“Please,” Danielle said to Rafe. “We must save him.”
Rafe’s face was a mask of stone. “I haven’t always been my brother’s biggest supporter, but I’ll be damned before I lose him this way. I lost Donald Swift. I’ve no intention of losing anyone else in my family.”
Grimaldi pulled out a rough drawing of Lafayette’s ship from his coat pocket and pinned it to the table. “Here’s what we need to do.”
Rafe crossed his arms over his chest and leveled a glare at the general. “First. I must ask something. Something I couldn’t bring myself to ask on the journey here. But now I must know.”
Grimaldi nodded his assent. “Yes?”
“They say Cade’s the Black Fox. Is it true?”
“No,” Grimaldi answered simply.
“He’s not,” Danielle agreed.
“Are you certain?” Rafe asked. “How can you be?”
“I’m certain.” Danielle’s voice rang out loud and sure. She raised her chin to meet the viscount’s gaze. “I’m certain becauseIam the Black Fox.”
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Cade moved a bit to the right. Pain shot through his middle. He winced. At least one of his ribs was cracked. No doubt about it. The bloody Frenchmen had beaten him half to death. If he hadn’t been so foxed, no doubt he would be dead right now. Though if he hadn’t been so foxed, he wouldn’t have been caught off-guard. Damn it all to hell. Instead, he was locked in a cell in the hold of Baptiste’s ship.
He was exactly where he deserved to be after his bout of stupidity last night. What in the hell had he been thinking? Leaving the ship. Getting so drunk. He should have at least stayed and spoken to Grimaldi. He’d been angry, hurt because Danielle wanted to end their affair. And jealous. Jealous of a bloody book about Wolsey. He was an idiot.
Of course Baptiste had suspected he’d been followed. Years of hunting him had taught Cade that the man was no fool. Now Cade knew Baptiste was to thank for his being jumped outside of the theater in London. He’d said as much as he’d beaten Cade trying to get him to admit that he, or rather Rafe, was the Black Fox. The Frenchman wanted revenge for his stolen map and foiled plan.
Cade hadn’t said a word. He’d allow the man to murder him before he would betray his brother. Cade had long suspected Rafe might be the Black Fox. His interest in the case, his constant questions. It made sense somehow. Cade would go to his death pretending to be his brother if it came to that. He wondered if Baptiste even knew Rafe had a twin.
Had Baptiste been under the impression that Rafe had been after him all these years? When Cade met Grim in Spain two years ago, the general had mistaken him for his brother who was being tortured by the French. After Cade had explained himself, Grimaldi had offered him a proposition. Work with him to save Rafe, and Grim would ensure the black marks were erased from Cade’s past, including his criminal record. Grim would even deliver a convenient set of letters of marque making all of Cade’s and his crew’s ventures on the high seas perfectly legal. There had been no choice, really.
Cade had allowed the general to assume he was doing it for the personal benefits, but the real reason, the only reason, was to scrub his blackened conscience clean. He’d let his brother down once. He would not do it again. So Cade had traveled with Grimaldi to France, but by the time they arrived, Donald Swift had been killed and Rafe had escaped. Still, true to his word, Grimaldi had done what he’d promised. Cade’s criminal record had been destroyed and his letters of marque had been delivered.
But Cade didn’t leave France. He remained to find out why his brother had been taken in the first place. He’d learned that Russians were involved and there was smuggling and secrets traded for money. After pulling away layers and layers of lies and deceit, Cade had discovered the French sailor and politician, Lafayette Baptiste, had ordered Rafe’s torture and Donald’s murder. The Frenchman was a thief, a scoundrel, and a killer who had done many wrongs to many people.
It was only recently that Cade had discovered Baptiste’s latest plot to bring Napoleon back from St. Helena. The Frenchman’s first step was to work with London turncoats who planned to help Baptiste and his men get past St. Helena’s guards. Those scoundrels were somewhere on the ship in which he was currently imprisoned. He’d like to rip each one of them limb from limb.
Cade had never intended to return to London until he learned Baptiste would be there. While posing as the gadabout black sheep of a brother, Cade began to suspect Rafe was the Black Fox. The Black Fox kept getting in his way, got everywhere before Cade did, even stole the map and foiled Baptiste’s plans at every turn. For months Cade called in every favor. Met with every contact. Still he hadn’t been able to track down the elusive Black Fox.
He’d tried to find out what British Intelligence knew about the operative from Tomlinson. He purchased the stolen map from Moreau. From O’Conner he’d learned whenThe French Secretwould be leaving for St. Helena and where it would be stopping along the way. Cade’s intention was to hunt down Baptiste, expose him as traitor to his country, and depending on how angry he was that day, either kill him or turn him over to law enforcement.
Then Danielle had stepped into Cade’s life and everything had been turned upside down. He should have guessed Grim was also after Baptiste. Cade had just never counted on the fact that Grim had placed a spy… a beautiful female French spy, to watch him in his brother’s home. He could almost laugh about it if his ribs didn’t hurt so much. He had to give it to Grimaldi. Cade had never suspected Danielle. Despite all that, he still wanted her with an intensity that frightened him.
Where was Danielle now? The Frenchmen had let Danny and Sean go. The two men would have hurried back toThe Elenorand informed Grimaldi and Danielle (or Cross) of what had happened. There was likely a plot hatching this very minute. Whether they would bust him out of gaol or leave him to rot, he wasn’t certain.
He didn’t deserve their help. Especially Danielle’s. She wasn’t like the other women he’d known. She was beautiful and passionate and kind and caring. She was also a spy. Albeit an English one. Not a French one. He’d never met anyone who could fool him so thoroughly. And she’d been so passionate in bed. He wanted her again. He knew he’d keep on wanting her. Forever. She was like an incomparable diamond. He’d never forget her.
He winced again. Yes, damn it. His rib was broken.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Danielle stayed in the cabin explaining the plan to Danny and Sean, who’d been shocked to learn that Cross the cabin boy was a woman. Meanwhile, Grimaldi and Rafe went to the quarterdeck where Grimaldi had apparently proceeded to beat the hell out of poor Rafe. Danielle had winced when she’d seen him. She was nothing but glad that Daphne wasn’t here to witness her husband’s bleeding and bruises. The man must love his brother indeed to take such a beating.
After that unpleasant task was through, Danielle, Rafe, and Grimaldi had dressed all in black. Along with a small band of men trailing them, they silently made their way across the Spanish docks hiding in the shadows. They stole one by one towardThe French Secret.
“It’s every man for himself,” Grimaldi whispered. “Wait until the watch turns his back. You’ll have about thirty seconds to get onto the ship before he turns again.”
The watch stood on the foredeck. He carried a sword strapped to his back and a pistol in his hand.
