Outraged, Jacqueline pointed out, “You could have just knocked on the bloody door back in London and asked him for his help!”
“No, I couldn’t. He would have no incentive to cross the ocean again just to help a stranger. You were safe, you were enjoying the Season, you were never actually harmed by Lacross. By all accounts, Jack, and especially since two months had passed since the abduction in Bridgeport, it appeared you and your family were done with the matter, so, indeed, I needed leverage to get your father involved again. But the note I had delivered to him a week after we sailed this time assured him you would be released to him if he met me in St. Kitts to talk. He should be a week or so behind us by—”
Jeremy’s laughter cut Damon off. “Think again, mate. He sailed out of London two days before you did. He won’t be getting any note, won’t even know you have us.”
Damon looked alarmed. “That’s—unfortunate. The note wasn’t threatening, but if he doesn’t receive it—”
Jeremy was still laughing. “He’s likely to kill you on sight?”
Damon gave Jeremy a dark look. “That’s my problem, this one we share: The pirates want Jack. Once they saw what a beauty she is, they’ve been trying to get their hands on her. They know Lacross wouldn’t begrudge them some enjoyment on the voyage home. I’ve been able to restrain them so far, but it won’t be long before they decide they don’t need me to finish their mission.”
“I can vouch for that,” Jacqueline put in.
Jeremy was already on his feet, furious again. “If everything you’ve said is true, you need to get rid of them before you approach my father for your parley, so why the hell are they still aboard? You need them to sail the ship?”
“I did on the way to England, but no longer. I hired a new crew in London.”
“Then you have armed men on your side?”
“Only a few. The pirates have intimidated most of the new sailors.”
“Hell’s bells, man, you could have gotten rid of those blackguards the night you took us. You had a small army with you that could have helped you apprehend them. Why didn’t you?”
“That’s what I planned to do. But Catherine’s parting gift to me was to warn her father’s men not to trust me. So while the pirates aren’t Oxford dons, they’re not stupid, especially when it comes to their own survival. Five of them stayed on the ship that night and kept enough of the new crew I’d just hired with them so they could pull up anchor and sail off if they saw that little army heading their way.”
“How many pirates are we talking about?”
“Fifteen.”
“But you expected to only capture Jack, so what was your alternate plan for getting rid of them?”
“They rarely all come topside together, so as soon as we got to the Caribbean and the first island was in sight, I was going to start tossing them over the side. I can no longer wait for that. And make no mistake, I will be brutal about disposing of them if I have to be. But I’d rather imprison them and then turn them over to the authorities when we reach St. Kitts, not kill them.”
“Commendable, but not when my sister’s life hangs on your succeeding. Is this why you mentioned an alliance? You want my help in getting rid of them?”
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Damon said drily.
Jeremy laughed, but Jacqueline told Damon, “You could have told me this to begin with to gain my cooperation. Why did you keep it from me?”
“I had hoped you’d stop fighting me—for other reasons.”
Her cheeks lit up with color, but Jeremy turned deadly serious, warning Damon, “Don’t even think about it. You might have had other reasons for getting involved in this, but you still did and she still suffered for it. And I’ll give you the one reason why she’ll never be yours. My father. So if you want my cooperation, she moves out of this cabin tonight and into mine.”
“I can’t, Jeremy, at least not yet.” They all stared at Jacqueline, making her blush more deeply, but she still pointed out, “If the pirates think I don’t have his protection anymore, they’re going to come after me again, and they’re all down on your deck, you know. Damon has forestalled them for the last week by keeping me by his side on deck, and—well, we also made them think I’ve been sharing his bed. I’m not!” she quickly added when her brother started to scowl again. “But it was working until he let me talk to you yesterday and there was another confrontation with a few of them afterward because they were hoping to trap us down there. But until you and Damon decide on the best approach to getting rid of them, nothing can look out of the ordinary, so I’m staying right here.” Then she turned to Damon, her eyes flaring with the realization. “So we’re allies?”
Chapter Thirty-Six
REALLY, YOU CAN STOP frowning, Jeremy,” Jacqueline said with a tsk. “I’ll be fine here. He’s been a perfect gentleman this whole time, and now I know why. So are we his allies now or not?”
“He’s defecting, so I suppose we are.”
“I object to ‘defecting,’?” Damon said tersely. “I was never Lacross’s man.”
“We’re not quibbling here, mate. You’ll have our help, but without sharing the motives for your involvement, you can’t very well expect me to believe everything you’ve said when your part could as likely be this: You went along with the pirate’s plan for your own reasons—until my lovely sister became part of that plan. Now you’re against it and so against him. You were willing to sacrifice our father, but now you’re not, now you want his help instead. If you want to object to my view, hand over your reasons—or don’t. I really don’t care, since you had my cooperation the moment you said my sister is in imminent danger.”
“And once she’s safe?”
Jeremy stood up and moved closer to Damon, offering his hand. “The alliance will stand firm until my father says otherwise. But be warned,” Jeremy added with a chuckle. “If you ever do get to talk to him, he’ll demand a full accounting from you, not the vague explanation you’ve given us.”
Damon nodded and shook hands on it before he finished off the last of his wine. Jacqueline was still coming to terms with being allies with him and what that meant for her. Now that Damon was on their side, he was no longer her enemy. He was no longer—off-limits. Her pulse beat faster with that thought. It was all she could do to keep her eyes off him, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her lips.
“It’s late.” She stood up to give her brother another hug but had to grab the edge of the table to steady herself when the ship pitched again. Thunder cracked in the distance, suggesting rain was imminent. “You might want to get back to your cabin before the rain arrives. We can discuss plans for an ambush or a full deck-sweeping in the morning.”
Jeremy signaled to Percy they were leaving, but put his arm around her shoulders to take her to the door with him, whispering, “Are you okay with an alliance?”
She chuckled. “Now you ask? Yes, absolutely.”