Catalina's Caress (43 page)

❧

Lorelei had not been able to sleep. She was too worried about her brother. She did not know everything about his situation, but she had faith in Marc.

It is true, she assured herself. I saw love in his eyes when he looked at Catalina.

She hoped that the terrible dark thing in Marc would be killed by Catalina's love, that he would be able to let go of his need for revenge and would reach for something that would give him peace.

Lorelei, too, had suspected that her father's death was not due to suicide. Although it couldn't be proven, neither she nor Marc believed he had killed himself. They had known their father too well to believe it.

It was nearing dawn. The first faint light of day already bordered the horizon as Lorelei walked out onto the patio and stood looking down at Natchez-under-the-hill and at the boats docked along the riverfront. The
Belle
was there ... Marc was there ... and Catalina was there.

She wanted to believe that they were returning, putting aside all lies to find happiness with each other. It would be wonderful to see her brother happy again.

She sighed and walked back into the house, intending to go upstairs and bathe to get ready for the new day. She had placed a foot on the first step when she heard a sound near the front of the house.

Within a moment someone was pounding on the door. Running to it and throwing it open, Lorelei let out a soft cry of dismay when Jacob half stumbled, half fell inside. Both Jacob and Shawna were near exhaustion, but Jacob had not lost his fear of those who might be following. He staggered back to the door and closed it quickly.

Shawna rested on her knees just inside the house, and Lorelei went to kneel beside her and soothe her. As she rocked Shawna against her, she looked up at Jacob.

"Jacob, what in God's name is going on? Shawna is exhausted. What have you two been doing?"

"Runnin' fo' our lives, Miz Lorelei. We have ta gets a message to Mistah Marc."

"Marc," Shawna sobbed. "I want to go home."

"In heaven's name, Jacob, please tell me what's been happening. Look at you, you're bleeding."

"Miz Lorelei, doan pay dat no mind right now. It's mo' impo'tant yo'all gets a message ta de boat right away. Miz Cat, she been took and we'uns know where dey gots her. Yo'all send a message please, Miz Lorelei."

"Of course. I'll send a message right away. Then I'll care for that shoulder."

Jacob knelt beside Shawna and gently took her arm.

"Now yo cum along, Miz Shawna," he said softly. "Yo gots ta wash and dress so's Mistah Marc he won't be thinking bad o' yo. Cmon, now, Miz Shawna."

As he helped Shawna to her feet, Lorelei went to her side. Then, suddenly, the door opened and all three spun around, terrified.

But Jacob's face broke into a smile. "Mistah Marc! I sho' is powerful glad ta see yo."

"Jacob, Shawna." Marc's surprise was total as he strode to Jacob's side. "Were you with Cat when she was taken?"

"Yassuh, yassuh we both was. But we ain't seen her since dey took her sumplace else. Mistah Marc, ah's powerful sorry ah couldn't get ta Miz Cat. Ah'd a brung her ah swear ah would," Jacob said worriedly.

"Don't worry, Jacob," Marc said coldly. "We are about to get Cat back... and to take care of the men who took her."

L
orelei looked at Marc, shock on her face. She had never seen her brother in such a condition, not even during their worst times.

Marc walked across to Shawna and lifted her in his arms as easily as he would have lifted a child.

"I'll take her upstairs so she can rest. Lorelei, see to Jacob's shoulder and get him something to eat and drink, preferably brandy."

Lorelei didn't hesitate. Marc's voice was filled with too much cold anger for her to question him.

She washed Jacob's shoulder and by the time she had begun to bandage it, Marc returned. She had not questioned the two men who had arrived with Marc, fearing the answers she would get. Had Marc not asked where Cat was? Jacob was shot. The picture was becoming painfully clear. Again, someone had taken from Marc someone he loved.

Lorelei finished binding Jacob's shoulder. "The wound is clean and I've done the best I can. I think it will be fine, Jacob, if you just don't move it any more than you have to."

"Thank ya, Miz Lorelei," Jacob said firmly. "But iffen Mistah Marc goes after Miz Cat ah'm gwine wif him. Dose men, dey's real bad, and we gots ta gets Miz Cat outta dere."

