He had put down anchor away from the harbor to do the search. A small moan of despair escaped her throat.
She heard the movement of the door and she stood up. There was no escape for the moment. It would have to be later. The door swung open and Cloud stood at the threshold, holding a lantern. Alexis smiled as the soft light passed over her. She could see Cloud was smiling also.
“Hello, Captain,” she said quietly.
Cloud hung the lantern on a hook and shut the door behind him. Slowly he walked toward her and when he was directly in front of her he took her in his arms. Alexis did not attempt to pull away, rather she pressed herself closely to his warm, hard form and slid her arms around his neck.
“You tried,” he whispered as his hand pulled tenderly at her braid, forcing her face to lift to his. Her eyes were soft, glistening with unshed tears of defeat. He kissed them gently. He felt her shudder in his hold and he tightened his arms around her. “I love you,” he said, pressing her head once more to his chest. They remained silent, oblivious to the commotion outside as the crew continued the search. Finally, carefully, he put her away from him. “Are you ready to go, Captain Danty?”
“I am ready.”
“You first,” he said, motioning her to step in front of him.
Alexis opened the door and took a hesitant step into the passageway. It was empty. The men were still searching other cabins. As Cloud was calling that he had found her, Alexis pushed back against him, knocking him off balance and sending him into the storage compartment. Quickly she shut and bolted the door and ran down the companionway, heading for the deck. She heard Cloud’s laughter above the commotion and in spite of her situation she found herself smiling. She was just reaching the first landing when she felt strong arms around her waist. Struggling hard, she wrestled out of their grip only to find her progress blocked by Frank and Forrest. She looked up at them, holding her hands up in surrender, and then flashed them a bright smile. They each took an arm and turned her so she could see Cloud coming up the companionway, followed by Tom, who had rescued him. Harry was brushing himself off at her side.
“You’re strong, Alex,” he muttered, a little embarrassed that she had been able to get away from him.
Alexis shrugged her shoulders in response, and her movement caused the two men holding her to grip harder. She hid her wincing reaction.
When Cloud reached them he was still laughing. “It was a good try, Captain.”
“Not good enough.”
“No, you’re right. It wasn’t good enough.” He turned his attention to his men. “Take her to the deck and bind her hands behind her. Tight. And if she makes one move before we get into the harbor again, tie her legs too.”
“At least you’ve stopped laughing,” she said to Cloud as the cook and Frank forced her toward the hatch.
“I never was laughing at you, Captain. Only at myself. I should have expected you would not come so easily and yet I didn’t.”
Alexis ignored him. “Frank. Forrest. I am going to have your fingerprints branded on my arms if you don’t ease your grip. How is Mr. Madison going to like it when he finds out I’ve been treated so horribly?”
Forrest guffawed loudly. “Won’t work. I’m not in any mood to face Little Jemmy and tell him I was party to your escaping.”
Alexis sighed and twisted her head around to Cloud, who was chuckling softly to himself once again. “I don’t give up,” she said, grinning.
Cloud nodded, but before he could make a reply they were on deck and Harry was reaching for a length of rope to tie her hands. Forrest pulled her hands behind her back while Harry looped the hemp around her wrists. She struggled briefly against her bonds and Cloud thought he detected fear in her eyes, but it passed quickly. He had no choice now. He knew she would do anything to get away.
As Harry led Alexis over to the mast, Cloud gave the orders to sail. Alexis sat on the deck, leaning her back against the mast, Harry standing over her. Her fingers dug at the knots while she was momentarily forgotten in the activity of getting under way.
“Alex,” Harry’s voice pleaded above her. “Don’t. I tied it tight. You’re going to make a mess of your wrists.”
Alexis’s shoulders sagged and she quit her work. “You don’t miss much.”
“Not much. Would you feel terribly slighted if I took the dagger from your boot?”
Alexis laughed and stretched out her leg. “It’s yours, Harry. A bit dull now, but you can have it.”
Harry bent down and retrieved the dagger. “I’ll sharpen it and just keep it for you, Captain Danty.”
Alexis could only nod, her silence due to an effort to prevent the inevitable cracking of her voice. She tried desperately not to think of the only other time she had been bound, but visions of Travers appeared before her, unsummoned, unwanted. She lost all concept of time and place as she counted the strokes of the biting leather. Eyes closed, she pressed closer to the mainmast, her cheek against the pine. It became Pauley’s bloody back and she was unaware of the tears streaming down her face.
Harry watched in confused silence, unsure of what was going through her mind. He heard her whisper a name, and then her tears ceased as suddenly as they had started. She lifted her head and glassy amber eyes stared at him helplessly. This was not a look he was used to seeing in her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to cut away the rope binding her wrists.
Alexis saw him finger the blade of her dagger delicately, and reading his thoughts she shook her head. “Don’t do it, Harry,” she said softly, hiding the trembling with low tones. “I’m all right now. Don’t do anything that endangers your own mission.”
Harry knelt beside her. “If you ever need an extra man for your crew, Captain, I would like you to remember me.”
She smiled weakly. “You wouldn’t leave Captain Cloud, would you?”
