Wrong Kind of Paradise (7 page)

lowered his head to her shoulder and buried his face into her loosened hair. “I only do this for you, Angel.

And Logan.”

She stiffened at the mention of her father. “And yet, you were the one who came to arrest him.” She

frowned. “Do not whisper words of guilt and affection now.” She pulled from him, and he let her go.

Moving closer to the window, she let out a soft birdcall as her hand eased to her waistband, retrieving her

dagger.

Facing him, she found he’d followed close behind. They stood toe-to-toe. One of his large hands

reached up to caress her cheek. “Whatever happened that day or didn’t happen is over. We’re here now,

and I can’t let you go through with this foolish scheme.”

“You can’t stop me, Blac.”

“I already have, Miss De’haviland.”

“For now,” she agreed. “Always expect the unexpected, remember?”

She eased the tip of her dagger between the delicate skin of his thigh and testicle. Now she had his

attention.

He stiffened. “Oh, you are clever.”

“I learned from the best.” With one twitch of her wrist she got her point across.

Moonlight revealed the tiny beads of sweat on his forehead. She increased the pressure between his

legs just to reinforce her determination. Could she really bluff her way out of this? Her father’s life

depended on it and now so did her own.

“You’re a wanted woman at this point, Angel. If you kill me, you’ll be a dead one. There will be no

place you can hide safely.”

“Oh really?”

“We both know how much the Queen adores me. The bounty on your head will be so high you won’t

even be able to trust your friends.”

“I’ve already learned that lesson quite well. And I should thank you for that, Barclay. You taught me

well in
all
my lessons in life.”

He gritted his teeth.

“Besides, the damage is already done. We both know that. We’ve made our choices, and

unfortunately, this time they don’t coincide.” She lifted the dagger to his throat. “I am no longer a naïve

child. I’ve grown up in more ways than one.”

“So it seems.” He lifted his chin. “There are consequences to our every action, Angel. Are you

willing to face those consequences?”

Uncertainty made her hesitate. “I’ll do what I must.”

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Tell me, how do you think your father would feel

about this? Do you really believe he would condone your actions these last two years?”

His question stunned her, but she no more than blinked before he seized her wrist and propelled her

against the wall. Angel gasped. Blac’s grip tightened until she had no choice but to release the dagger. It

clanged against the bare wood floor.

Warmth from him radiated through her clothes as he pressed against her. He kissed her mouth, hard

and demanding. “Welcome to hell, Angel. I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Angel blinked then gasped. Her jaw clamped in anger.

A lantern burned to life and three men emerged from the corners of the room. The commander lay on

the bed, trussed like a stuffed sausage with bound hands and feet. A white cotton gag covered his mouth.

Blood trickled down from a cut above his temple. He’d been knocked out cold.

Her eyes widened and someone shoved a gag into her opened mouth. Her hands were bound, and

then Blac tossed her over one shoulder like a sack of grain.

“Your first mistake was the day you stole my ship, the Serpent, and renamed it the Serpent's Lady.”

His tone indicated he didn’t like her choice of a name. She would have grinned if she hadn’t been gagged.

“Your second mistake was thinking you actually stood a chance against me. The student hasn’t, as yet,

become the master. Now it’s time for you to become acquainted with my new ship... The Serpent’s

Revenge.”

Five

The air crackled with energy. Grey clouds mixed and blended in a slow merging of power. A

misleading stirring of wind brushed Angel’s face. Despite the clear skies a storm brewed. The

atmosphere held intensity and a deceiving tranquility that would soon burst into a torrent of chaos.

And I’ll be ready for it
.

A half hour had passed while her men had been rounded up by Blac’s crew. She’d been ushered

downstairs to the back alleyway and both hands were tied to a wrought iron rail. The slight movement of

air did little to alleviate the soured-back-alley-smell, and her stomach churned with nausea.

A wave of anger clenched her teeth. She couldn’t believe Blac had just left her here. And tied to the

rail like a common criminal.

Angel shifted on her feet and flexed the muscles in her aching shoulders. Her arms were tied in front

of her to allow a little comfort, but the tether allowed her very little moving room. She wiggled and

writhed, attempting to loosen the hemp enough to free her hands, but to no avail. Blac had simply tied

them too tight.

Why did he have to be so meticulous?

The tight alley was lined with A-framed brick buildings rising on either side of her like giant

decorated bird houses. Bright, vivid shutters fronted the buildings with carnival colors. Tiny flower

boxes crammed with pink, yellow, and orange blossoms perched on the bottom of each window.

This was the better part of Port Royal, although the lane was still filled with debris and trash. The

stench of waste and mold assaulted her.

The red door swung open behind her and Blac appeared with four of his crewmen. “Let’s go.” He

cut the tether from the rail and slipped his dagger back into the sheath at his waistband.

“Go where?” she asked but he didn’t answer.

Wagon wheels rumbled down the alley and stopped before them. One of his men sat in the driver’s

seat, idly toying with the leather reins. He barely glanced at Angel as Blac lifted her into the seat.

Where were they going and where were her men?

Wind blew the hair off her shoulders and tossed it behind her, the first real sign of the storm they’d

seen all day. Blac looked up to the sky and frowned. He turned away to order the rest of his men to meet

them back at the ship. The docks were a good five blocks away.

The commander lay in the back of the wagon, still unconscious beneath the bed coverlet. His hands

were bound and his mouth gagged. If Blac continued down this route, he would become a pirate like

Angel and her father.
Surely, he didn’t plan to go through with this.

She didn’t have time to worry about what Blac would or wouldn’t do. Whatever his intentions, she

didn’t trust him. He’d lost that privilege when he’d betrayed her family.

