As he passed Storm, the captain reached out and ran a blade across the man’s throat.
Sweeney clasped his hands to his neck, eyes round in surprise as he tried to stop the flow of blood. He staggered to the boat rail, his face pale.
Storm approached and kicked him square in the chest, sending his body overboard to crash into the water below. “Traitor.” He leered at Seonag. “Now, where were we? Oh, aye.” He stalked toward her and grasped her arm so tightly it felt like his fingertips were penetrating her skin and dragged her forward. “Ye are coming with me. Set sail!” He ordered over his shoulder as he pulled her along behind him.
Planting her feet on the ground, she tried to stop him from pulling her along, but she was no match for his brute strength. “Stop. Stop!”
Storm halted his procession.
“Where are ye taking me?”
He grabbed her arm and yanked her along. “Ye’ll see soon enough.”
On the way to wherever Storm was leading her to, they passed crewmen who hooted and hollered. Vile phrases were thrown at her as if she were a whore. Traitors. The whole lot of them. She’d see each of them hanged.
Down the stairs they went until they reached a familiar door. Her father’s quarters. No. No longer her father’s. No, now they were Storm’s.
He pushed her into the room and onto the bed, and she sprung up faster than even she knew she was capable of.
“Give me yer wrists.” He held out a hand, and in the other, he held a large dagger.
She did as she was told leery as he cut the rope, then rubbed her wrists together. Her skin was bruised and chafed.
“Since ye dinna want to sit on the bed,” he pulled the chair out from the desk and pointed to it. “Sit here.”
“What do ye want, Storm?”
He sat on the edge of the bed and faced her. “Information.”
That was not the answer she expected. It puzzled her. She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It appears ye’ve gone to a lot of trouble for naught.”
“Dinna lie to me. Ye know Honey’s plans. And his books.”
She shook her head in denial, but he pierced her with an icy gaze.
“Mayhap ye’ve forgotten how I got ye on this ship? Sweeney, disloyal bastard that he is,” he snickered and shook his head. “Correction, that hewas, told us the role ye were playing onThe Hella. Ye read his books. Know his numbers. What are they?”
That’s what this was about? He wanted to know how much gold Honey was in possession of? Didn’t he have enough of his own with the coin he’d stolen from her father when he killed him? Greedy bastard. It didn’t matter. She would not tell Honey’s business to someone that had no right to know.
She concentrated on the rocking of the ship. She thought Storm would want to make haste and get to whatever destination he was going to as soon as possible, but the gentle sway of the boat as she sat watching Storm’s every move suggested otherwise.
“Now is no time to be mute, Seonag. Tell me what ye know.” He ordered, an edge to his tone that sent chills down her spine. He killed her father. What made her think he wouldn’t do the same to her? Her only hope would be to delay until either she could plunge her dagger into him or Honey and his crew attacked.
She may have deceived Honey, but he had to understand it was for a good reason. And now that reason had come to fruition. Her dagger burned in her boot, but Storm was watching her closely. If she had any chance of taking him down, she would need the element of surprise on her side.
“I dinna know how much he’s worth, Storm,” she lied. He wouldn’t kill her before he had the information he was after. She needed to lead him along and bide her time.
Chapter Fourteen
As much asColin wanted to forget the woman locked in one of the rooms below, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He was constantly fighting the urge to barge into her room and force her to open up to him.
He wanted to see her as the beautiful woman she really was.
But he needed answers first. His trust had been broken and he didn’t take lightly to that. He downed another dram of whisky, savoring the burn.
His desire would need to wait until morning at least. At first light they needed to attack. It pained him to think he would be causing damage to the ship his friend had loved so much. But, Storm wouldn’t surrender. No pirate worth their weight in salt would. He understood that.
Unfortunately, that meantHades Revengewould feel the wrath of his cannons. He only hoped Sean would understand. If Sean was in his shoes, Colin would expect him to stop at nothing to avenge his name and legacy.
