Chapter Ten

"I'm frightened." Sarita admitted as both girls stooped behind some crates peering out over the deck.

"Shh." Lacey held to Sarita's hand. "There is Ryan. Once we get him, we shall try to make it to the small boats hooked to the side." She glanced over at Sarita. She noticed her frightened face. "You do not have to go with me. You can remain here. I do not have ill will with you if you do."

Sarita glanced back at Lacey as she told her biggest fear. "The sea could be more dangerous than the ship."

"Perhaps for you." Lacey raked her hand through her hair trying to keep it from her face. "However, the captain has some strange vendetta against my husband. I am not willing to wait out until he feels the urge to take my body and tortures me as he pleases."

"I will help you to escape. But I will not jeopardize my brother." Sarita explained trying to reassure Lacey. "I will go with you. I will leave Ryan. He is at least fed here."

Lacey nodded as she crawled to another crate. Her knees scraped the wood on the ship as she made her way closer to the small lifeboat. "There is the boat."

"I see it." Sarita blew out air nervously. "Let us go."

Small amounts of rain began to pepper the deck. Lacey could feel herself sliding as she made her way slowly to the boat. "Make haste, Sarita."

"I am trying." Sarita whispered back as she crawled behind her friend. Both girls slid on the ship deck due to the rain.

"We are almost there." Lacey looked back towards Sarita.

Sarita's eyes widened as she stopped suddenly. Lacey slowly turned to stare up at a pirate standing looking down at her.

"The captain said you would be here once we found your cabin empty. You should be thankful that he warned the men that their lives would not be spared if they took either of your bodies." He laughed as he reached for Lacey. He jerked her up by her arm.

Lacey started to fight him but stopped when she viewed his face. "Alfred?"

Alfred let go of her arm. "Lacey Porter? Is this you?"

"Alfred." Lacey threw her arms around her brother in law. "Clara thought you dead. We all thought you dead."

Sarita sat up on her haunches as she watched the pirate pull Lacey back by her shoulders. He stared at her.

"You are Rico Rinaldi's wife?" Alfred spoke in a whisper.

"I am." Lacey reached to touch his cheek to make sure she was seeing the man in front of her. It felt like a dream to her. Alfred was alive. "How did you come to be here?"

Alfred swallowed as he stared at Lacey. "Captain Danny took the merchant ship I worked on as his prize. All men that survived the attack were given a choice to die or serve as his crew. I signed the article to serve as his crewman."

"Why have you not ran from him in all these three years?" Lacey stepped back to stare at Alfred. "Why have you not returned to Clara?"

Alfred looked down at his feet feeling overwhelmed with shame. "My captain has saved my life many times since becoming his crew member. I owe him my life. I would never betray him as such."

"Are you foolish? That scoundrel made you his crew by no choice. Your life would not be put in harm's way if you had not been forced to serve on this ship." Lacey breathed out angrily. "What has that man done to you?"

"He has treated me better than Rico Rinaldi did in his employ." Alfred grabbed Lacey's arm again. "Had your family not been so blinded by his money, you would have seen the real man that he was."

Lacey tried to jerk away. "This captain has brainwashed you. You loved Clara too much to leave her."

"You think as you wish, Lacey." Alfred pulled her until he stood over the crouching Sarita. "Clara only tolerated me of fear of never marrying. She admired me more in her thoughts of my death because I became a hero to her."

Alfred pulled Sarita to her feet. He forced both girls to walk in front of him. He pushed the girls on heading them back to the Master's cabin.

Lacey sniffed as tears mingled with the rain that now had soaked her as well as Sarita. "Do you not want Clara? Do you not love her?"

"Aye. I love her still." Alfred jerked Lacey around to face him. "However, Clara would not have me. I have a pirate's heart now."

"We could escape together." Lacey wiped at her tears. "You could be the real hero to her."

"I will not betray my captain." Alfred closed his eyes. "I will not."

"Alfred, take Ryan's sister back to her quarters. I will deal with Rinaldi's wife. I am sure she is the one that instigated this." Danny stood at the corner of the gallery with his arms crossed over his chest.

He stood only in his trousers which were belted up with leather belt. Lacey recognized the buckle on the belt. Rico had some shipped over to sell to some clothing factories. Alfred had worn that belt when they thought he had died. Now Danny wore it.

"Aye, Aye, Captain." Alfred released Lacey's arm.

Lacey grabbed for him. "Alfred. What has become of you?"

Alfred jerked his arm from Lacey. "Obey the captain, my lady."

Lacey stood glaring at Danny after she watched Alfred follow Danny's orders. "You lily livered scoundrel. You have possessed him."

Danny ignored her words. He smirked as he looked up and down Lacey's body. "Your clothing seems to be soaked."

Lacey was angry that the pirate captain did not find offense at her words yet was making comments of her soaked attire. She looked down at herself.

