, she'd been alone in her search, and the next, a boat she'd never seen before was racing toward her. For a moment, Lianne could only stare at the threatening craft. As they drew closer, she could see their menacing expressions. Stark terror filled her. Who were they? What did they want?
Common sense told her to flee, so Lianne quickly tried to turn her skiff trying to escape, all the while cursing herself for not trusting her instincts before this. She knew she should have been more cautious in her reckless pursuit of Adam, but now, it was too late. Lianne had little hope of getting away from this unknown band of cutthroats, and she knew it.
Refusing to give up, she paddled viciously in a desperate effort to make for an area with heavy overgrowth. As a child, she had often played hide-and-seek here with Mark. Lianne hoped that she could lose herself in the concealing brush and elude her would-be captors that way.
However, it was not to be. The men of the Sea Shadow were excellent sailors who were more at home in a boat than on land. They anticipated her every evasive move and were upon her quickly.
As Lianne felt the heavy hand grip her boat, stopping her progress in spite of her best efforts, she turned and tried to hit him with her paddle. The big, fierce-looking man snatched it easily away from her, though, killing her last hope for salvation. As the other boat pulled up evenly with hers and the big man reached out to grab her, Lianne reacted on sheer nerve, diving from her skiff into the black, mysterious waters.
"Damn it, Michaels! Why didn't you get her while you had the chance!" Brody complained.
"Where the hell is she?" Michaels stared out across the water trying to see her so he could go after her again, but she hadn't surfaced yet.
"She was wearing a dress," Brody remarked. "You don't suppose . . ."
As the thought occurred to Brody, Michaels had already realized that she was in trouble. Without further hesitation, he dove in after her.
Lianne had thought to make her escape by swimming away underwater, but in her desperation to get away, she'd forgotten what she was wearing. With
the heavy material of her skirts weighing her down, twining about her legs and preventing her from kicking, she sank like a rock. Lianne tried to resurface, propelling herself with her arms, but the heavy, smothering anchor of her clothing held her down.
As water began to fill her lungs, she suddenly realized that she might die. The panic that came with that thought gave her one, final burst of energy. Fighting for her life, she managed to reach the surface. Lianne knew that Adam was the only person within earshot who might be able to save her. With the last of her strength, she called out his name in terrified, choking cry for help.
"Adam! Help!" Almost as soon as she yelled, the weight of her clothing pulled her back under.
Lianne thought it was the end as the dark waters closed over her head. She was about to lose consciousness when strong arms grasped her and hauled her back to the surface.
"Brody! Help me!" Michaels called out as he swam back toward the boat, drawing a limp, unresisting Lianne behind him.
"Is she dead?" Brody asked worriedly as he helped Michaels lift Lianne into their boat.
As if in answer to his question, Lianne began to cough and choke, and Brody and Michaels exchanged relieved glances.
"Get the ropes," Michael told him.
Brody took up the rope and knelt beside her, preparing to bind her as the captain had ordered.
Lianne's chest ached and her throat was raw. She was exhausted as she lay in the bottom of the boat, waiting in rigid silence for whatever her two captors meant to do with her next.
"What do you want? What are you going to do with me?"
Silence was her only answer.
"Please . . ." she gasped, her voice a mere croak of fear, "can't you just let me go?"
When one man came toward her with a rope in hand, horror seized her. Brody's expression didn't change as he took her by her wrists and started to bind her hands behind her back.
"You don't have to tie me up! I promise I won't fight you anymore." Lianne begged.
"Shut up," he answered brusquely, moved by her pleas, but trying not to look at her. He knew there'd be hell to pay if he didn't follow the captain's instructions. When he moved to tie her ankles, she tried to kick him, but she was so weak, he easily subdued her.
Lianne was completely terrified as she stared at the big, mean-looking man who was hovering over her. She honestly believed that her life was about to end. Her heart ached at the thought of Alex being left all alone in the world, and it hurt her to think that she would never know the joy of holding her child in her arms. Tears burned her eyes, and she wished that Adam would come and save her from whatever awful fate these men had in store for her.
"No! Don't!" she shrieked as the man used a neckerchief to blindfold her. She was sure that at any minute she was going to die, and she didn't want to die in the darkness.
Brody looked at Michaels questioningly and then, reluctantly, gagged her too. It wouldn't do if her shouting gave away their presence in the bayou.
Bound, gagged, blindfolded, and miserable, Lianne lay motionlessly in the bottom of the boat. As her captors began to paddle again, she wondered where they were taking her and why. Resigned to the fact that she was helpless for the moment, she remained quiet, hoping to listen to whatever was said and figure out a way to escape later . . . if there was a later.
Brody and Michaels headed back to where they'd left Adam, and they could see him standing at the water's edge. Though it was too dark to read his expression, they could tell just from his rigid stance that he'd heard Lianne's call and knew that something had gone wrong.
Adam saw them returning, but did not see Lianne in the boat with them. Horror suddenly struck his heart as he considered for the first time that she might have tried to fight them off and gotten hurt in the process. He had heard her cry out to him for help. At the time, he'd thought that she'd called for him only because he was nearby and might hear her. What if she'd really been in trouble? He went pale at the prospect.
