Page 46 of The Black Lion
It was Drew’s turn to laugh, and he allowed all the mocking derision he felt toward his brother to seep into the sound. “Did you think I would be so easily defeated?”
An explosion sounded overhead as if to illustrate Drew’s point, nearly throwing them all off their feet. Will snatched Arabella back against his body before she could escape him, the gun now pressed to her cheek.
“Perhaps you ought to have dug deeper into the details of my piracy career—which, while short, has been exceedingly rewarding.Youare the one who is outnumbered, and if I haven’t missed my guess, the other ships are well on their way to the bottom of the ocean by now. The only reason this one still stands is because my Bella is on it, and because I won’t allow the sea to rob me of the pleasure of spilling every bit of your blood.”
Will’s eyes darted as he seemed to notice the sounds of carnage coming from above for the first time. The cannon fire hadn’t ceased since Drew had come below, and the music of shattering hulls and the wails of dying men penetrated the walls to reach them.
“What did you hope to accomplish?” Drew taunted, needing Will to turn his fury away from Bella and onto him. “Did you honestly think I would allow you to take her back to Falmouth—that forcing her to marry you would restore your reputation?”
“I couldn’t give a damn about my reputation, unless restoring it would mean the end ofyou!” Will railed. “You took everything from me! How does it feel to know I hold the one thing you care about most in the palm of my hand? I said don’t come any closer, goddamn it! Do you think I won’t shoot her? If I’m truly surrounded, then I have nothing left to lose. I’ll kill her, then you.”
The sound of him cocking the hammer echoed through the small cabin, and Arabella’s sharp intake of breath followed.
“Drew?”
“It’s all right,” he crooned, holding one hand up as of to steady her from a distance. “He won’t do it. He wants you too badly. Besides, we both know what a coward he is. In order to take you from me, he had to have me press-ganged and hope someone else did the job. If he were man enough, he’d have killed me himself. But he didn’t, because he’s a gutless lobcock who will never be able to live down the fact that he isn’t half the man I am.”
His words had the desired effect, and Will advanced on him with a snarl, tossing Bella aside. She landed on the bed, as Will leveled the flintlock at him.
His brother had always been horrible at hiding his intent, and had a tell—a slight flinch and grit of his teeth before pulling the trigger. It was enough to save Drew’s life, giving him a split second to duck the shot. Then, he charged, his cutlass falling to the floor as he slammed into Will’s middle. Arms wrapped around his brother’s waist, he took them both down with a force that shook the floorboards. Kneeling over Will, Drew went to work with his fists. He struck Will’s cheek, right where he had struck Bella, then sent his chin snapping back with a spray of blood. Clutching his lapel, Drew yanked him up, lunging until his crown collided with Will’s forehead in a vicious headbutt.
Something sharp slashed at his side, and fire erupted along his ribs. Drew scuttled back on his hands and knees, pressing a hand to the wound Will had opened with a dagger. Pulling his own blade from his boot, he stood to meet Will’s challenge. His brother held his weapon in one clenched fist as he circled Drew with blood trickling from his lip.
There was nothing left for either of them to say, for all had been laid bare. Even Arabella was deathly silent, watching from the bed as they took one another’s measure, waiting for their moment to strike. Drew waited Will out, knowing his brother’s volatile nature would be his downfall. As expected, Will lunged first, swiping at his throat with the knife. Drew raised an arm in defense, taking the blade to his arm, while swinging his own with brutal intent. Will cried out when Drew’s dagger sank into the flesh of his left biceps, pushing clear through the limb. He retaliated with a fist, throwing Drew off balance with a powerful blow to the jaw.
