Lost at Sea Bk. 01 Ch. 14

"I doubt it be long before the old pirate decides he is tired of waiting for an answer and takes direct action," Mister Lynch cautioned.

"If that event has not already happened, I will be quite surprised," Morant agreed.

Jack scowled. "Augustus himself is involved? That is not good,"

"The reason I hired Captain Vex was because of her reputation for being headstrong and dangerous. It seems her fame is well earned," Lord Morant said. "She managed to get the attention of the only person on this island who concerns me."

"I have wanted to stab Jakob Kidd in the face on more than one occasion. I feel like I ought to thank her." Jack deadpanned.

"I as well," Morant chuckled. "In spite of the excitement this has caused, her poor luck and hot temper has put my endeavors back on their original timetable."

"We have a mob forming, m'lord," Lynch said, gesturing to the docks where a steady trickle of rough looking men were standing and clearing people away.

"Hmm. So that is their play. Brutish, but effective," Morant said without breaking stride. He was heading straight toward the mob.

"How did they find out? We neutralized their lookout," Jack asked.

"Mister Sterling's connections are well known, Miss Hunter. Also, I suspect the Kidd family has a few of these," Lynch said holding up his spyglass before slipping it into the leather case on his belt. "I'm sure you or I could have found out his intention if the roles were reversed. We must assume the Kidd family employs a few people of similar capabilities."

People in the crowd began to take notice of them and clear away in fear and shock. The cart moved steadily toward the mob, slowing as it approached. "Make way!" the fat merchant in the driver's seat called. Janie looked worried, but Jack wasn't watching her. She wasn't watching anything but Bella.

"She hates crowds," Jack said. Her heart was knotting in her chest.

"Ah. I assume one of the women there would be Mister Stirling's witch?" Morant said, following Jack's gaze. "The one with the monkey?" He tisked in disapproval. "A N'madi." Jack kept her face deliberately neutral.

"You ain't goin' nowhere, fat man!" one of the thugs called to the merchant on the cart. "We know you got who we're after, give her up!"

"I don't know what you're talking about , and you're going to make my delivery late," Kaduska yelled back. The mob surged forward and surrounded the cart, hauling Jaine and Bella down. Janie was stone faced and proud in her bearing, but Bella looked terrified. Her monkey screamed at the men, but she clutched it to her chest and begged, "No, please no. I'll do what you want, just don't..."

A man on a horse trotted out to stand behind the crowd. He had long dark hair pulled back behind him and his face was covered in thick bandages.

"That would be the recipient of Captain Vex's affections? This Jakob Kidd?" Morant asked.

"Yes, m'lord," Jack answered, her voice tight, still looking at Bella. The crowd began to move toward the cart. Along the docks and the edges of the street, many people watched in silence.

"Are the Magistrate forces in place?" Morant asked. Lynch looked up the cliffside stairs and saw the telltale red uniforms forming up in a line and looking down at the standoff below.

"They just arrived, m'lord," Lynch said.

"Then I think it is time, Mister Lynch," Lord Morant said.

Lynch moved forward. He hauled a bound man along with him by the arm. The prisoner staggered, unsure of his footing. A sack was over his head. He tripped and tried to moan something indecipherable, but Lynch gave him a short jab in the ribs and hauled him upright.

The mob hauled the blanket off the back of the cart and dragged two large duffel bags to the ground. They hit the stones with a thud and a pair of groans. In short order the bags were cut open and Will and Belita Vex were hauled to their feet.

Some of the crowd of thugs began to notice Mister Lynch and his captive, and began to tap each other on the shoulders and point. More turned their heads. Lynch sped up the process by putting his fingers to his lips and whistling loudly. Suddenly he had everyone's attention. He pulled the bag off his captive's head revealing Cal Kidd.

The crowd murmured and stirred. Jakob hauled on his reins and surged closer. Mister Lynch put a gun to Cal's head. Jakob reined to a hard stop. Cal's eyes bulged. He strained against the gag in his mouth and stared at his brother in abject terror.

"Jakob Kidd," Lord Morant said loudly. "Order your men to disperse and to release their captives, or I will have your brother executed."

"Yu woodn dare," Jakob rasped.

"Test me at your peril." Morant was unflappable.

"He die, yu all die," Jakob managed to scrape out.

Jack aimed her bulky firearm at Jakob. "And you as well," she snapped.

Morant gave Jakob a tight lipped smile. "Make your choice, mister Kidd."

