The Pirate Hunter Read online

  ‘Would have been longer...’ Mia muttered, looking pointedly at Will.

  Not that she really regretted saving him. If she hadn’t jumped into the sea he would have been dead and she would have been free, but her conscience would never allow her to forget she had killed a man. And in her eyes allowing him to drown when she had the capability to save him would have been murder as sure as shooting him in the heart.

  ‘Shall we, my lady?’ Will asked, motioning to the ship.

  They walked up the gangplank and on to the ship. She saw Will hesitate for just a second before he placed his foot on the wood of the deck, overcoming the memories of what happened the last time he was aboard a vessel like this.

  The crew were all lined up along one side, waiting patiently for their orders. One man stepped forward and approached their little party.

  ‘Captain Little. Pleasure to have you aboard, Mr Greenacre.’

  The Captain was a lithe man of about fifty. His eyes flitted backwards and forwards all the time as if taking in every detail and his skin had the weather-beaten leathery look all sailors shared in the Caribbean.

  ‘Thank you for your hospitality, Captain.’

  ‘May I introduce my First Mate, Ed Redding.’

  A young man stepped forward and shook Will’s hand. He glanced at Mia and smiled sadly as if commiserating with her for getting caught.

  ‘And this is Lieutenant Glass.’

  Another man stepped up and shook Will’s hand.

  ‘A pleasure to serve with you, Mr Greenacre. It will be an honour to assist you in catching these pirates.’

  ‘Lieutenant Glass is here at the Navy’s request. He will be representing their interests in our voyage.’

  ‘I am here to give whatever help I can.’

  Mia studied him. He looked rather dashing in his pristine white waistcoat and blue coat—each of the buttons shimmered in the sunlight and reflected the mid-afternoon rays. There was not a hair out of place in his ponytail and not a single scuffmark on his shoes. He was most likely a stickler for rules and routine.

  She diverted her gaze back to Will and watched as he walked down the line of assembled men, greeting each in turn, asking their names and a little about their lives. He was good at getting people to like him; Mia could see that already. The crewmen were not used to a Commander who took an interest in them as people. In a few days they’d probably lay down their lives for him.

  ‘When do we sail?’ Will asked when he was back by the Captain’s side.

  ‘The tide is favourable for the next few hours. If we miss that, we shall have to wait until the morning.’

  Mia willed them to wait until the morning. That way she might have a chance of escape. Once the ship was out to sea she had no chance.

  ‘No time like the present,’ Will said with a smile.

  ‘Where shall I set a course for, sir?’

  ‘Port Royal, Jamaica. I have some information to pick up there.’

  Mia allowed herself a small, inconspicuous smile. Port Royal was a notorious haven for pirates even now with their new Governor, but it wasn’t where her brother would be hiding out. He’d always said that although you could lose yourself in the crowds in Port Royal and Tortuga, if someone really wanted to find you and had enough gold they would be able to buy information about your whereabouts.

  ‘We will leave within the hour,’ the Captain assured him.

  ‘That’s my cue to leave,’ Thatcher said, clapping Will on the back, ‘Best of luck and, whatever you do, don’t let those pirates engage you in the open.’

  ‘I’ll see you soon, old friend.’

  Mia watched as Thatcher walked back to dry land and felt her hope of escape ebbing away.

  ‘Shall we make you more comfortable?’ His voice was low and close to her ear and sent shivers down her spine.

  ‘I can’t imagine that would be conducive to your plans,’ Mia replied.

  ‘I am sorry, you know,’ Will said. ‘I didn’t plan any of this.’

  Looking into his eyes, Mia nearly believed him. In fact, she wanted to believe him, but had to keep telling herself to stop being so naive. He was using her. He would extract whatever information he could from her, then deliver her back to the Governor to spend the rest of her days in chains.

  ‘Let me go,’ Mia said quietly so only Will would hear.

  He shook his head.

  ‘I’m sorry, that just isn’t possible.’

  ‘I saved your life.’

  ‘And I’ll always be grateful for that.’

  ‘But your gratitude doesn’t extend to giving me my freedom.’

  Will sighed and turned so he was facing her directly. He placed his hands on her upper arms and looked squarely into her eyes. Mia shivered a little at the contact and the proximity of his body.

  ‘When this is over I will argue your case, that I promise. I will do everything in my power to see you have your freedom back.’ His voice hardened. ‘But you have to understand, my priority is catching these pirates and I won’t let anything stand in my way.’

  Mia swallowed hard, but held his gaze. He was a driven man. He reached over and took her hands in one of his, holding them still so he could unlock the shackles on her wrists. His hands were slightly rough against her softer skin, but his touch was gentle.

  ‘Shall I show you your quarters?’ Lieutenant Glass offered, breaking the moment.

  ‘Thank you.’

  ‘We can put her in the brig on our way.’ He motioned towards Mia, a sneer on his face.

  Will turned slowly to face the Navy Officer. ‘The brig?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s a kind of prison cell on the ship, sir.’

  ‘I know what it is.’

  Lieutenant Glass stood looking at Will with a perplexed expression. Neither man spoke for twenty seconds.