She realized that Danny could see through her attire. "I hate you!"

Danny shrugged as he continued to stare at Lacey's body. "These words upset me how?"

"Codpiece!" Lacey screamed at him as she tried to march past him.

Danny grabbed her by the arm stopping her. He turned her around harshly. "That does not sound like words spoken by a lady."

Lacey couldn't help but to notice Danny's well defined chest glistening with the moisture from the small peppering of rain. She swallowed as she stared at how defined his muscles were and taut his stomach was. Angrily, she stomped Danny's foot. He laughed as he pulled her to him. Her body thudded against his.

"You are but as a small child throwing your tantrum." Danny grinned wickedly as he licked his wet lips. "I think a child needs a lesson taught her."

Danny held her by one arm as he took off his belt with the other. Lacey's eyes widened in horror at Danny's gesture.

"You dare not strike me with that." Lacey tried to jerk free from Danny's grasp.

"No, my lady." Danny leaned in to whisper. His breath tickled her ear heatedly. "You may like that too much."

Lacey tried to smack Danny's face but he was too quick for her. He spun her around hurriedly. He pushed Lacey until she sat on the deck of the gallery. He tied her hands with his belt to a large crate on the deck.

"What are you doing?" Lacey kicked her feet and flailed her body trying to free herself.

Danny peered down at her. "Watching a child throw a tantrum."

"Let me loose, you putrid excuse for a man! Let me loose!" Lacey thrashed her body back and forth.

Tyler stepped up to the gallery. He glanced down at Lacey then back to Danny. He arched his eyebrow questioningly.

"She's a little hot headed. I thought perhaps the rain could cool her down." Danny smirked. "What say you of supplies?"

"Are you seriously going to do your business and leave me tied up like this!" Lacey screamed at them both.

Danny and Tyler ignored her ranting as Tyler answered his captain. "Supplies are getting low. We will have to keep on the lookout for a Schooner or a Merchant Man to build up our supplies."

"Make sure the colors are Rinaldi's ships or those that do business with him." Danny shook his head as his tendrils of hair became soaked. "Let me know."

"I did hear of a ship when I was Pride's Tavern. They are loaded down with spices and other goods." Tyler wiped his forehead with his hand. "The pirates never said if it was Rinaldi's ship. However, he is known to do a lot of business concerning spices and other things that are being shipped to the New World of America."

"That sounds promising." Danny glanced back down to Lacey. She was shivering.

"Do you think she's learned her lesson?" Tyler laughed as he watched the stubborn female shaking due to the cold rain. "I'll leave you to see that she has."

Danny stooped down so that he was eye level with Lacey. He could see how cold the rain was making her. Danny loosened Lacey from her bondage. She stood as her knees shook and her teeth shattered.

"You could have died and caused your female friend's death as well. Quit trying to get yourself killed." Danny pushed back a strand of wet hair from Lacey's face. "I lock you both away because not all men on this vessel would heed my warning of not taking you. I have new crewman due to taking over ships. These men do not respect or fear me as of yet. Do you understand that this was very ignorant of you?"

"I hate you." Lacey said in a shaking voice.

"I think you've already said those words." Danny pulled her to him to try to warm her.

Lacey at first tried to hit him. However when her body was against his, she felt his warmth. Lacey pushed herself closer to him. Her teeth rattled as she buried her head into his chest.

"You disgust me." She whispered as her eyes closed feeling his warm skin against her cheek. His body caused her a warmth on the outside but also an unfamiliar warmth flamed in her stomach.

Danny enveloped his arms around her pulling her so close to his bare chest that they clung together with moisture. "I see that I do."

"You make me want to heave." Lacey sighed out as her fingers danced gingerly on Danny's abdomen.

He was perfect in physique. Lacey was not blind to that. Danny's skin tingled beneath the slight touch of her fingers. He tried to tell himself he missed a woman's touch. Danny tried to ignore the rare beauty that this female possessed. His eyes glanced down at the very moment that Lacey glanced up. There was something so familiar to both of them. There was also a strange burning that seemed to scorch their souls. Their faces were angled looking at one another. As Danny leaned down, Lacey went up on her tiptoes. Their lips could feel the breath of the other.

"You hate me." Danny whispered huskily causing his breath to tease her lips.

"I do." Lacey began to trace up Danny's chest slowly feeling the hard definition of his muscles. She swallowed deeply as her eyes began to flutter shut.

Danny looked down to watch her fingers as they moved up to his pectoral muscle. He noticed the glisten of her wedding band as it reflected off the water.

Danny pulled back as he grabbed her hand from touching his skin. "You really need to rid yourself of this."

Lacey looked at her ring then up to Danny's tightened jaw. "Why have you not taken it from me?"

Danny turned away from her as he released her. "It is to remind myself that you are married to him."