“TheDoña Isabella?With the—the Inca gold?”
Roc smiled slowly, folding his hands over his chest. “Aye, Logan, and that’s a fact. I’m the only man alive who knows where to find it.”
“How do I know that?” Logan demanded.
“I’m telling you that it is so.”
Skye stared up at him. She didn’t know if it was the truth or not. She didn’t know anything at all about him anymore. She was aware only that her choices now lay between two different hells.
Roc wanted Logan to think that she didn’t matter so much to him, that she was something to be owned and used, and abused if the mood so struck him. He wanted to save his own life. He was, beyond a doubt, a scurvy bastard.
But, so help her! She could not stand the thought of Logan. What was happening?
Logan cocked his head, staring at Roc. “What is then, a play for time? I keep you alive to take me to this treasure of Jack’s—then I slay you anyway. I take the girl, and I find my entertainment, then I ask Spotswood or Lord Cameron for the ransom on them both, the lady and Lord Kinsdale. Any way that one looks at it, Hawk. I win.”
Roc shook his head slowly. “You don’t take the girl. She’s mine.”
“What good will she do a corpse?”
“She’s mine. She stays with me. We head on to the meeting here in North Carolina across the island and we go to someone to mediate.”
“Mediate!” Logan protested.
“Aye, mediate. Blackbeard.”
Logan started to laugh. “You’d give her over to Blackbeard?”
Roc shrugged. “If rumor has it right, he’s fourteen young wives. He’s women enough.”
“They say that he’s the fiercest murderer of us all.”
“They say—but I know the man. He’d never harm her. And if he swore to me that he’d see her safe back to Virginia, then that is exactly what he would do.”
Logan hesitated. “I won’t—”
“It’s the only way, Logan. It’s absolutely the only way that you’re going to have the pleasure of killing me and acquiring the treasure, too.”
“It’s too risky, Captain,” the dark-haired man murmured to Logan.
“Risky! What, have you become a coward, Logan? We live at risk, we thrive on risk. Aye, come on, and it is a challenge! I dare you, Logan, take the chance!”
“Send her over to me!” Logan demanded.
Roc came over to Skye, reaching down for her. She lowered her eyes, not about to touch his hand. He had gone insane. She had been there when he had dueled with One-Eyed Jack. The pirate had died cleanly in the fight. There had never been any discussion about gold whatsoever.
Or was there gold? Did he know of it some other way? Had he come after One-Eyed Jack and theSilver Messengerbecause hehadwanted a bigger prize? Because he needed Jack dead? She didn’t know. Her head was still reeling, and she didn’t trust him, not in the least.
And still, she was in love with him. Even with her face still stinging, even as she wondered about his double life, certain that he would hang. She did love him.…
She started to scramble to her feet on her own, but he wrenched her up and held her close to him. “No. I will not send the girl to you. We do it my way. She’s mine.”
Logan hesitated a long time. “Iwillkill you when we get that treasure. If you’re telling me the truth, Hawk, I will shoot you clean and simple. If you’ve lied to me, then I’ll have you staked out, and I’ll rip your flesh from your body inch by inch with my hook. Savor that, Hawk. And pray that you find that treasure.” He pocketed his pistols.
“I haven’t lied to you.”
Logan shrugged. “Then keep the girl. Enjoy her until your death.” He smiled suddenly, watching Roc. “You’ve lost your beard, sir. Was that to please this lady?”
“It was hot,” Roc said. “I do nothing to please anyone, Logan, and you know that.”