Lorelei watched as Seth went to Jacob's side. She did not know who he was, but he seemed familiar.

"I take it your name is Jacob?" Seth smiled to calm Jacob's wariness.

"Yassuh."

"You were with Catalina and Shawna when they were taken; what do these men want with them? Is it money?"

"Ah doan know, suh. When dey took us to dat house, dey done put Miz Cat somewhere's else. Ah ain't seen her since we wuz took."

"Then you have no idea whether she is still in that house?"

"No, suh, ah doan. But dey was an awful lot of guards jus' to be guardin' me and Miz Shawna. No suh, dey was dere to make shore nobody got to Miz Cat."

Then she must still be there. Marc was right." Seth spoke half to himself.

"Sir," Lorelei said, "I'm Marc's sister—Lorelei. I'm afraid my brother quite forgot to introduce us."

"I'm Seth Carrington, Catalina's brother, and this is a very dear friend of my family, Charles Dante. We have been on Catalina's trail for quite some time."

"I'm sorry to meet you under such circumstances, Mr. Carrington, Mr. Dante. I'm afraid my brother is not himself. It seems he is quite fond of your sister."

Lorelei tried to smile, but barely succeeded in the face of what had happened.

"Yes. Marc explained a great deal to us on the way up here. I just hope we free Catalina before she is hurt."

"Don't worry, Mr. Carrington," Lorelei responded softly, "I have only seen my brother like this once before. Trust me when I tell you that whoever has done this will pay."

❧

As Marc placed Shawna on the bed gently he noted the innocent and warm love in her eyes' Again he damned the men who had put her through this. To him, they had brutalized and beaten a child. That was another score he meant to settle.

He had to force his mind away from what they might have done to Cat because he could barely control his murderous rage.

"Marc," Shawna whimpered softly, "I want to go home. I'm afraid ... I want to go home."

"Don't worry, little one. I'll take you home as soon as you rest for a while. You're safe here. This bed was mine when I was a little boy. You just sleep now and I'll take you home later," Marc said comfortingly.

Her love for Marc and her confidence in him eased Shawna's fear, and she nodded and closed her eyes like an obedient child.

Marc covered her and left the room. Then he went to the drawing room, entering it in time to hear Lorelei's last words.

"You're right, Lorelei my dear. I still don't know the reason behind this but the Geres are mixed up in it."

"Simon Gere," Lorelei repeated, shivering slightly.

"What I don't understand is why? What does he want? There's no message, no word."

"What are you going to do? Jacob says the house is well guarded. There are only three of you."

"Temporarily," Marc replied. "I've sent for the men from the
Belle
. They should be here pretty soon." He turned to Jacob. "Cat didn't say anything .. . anything special before you were separated that might give us some explanation for this?"

Jacob furrowed his brow as he tried to recall the words Travis had spoken when Cat was bound in the warehouse.

"Dat man, dat mistah Travis, he done cum and said sum bad things to Miz Cat. He made her cry."

"Bad things? Like what?"

"Well, he done toP her yo was Marc Garrison. Den he say yo plan all dis and yo wuz gwine to leave her in a place like Belle Towne's cuz yo doan want her fo' true. He say yo's gettin' even wit' her fo'... fo' sumpthin'. He say yo took de
Belle
apurpose ta hurt Mistah Seth too. Den he say mo', but ah doan members. Ah only members Miz Cat she feel real po'."

"Christ," Marc muttered as the pain of guilt filled him. Lorelei could have wept to see the misery in her brother's eyes.

"Ah members, he say Miz Cat she gonna marry wif him, den he has all her money and her folks gwine ta pay a long time. He say he take her someplace ... ah doan rightly know. Someplace far away."

"Marry," Marc said through clenched teeth. "That's what that bastard has been aiming for since we left New Orleans. Now I see why he arranged that door business with Willie."

"Door business?" Seth frowned.

"Something to be explained later," Marc quickly replied. "For now, we have to make some plans. Jacob, do you think you can tell me how the house is laid out—where the rooms are and where you were held?"

