Chapter 11: Hope and Despair
“Let me go!” Elizabeth screamed, struggling to free her hands from where Riley pinned them down to the bed.
He gave her a nasty sneer. “Playing hard to get, huh? Honestly, bitch, who do you think you’re fooling?”
She screeched in anger at this and lashed out with her booted foot, kicking him squarely in the shin.
His eyes widened in pain, and he struck her hard across the jaw in response.
Elizabeth felt blackness trying to overcome her and just barely managed to bite it back. Even so, it felt like her head was spinning drunkenly, and she didn’t have the conscious thought to struggle as Riley tied her hands roughly to the headboard.
By the time she regained herself, he was tying her last ankle, leaving her spread-eagled on the bed. Elizabeth couldn’t help it then; she let out a little sob.
Riley glared down at her in response before his gaze turned cold. “It’s about time someone put you in your place,” he sneered.
“Why?” Elizabeth didn’t want her voice to sound so desperate, pleading, but the emotions escaped, nonetheless.
“I saw you first,” Riley said simply. “That makes you mine.”
“You led a mutiny just over me?” Elizabeth couldn’t help but mutter the implied “idiot” at the end of that statement.
Riley let out a cold, heartless laugh. “Stupid little girl,” he shook his head. “You honestly think you mean anything to me? That you’re worth this? Well, allow me to enlighten you then.” His hard eyes bored into hers. “You’re nothing, you whore!”
“Then, why?” she was hopelessly confused now.
“William!” Riley practically spat the word out. “I saw you first, yet he still took you from me! Just like he takes everything else…” He leaned over her, and she hated herself for flinching. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that you whored yourself off to him,” he began casually, almost conversationally. “After all, that’s what they all do. Like he’s something special, something better…” His voice turned icy once more. “Tell me, harlot, just what is it all you women see in him, anyway?”
“H-He loves me.” Elizabeth’s voice was shaky with fear, but she said this statement with complete assuredness.
Riley laughed. “I hate to break it to you, but there’s no such thing as love.”
His fingers trailed down the side of her face, and she turned her head away from him. She received a harsh slap in response and reluctantly didn’t move as he traced her cheek once more, fighting back her tears. This was such a horrible mockery of the way William had touched her. His gentleness, tenderness, the love in every gesture, the way he made her burn for more…
“There’s only power,” Riley continued in an almost-whisper, “possession, control… And now it’s mine.” His hand drifted down to the front of the shirt of William’s that she was still wearing.
The thought of being separated from the last reminder she had of him was too unbearable to contemplate, and she grasped for anything to distract her attacker. “You’re wrong!” she hissed vehemently. “He loves me! It’s real! Just because you can’t love—”
“What did you say?” His eyes flashed dangerously as his hand gripped her throat roughly.
She didn’t care then, though. Death was preferable to being violated by this criminal while her true love was hanged. “You’re so green with envy it’s pathetic,” she practically spat at him. “You just can’t stand that he’s a better man than you in every way.”
She did pass out briefly from the force of his blow then. It was only for a moment, however, before she woke to the sound of him ranting like a madman.
“—and chose Harris, of all people, as his first-mate! Harris! Like he’s any better than me? That boy?! The only reason he did it was because he knew I was too strong, too powerful to control—”
“Or because you’re a crazed drunk,” Elizabeth muttered under her breath, but Riley was too caught up in his own speech to hear her.
“But now, finally, I’ve won, taken everything from him…” His hand traced over the curve of her thigh, displayed so revealingly through the pants she wore.
“Touch me and you’ll never have me!” she snapped, somewhat illogically.
However, to Riley’s mind, it made perfect sense. “Yeah,” he agreed thoughtfully, “I’ll make you mind completely, just like he did.” He chuckled slightly to himself as he pulled away. “Keep you tied up in here, completely under my control…watch you fall in love with me the same way you fell for him. And then, when you beg for me like you did for him, I’ll show you who the real better man is…”
Elizabeth gulped and remained silent. She’d pretty much resigned herself to being violated by him, and now that she seemed to have a viable way of averting this, she wasn’t going to rock the boat…metaphorically speaking, of course.
“I’ll make you love me the same way he did,” Riley announced in sudden triumph. “Then, everything of his will really be mine…” He was so delighted by this prospect that he didn’t bother to spare her another word before he left the room, slamming the door shut behind him.
And it was only then, still bound to the bed that she and William had embraced upon only too recently, that Elizabeth finally allowed herself to break down.
She cried for the man who until so recently had been constantly at her side. She cried for his fate as well as for her own. She cried for her lost love, and the love that was never fully consummated. And, beyond all else, she cried for the fate that would undoubtedly befall her the instant Riley learned that he could take her whereas she had never allowed William to…
* * *
William sat on the dirty floor of his dungeon cell, the dire expression of one who knows he is about to die on his face. There was an eerie silence and stillness to that place – and emptiness – that made his fate seem all the more cruel.