  ‘It’s very secure, sir.’

  ‘I don’t doubt the security of the cell.’

  ‘I’m sorry, sir,’ Lieutenant Glass said eventually. ‘I don’t think I understand.’

  ‘Miss Del Torres is helping us with our mission.’ Will spoke slowly. ‘She has very kindly agreed to impart her valuable knowledge so we may be successful in catching these scoundrels. I don’t think we should be locking our guest up in the brig, do you, Lieutenant?’

  ‘Guest, sir?’

  ‘Yes. Guest.’

  Mia felt herself scoff. It wasn’t a ladylike noise, but she could see the Captain and the Naval Officer mirrored her disbelief.

  ‘Are you planning on escaping, Miss Del Torres?’ Will said, turning his attention on her.

  Yes, yes, yes. Yes a thousand times.

  ‘No.’

  ‘There you have it,’ Will said with a smile.

  ‘But...’ Glass protested.

  ‘Yes?’

  ‘She’s the sister of a pirate.’

  ‘And I once was the neighbour of a man who beat his wife. Does that make me a violent lowlife?’

  Glass looked at him as if he’d grown two heads.

  ‘But what if she tries to escape?’ he queried valiantly one more time.

  ‘Then we’ll have to catch her.’

  The Lieutenant was stunned into silence.

  ‘Lead on,’ Will commanded, taking Mia’s arm in his own. ‘Take us to our rooms.’

  Mia allowed herself to be led forward and down into the bows of the ship. Men scurried backwards and forwards, getting everything ready for their voyage.

  ‘This is your room, sir,’ Glass said, opening the door to a cramped but well-furnished cabin. It had a large four-poster bed that filled over half the floor space. Mia felt herself drawn to it and scolded herself immediately; she was there as a prisoner, not to lounge about on the bed of a man she barely knew. r />
  ‘Nice bed,’ Will said.

  Mia realised she’d been staring and quickly averted her eyes.

  ‘And for Miss Del Torres?’ Will asked.

  Ed Redding, the First Mate, came down the stairs behind them.

  ‘Miss Del Torres can have my cabin,’ he said. ‘Come this way.’

  ‘I don’t want to put you out,’ Mia said quickly. ‘I’ll be quite comfortable in the brig.’

  Redding turned to her with a laugh. ‘No one is comfortable in the brig, miss.’

  ‘But where will you sleep?’

  ‘There are spare bunks with the rest of the men. I’ll be fine down there for a couple of weeks.’

  ‘That’s very kind of you, Redding,’ Will said, ‘I appreciate it.’

  The First Mate led the way further into the ship and stopped outside a narrow wooden door.

  ‘It’s not much,’ he said, ‘but it’s comfy enough.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Mia said.

  ‘I’d better get back up on deck. We’ll be leaving in a few minutes.’

  Redding left and Lieutenant Glass reluctantly followed behind, leaving Will and Mia alone.

  ‘Will you be comfortable here?’ Will asked.

  Mia realised he was genuinely concerned. He might be her captor and willing to use her to find her brother, but he was considering her comfort at the same time. Things could be worse: she could be in the hands of Lieutenant Glass.

  ‘I will, thank you,’ Mia said.

  He turned as if to leave, then slowly spun round again to face her.

  ‘Mia,’ he said slowly, ‘I meant what I said earlier.’

  She looked at him. The small frown line in between his eyebrows was back again.

  ‘I might not agree with the Governor’s methods and I am sorry you’ve got caught up in this, but I have made an oath to bring your brother and his associates to justice and I need your help. I know you don’t want to be here, but if you help me I promise I will do everything I can to protect you when we get back to Barbados.’

  Mia nodded slowly. She felt torn. She believed him, she believed that if she helped him he would try to protect her, but she also knew it would be in vain. She’d watched so many men and boys she’d known from childhood hang and she knew if she set foot on Barbados again as a prisoner she could well be heading for the noose.

  ‘I understand you are going to feel loyalty to your brother, but he has killed hundreds of innocent men and women. I can’t let that continue.’

  He moved in closer so there was only a sliver of air between their bodies. Mia looked up at him and tried to concentrate—she found it so distracting when he was this close. They stood for a moment just looking at each other, trying to figure out what their next move was. She had to consciously stop herself from reaching up and running her fingers through his golden hair, pulling his head down so his lips met hers.

  ‘Shall we return to the deck?’ Will said suddenly, stepping away.

  Mia felt as though she had been jolted awake from a trance. She nodded and docilely followed him up the wooden stairs and back into the humid air.

  Chapter Three

  Will cocked his head to one side and listened as the quiet footsteps approached his door. There was a long pause before a soft tap on the wood.

  He was on his feet immediately and threw open the door.

  ‘Come in,’ he said with a smile.

  Mia looked around suspiciously then stepped into the room.

  ‘Afraid of an ambush?’ Will asked.

  ‘It’s nearly midnight.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘When a man asks you to come to their room at this late hour a girl is allowed to be suspicious.’

  Will looked at her closely and realised Mia was joking with him.

  ‘Worried I’m about to ravish you?’

  ‘I’d like to see you try.’

