Fourteen

"Shit! Be careful!"

Javier turned off the torch, but didn't lift his goggles when he glanced at the elder pirate.

"This isn't frosting cupcakes, Einstein. If you can't handle it, go say hi to your buddies. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you."

Jonah stepped back and wisely kept his mouth shut. He didn't know what had happened since his post-tornado work detail had ended, but it had certainly left its mark on Javier. The nurse-practitioner watched him for a moment longer before getting back to work.

With a little ingenuity—and a lot of help from the Skylark—Jonah had successfully pulled the chain out of the floor of the sugar shanty and—lacking the proper tools—loaded everything into the back seat with Elizabeth and went straight to the compound. She had drifted in and out of consciousness for the entire ride; but when Javier had learned what they needed to do, he'd grabbed his last injectable sedative and jammed the needle into Elizabeth's arm. Now Jonah found himself apprehensively watching Javier as the blowtorch hovered dangerously near the captain's back.

"There. I think I've got it. Hand me that awl."

He handed the tool to the younger smuggler and watched Javier pry the belt open.

"Okay…hand me those picks. I'll try those first so I don't burn her wrists."

The process of opening the cuffs and pulling the entire apparatus off Elizabeth's waist seemed to take forever…his anxiety wasn't helped any when she awoke while Javier was trying to remove the collar system. Elizabeth cried out.

"Hey, hey…calm down!" Jonah soothed. He took her hand. "You're back at the compound. Javier is trying to get you out of there…the locks are just a little more complicated than usual."

Jonah shot the medic a pointed look.

"This thing's nasty," Javier agreed. The tip of his tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he gave the pick one final twist. "There!"

The collar popped free and Javier unconsciously rubbed Elizabeth's neck.

"Just one more lock, Captain," he said, ignoring Jonah's glare. "That ball gag has to be two inches if it's not a centimeter…this guy was a psycho!"

Jonah squeezed his girlfriend's hand and looked into her eyes, silently thanking whoever it was that looked after cranky old pirates that Javier had thought to bar the door. If the others only knew…

When he wasn't watching, Elizabeth threw herself into his arms.

"Wait, whoa…stop crying. I can hardly understand you!" Jonah stroked her hair. "Javier, get her some clothes and something to eat."

"This guy came to me, hours after the tornado. I don't remember if he ever told me what he wanted…it seems like forever since I was last in my office."

She sighed heavily and they sat down on Javier's bed.

"What did he do to you?"

"Exactly what he said," Elizabeth replied, resting her head on his shoulder. "Racked me up and used every implement I'd ever seen and some I haven't." She shifted uncomfortably. "Which reminds me…we're not going to be able to make love for a while."

Jonah grabbed her chin off his shoulder. "Should I have killed him more slowly?"

"He…" The captain swallowed hard. "He used electricity."

"Not for play?"

"I don't mean to be melodramatic, but it hurts like hell to go to the bathroom."

Before Jonah could reply, Javier bustled back into the room with clothes and a glass of water.

"I figured having something to wear was the most important. I'll go back and make you a sandwich."

"How much electricity would it take to kill a baby?"

"Pardon me?" Javier shot Jonah a confused look.

"A baby. How much?"

Elizabeth looked down at her hands and murmured. "I'm pregnant and…and the guy that kidnapped me might have caused me to miscarry."

"Is it still alive?" Jonah demanded.

"How should I know?" Javier protested. "Do I look like an ultrasound machine?"

Jonah glared.

"How far along are you?"

"About three and a half months."

The medic glanced at his leader. "Too early to feel any movement. This is usually about the time she'd go in for an ultrasound to determine the gender."

"Now what?"

"This is the part where I refer her to Dr. Dhuwallia."

Jonah looked like he was about to say something, but Elizabeth put a hand on Javier's arm.

"Thank you for the clothing and the glass of water." She smiled. "May I have that sandwich now, please?"

"Oh! Sure. Sure."

Javier scampered out of the room, glad to be away from Jonah's murderous glare.

"I was too gentle with him."

"I assume you don't mean Javier."

"I should have pulled every bone out of his body; made him lick my boots and beg for mercy."

Elizabeth ignored this statement and gingerly got to her feet. When he spotted the clothes in her hands, Jonah snatched them away.

"Stand still and don't move until I tell you to."

The smuggler threw her into a pair of blue jeans and a baggy gray sweater, deftly rolling and tucking as he did so. After a moment, he stepped back and she folded back onto the bed.

"You know we're going to have to leave."

"Of course," Jonah said gruffly. "The guys won't leave you alone if I try to keep you around."

"That's not what I mean," Elizabeth murmured, straightening out her left sleeve. "We're going to have to leave Jericho."

She glanced up to gauge his reaction.

"It's past sunrise. Emily has surely discovered that you're gone, by now. She'll gleefully report your absence to Ruby, who will have to tell Cheyenne."

Jonah snorted. "Are you actually talking about going AWOL?"

She reached for his hand and gave him a small smile. "I'm talking about meeting my parents. In Virginia."