Damn, he knewhow to kiss a girl hello.
Head swimming,I smiled and kidded, “I believe you.” I so desperately wanted toshow him the treasure I’d found. But alone. Upstairs where Henrycould have the space to deal with his emotions freely without theaudience of our crew and the guests of the Den. “How’s theship?”
“In bettershape that we thought,” he told me. “We should be finishedtomorrow.”
“Good, I wanteverything to be ready for us.” I rubbed my lips together innervous thought. “I want to leave the second this is over.”
“Oh, youshan’t be leavin’ any time soon,” spoke an unknown voice from overmy shoulder.
I witnessedthe color drain from Henry’s face and his charcoal eyes widen asFinn and Gus flanked his sides, hands on their weapons. Slowly, Ispun around, Henry’s hand tight around my wrist. Two men stoodthere; big, burly, and most definitely intimidating. I hadn’t seenthem there at the tavern before. They must have followed us in; aconfirmed suspicion as one of the men grabbed Lottie from behindhis back and pushed her forward where she fell into Gus’s arms.
“Excuse me?” Iasked while attempting my toughest face, clutching my sack behindme.
“Dianna,”Henry whispered with urgency. “Don’t–”
The man, talland broad with greasy dark hair that stuck out from underneath aflat cap, stuck a hand out to shake in mock politeness. “Forgiveme, my name is Frank. You’ll be comin’ with us, now.” Frank watchedme blatantly ignore his gesture and his hand dropped back to hisside with a sneer.
“Me?” Iclarified. Henry’s grip around my wrist tightened and he pulled meback, closer to him.
“Yes,” the mannamed Frank replied. “You, and your crew. The lot of ya.”
“I don’t evenknow you,” I said to him. “I demand to know where it is you expectme to go.”
Frank’s eyesbypassed me, and he failed to stifle a knowing smile as he scannedaround the room, taking in the faces of my crew as if he knew them.“Why don’t you ask them? They surely know.” He paused and lockedhis threatening gaze on Henry over my shoulder. “Don’t you, CaptainBarrett?”
Those annoyinglittle hairs stood up on end as goosebumps scoured over my body.Captain Barrett? I turned and pulled my arm back, my handfalling into his and staying there as Henry refused to let mego.
“Henry?” Hisname carried with it the tone of my confusion. He looked… almostapologetic. “What is he talking about? Where are we going?”
Henry’s tongueflicked out and moistened his dry, nervous lips. His expressionheld a depth of explanation, but he only spoke three curt words.“To see Wallace.”
ChapterFour
I sat across from Lottie and Gus as I rubbed my armwhere Frank had hustled me into their carriage. The horse hadtrotted off before Henry could jump in and I barked at the driverto stop. But he ignored my demands. I hadn’t had a chance to stowaway my velvet satchel of treasures before Wallace’s men scooped usup, so I wrapped the thick drawstring around my hand, ensuring noone would take it from me. The items inside may not mean much to anoutsider, but they were everything to me. To Henry. I at leastwanted the chance to give them to him.
I also wantedthe chance to talk to him about this Wallace guy. How should I act?What should I say? Not say? I hadn’t the faintest idea of what wewere being led to and my expectations of a good outcome were low.That much I got from the solemn looks on my carriage mate’sfaces.
“Okay,” Ifinally said to them. “What’s going to happen?” Lottie said nothingas she chewed her lip in worried thought. “Gus?” I askeddesperately. “Are we in trouble? Danger? What do I do?”
He regardedLottie from the side and leaned forward on his lap, motioning me todraw closer. “Wallace runs the port,” he began and crinkled hisbrow. “The pirate portion of it, anyway. No one comes or goeswithout payin’ a visit to Wallace first. They must offer their dutyfor protection from the crown.”
My stomachtightened. “So, Wallace thinks we were avoiding paying our fee?”Gus nodded. “What happens to those who don’t pay?”
Gus shruggednervously. “Nothin’ direct. Wallace makes damn sure no trail leadsback. But I’ve seen ships burned, men’s throats slit in the night,the authorities called. It’s been years since Henry and I’ve beenback here, but I reckon it’s all the same.”
My tremblinghands wrung together. “So, what do I do, then? How do I act? Whatdo I say?”
“You speak ofnothing,” Gus replied.
“But she’s thecaptain,” Lottie retorted, pulling the combs from her hair andletting it fall loose around her shoulders.
Gus’s furrowedbrow regarded me with pity. “Not to Wallace, she ain’t.” He inhaleddeeply, ready to continue, but Lottie slid from her seat and gawkedout the tiny carriage window in awe, gasping at the sight.
“My God,” sheexclaimed. “I’d never been here before, father always left mebehind on The Queen when we docked in Southampton. Said Wallace’swas no place for a child.” She chortled. “It was the only time heever referred to me as one.” Her eyes stared out the window inamazement. “Just look at this place.”
I shiftedacross my seat and joined her admiring gaze. The two carriagesbumped along a well-groomed dirt road that wound through a gorgeousproperty, the sides of our path lined with flowering fruit trees.In the distance, at the end of the ridiculously long tree-linedroad, stood a magnificent white house. No, it was far too large fora simple house. The closer we got the more it came into view, itsimpressive size filling my entire line of sight. Endless rows ofwindows and peaks overwhelmed my brain.
Our carriageneared the front entrance, a gaudy set of navy-blue doors with goldembellishments, and we circled around a stone fountain before wecame to a final stop. Gus kicked the door open and helped Lottieand I to the ground. My neck craned as my eyes hungrily took in thesight in its entirety. The property was like something out of anold Victorian painting. A massive home fit for a king with abackdrop of
