Obviously, his emotions were heightened by the disappearance of his niece. The man’s hands flexed at his sides before dropping limp and Christian shrugged the cool reception aside.
“Tell me what happened.”
Henry strode to his desk and sat. “Samantha’s maid told me she was missing an hour ago, but we didn’t think much of it.”
Christian’s brow rose. “You didn’t think it was odd your niece wasn’t in her room at the break of dawn?”
“We had an argument last night. She was quite upset.” Warstein tapped his fingers on his desk. “Samantha is an early riser, so we thought she’d taken a morning walk to clear her mind.”
“When did you notice something was amiss? And how do you know—”
Warstein slid a folded piece of parchment forward. “This was delivered not half an hour ago.”
Christian lifted it and a single lock of copper hair fell into his hand. He unfolded the note into a ray of sunlight streaming into the room and read the short lines.
Bring the map to Tortuga. If it is delivered without incident, your niece will live.
The ransom note was signed with an elegant “T.”
Tortuga. The lair of pirates past. With the recent return of piracy in the Caribbean, there was no surprise in Thorne choosing a location steeped in pirate history.
“What map?”
Warstein leaned back in his chair. “A treasure map.”
Christian set the note down and fingered the soft lock of hair between his thumb and forefinger. “What is a merchant like you doing with a treasure map?”
“It belonged to my brother, Samantha’s father.”
“I’ll need it.”
Henry shook his head. “I don’t have it. I gave it to Samantha. I had no use for it.”
Christian frowned. “Search her—”
“I’ve had servants going through her room since the note arrived. No one has found a trace of it.”
“Why would Thorne want this map?”
“I don’t know.” Warstein’s voice came out in a growl and his left eye ticked. A lie.
Crossing his arms, Christian leaned forward. “If I’m going to go after the most dangerous man on these seas, I need to make sure I know what I’m up against. If you withhold any information, it could very well be the difference between your niece’s life or death.”
That should do it.
But Warstein sat in stony silence, his knuckles white from howhard he gripped the edge of his desk. Finally, he pushed his chair back and stood.
“Are you going to rescue my niece, or should I send messages to my own crews?”
As if his merchant captains could take on Thorne. Sending them after her would be a death sentence. Christian pulled his shoulders back.
“My ship will be ready to sail in half an hour. With luck, we’ll catch the pirate before he reaches Tortuga. I’ll have your niece back before the end of the week if all goes well.”
Warstein bowed his head. “I’m in your debt, Lieutenant.”
“First, I’d like to see her room.”
The merchant stiffened but waved a hand toward the door and followed Christian from the study. He led them up the stairs and stopped at the second door on the right.