"Yassuh, ah kin try."

"Good. Lorelei go and get some paper." Marc turned to Seth and Charles. "We must make a plan because I want to catch them unprepared. This time," he added softly, "Travis Sherman is going to pay and pay dearly. At least," he added, "we'll not be expected. Right now, surprise is our only hope. If we don't succeed, Cat..." He couldn't go on.

❧

But in Simon's house Marc's hopes were being dashed. Gere glared at his men while Travis stood beside him.

"What do you mean they got away? He'll find his way straight to Marc Garrison. Can't you damn fools do anything right!"

"There was blood on the ledge," one man protested. "I winged him, maybe even worse. He's probably—"

"Probably," Simon snarled. "Do you think I built what I have on probablys!"

"What now, Simon?" Travis asked. "He'll come here you can count on it."

"I know that." Simon sat silently for a minute; then he smiled. "Let him. I have nothing to hide. I've no idea who he's looking for or why."

"I don't understand,".Travis said.

"I'm sure you don't," Simon retorted dryly. "I have a boat
The Royal
at the docks. Take the girl there, get steam up, and run
The Royal
to Memphis. I'll give you a contact. Once you're there, see to the wedding. I'll take care of Mr. Garrison when he gets here. In fact, it will give me a great deal of pleasure to see his face when there's no sign of her."

Travis smiled and nodded. Then Simon took paper from his desk and jotted two notes—one to the captain of
The Royal
and the other to his friend in Memphis. He handed both to Travis.

"Get going. Send me word as soon as you get there."

Travis left the room, ascended the stairs two at a time, then ran down the hall to the room in which Catalina was being held. He'd been given a key so he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

❧

Catalina paced the floor anxiously. Unable to leave the room, she could only listen. She had heard more movement throughout the house in the past few hours than she had since she had been imprisoned here. Then shots had been fired and a long deathly silence had followed. After that the time had passed with unbelievable slowness, yet she had found it impossible to sit down.

Now, as she turned from the sunlit window, she heard footsteps stop before her door and heard a key turn in the lock.

Within moments, she was again face to face with Travis Sherman. .

"We're leaving," he stated firmly.

Tell me where we are going," she demanded.

"No point in asking questions, Cat. Come along."

"I'm not going anywhere until I see Shawna and Jacob. What has been happening? I've heard the activity and the gun shots. If you've harmed either of them, I'll never do what you want."

They're both alive and well"

"And I'm supposed to believe you," she snapped. That's hard to do. I'm not going anywhere until you show me Shawna and Jacob."

Travis was so afraid that Marc would catch up with them, his courage disintegrated. Compared to his strength, Catalina's was negligible, so he gripped her and proceeded to shake her until she cried out. -

Her hair came unbound at this rough handling, and she was too stunned to speak. But Travis slammed her against the door, then held her there as he snarled in her ear.

"Don't push me into doing what I don't want to do. Now come along without a battle or I'll be forced to donate your friend Shawna's charms to the men in this house. They won't be gentle with her, I promise."

Catalina could hear the frustration and anger in his voice. It was clear to her that he was totally unstable and that he would do exactly what he had promised.

"All right," she panted. "I'll go, but there will be no wedding unless I know that Shawna and Jacob are all right."

"You're in no position to make demands," Travis snarled. He reached into his pocket and took from it a short piece of rope. Drawing her hands behind her, he bound them securely. Then he went to a cupboard and withdrew a dark cloak, which he put about her shoulders.

He pushed her ahead of him, down the hall to the back steps, then down them and through a door. A carriage waited, and within moments, they were driving away from the house. Catalina's fear increased. She had no idea where they were going, but she knew that now no one could follow her. Even if Marc came to rescue her, Jacob and Shawna would be able to tell him nothing.

When the carriage came to a halt, she was roughly dragged out and she found herself on the docks, beside a boat she had never seen before. When she saw the
Belle
farther down, a soft inarticulate sound of despair escaped her. Then Travis pushed her up the gangplank.

As soon as they were safely in a cabin Travis seemed to relax. Catalina stood across the room from him, her hands tied, as he smiled and walked toward her.