Chapter Eleven

Now here Jane sat dwelling on the body that rested beside her. She had listened to Jack that night and with much consideration had agreed to the kidnapping and to pay Jack, John, Benjamin and Billy handsomely for wasting their time helping her. Jane had not thought twice about losing a little coin now compared to what she would receive when she decided what to do with the woman. She needed to be kept in good health and condition to be worth a large amount; nothing more could happen to her. Jane pulled up a small stool, sat heavily and took off Maura's blindfold and gag. The woman was unusually beautiful Jane noted but wasn't fazed by it, she had seen many beautiful woman on her travels and as far as Jane Rizzoli was concerned women such as Maura where all the same, tight fisted, vein, simpering fools. Jane maneuvered Maura's limp body out of her coat and threw it on the floor before undoing the buttons on her simple dress and pulling it apart to reveal yet more layers of clothing. She found the wound easily enough; it was just above her left hip. It wasn't a mortal wound but it was long and would require stitches. Rather than try removing the other layers of clothing Jane simply ripped the slit from the sword larger so she had room to work. Grabbing a bottle of whiskey from one of the shelves Jane sat back down and began cleaning out the wound. Her brooding eyes shot to Maura's face as her body jerked in response to the whiskey being poured over the wound and Jane knew Maura was starting to wake up.

Some timin' ye be havin' thar woman. Jane thought testily. It was a much easier task to fix the wound when the woman was unconscious not awake and fighting like a feral cat. Jane continued to wash out the wound and Maura gasped painfully before her eyes started to flutter open.

J&M

Maura lay on top of something hard. Her ears registered noise but her throbbing head was confused and unable to process anything. She felt something warm brush against her side then a sharp stinging, throbbing sensation flowed through her hip and her body jerked reflexively. Her ears picked up more movement and then the stinging pain hit her side again and she gasped from the sharp discomfort. Finally her eyes decided they were going to cooperate with her brain and they began to flutter open. When they opened fully all she could make out was a wooden roof and even though it was glumly lit wherever she was her eyes clamped shut at the intrusion of light. They began to water as Maura tried unsuccessfully to open them again and gain she felt a fierce jolt of pain to her side and again she gasped. She tried more forcefully to open her eyes and keep them open and slowly they adjusted to the gloomy room, at least that's what Maura thought she was in. She struggled for a while to remember what had happened and why she was in pain but her mind was giving her nothing useful to work with.

I need to get up; work out where I am and what is going on.

Maura forced herself to get up despite her oblivious state but before she could make a decent attempt, a firm hand gripped her shoulder forcing her back to the table. She fought the urge to panic but the low husky voice that rumbled from her left side made her do two things, panic anyway and shiver involuntarily.

"Don`t move lass." It was commanding voice, one that brooked no argument. Maura knew she had never heard the voice before; it was raspy and rough, a voice someone would not forget. Then in a blinding rush it all came back to her overtaxed mind, the boy James and his hurt mother. Maura following him into the alley and the building, someone huge grabbing her from behind, her desperate attempt to escape before she lost consciousness. Now she was genuinely panicking and struggled to breathe, her side burned painfully as she tried to sit up and was again pushed down none too gently by a warm hand.

"I said dasn't move woman." The voice flowed over her body, hitting every nerve ending along the way. Maura had trouble understanding the bad English, if English is what you would call it. Her heart thudded heavily in her ears as she cracked her eyes open expecting to see a hideous man standing over her but as she turned her eyes towards the pain in her side what she saw both shocked and scared her.

Oh God, God help me, a pirate! A…a woman! What? A woman? She's a woman. A pirate…a dangerous, murderous, wom…pirate!

She had only glanced at the woman fleetingly in the gloom, not catching a good look before strength she didn't realize she possessed borne of fear made Maura sit up and dive off the table and tripping over her dress made for the only escape she saw, a small door. Blindly she ran for it as she heard an inhuman growl from behind her and her progress was stopped as an unforgiving hand closed over her arm and shoved her around violently, pushing her up against the door with a painful thud.

"What part o' dasn't move do ye nay understand?" The woman's grip was painfully hard on her slim arm and Maura was terrified, she had to arch her neck back to look up at the woman who was standing altogether too close and she gasped as she did so. The woman looking down at her was furious, but she was unlike any other woman Maura had ever seen. Her face was indescribably hard and unforgiving, yet surpassingly beautiful. Her dark chocolate eyes bore an angry hole through Maura and her mouth was a hard line. Her hair was a thick black mane that tangled around her solid jaw in a curly mass. Although Maura was scared of her she couldn't help but admire the beauty.

"Who are you? Where am I?" She squeaked the pain in her side all but forgotten. The woman's breath was hot on her face as she replied, "Me names Jane."

That was all she got before Jane tightened her already vice like grip and shoved Maura back towards the table.

"Lie down," She barked, "You best do as yer told lass or ye will regret it."

Maura obeyed and sat down on the table before Jane made her lie down.

"How did ye get this cut?"

Cut?

Maura hesitated before looking down to her side where the pain was and saw a long angry gash above her hip, she stared at it blankly wondering how she had ended up with the wound.

"Well?" Jane's voice was less harsh.

She looked to Jane worriedly, "I…I don't know." Jane spat on the floor and even in her frightened condition Maura still had the sensibilities to be disgusted.

It was than Maura finally noticed that the floor beneath them was moving, or rather rolling and swaying and she quickly put the pieces together.

"Oh God if you're a pirate and the floor is moving then I must…I'm on a ship." She thought of her father and fought tears, "Father," She whispered frantically before trying to rise off the table, "Father, please father." Her desperate and dire situation was starting to really sink in; pirates had kidnapped her and she couldn't fight the bile that rose to her throat and vomited all over herself and Jane.

"Good god lass! Fuck!" Jane yelled so loudly it hurt Maura's ears more than the curse word.