Jacqueline reached down and pulled the purse off Catherine’s arm to get whatever weapon was in it. She also saw a lot of jewelry in the bag, mostly rings and bracelets, yet another fortune for her damned father.
“Stay down unless you want a boot to your face, too,” Jack told the pirate’s daughter, pointing the little pistol from the purse at her as well.
A lot of fighting was going on in the rest of the room. But the Anderson brothers had made a big dent in the numbers, having taken a lot of Catherine’s men by surprise from behind. Anthony and Jeremy were making quick work of those who’d charged them. Damon wasn’t abandoning his bulwark station directly in front of Jack, merely beating down anyone who got close to him. Mortimer had charged into the middle of the fray. Unfortunately, some of the normal sailors couldn’t resist a fight, either, and didn’t care whom it was against. Some helped, some didn’t. Still, the fight was over rather quickly, considering most of Catherine’s crew was in that room. And Jacqueline had the evidence in her hands that would assure Catherine Meyer would get her just deserts. Now, if apprehending her father could be this easy....
Chapter Forty-Six
STANDING ON THE DECKofThe Maiden George, Damon said, “He’s been building a small army, but whether it’s a useful army remains to be seen. If Lacross just wanted numbers in anticipation of dealing with your allies after he killed you, then he might not have been particular in who he sent his captains to hire, and they may not all be willing to fight for him.”
Damon had been asked for any more information about the pirates that he could warn them about, before they debarked. Spotting the anchored ships with no harbor was the only indication they had that they’d found the actual camp. But this island was a jungle thick with foliage, and at a glance, nothing of a camp was sighted.
Two ships from Malory’s fleet had turned about to go ashore farther back, Warren Anderson leading those crews, so the base, if it was in there, would be mostly surrounded to prevent escape. James was giving his in-law time to get into position.
“How many ships are usually anchored at his base?” James asked next.
“I’ve only ever seen one or two, though Lacross’s captains might have taken others out so they could hire more men.”
James lowered his spyglass. “Three are here presently. They will be burned. And no old fort this time, but too much jungle. Whatever he’s built in there is mostly hidden. All I just spotted through the trees is a portion of a wooden wall.” James directed one of his men over the side, then explained to Damon, “He’s going to find out if they have any high walls that need to be knocked down. It was annoying having to get past them the last time I dealt with Pierre.”
“What if he’s not—at home?”
“I will be extremely disappointed. Is Red with him this time around?”
“Who?”
“Never mind. If you’d seen her, you’d know I’m referring to Pierre’s old flame. A pirate herself, she may have retired after he went to prison. Gabby told me Pierre’s obsession with her infuriated Red, so Red probably wasn’t lured in again.” At Damon’s raised brow, James added, “Not pertinent to this fight, Captain. At least Catherine Meyer has already been apprehended, and no other ships left St. Kitts while we were there that might have warned Lacross that we are coming.”
There had been time in the harbor on St. Kitts to unload the pirates on Damon’s ship before it returned to James’s fleet. “I warned the governor to prepare his jail for a lot more prisoners,” James continued. “He wasn’t pleased to hear that after we’d already turned over the fifteen you had in your hold and the lot from the tavern. But he ordered a pen built to contain them all until trial. My in-laws will see to delivering the rest to him, while you and I escort Pierre to his home on Anguilla.”
“Will he be able to walk?”
James raised a brow. “Do you care?”
“No,” Damon said, remembering what had been done to Andrew—and what would have been done to Jack. The man deserved punishment.
“Then I expect he will need to be carried.”
A blast was heard and a bright flash came from the trees as a single cannon was fired. James laughed as the cannonball fell far short of any ship and rolled harmlessly down the beach and into the water.
“Pathetic,” James said. “But that’s our cue that they know we’re here. Shall we?”
The longboats had already been lowered and were mostly filled. Malory’s brother was in one. Jeremy wasn’t. He’d been left behind at Nathan Brooks’s house to guard his sister and had complained loudly about it as he and Jack were rowed ashore there. The Andersons were rowed to their own ships, and Damon had been invited—it wasn’t really a request—back toThe Maiden Georgeto sail with James. Damon might have smirked over Jeremy’s complaints, considering how aggravating Jeremy had been in his diligence to keep his sister chaste—after the fact. But Damon understood why James wouldn’t risk his firstborn son to a stray bullet, especially when their numbers were great enough that one more man wouldn’t turn the tide either way. Watching Jack being rowed away from him, Damon had sworn to himself it wouldn’t be the last time he saw her.
The longboats had barely reached the beach when a wave of men burst out of the trees. They were yelling, brandishing pistols, sabers; one even held an ancient pike—dozens of men were charging in their direction.
“One shot each to stem the tide!” James commanded.
Damon was wading ashore when he fired, but other shots came from twelve longboats, not all at once, but close enough that the front line fell as well as the second line, and the men still running forward started tripping over bodies. It had been a pointless charge, and Damon was afraid that Lacross had ordered it to buy himself time to escape. It wasn’t that small an island. It could take days to find him, maybe even weeks, if he managed to slip into the jungle. So Damon grabbed a saber from one of the downed men and fought his way through the remaining pirates to get to the buildings behind the trees.
“Wait up, Captain. You don’t get this pleasure.”
Damon turned to see that James was close behind him and not wielding any sort of weapon... well, other than his fists, which he was using liberally. But barely any pirates were left standing, so Damon cautioned, “This might not be all of Pierre’s men.”
“I do hope not.”
They entered the clearing beyond the trees cautiously. But there were only one long building with the door standing open and several smaller ones, which some of James’s men were heading toward to search now.
Damon glanced around the clearing. “He hasn’t gotten much built since he moved here.”
