Zach moaned and lowered his head into his hands.
“She did get a good jab in about him, to be fair,” Forrest said, coming to his cousin’s aid. “She said if there were only two men left in the world, Plunge and Zach, she’d take Plunge. He then arrived in his heels and took her away.”
“That man.” Gabe sighed. “You need to apologize, Zach, and hope no one else heard you say those words. You could turn people against her with such comments. You are popular; she is not.”
“It was beneath you, brother,” Nathan said.
“I know.”
“You will call and see her tomorrow,” Gabe said.
Zach nodded, looking miserable.
“I will not be going with you this time. Phillipa Blake terrifies me,” Forrest said.
They fell silent, as the carriage was stopping. For the first time since he’d joined Alexius, Forrest was about to put himself in danger. He felt a moment’s unease as he imagined his child tucked up warm in her bed. But he pushed it aside as Gabe spoke.
“Let’s go. Be alert and make sure your pistols are where you can reach them.”
CHAPTERTWENTY
TheGodfrey,which was the ship they were after, came into dock slowly and stopped with a gentle bump. They watched from the shadows as it was secured. He then saw a figure step out of the dark and walk to the bottom of the gangway that had just been lowered.
“That’s a woman,” Zach whispered.
“Likely a lady of the night seeking a customer from a sailor on board,” Michael added.
“Who owns that ship?” Gabe asked.
“I have no idea, but it could belong to the Merchant, or he could have men on board who he pays to get information from. There is little doubting the man has tentacles everywhere,” Nathan said.
She wore a black cloak, hood pulled up. The moonlight allowed him to see that much. A man walked down the gangway to speak with her. She took something out of her pocket and handed it to him. He walked back up and disappeared onto the deck. The woman left. Minutes later, the man was back, and the woman reappeared. He handed her something.
“I don’t think she’s a prostitute,” Gabe whispered. “I want to read the words written on that note. Zach and Nathan, stay here and watch the ship.”
Forrest and two of his cousins followed the woman. She walked fast, but they kept pace silently behind her. She stopped when another man approached her. No words were spoken; she thrust the note at him and then started running. In seconds she’d gone.
The man didn’t follow. He went right.
“My guess is she’s just there as a go-between. We stick with him,” Michael whispered.
They followed him to a carriage. The door opened, and a hand took the note. They moved closer.
“I want the young one but bring both.”
The man standing in the doorway grunted something and left. The carriage rolled away before they could stop it.
“Back to the ship,” Gabe whispered.
The man was ahead of them again. When he reached the ship, he whistled, and in seconds there were five men around him. Two of them were dressed in the clothes he knew well from his time in India.
“I’ll get closer.” Forrest slipped away before his cousins could stop him, walking out of the shadows toward the ship, passing the group of men. He stopped by the ropes, tugging them to check they were secure.
“They are traveling alone. One is older, the other young. She’s the one he wants, but we’ll have to take both. You heathens talk to them, lure them away,” someone was saying.
“Our men on board will ensure they leave last. We’ll be waiting for you to reach us.”
“Oi! What are you doing?” someone asked him.
