Chapter 10: ‘Rescued’
“Oh, no,” a cold voice halted them dead in their tracks, “you don’t get away so easily this time.”
Elizabeth began to panic when she saw that their escape was once again blocked. The men they had disabled were coming to, and the door was no longer a way out. She glanced at one of the narrow windows that lined the small office and contemplated whether or not William would be able to fit through it. She was fairly confident he could; after all, he was quite fit and lean.
However, when she tugged his hand in the direction of the only possible venue for escape, he remained frozen in place, unable to move.
“William!” she hissed desperately, watching the trap close in around them.
But the pain of betrayal had overcome him too far to worry about escape now. “Riley?” he finally whispered in disbelief.
Riley rolled his eyes and snorted derisively from where he and Forrest blocked the door. “Don’t sound so surprised,” he retorted. “You knew that sooner or later I’d have to get you out of my way…”
“What?” William was still dumbfounded by this turn of events. “What the bloody hell ‘re you thinkin’, Finn?” There was now a hint of anger in his voice.
“Simple,” Riley retorted. “You have what I want.” His cold eyes darted over to Elizabeth for a second before returning to his former captain’s. “I’m sick of following your orders, tired of being second best…or not even that – third best. So I’m taking what’s mine.”
Lord Abrahms let out a bored yawn, drawing the captive pair’s attention back to the trap they had been quite thoroughly caught in. “This is all fascinating, I’m sure,” he said wearily, “but I have things to do, deals to make…”
“Innocents to screw over,” William’s eyes narrowed.
Lord Abrahms didn’t bother to respond to that. With a quick snap of his fingers, he summoned two of the officers over, and they quickly moved to restrain William and Elizabeth.
William didn’t even protest, the fight still gone out of him. However, Elizabeth’s heel connected sharply with the officer’s shin, making him stumble.
Outraged, the man struck her across the face. She staggered backward, her vision bleary from the force of the blow.
At the hit, William seemed to spring back to life, although too late. “You’ll pay for hurtin’ her,” he hissed, deadly intent in his enraged eyes.
“Her?” The officer in question looked puzzled as he yanked Elizabeth back up to her feet. It was then that he noticed that the red handkerchief she’d used to bind her hair in place had come off at his blow. Her golden tresses spilled down her shoulders, and for a second he just stood their stunned, his gaping mouth not looking unlike that of a flounder. “Bloody ‘ell!” he finally cried in complete and utter shock. “’E’s a she!” He pointed an accusing finger at what he had thought was a second pirate.
Elizabeth took advantage of all her guards’ sudden bashfulness at touching her to try to break away. However, one of the young men who had accompanied Abrahms seemed to have no qualms about holding a lady captive. Elizabeth would’ve struggled, but her brow was still stinging from the officer’s punch.
“Honestly, miss,” the officer in question now seemed flabbergasted at his actions. “Din’t know you was a lady, I swear!”
“That’s right,” Elizabeth tried to maintain her dignity despite her pulsing headache and her arms being held by the man behind her. “My name is Elizabeth Summers, daughter of Henry Summers, and if you know what’s good for you, you’ll release me at once!” she practically screeched.
The grip on her arms suddenly weakened as the man behind her gasped in surprise. “Elizabeth Summers?” he exclaimed in astonishment.
Lord Abrahms looked no less shocked. “Henry’s daughter,” he hissed under his breath. “Impossible! You were…”
“Who d’you think captured that ship, moron?” William rolled his eyes and struggled against the ropes that were being tied around his hands.
“Miss Summers,” Lord Abrahms’ attitude instantly softened. “I had no idea, of course… I don’t believe you’ve met my son Parker, yet?”
The young man who had held her gave her what he probably thought was a seductive smile. It didn’t have much effect on her, especially since she’d been on the receiving end of William’s gorgeous smirk so often. This boy couldn’t even hope to stand up to her love.
“I believe my father had an arrangement with you,” Elizabeth continued to press her advantage. “If you don’t wish to incur his wrath, I suggest you do as I say and release William and myself at once.”
William couldn’t help but smile. Really, this woman didn’t know when she was beat. A stubborn little thing, determined to have her way even when the logic of the universe itself was against her…
“But, surely, lady—” Lord Abrahms began, trying to salvage the rather profitable marriage and the easy access to Henry Summers’ fortunes it would provide.
“She’s no lady,” Riley hissed, finally breaking his prolonged period of silence.
A sound very much like a growl emitted from William’s mouth.
Elizabeth was equally outraged. “How dare you?!” she exclaimed indignantly.
