That night,The Elenorcrept into port at San Sebastian in Spain. They purposefully dropped anchor on the far side of the wide harbor to ensure they would be out of sight ofThe French Secret, which had arrived earlier in the day. According to O’Conner, the plan was for the French ship to remain here for two nights. Meanwhile, Danielle and Cade waited for Grimaldi to arrive on whatever ship he’d commandeered to follow them.
Cade had been out of sorts ever since Danielle had summarily announced the end of their affair. Why couldn’t she just enjoy the moment and whatever this thing was that they had together? When Grim arrived, whatever he had to say, Cade was not in an understanding mood to hear it.
“I’m off to drink with Danny and Sean,” he announced after all the ship’s business had been seen to for the night.
“In town?” Danielle asked nonchalantly. She’d tucked her hair back up in the damned ridiculous cap and was acting as if they hadn’t spent the last three nights and part of the days tangled naked in each other’s arms.
“Have fun.” She turned back to the book she’d been reading. Wolsey? She chose a book about bloody Wolsey over him? By God, he would find a better time in town with Danny and Sean. The Irishmen loved to frequent taverns and brothels while they were in port. Tonight he’d join them.
***
Four hours later, Cade found himself propped up against a stone wall outside a Spanish brothel. Danny had come out with a buxom woman on his arm and was fondling her in the alley. Sean had come out so foxed he couldn’t stand up straight. He slid down the wall and sat next to Cade.
Cade had downed something in the vicinity of four bottles of Spanish wine and was half passed out, leaning against the side of the establishment. He had not gone into the brothel. Even if he’d been sober enough to have a cockstand, he’d known the minute he left the ship he couldn’t touch another woman.
Being with Danielle these last few days had been… well, damn it, he didn’t know what it had been but he hadn’t been ready for it to end. That much he knew. He wanted her still. Even now. He couldn’t erase her from his mind.
He should have stayed sober tonight. Should have remained on the ship. Should have made the plan to meet Grim. But the dismissive way Danielle had treated him had made him want her to think he would find comfort in another woman’s arms.
He pushed himself upright and tried to whistle for Danny, but the noise that emerged from him lips was more of a sad blowing sound.
“McCummmmmmins!” he finally called.
Sean stumbled to his feet. “We leavin’, Cap’n?”
“Aye. We’ve got to get back to the ship.” He tried to focus but his eyes were blurry. “Daannny!” he called again.
“Hold yer horses. I’m comin’,” came a muffled voice from the alley. “Give me a minute, ye blighters.”
Sean started laughing while Cade opened his mouth to call his first mate yet again. A sharp blow to the head stopped him. He fell to the ground, his vision even worse than the drink had made it.
He rubbed a hand over his eyes. Had he imagined the painful crack to his skull? He glanced over to see Sean fiercely struggling against two large men. Cade looked up. His hand reflexively went to the back of his breeches where he always carried a knife. It was gone. He scrambled to his feet, his fists cocked and ready to fight. Two other huge men grabbed him from behind and held his arms behind his back. He’d barely got a blow in on one of them before he was tackled to the ground.
Lafayette Baptiste stepped out of the shadows, a club in his hand. He thumped it against his gloved palm. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t Captain Rafferty Cavendish. Followed me from London, I see. I had zee chance to kill you once when I ordered Donald Swift to be killed. I won’t make zee same mistake again.”
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
“What are we going to do?” Danielle hated how frantic her voice sounded. General Grimaldi stood across the table from her in Cade’s cabin, his fists braced atop the panel. “We’ve got to save him.”
Danny and Sean had returned from their excursion and informed both Danielle and Grimaldi—who’d come into port early and boardedThe Elenor—that Cade had been captured. Apparently, Baptiste had mistaken him for Rafe. The Frenchman must have allowed Danny and Sean to go free so they could repeat the tale.
Mon dieu. Why wasn’t Grimaldi saying anything? She’d tear this ship apart splinter by splinter before she’d allow him to turn it around and leave without Cade. Why did the spymaster have to be somauditstoic? She stared into Grimaldi’s dark eyes, almost willing him to disagree with her so she could have someone to fight, right here, right now. She felt so impotent, unable to save the man she loved.
The thought nearly brought her to her knees, but yes, shedidlove him. It took losing him for her to realize that, but she loved him and she was going to save him. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt or worse by Baptiste.
Danielle clenched her fist. It took all her strength to keep from striking the man in front of her. “Damn you, General. Why didn’t you tell me Cade was on our side?”
Grimaldi scrubbed a hand against his light beard. “We couldn’t risk it. We were watching you. We knew you’d grown… close to him. We couldn’t take the chance of you backing out if you knew he was the captain ofThe Elenorbefore you came aboard.”
Her eyes went wide. “Youwere watchingme? Wasn’t the whole point that I was watching him?”
Grimaldi nodded. “Yes, but—Bloody hell, Cross, we’re spies. We’re watching everyone.”
She rolled her eyes at that.
“Once we realized you might have”—Grimaldi cleared his throat—“feelings for Cavendish, we feared it might compromise the entire bloody mission.”
She didn’t flinch at the improper language. She’d long ago become accustomed to that and worse in her line of work. It was the other part of what he’d said that had her hand itching to slap him again. “Feelings! What made you think I hadfeelingsfor him?”