What was it, only twenty-four hours ago, that he had lain in his Elizabeth’s arms, planning a life of paradise? And now Finn…
He choked out a sob that his once-second-mate could be breaking the woman he loved right now. The thought was too terrible, too unbearable, to consider, and he quickly distracted his mind.
A rueful smile graced his lips at the thought of Elizabeth, standing proud and tall – well, short, technically… – nailing Riley right between the legs with the hard toe of her show, bashing him over the head with various blunt objects, stabbing, jabbing, poking…
A wistful sigh escaped his lips at the memory of her, nose turned up haughtily, hazel eyes glaring defiantly, all feisty and outraged. Yet so sweet and yielding to his touch as well, melting into his arms after she’d tried one of her many plans to attack him, cheeks flushed from the fight, panting heavily, looking into his eyes with such love and fire… OK, so he had bloody weird taste in women, but he’d finally found The One, and now…
No, she’s a fighter, he banished the horrid thoughts from his mind. He can’t hurt her. Not my angel…
And there was the other name he was studiously not thinking about. No matter how difficult he found it to believe, a nasty little voice in the back of his head couldn’t help but point out that Angel and Lord Abrahms had formed an alliance before.
Given that Angel had turned him onto this set-up in the first place…
There was a clang in the corridor outside then that roused him from his thoughts. He heard the sound of a key turning in the lock, and then the massive cell door swung open. Instinctively, he rushed for the opening, only to be jerked roughly backward by the chains that bound him to the wall.
Lord Abrahms merely looked amused by this sequence of events. “I saw to it that you were put in the worst hellhole imaginable,” the older man began conversationally. He sniffed his nose at his surroundings. “Nice to know that someone managed to carry out my orders correctly.”
William refused to be baited. Rather, he let out the most bored yawn he could manage.
Lord Abrahms huffed visibly at the other man’s lack of fear. “I know who you are, boy,” he said coldly.
“Really?” William raised a disinterested eyebrow. “What a coincidence. I know who I am, too.”
Lord Abrahms let out a snide chuckle. “William Arlington,” he said with a slight shake of his head. “I wouldn’t have even recognized you…except for the fact that you’re still a gullible fool, of course…”
That got a rise. William lunged violently once more, but the chains held firm. He scowled up at the other man. “Don’t you have anythin’ better to do ‘n gloat?” he demanded before a ghost of his old smirk crossed his lips. “’Though I s’pose you don’t, seein’ as you’re broke…”
Apparently that was the tender nerve to strike because Lord Abrahms became absolutely livid in response. “You honestly thought you could destroy me, boy?” he taunted. “You think I didn’t have my eye on you all along?”
“So losin’ your family fortune was the plan?” William retorted sarcastically. “Ooh, bloody brilliant, that…”
Lord Abrahms snorted derisively. “Now that you’re dead and gone…” He shrugged. “Let’s just say that I’ve got the right allies to put me back on top shortly.”
“Finn.” William’s eyes narrowed.
“Ah, yes, your friend was more than obliging,” Lord Abrahms agreed. “And, really, what does it matter to him whether he attacks me or my competitors? In another few years, I shall rule the seas once more…”
“’Cause that deal worked so well with Angel,” William retorted.
“I was a bit…disappointed that dear old Liam didn’t dispose of you properly,” he agreed. “But he still has his uses. He did a lovely job selling you into our little trap, after all…”
A frown marred William’s brow. “You’re lyin’,” he insisted. “Angel wouldn’t—”
“Just like Riley wouldn’t?” Lord Abrahms countered. “It’s almost pitifully sad.” He shook his head. “You too much of a fool to see the betrayal right before your very eyes. That’s what made you so easy to ruin. Your father, too…”
“Yeah, about my father,” William refused to be baited. “’E saw right through you. An’ you honestly think ‘m gonna keep my mouth shut ‘bout what you did? By the time my trial is over—”
“Trial?” Lord Abrahms repeated in disbelief. “You can’t honestly believe you’ll have any such thing!”
“This is England, mate. You can’t jus’ hang me,” William insisted.
“Can’t I?” Lord Abrahms said coolly. “You forget how much my name still means.”
“An’ mine as well,” William hissed.
“Except, my boy,” Lord Abrahms gave him a false pat on the cheek, “no one aside from myself knows that the last of the Arlingtons will meet his death by the end of the week.”
William gave him an evil smile, noticing how close the other man had gotten to him.
A look of confusion passed over Lord Abrahms’ face, and it was all the hesitation William needed to make his move.
