the side of The Lady Desire in no time and a rope ladder was thrown over the side. Dread climbed up with ease. Martin grabbed hold of her arm to pull her aboard.
She clapped Martin on the back and took stock of her crew, who were busy readying the ship to sail.
"How long until we're off?" Dread asked as she pulled off her leather gloves and walked down the stairs, into the belly of the ship.
"Less than twenty minutes, Captain."
"Excellent. I take it you had no obstacles on your ride here?"
Martin walked alongside her. "None at all. The lass is still unconscious. She has a knot on the back of her head and a nasty bruise on her cheek, as well as some slight scratches on her neck and arms, but other than that she is no worse for wear. I don't think she has been harmed in any other way… if you catch my meaning."
"She better not be. It's one thing to hold a hostage against their will, but another thing entirely to abuse them," Dread snarled, not pleased by the idea that her lady prisoner could have been mistreated in such a way. She reached her cabin. "She is an innocent in all of this and already has been through a great deal from those two bumbling asses."
"Speakin' of jackasses. What did you do to the James' siblings?"
Dread opened her door and leaned back against the wall. "I left the brother there to bleed and made Judie strip and tied her to the bed. She actually expected me to 'have my wicked way with her and to teach her a lesson'. I taught her a lesson, all right. I grabbed all her clothes and the satchel and left her there hurling curses at me. I threw everything into the ocean. They can both rot, for all I care."
Martin let out a few booming laughs and rubbed a finger across his mustache. "I would’ve loved to have seen that. Oh, and what about the precious Humphrey jewelry?"
"You won't believe this. Humphrey must be worst off than we first thought. The necklace and ring are fakes, just pretty glass and nothing more. I threw them into the ocean as well."
Martin scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want to be in your cabin when the lady awakes and finds out that her neck and finger are bare. Are you going to tell her that her engagement gifts were worthless?"
"Perhaps she will be too busy to notice or even care." Dread wiggled her eyebrows and winked.
"I'm not even going to ask how you intend to spend the next few hours." Martin yawned deeply. "Other than that small hiccup, I take it there shouldn't be any more problems?"
Dread raised an eyebrow. "For now. Next step is getting the ransom money from Humphrey and making certain he doesn't find us before we can get to him first."
"You know we are playing a dangerous game here, C.W. Humphrey is going to come after us with everything he has."
"I can't hardly wait." Dread grinned and patted Martin on the cheek. "Go get some rest. I will handle the lady when she awakens."
"I trust you can. But keep in mind she is a wee little thing and will probably be scared out of her mind."
"Will do." Dread nodded and saluted. She walked into her cabin, closed her door and left her gloves on the desk. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Two lamps were lit near her king-sized bed that lay under a large porthole, giving her a wonderful view of the ocean.
Dread looked over at the prone figure lying in the center of her bed. She unfastened the top buttons of her shirt and untied her black eye mask. She cracked her neck from side to side and poked the sides of her temples with her fingers, releasing the tension there. When she stood at the bottom of her bed, she looked down at the petite young woman wearing a smudged, wrinkled ball gown. Her hostage's face was covered by wavy blonde locks that reached down to her waist.
She felt a pang near her heart and rubbed her chest. For some reason this woman seemed familiar to her…
Dread walked over and sat down on the side of the bed. Her hand shook as she pushed away the woman's soft hair that
She clapped Martin on the back and took stock of her crew, who were busy readying the ship to sail.
"How long until we're off?" Dread asked as she pulled off her leather gloves and walked down the stairs, into the belly of the ship.
"Less than twenty minutes, Captain."
"Excellent. I take it you had no obstacles on your ride here?"
Martin walked alongside her. "None at all. The lass is still unconscious. She has a knot on the back of her head and a nasty bruise on her cheek, as well as some slight scratches on her neck and arms, but other than that she is no worse for wear. I don't think she has been harmed in any other way… if you catch my meaning."
"She better not be. It's one thing to hold a hostage against their will, but another thing entirely to abuse them," Dread snarled, not pleased by the idea that her lady prisoner could have been mistreated in such a way. She reached her cabin. "She is an innocent in all of this and already has been through a great deal from those two bumbling asses."
"Speakin' of jackasses. What did you do to the James' siblings?"
Dread opened her door and leaned back against the wall. "I left the brother there to bleed and made Judie strip and tied her to the bed. She actually expected me to 'have my wicked way with her and to teach her a lesson'. I taught her a lesson, all right. I grabbed all her clothes and the satchel and left her there hurling curses at me. I threw everything into the ocean. They can both rot, for all I care."
Martin let out a few booming laughs and rubbed a finger across his mustache. "I would’ve loved to have seen that. Oh, and what about the precious Humphrey jewelry?"
"You won't believe this. Humphrey must be worst off than we first thought. The necklace and ring are fakes, just pretty glass and nothing more. I threw them into the ocean as well."
Martin scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I wouldn't want to be in your cabin when the lady awakes and finds out that her neck and finger are bare. Are you going to tell her that her engagement gifts were worthless?"
"Perhaps she will be too busy to notice or even care." Dread wiggled her eyebrows and winked.
"I'm not even going to ask how you intend to spend the next few hours." Martin yawned deeply. "Other than that small hiccup, I take it there shouldn't be any more problems?"
Dread raised an eyebrow. "For now. Next step is getting the ransom money from Humphrey and making certain he doesn't find us before we can get to him first."
"You know we are playing a dangerous game here, C.W. Humphrey is going to come after us with everything he has."
"I can't hardly wait." Dread grinned and patted Martin on the cheek. "Go get some rest. I will handle the lady when she awakens."
"I trust you can. But keep in mind she is a wee little thing and will probably be scared out of her mind."
"Will do." Dread nodded and saluted. She walked into her cabin, closed her door and left her gloves on the desk. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. Two lamps were lit near her king-sized bed that lay under a large porthole, giving her a wonderful view of the ocean.
Dread looked over at the prone figure lying in the center of her bed. She unfastened the top buttons of her shirt and untied her black eye mask. She cracked her neck from side to side and poked the sides of her temples with her fingers, releasing the tension there. When she stood at the bottom of her bed, she looked down at the petite young woman wearing a smudged, wrinkled ball gown. Her hostage's face was covered by wavy blonde locks that reached down to her waist.
She felt a pang near her heart and rubbed her chest. For some reason this woman seemed familiar to her…
Dread walked over and sat down on the side of the bed. Her hand shook as she pushed away the woman's soft hair that
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