Riley snorted derisively. “She’s not much better than a common whore,” he informed the Abrahms’. “Had only known William for about five minutes before she started sniffing around in his pants.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks reddened with both anger and embarrassment. “You’re jealous,” she accused. “He didn’t let you take me, and now you’re trying to get revenge on us both.”
Riley bit out a bitter bark of laughter. “You are an arrogant, self-absorbed little thing, aren’t you?” he countered. He leaned in dangerously close so that she could feel the heat of his angry breath against her face. “You’re no different than any of the other foolish women he’s taken up with in the past. They’re all the same.” His eyes narrowed. “They fall for the charm and leap right into his bed, only to be cast aside when he grows bored with them. Don’t tell me you didn’t know?” he added harshly. “It’s all an act, ‘luv’…”
“’Lizabeth…” William’s voice was pleading, horrified.
“Shh,” she hushed him softly. The strangest feeling settled over her at Riley’s words. Not so long ago, she’d heard something similar from Angel and been torn up by it. But now… She bit out a bark of laughter. “God, you’re pathetic,” she informed Riley coldly. “You don’t know the first thing about William, do you? Or me?”
“That’s my girl,” William gave her a fond smile – one that stirred the fire deep in her belly even in this dire situation.
“Cheap harlot!” Riley hissed angrily. “I’ll show you who—”
“Halt!” Lord Abrahms had been studying the situation with morbid curiously and finally decided it was time to intervene. Instantly, two of the men moved to restrain Riley as well.
“What is this?” Riley demanded in indignation.
Forrest looked torn over whether it would be a good idea to aid his friend or not.
“Just…calming tempers,” Lord Abrahms said evasively before moving over to Elizabeth. His son reasserted his grip on her in response. With a cruel smile, Lord Abrahms caught her chin in his palm, tilting her head upward to look at him. “Pretty thing,” he commented absentmindedly. “Such a pity that she’s been…spoiled…”
“Father?” Parker demanded, confused and slightly hopeful. After all, if this marriage could be averted, he would be free to enjoy the variety of womankind for some time to come.
“Henry Summers would undoubtedly be grateful had we rescued his daughter from her great peril,” he began.
“You’re not ‘rescuing’ me!” Elizabeth hissed.
“Not any more,” Lord Abrahms agreed with a sinister grin. He turned to his son. “Quite a tragedy, wasn’t it, son?”
Parker looked thoroughly clueless about what his father was referring to, but years of being trained as a simple yes-man led him to instantly agree.
“It was such a shame that we didn’t find the infamous William the Bloody in time to prevent him from violating and murdering Henry’s only daughter,” Lord Abrahms said with false gravity. “However, we at least managed to bring the monster himself to justice.” His serpent gaze flickered to William. “I think your father will be quite grateful, don’t you?” This last statement was directed at Elizabeth.
“You’re mad,” she accused, eyes narrowed.
“Really, my dear,” Lord Abrahms moved away from her disinterestedly now, “you shouldn’t take things so personally. After all, it’s just…business.” He gestured to the guards that were restraining Riley, and they released him. “The girl is yours to do with as you like,” he announced, “just keep her away from my affairs.”
A wide grin split Riley’s features, and he yanked Elizabeth away from Parker, trapping her in his steely embrace. “Things are finally as they should’ve been,” he said victoriously.
“Let me go!” In an uncharacteristic ladylike gesture, she attempted to swat half-heartedly at him and wriggle free of his embrace. It didn’t help that he held both her hands firmly and had her legs trapped. There really wasn’t anything she could do to escape.
“Don’t touch her!” William began struggling frantically as well, desperate to aid his love.
“How touching,” Lord Abrahms said drolly. “A thief and murderer in love. Poetic and all that rot.” His tone turned more taunting. “Tell me, boy, will you profess your love for her when you hang from the gallows?”
The reality of William’s precarious position suddenly hit Elizabeth then for the first time. “No…” she breathed in horror, her eyes widening.
“I love you.” There were tears in William’s eyes as the constables finally began to drag him away.
“Please!” Elizabeth cried out. “I want to stay with him!”
“You are dead to the world now,” Lord Abrahms reminded her coldly, placing his hat upon his head before he moved out into the chilly night.
“Just one more minute…” she practically begged.
She got a cold sneer in response. “Pathetic,” he spat back. “No wonder your father’s ashamed of you…”
“I love you, William!” she cried out. The door slammed shut, blocking her last fleeting glimpse of the man she loved…
* * *
“My ship, my crew, my woman,” Riley said with a contented smile as he and Forrest re-boarded the ship, Elizabeth slung over Riley’s shoulder.