For a man who had been marooned and lost a great deal of weight, Will was still remarkably strong, fueled by his hatred. A knee crashed into Drew’s middle, doubling him over, but when Will tried to follow it up with a kick, he found his foot caught in Drew’s grasp. He twisted, making Will crash to the floor, then pulled until he stood over his brother, his second flintlock drawn and aimed. He’d been saving it, thinking to put a bullet in the skull of Arabella’s kidnapper, but that was no longer good enough. As his gaze flitted to his wife and he once again caught sight of the condition of her face, he closed his eyes, drawing in a hissing breath through his teeth. His skin itched and burned, pulling tight around his bones until he felt as if a savage beast rattled the cage of his ribs.
Slamming his boot against the hilt of the dagger still embedded in Will’s left arm, he ensured the blade punctured the floor to pin him in place. While Will screamed and curled on his side to try to reach the dagger, Drew leveled a kick at his shoulder, rolling him onto his back, then bracing a boot on the other man’s chest.
Glancing up at Arabella, he cocked the flintlock. “Which hand did he strike you with? I know he favors his left, but I want to be certain. Was it the left hand that harmed you, my Bella?”
Knees drawn up to her chest, she peered at him over her knees and nodded. Drew swung the pistol left, aiming for Will’s hand, and pulled the trigger. The report left a ringing in his ears, but it wasn’t enough to drown out Will’s pitiful cries as his hand shattered from the force of the ball, blood splattering the floorboards. His brother’s boots scrabbled over the floor, as if he thought to escape, but Drew’s boot and the dagger kept him in place as he once more looked to Arabella.
“What else?” he demanded. “What else did he do to you? Were you violated?”
She shook her head in denial, and a small measure of relief washed over him. It had been his worst fear, as he’d known Will would never kill her.
“I’ll allow you to keep your cock,” he muttered, taking his boot of Will’s chest. “Though you should take no consolation in it.”
He crossed the room, finding the ropes tied to each post of the narrow bed. “He tied you down?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice so low he almost hadn’t heard her. “Overnight.”
He seethed with rage as he tore one of the ropes loose and strode back to Will. Drew crouched and yanked his dagger free of his brother’s arm, producing another pitiful wail. Will rolled onto his stomach and tried to squirm away, whimpering and sniveling as Drew straightened, taking his time fashioning a noose. Will made it as far as the door, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, before Drew was finished. He caught his brother up in a few quick strides, looping the noose around his neck and pulling it taut before yanking Will to his feet.
Rory chose that moment to appear in the doorway, hair standing on end and face smudged with blood and soot.
“Four ships o’ the line are feedin’ the fishes now, Cap’n.” His eyes widened at the sight of Will, docile and dripping blood in a growing puddle at his feet. “Blow me down, it’syou!” Ye filthy fucking bilge rat!”
“Mr. Walsh,” Drew said, shoving the end of the rope into his quartermaster’s hands. “Take our prisoner aboardThe Sea Lion. Don’t let him out of your sight. I’ll deal with him when we reach the island. I must see to my wife.”
Rory gave the rope a sharp tug, making Will choke as the noose dug into his windpipe. “I’ll have no trouble out o’ ye, aye? I’ll shove me boot up her arse and make ye dance for me if ye do. Glad to see ye’re all right, lassie,” he added to Arabella before yanking Will down the corridor and out of sight.
Arabella remained silent as he approached the bed, staring up at him with her hands fisted in her filthy skirts. His heart squeezed painfully in his chest at the sight of her, battered and exhausted, dark circles showing under her eyes. But the moment he neared the bed, she launched herself at him, slamming into his chest and wrapping him in her arms and legs. Drew held her tight to him, burying his face in her hair. The remnants of her soap had begun to fade, and she smelled of sweat and blood, but Drew didn’t care. She was whole and alive and where she belonged. The tight band of fear that had compressed around his chest eased, and he could draw breath again. He could think. He could feel.
“I knew you’d come,” she whispered into his chest.
“Nothing could have kept me from you,” he replied, adjusting her so she lay in his arms like a babe, keeping her held tight against him. “I’m only sorry he was able to get his hands on you in the first place. It’s my fault, but it will never happen again. You are not to be out of my sight from now on.”
