Page 80 of Ghost Walk
“I can’tbelieveI’m actually trying to help you, you sanctimonious airhead!” Grace shouted at Clara. “If I wasn’t afraid of getting your stupid blood on me, I would have knocked you out by now!”
Jamie could see her now, standing on the wooden sidewalk by the tree. Ned Hunnicutt was holding her arms, preventing her from escaping. Damn it, Jamie should have killed that ass when he’d had the chance.
Grace jerked against his grip, trying to get free. “Look, I am having a real bad afternoon and you nuts are not frigging helping with this revisionist history crap! Nobody burned witches in Virginia!”
Given the number of torches being lit, she was clearly wrong about that.
“Oh God.” Grace’s eyes went wide at the sight of flames coming towards her. “Jamie. Jamie. Jamie. Jamie. Jamie.” She chanted his name like a prayer, ignoring the odd looks Eugenia and Ned sent her.
Jamie’s heart turned over in his chest. No one but Grace would ever call on him for help. It was humbling.
He shoved his way through the final throng of people that had gathered outside The Raven. “Clara Vance!” He bellowed, trying to get her attention before she incinerated the love of his life. “You have something of mine and I’ll be having her back.” And just in case she wasn’t inclined to listen to his reasonable request, he leveled a flintlock pistol at her bonnetedhead. “Immediately.”
This time, he’d felt Grace arrive in Harrisonburg.
He’d been on theSea Serpent, contemplating getting rip-roaring drunk to block out the pain of knowing Grace was beyond his reach. Then that twinkle of knowing he’d been born with lit up like that evening’s fireworks display. Somehow he’dknownshe was back. When he’d gone looking for her, though, he’d found Grace right in the middle of an execution. It seemed she’d done her magical appearing trick right in front of a meeting of Clara and her fanatics.
No doubt about it, Jamie much preferred it when she popped up in his bath.
Grace’s face lit up when she saw him standing in front of her. “Jamie.” She breathed. She tried to move towards him, but Ned yanked her back.
Jamiereallyshould have killed him.
Clara’s beady eyes narrowed, not appreciating the fact that he’d interrupted her moment in the sun. “Not even you would shoot a God-fearing lady, right in the center of town, Captain Riordan.” She decided, trying to gauge his resolve. “Your own father was a minister.”
“That he was, but I never much liked the man.” Jamie arched a brow at her. “Sorry to say, I donea much like you either, Miss Clara.”
She gasped like he’d somehow insulted her feelings. “When my father comes back from Richmond, I’m going to tell him you said that!”
“Tell him! Tell him!” Gregory urged.
“Jamie’s right.” Grace snapped. “Nowayare you smart enough to writeHorror in Harrisonburg. …Which was an awesome book, even if it was filled with lies.”
Jamie and Gregory both squinted at her., wondering what the hell that meant.
Edward Hunnicutt took a threatening step forward, dragging Grace with him. Unlike Clara, he was more offended by the pistol than Jamie’s insults. “You good for nothing pirate! You wouldn’t dare hurt any of the honorable residents of…”
Jamie switched the muzzle in his direction, cutting offhis bluster. “YouI can shoot even easier than her, Ned. Trust me. You donea want to test what I’ll dare to reclaim my bride.Let her go. This is the last time I’m warning ya.”
“You can’t kill all of us!” Clara pronounced grandly, refusing to give up the stage. “There’s only one round in that pistol.”
“True, but I candefinitelykill Ned.” Jamie assured her. “I’ll bet I can hurry and get off a shot at you, as well. That will be quite satisfying. Possibly enough to make the whole effort worthwhile.”
“Goddamn pirate.” Ned muttered, but he wasn’t looking so confident anymore.
Jamie bit back a smirk. Talking had won him more engagements than arms ever would. …Which was lucky, since the pistol in his hand wasn’t even loaded. He hadn’t had time to get fresh powder before wading into the fray. Grace had needed his help and it didn’t seem like the pack of assassins was inclined to wait for him to ready his weapon. Of course, none of that was going to slow Jamie down. Not with his whole future at stake.
“I’ve also got three cannons on my ship, all of them aimed this way.” He pointed towards the harbor with his free hand and hoped to hell no one called his bluff. “I can reduce this town to rubble at any moment, with the whole lot of you standing in it.” His voice got hard. “And I bloody wellwillunless I have my woman back in my armsright fucking now!”
Most of the mob took off, rather than be in the line of fire. Gregory --who’d never been the “Hero of Yorktown,” regardless of what he liked to boast in taverns-- ran the fastest of everyone.
Jamie met Grace’s amazed eyes and gave her a quick wink. That had been even easier than he thought. It went to show what a grand pirate he was. Reputation took over where reality left off.
Eugenia’s lips pressed together in starchy disapproval at his language and crossed her arms over her chest. Unlike so many others, Sunday school teachers didn’t scare easy.Certainly, she looked less frightened than Clara and Ned.
Ned glanced towards theSea Serpent, then at Jamie, and then back again. He believed Jamie’s lie. Why wouldn’t he? Jamie was the worst pirate in Virginia. He worked damn hard to ensure that everyone knew that and his (slightly exaggerated) infamy was paying off in spades.
With no other option to save his skin, Ned shoved Grace forward. “Take the witch, if you want her so bad. Be my guest, Riordan. As long as she’s with you, it’syoursoul she’ll be trying to steal.”
