'I do.' His voice had turned hard, a deliberate choice that, for he hoped to get her to quit her questions. 'I'll kill every one of his damned followers, too, if it's the only way I can get to him.'
'Oh, Caine, I really wish you wouldn't kill anyone.'
She was on the verge of tears again. Caine leaned back against the cushions, closed his eyes, and said, 'You're a gentle lady, Jade. You can't possibly understand.'
'Help me understand,' she implored. 'Pagan's done so many wonderful things. It seems a sin that you…'
'He has?' Caine interrupted.
'Surely you know that the pirate gives most of his booty to the less fortunate,' she explained. 'Why,
our church has a new steeple, thanks to his generous donation.'
'Donation?' Caine shook his head over her ludicrous choice of words. 'The man is nothing but a common thief. He robs from the rich…'
'Well, of course he robs from the rich.'
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'He takes from the rich because they have so much, they won't miss the paltry amount he steals. And
it wouldn't do him any good at all to take from the poor. They don't have anything worth stealing.'
'You seem to know quite a lot about this pirate.'
'Everyone keeps up with Pagan's adventures. He's such a romantic figure.'
'You sound as if you think he should be knighted.'
'Perhaps he should,' she answered. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. 'Some say Pagan's
never harmed anyone. It doesn't seem right for you to hunt him down.'
'If you believe he hasn't ever killed anyone, why did you come looking for him? You wanted him to
kill you, remember?'
'I remember,' she answered. 'If I explain my true plan, will you promise not to laugh?'
'I promise,' he answered, wondering over her sudden shyness.
'I was hoping… that is, if he didn't want to kill me, well then, perhaps he might consider taking me
away on his magical ship and keeping me safe until my brother came home.'
'Heaven help you if you'd gotten that wish,' Caine said. 'You've obviously been listening to too many fanciful stories. You're wrong, too. That bastard pirate has killed before.'
'Who has he killed?'
He didn't speak for a long minute but stared into the fire. When he finally answered her, there was ice
in his voice. 'Pagan killed my brother, Colin.'
Chapter Four
'Oh, Caine. I'm so sorry,' she whispered. 'You must miss him terribly. Was Colin older or younger
than you?'
'Younger.'
'Did he die very long ago?'
'Just a few months,' Caine answered.
'Your family must be having a difficult time of it,' she whispered. 'Are both your parents still living?'
'Yes, though of the two, my father's having a much more difficult time accepting Colin's death. He's all but given up on life.'
'I don't understand,' she countered.
'Father used to be very active in politics. He was known as the champion of the poor, Jade, and he was able to force through many substantial measures that eased their burdens.'
'Such as?'
She'd taken hold of his hand and was holding it against her waist. Caine didn't think she was aware of
her action. It was just an instinctive attempt to give him comfort, he guessed, and he found he didn't dislike the touch or her motive.
'You were explaining how your papa helped the poor,' she reminded him.
'Yes,' Caine returned. 'He was responsible for defeating the tax increase, for one example.'
'But he quit these important duties?'
'He quit everything,' Caine said. 'His politics, his family, his friends, his clubs. He doesn't even read
the dailies now. He just stays locked inside his study and broods. I believe, once Pagan has been punished, that my father might… hell, I don't know. He's such a defeated man now.'
'Are you like your father? Are you also a champion of the poor? I believe you must be a protector by nature.'
'Why do you say that?'
She couldn't very well tell him she'd read his file. 'Because of the way you took me under your wing,' she answered. 'And I think you would have offered your help to any defenseless, poor person. Of