“Not a bad night,” Forrest agreed with a grin.
Elizabeth was too numb to protest. Images of William’s beautiful, loving face promising her a lifetime together flashed before her mind’s eye, interspersed with his utterly broken expression as he was dragged away from her, a bound captive awaiting his inevitable death. Her eyes teared at the very thought. He had such a beautiful neck with soft skin that felt so warm and vibrant under her lips. The thought of his body cold, pale, lifeless…
“Always knew she wasn’t so tough,” Forrest chuckled, watching Elizabeth sob softly as Riley set her down. Nevertheless, he quickly moved to bind her hands at feet. She didn’t even seem to see him as he worked.
“Graham!” Riley called out to the group of pirates that had approached after they had returned. His friend didn’t step out from the throng. “Graham?” he repeated, brow furrowing.
“’E never came back from land,” one of the mercenaries that Lord Abrahms had hired for this mission informed him.
Riley’s concern deepened. “You have all of William’s followers in the brig, though?” he demanded.
The mercenary looked puzzled. “They’re tied up on the beach so the coppers can ‘ave at ‘em,” he insisted. “Din’t you see ‘em there?”
A bit of a panic settled on Riley then. “They were supposed to remain here!” he insisted.
“That wasn’t what Graham said!” the mercenary countered defensively.
“What Graham said?” Riley was hopelessly confused now.
“’E had us all bring the old crew ashore an’ then told us to wait back ‘ere for you,” the mercenary insisted. “Said those was your orders.”
“You’re sure it was Graham?” Riley repeated, still stunned.
The mercenary nodded. “Him an’ that other bloke with the hot bird,” he agreed.
Riley’s eyes suddenly widened with understanding. “Xander!” he hissed.
“Oh man, is he still loose?” Forrest’s eyes shifted around nervously.
“Graham was supposed to tie him up for the police…” Riley trailed off when he realized just how big a flaw his plan had had. “We need to get out of here,” he abruptly announced. “Now.”
“But if Xander’s still out there—” Forrest began.
“We’ve got a ship; he doesn’t,” Riley countered. “There’s nothing he can do to us after we get out of harbor.”
“But what about Graham?” Forrest demanded.
Riley’s brow furrowed as he stared into the ink-black waters. “What about Graham, indeed…”
* * *
Earlier that night…
“I don’t like this,” Anya announced, wrapping her arms around herself at the cold wind blowing down from the cliffs. “You men are so caught up in your revenge that you don’t even notice how too bloody perfect this situation is, and it’s stupid!” She stamped her foot on the ground for emphasis.
Embarrassed at being caught in what appeared to be a lover’s quarrel, Giles inconspicuously began to wind his way up the rocky cliff to meet the only other member of their landed party.
From his position as lookout on the cliff-face, Graham had heard Anya’s sudden outburst as well. He didn’t spot the priest’s movements at first, however, absorbed instead with the swirling sensation that began in his gut as he continued to look through his telescope. One ship flanked each escape route from the narrow inlet, concealed by the cliffs from everyone in the crew except him.
The sound of Giles’ steps sending a cascade of pebbles down the cliff abruptly caught his attention, and he quickly went down to meet the priest. After all, he didn’t want Giles to see the enemy ships and sound the alarm. This early in the game that could be dangerous for all concerned.
As it was, should William somehow manage to get back to the ship, his escape would still be cut off. Everything was going according to Riley’s plan. So why did everything feel so off?
He got out his resigned sigh before Giles could see the warring emotions on his face. “Paying me a visit?” he asked curiously.
“Yes, well…” Giles began, gesturing sheepishly to couple below, “I didn’t want to…intrude…”
Graham chuckled softly before passing Giles and heading back down to the beach. “I think the two of us should be able to keep them decent,” he countered wryly.
A smile crossed Giles’ face at that. “I should hope so,” he agreed.
“C’mon,” Graham led the way back down the cliff. After all, he still had work to do…
“Anya, what’s this about?” Xander asked softly down below, his arms moving to wrap around her waist. “I thought you accepted this life.”
“Accept it, yes,” she agreed before biting her lip. “But it seems really dangerous,” she confessed softly, “and I’m worried about you…”
A soft smile lit up his lips. “It’ll be all right,” he assured her. “This mission is nothing. We’ve gotten through a lot more dangerous in the past.”
She managed a shy smile in response. “I know,” she admitted softly. “Guess it’ll just take me a little while to get used to this whole lover-in-peril thing.”