"Don' know yu won' kill 'im anyway if I let 'em go," Jakob said. He pulled out his own pistol and pointed it at Captain Vex.

"Ah, you wish a hostage of your own? I require Captain Vex, so I'll ask you only once to remove your aim from her. One of the others will do. The merchant is no one, but I know that Mister Stirling holds affection towards Miss Castilian," Lord Morant suggested.

"No!" Will shouted, surging against the many arms that held him. Someone punched him. Jack thumbed back the hammer on her large gun. Janie calmly stepped in front of Captain Vex and stared daggers at Jakob Kidd. The bandaged man glared at her.

"Fine. Bring hur t' me," Jakob whispered. The mob dragged Janie over near Jakob's horse. Morant's tiny smile was missed in the chaos of the moment.

"Now, send the others to me," Morant directed. Jakob nodded. Will, Captain Vex and Kaduska were all roughly shoved toward Morant and his group as Lord Morant began to walk, ignoring the mob and the standoff behind him. The only sound was the click of his cane on the wood of the docks. Lynch began to drag Cal along after Morant. The gun at Cal's head never waivered.

"Not over," Jakob hissed.

"You may follow us, Mister Kidd. Alone," Morant said over his shoulder. "When we reach our ship and are safely aboard, you may have your brother."

_____________________

Lynch cut Cal's bonds and shoved him off the fishing boat and into the water. Cal dragged himself sputtering to the nearest dock pylon and clung to it. The fishermen hauled their gangplank onto the boat and it began to drift away from where it had been moored.

They were all aboard, save Janie.

"We gave you your brother, now let her go!" Will barked cross the short expanse.

"Fuk yu," Jakob glared. Janie stood at the edge of the dock, Jakob holding her arm with one hand, a gun to her head with the other. Her face was a mask of proud defiance.

Quick as a snake, Will snatched one of Belita's pistols from her belt and leveled it at Jakob. Jakob stepped behind Janie and pressed his own gun harder against her head. She winced.

"I would not do that, Mister Kidd," Lord Morant said, using his cane to gesture behind Jakob. Jakob didn't turn. Morant sighed. "There are roughly fifty magistrate soldiers watching you right now. I doubt they will take kindly to you killing one of their own. It is bad enough that you took Miss Castilian hostage."

Jakob's eyes slowly widened and he turned around. "Fuk," he rasped. The full weight of what he'd done, and how Morant had played him settled in. He turned and glared. "Yu still don get her. She stays 'ere." His voice sounded like talking was causing him pain. Redness was beginning to spread beneath the bandages.

"Why?! We gave you your brother!" Will snarled, still pointing the gun at him.

"Yu don get t' win," Jakob rasped, blood running from the unbandaged corner of his mouth like venom. "Won' kill her. She stays so yu don't ave 'er."

"Fine," Morant said, waving to the captain of the fishing boat.

"No!" Will snarled. "That wasn't the agreement!"

"You had nothing to do with the agreement, Mister Sterling," Morant said, sounding terse.

"Just go, Will. I'll be alright!" Janie said.

The boat drifted further from the docks. Bella and Captain Vex stood next to each other. Bella looked stricken. Captain Vex looked furious. Will considered his options, his mind racing. He wasn't in a position to make demands. His only chip to play was his own importance to Morant. He could refuse to do his job unless Janie came with them. That wasn't part of the contract. Morant would leverage that. He had Will's map. He had a captain who thought she could take on the Drifts without him. Morant might just toss him and Bella overboard if the contract was broken. He and Bella hadn't been part of the brawl at Mary's, but they'd been part of smuggling Captain Vex away. The Kidds would kill them just for that embarrassment. Going back to Bastard's Bay was a death sentence now. Not for Janie though. If anything happened to her, the Magistrate would find out who did it and how. That's what they did. The Kidds were pirates, but they weren't stupid. They knew the only way to play things with the Magistrate was out in the open. They could make Janie's life miserable, but they wouldn't lay a finger on her, especially now that half the Magistrate force had watched Jakob put a gun to her head. If anything happened to her, the Magistrate would make an example out of everyone even remotely responsible. Kaduska would be fine. He was known for not asking questions. He could claim he didn't know what he was transporting and be back to business as usual tomorrow. Everyone he cared about on the island would be safe. There were no good options.

Will's heart sank. The best thing he could do was leave her. He looked at Janie, trying to come up with something, anything. She shook her head just a little. He nodded.

"I'll come back for you."

-End of Book One-