He lunged forward, wrapping his chains easily around Lord Abrahms’ throat.
However, the old man let out a cry before the strangle hold was complete. William immediately began constricting the metal links, feeling the old man weaken in his grasp.
He was wrestled to the ground before he could choke the life out of the other man, however. Three of the prison guards slammed him back into the wall, loosening the noose around Lord Abrahms’ throat.
The old man rose to his feet, gasping for air.
William lunged again, but the guards locked him firmly in place. He winced when several well-placed blows landed squarely on his ribs. With a hiss of pain, he fell to the floor of the cell, finally subdued.
“Sooner or later, you’ll be destroyed,” he gasped through the pain. “There’ll be another after me, an’ we’ll just keep comin’ until you’re destroyed.”
Lord Abrahms, visibly shaken by his close shave with death, rubbed at the bruises on his throat. “But you will not be there to see it. It will be a pleasure to watch you hang,” he hissed before practically fleeing from the prison…
* * *
“I can’t believe you people!” Anya stamped her foot in frustration, glaring back and forth between the solemn men that were hiding out in the cave with her. “They’re going to kill him!” she insisted.
She got no reply but a few meek nods.
“And who knows what’s happened to Elizabeth!” she persisted.
Still no response.
“Giles?” she pleaded.
“Quite right,” Giles readily stepped up in agreement, glancing around at the defeated pirates. “You all are giving up far too easily.”
“See?” Anya stood directly in front of her lover, pointing to Giles. “Even god says you should go break William out of prison!”
Giles got a decidedly uncomfortable look on his face. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far…” he protested.
Anya ignored him. “I mean, honestly, how many guards can there be? Sure, you lost the ship, so we have no possible means for escape, but…” She stamped the ground with her foot once more. “We can’t just let them die!”
Xander let out a weary sigh. “Ahn,” he began regretfully, “we don’t even know where they took him…”
“We’ll find out then,” Anya insisted. “We can’t give up yet! Elizabeth didn’t even get to have any orgasms yet, and knowing her this is the last chance she’s got…”
“Ahem!” Giles cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” Anya gave him an apologetic look before turning back to Xander. “But, still, she’s my friend, and she’s very hopelessly in love, so we’re going to save her and William, and in the process we get to save your best friend, and then everyone is happy, and we all get many orga—”
“Ahem!”
“—ns,” Anya quickly amended.
She got several odd looks.
“Organs. We can all learn to play the organ,” she improvised on the spot. “Because, you know, they play organs in church and all, and thus it doesn’t have anything to do with sex…” She trailed off at the pathetic-ness of that cover.
“It’s the thought that counts,” Giles assured her, giving her a reassuring little pat on the shoulder.
She brightened visibly at that. “We’ve got to at least try,” she pleaded with Xander.
Xander sat in contemplation for moment before finally nodding. “We’ve got nothing better to do,” he agreed.
“What?” Several cries echoed throughout the cave.
“Not gettin’ arrested…”
“Savin’ our skins…”
“If it were your necks in the noose, do you not think that William would come to your aid?” Giles countered to the few who had opposed the plan.
Grudging apologies were offered in return.
“If nothing else,” Xander decided to compromise, “we might as well at least find out where they took William and Elizabeth…”
“Fort Norbrook.”
The surprise intrusion of the voice caused over a dozen heads to turn.
Graham, who had been subdued and silent ever since he’d ushered everyone to freedom, reluctantly spoke up again. “They’re at Fort Norbrook,” he repeated.
“How do you know?” Xander asked curiously.
Graham winced inwardly. “The reason this location was chosen for the trap was because it’s near Fort Norbrook,” he explained. “Lord Abrahms still operates it – including the prison. That’s where they’ll have been taken…unless Riley took Elizabeth, that is.”
A flash of anger darted through Anya’s eyes at that. “If that rat has touched her—!” she exclaimed, throwing a threatening look in Graham’s direction.
He winced at the thought of Anya’s vengeance.
Xander was more thoughtful, however. “We’re not going to be able to break into a fort,” he commented.
“No,” Giles agreed, pacing as an idea came to him, “but there may be another way…”
* * *
A satisfied smile crossed Riley’s face as he leaned on the rail and watched the empty seas that surrounded them.
“Finally got the girl, huh?” Forrest commented.
“Not yet,” Riley shrugged, “but soon…”
Forrest practically rolled his eyes in response. “You means after all that trouble you didn’t even bother to sample the wares?” he asked in disbelief.
“I’ve got all the time in the world,” Riley insisted, a smug smile on his face. “I’ve already won. There really isn’t anything that can stop me now, is there?”
Forrest merely shook his head in response. He may have been indebted to serve Riley, but one of these days that man’s over-confidence was going to be his downfall…