His blood was pounding in his veins as he watched Brody and Michaels draw nearer. Where was Lianne! Why couldn't he see her in the boat! Adam wanted to call out to them, to ask where she was and how she was, but he knew he had to remain silent. If Lianne was in the boat, she might recognize his voice, and he couldn't risk being discovered — not yet.
"We got her, just like you ordered," Brody announced as the boat coasted into the bank next to him.
"Good," Adam answered, taking care to disguise his voice.
Lianne heard the hoarse, rasping voice and a chill of fear ran through her. Who was this man that her two captors answered to, and why did he want her? Suddenly wild with fright, she began to shiver uncontrollably. She felt the boat dip and sway as the other man joined them in the craft. When he was aboard, she felt them push off again. As they sailed away into the darkness of the night, Lianne's thoughts were filled with terrified visions of death at the hands of the mysterious man who'd ordered her taken captive.
Beau had been watching for his men to return with Adam, and when he spotted the small boat heading their way, he went to meet them. Brody came aboard first and immediately sought him out.
"Mr. Hamilton, sir, the captain says to be sure not to say anything to him when he comes aboard."
Beau gave him a curious look. "May I ask why not?"
"The captain's brought his wife with him, sir, but — "
"Lianne? Here?" Beau could not imagine what had possessed Adam to do such a thing. There'd been no mention in his note that he was bringing Lianne along. Puzzled, he awaited Adam's coming, yet still he was not prepared for the sight of Adam climbing aboard with Lianne, bound as she was, thrown over his shoulder. "What the hell?" he muttered under his breath as he stalked toward them.
Adam held up one hand to silence him as he strode on past him and went directly below to his cabin. Beau dogged his footsteps the entire way, wondering why Lianne was tied up this way and why her clothes were all wet. He watched as Adam laid her upon his bunk and then turned to him and gestured for him to go back outside.
"What are you doing?" Beau demanded when Adam had closed the cabin door, insuring that Lianne wouldn't be able to hear them and distinguish their voices.
"She followed me, Beau. What else was I supposed to do? Let her find out about Spectre?"
"She followed you, so you tied her up, blindfolded her and brought her aboard . . ." Beau repeated, stunned. "Why didn't you just hide until she was gone?"
Adam cast him a pained look. "You obviously don't know Lianne very well. She wouldn't have stopped looking until she'd found me."
"So what are you going to do with her now? You know we can't take her on the entire voyage."
"Of course I know that!" Adam snarled, angry at the situation in which he found himself. "If she's missing from Belle Arbor for any length of time, there'll be questions asked."
"So?"
"How soon do we sail?"
"We have to wait for the tide . . . two hours, maybe three," Beau replied.
Adam nodded. "Before we sail, I'll have the men take her back where we found her and release her. Until then, I'll be in my cabin, and I don't want to be disturbed."
"All right. I'll let you know when it's almost time to sail."
When Beau had gone, Adam went back inside. He was annoyed over everything that had happened. He had come to the Sea Shadow to get away from Lianne, not to be cooped up in his cramped ship's quarters with her.
He stood near the door, staring across the room to where she lay on his bunk. Even from this distance, he could see that she was shivering, and it occurred to him then that she was probably chilled from the wet clothing. Knowing that it would be hours before he could see her safely back to Belle Arbor, Adam realized he had to do something to help warm her.
Adam moved across the room slowly, soundlessly, coming to stand beside the bed. Lianne's clothing was still wet, clinging damply to her body, and his gaze grew heated as he visually traced her luscious curves. With her arms drawn back be
hind her, her breasts were thrust forward and he could see the outline of the peaks pressing tautly against the sodden fabric. Desire, thick and heavy, filled him, and he reached out with a gentle hand to begin unbuttoning the buttons at the bodice of her dress.
Lianne had been lying quietly, trying to understand what was happening to her. She had heard the two men leave and then had heard the door open and close once again. She sensed that someone was in the room with her, but she didn't know where he was or what he intended. The feel of his hand at her bodice terrified her, and she gasped as she tried to scoot away from the anonymous touch.
"Easy, my lovely," Adam spoken in the hoarse disguising tone he'd adopted as he stilled her frantic movements with his hands.
Behind her gag, Lianne cried out for salvation from the unknown man who was pinning her to the bed.
"I mean you no harm," he rasped, reaching behind her to untie her hands for a moment.
Lianne could not believe that he was releasing the bonds. She almost had hope until he refused to let go of her wrists once he'd untied the rope.
"But I'll be forced to deal with you severely if you ever attempt to take off the blindfold," he told her menacingly.
His threat sent a shudder of fear through her, and when he stripped her gown and chemise from her shoulders and her arms, effectively baring her to the waist, she began to tremble violently. She tried to struggle free from his grip, but he held her easily. Adam dragged her arms back above her head and tied them to the bunk's frame. Pinioned so, Lianne lay tense and unwilling before him as he stripped away the last of her clothing. She held herself rigidly, preparing for the worst. She longed for Adam to come and rescue her, yet she knew that by now he was with Suzanne, probably making love to her, completely unaware of her own fate.
Adam took great pains not to look at her as he gathered up her sodden clothing and went outside to call for a cabin boy. Adam gave the boy the clothes and instructed him that they were to be taken to the kitchen and dried before the stove, then returned as quickly as possible. He wanted to get Lianne dressed and off the Sea Shadow as soon as he could, for the temptation of having her there was nearly overpowering.