Xander felt a stirring in his heart at her words and her manner. He had never seen Anya act so bashful and vulnerable before. Despite her bluntness, she generally kept her deepest emotions hidden and safe. But seeing her like this…
“I love you.” The words escaped his lips like a caress, binding her to him, drawing her deeper into his arms.
Just as instinctively, Anya whispered back. “Love you, too…”
And then they both froze at their mutual admissions.
“Anya?” Xander’s eyes widened in hope and disbelief.
Her cheeks flushed a dark, embarrassed crimson. “It’s just that you’re kind and funny and nicely-shaped, a-and you give me nice orgasms and make me feel beautiful and—” She knew she was babbling but couldn’t seem to stop.
Until Xander’s lips captured hers, however. That left her far too breathless to speak.
“God, I want you!” Anya gasped when she finally had to pull away for breath. Her hands instantly starting tugging at his shirt, struggling to get at his smooth, bare flesh.
An overly polite “ahem” interrupted her. However, Giles couldn’t help but smile at the touching display he’d just seen.
“Oh, uh…Giles, Graham…” Xander looked significantly embarrassed at being caught in this compromising position and tugged his shirt back around his chest…for the moment at least.
Anya let out an impatient sigh. “I know you’re supposed to be look-out,” she complained, “but can’t you look at something other than us?”
“Sorry,” Graham said, wincing inwardly at the sight before him. He’d been near enough to hear the admissions of love, but even if he hadn’t, it was all too apparent in the pair’s eyes.
“Uh, yeah…” Xander was scratching his head and trying to diffuse the awkward situation…and the fact that certain regions of his anatomy were thrumming for Anya’s skilled attentions wasn’t helping. “Look,” he began, his lower brain winning out, “I don’t suppose you two could keep watch for us while we…um…” He trailed off, embarrassed.
“Go have steamy sex to consummate our newfound love,” Anya provided helpfully.
Xander’s face turned a bit more maroon, if that was possible. “What she said,” he agreed sheepishly.
If anything, Giles blushed even more and began stuttering uncontrollably. “Er…um…I…well, that is…uh…”
Graham felt the twisting sensation in his stomach increase. These two had no idea that in a couple of hours their lives would be over – Xander hanged as a criminal, and perhaps Anya as well…
“Go,” he agreed, cutting off the never-ending cycle of ‘um’s. Have your one last moment of happiness, he added in his head. “We’ll keep an eye on everything.”
“Thanks, man,” Xander gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. “We owe you one.”
“Don’t mention it,” Graham said, trying to hide the guilt in his voice.
Anya stood up on her toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “You’re much nicer than Riley’s other friends,” she informed him. “You exhibit many admirable qualities. I hope you find someone to give you many orgasms in the near future. And Giles is nice, too, of course,” she added after the fact. “But, without the orgasms because he’s a priest and all…”
“Thank you, Anya,” Giles rolled his eyes.
Graham was a bit more effected by her speech. “Uh…thanks,” he blushed horribly, “I think…”
Xander gave him a knowing smile before taking Anya’s hand and leading her off into a secluded spot in the cliffs.
Graham sat down heavily on the sand. He’d always liked Xander. Despite the competition that had been between Xander and Riley over who got to be first mate, Xander had always treated Graham with respect. And Anya was turning out to be really sweet – loved by all the crew for the astonishing things that came out of her mouth so enthusiastically, even if she was a little weird at times.
And, to tell the truth, he’d always rather thought that William was a good captain. Despite Riley’s perpetual rants, William had never led them astray.
In fact, if it hadn’t been for the fact that Riley had saved his life…
“Are you quite all right?” Giles asked hesitantly, noticing that his companion seemed to be contemplating something seriously.
Graham managed a weak smile. “Just making a decision,” he answered enigmatically.
Anya’s scream of “I love you” broke through the still of the night. And, at that moment, Graham snapped. He had followed Riley’s every beck and call for far too long. And, while he may not have been best friends with any of those Riley wanted to betray, he sure as hell wasn’t going to turn traitor over Riley’s stupid vendetta.
With a deep breath, he braced himself for facing Xander. With any luck, it wasn’t too late to salvage things…
* * *
“But Graham was one of us!” Forrest insisted, still stunned.
Riley snorted derisively. “He was always the weakest,” he countered. “He’s made his choice; I can’t help him now.” His eyes narrowed. “The police will scour the shores for our escaped ‘friends’. They won’t get far.” He abruptly turned away and went over to Elizabeth, dragging her up to her feet once more. “Now, if you don’t mind, my woman and I would like to get settled in…”