Angel balanced on the edge of the seat and smiled sweetly at the man beside her. Thunder cracked

above them and the crewman glanced up at the roiling sky. She swung her legs over in a solid kick to his

chest and forced him off the opposite side. The man landed in the dirt below with a thud. She caught the

reins and slapped them down, the wagon jerking forward at a break neck pace.

Someone shouted her name behind her and she turned. Blac chased her on foot. As large as his body

was, his speed impressed her.

Angel wheeled around the corner onto the main road and Blac followed. Her cloak billowed out

behind her as the contraption picked up speed. She laughed but she wasn’t out of the woods yet. She

unclasped her cloak and tossed it behind her, smacking Blac squarely in the face. A giggle escaped her.

He stopped, threw the garment down, and stared after her with a look that should’ve burned her to a

cinder.

Facing forward, she headed down Queen Street and turned onto a side street, losing sight of him.

The turn sent the wagon careening on two wheels and the commander’s body rolled out of the back. She

cringed. Angel held fast until the wagon righted itself, and she prayed the poor man hadn’t been injured.

She made another turn onto High Street, and from the corner of her eye, she spotted Blac on a horse

a little ways behind her. Mounted, he would be able to catch her quickly.

Angel sat forward and slapped the reins harder. She had to get more distance between them. Her

heart picked up speed along with the clatter of the hooves on the ground. Adrenaline rushed through her

veins and a thrill shimmied through her as the silly realization that for once, Blac was chasing her. She

giggled at the irony.

Thunder crashed and rumbled the ground beneath the wagon. Within a matter of minutes, the storm

turned into a full-force gale. The sheer power of the wind tore tears from her eyes and blasted the heavy

mass of her hair over one shoulder.

Angel stood and balanced her feet with the sway of the wagon floor. Her bound hands made her

hesitate, but she refused to give up so easily.
Perhaps I can jump to the horse and un-harness him
. She’d

have a better chance of getting away on a horse than in this wagon.

But with her hands tied it would make the jump more difficult. Could she make it? She bit her lip.

All right, Angel, take a deep breath and jump!

~*~

Blac’s heart slammed against his ribs and stuck there. The damn fool woman was going to jump.

Leaning low over the horse’s neck, he urged it faster. He came abreast of the wagon, grabbed hold, and

heaved himself over the side.

As he struggled to climb inside, his sword slid from the scabbard and skimmed across the planks

toward the front of the wagon. Angel glanced back and reached over the seat for his sword.

He lumbered to his feet unsteadily as the cart weaved heavily to the left. He dove for her hand,

trusting that she wouldn’t stick him. Surely not. They’d known each other far too long.

Clasping the sword just under her hand, she held fast and wouldn’t let go. They struggled, each

straining to wrench the sword from the other.

“Don’t be a little fool, Angel. Give me the sword.”

“No,” she screamed over the fury of the storm. “I won’t be taken prisoner.”

With no one controlling the horses, they raced hell-bent down the cobbled lane. The reins had long

since fallen over the side of the wagon, and dangled uselessly. The clatter of hooves on stone mirrored the

thunder of the storm.

Wind hurtled objects like musket balls. They pinged against the side of the buildings and the wagon.

Something flew past Blac’s head and he ducked. “Angel, cease!” he tried to yell over the howl of the

wind. With the storm getting increasingly more dangerous, they had to get inside, and quickly.

The wagon hit a bump in the road, launched them into the air, and they landed hard with a grunt.

Blac collapsed against the planks. He gripped the slats and held tight, his legs sliding to and fro. Angel

held firm to the back of the seat. She tried to stand once again while holding the sword but lost her

balance, falling with her face between his legs. The situation would have made him chuckle had she not

suddenly begun to slide headlong off the back of the wagon. She dropped the weapon to reach for some

kind of handhold. His legs clamped hard on her and one hand shot out to secure an ankle. She screamed in

fear and his heart leaped in response.

Her upper body hung off the edge of the wagon. Her arms flailed uselessly. “Blac!”

“I’ve got you,” he said, even while his hand around her ankle slipped. She screamed again and his

legs clasped her harder. “I’m not letting you go, Angel. Just hang on!”

He pulled and released quickly enough to grab the fabric of her trousers, and then repeated until

he’d scooted her completely back into the wagon. She fastened her hands to his legs and crawled up his

body into his arms with a sigh of relief in his ear.

For one second, he closed his eyes. That had been too close. He would have never forgiven himself

had something happened to Logan’s daughter, but he didn’t want to examine too closely what he’d felt.

Grey clouds released and rain pelted them like tiny needle pricks. The entire sky grew black and the

downpour came in sheets, obliterating any visibility. He squinted against the onslaught but they had to get

out of this weather, and soon.

Wind ripped a palm tree from its perch and toppled it directly across the lane. His heart stammered

to a stop. They would crash right into it. Blac glanced past Angel’s head to the felled palm in the road.

She must’ve noticed his hesitation, for she too turned to look ahead of them. Angel gasped and

screamed. The horses barreled toward it, leaving them little time to react. Blac let go of the side and

covered her with his body just before impact.

The horses swerved to the right to avoid the tree, but the wagon careened to the left. Shards of

wood exploded, and the collision hurtled both Blac and Angel into the air.

The force broke his hold on Angel and he crashed into several barrels of liquid, which burst upon

contact. He rolled over and cracked his head against the side of a brick building. His vision swam in and

out. Blac raised his hands to his head and closed his eyes. The scent of strong rum drifted to him. What a

waste of good liquor.