  ‘So you have concerns about my motives, but you still came?’

  Mia shrugged, ‘It’s not as though I had a choice.’

  He let it go. It was understandable she felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to be there. She’d been dragged in shackles on to the boat and if Lieutenant Glass had his way she’d be shivering in the brig now.

  ‘I thought we could get started.’

  Mia looked around for somewhere to sit and finally decided on the bed. She flopped down in an unladylike fashion and Will had to hide a smile.

  ‘Mr Greenacre,’ Mia said seriously.

  ‘Will.’

  ‘Will,’ Mia refused to let herself be distracted. ‘I’m not sure how much the Governor told you about me.’

  Hardly anything. In fact, he’d promised ‘local knowledge’ and then produced Mia. From Thatcher’s information, Will had managed to piece together a little more of her background, but she was still in the main a mystery.

  ‘I know your brother is the infamous Captain Del Torres. You’ve been wanted by the authorities for the past few months and have been in hiding.’

  ‘Anything else?’

  ‘I know you have a kind heart and would risk your life to ensure a stranger doesn’t drown.’

  Mia turned away from him.

  Will leaned forward in his chair. She had a sadness about her this evening.

  ‘Anything else?’

  He shook his head.

  ‘When I was captured I was given a choice; help you or be executed the very next day.’

  Will felt a knot forming in his stomach. He might have only known her for a short time, but the idea of Mia swinging from a noose was far too disturbing.

  ‘It wasn’t a hard decision to make.’

  Will sat silently, wondering where she was going with this.

  ‘They didn’t ask what I knew or how I could help you, they just told me I would not be killed if I came with you to hunt my brother.’

  She paused and closed her eyes.

  ‘I didn’t tell them at the time because I didn’t want to die, but I’ve got no idea where he is.’

  Will leaned forward in his chair and smiled gently at her.

  ‘Of course you don’t.’

  ‘I don’t,’ Mia said quickly, ‘I’m not lying.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I’m not lying,’ she repeated.

  ‘I believe you.’

  She frowned and studied his face.

  ‘Why?’ she asked.

  ‘Why do I believe you?’

  She nodded.

  ‘Because why would you know where your brother is?’

  She looked perplexed.

  ‘When was the last time you saw him?’

  ‘Four or five years ago.’

  ‘And when was the last time you heard from him?’

  ‘I got a letter with some money about eighteen months ago.’

  ‘So why would I think you’d know where he was?’

  ‘But...’ Mia started.

  Will leaned back in the chair and allowed her a moment of confusion. She looked beautiful in the glow of the candle and he imagined taking her into his arms and laying her down on the bed beneath him. Hurriedly Will pushed the thought from his mind and tried to focus on his mission.

  ‘Why am I here, then?’ she asked.

  ‘You might not know where your brother is, but you do know him. I can obtain information easily enough about his whereabouts, but I can’t capture him, outthink him, if I don’t know how his mind works.’

  Mia sat digesting this piece of information for a while. She looked so innocent, sitting on his bed with her legs crossed underneath her. Her hand was moving backwards and forwards across the covers, an unconscious movement whilst she thought about what he was saying. By candlelight she looked young,
too young to be embroiled in such dangerous affairs.

  Will felt a protectiveness towards her he hadn’t felt for anyone in a long time. She was vulnerable and alone and out of her depth. He wanted to shield her from what was to come and guard her from the evils of the world.

  His other feelings for her weren’t quite so noble. The kiss they’d shared on the beach might have stemmed from delirium on his part, but he couldn’t forget the softness of her lips, the sweet taste of her mouth or the way her body had moulded to his. He was trying to keep professional and businesslike, but every time he saw her he found it difficult not to take her in his arms and relive that moment when they had collapsed on the sand.

  Each time he tried to force his mind back to the business of hunting Del Torres his thoughts seemed to wander instead to Mia. He wondered what it was about her that piqued his interest so much. He’d known beautiful women before, often resisted their advances. Will had always prided himself on being able to control his passions. It was in his nature to be on his own—indeed, as his friends had started to settle down and marry he had always assumed he would not have that domesticated life. Despite all that, he very much wanted to reach out and touch Mia, draw her to him and do wicked things to her.

  Suddenly he needed to get out of the cabin. It was far too small and Mia sitting on his bed was far too tempting.

  ‘Shall we get some air?’ Will asked. ‘It’s a little hot in here.’

  Mia shrugged, slipped off the bed and followed him to the door.

  The sea was so calm it was almost flat. The wind had dropped and the ship was barely moving. It was a complete contrast to two nights previous when the storm had struck The White Rose. Had it only been two days? It felt so much longer. No wonder he was so weary, his muscles still protesting every time he moved.

  ‘Tell me about your childhood, Mia,’ Will said, trying to distract himself from his inappropriate desires by getting back to work.

  ‘What do you want to know?’

  ‘Everything.’

  Mia took a few seconds before she started speaking, looking out to the horizon as if remembering better times. He saw her hesitate and for a moment wondered if she was going to refuse.

  ‘My father was a sailor, or so my mother said. I never knew him. It was always just Jorge and Mama and me.’