XXI.
It was pitch black. Without Billy's reassuring arms, Meg would have panicked completely. As he held her against his chest, she could feel the steady beating of his heart. She buried her face in his neck, desperately wishing they were back in the snug cabin on the Walrus.
"Not a sound," Billy whispered, pressing a kiss into her hair.
"Over here!" A shout echoed through the passage to their left.
An answering yell came from the right, but was cut off by a gunshot.
"Hear me now, pirates!" A commanding voice echoed in the distance. "My name is Tobias Nelson, and I have pledged to join the Governor-elect in ridding New Providence Island once and for all of your menace. You have taken an industrious, God-fearing colony and turned it into a den of vice and iniquity. For those of you that can hear my voice, know that the exits from this cave are being sealed off as we speak. Give yourselves up, and we will grant you a quick and merciful death. Choose the alternative, and we will ensure that your transition to hell begins here on earth-especially if my ward has come to any harm."
A long silence followed, and then the faintest glimmer of a torch could be seen in the distance. Meg clung to Billy, and breathed, "If they get much closer, I will go to them and tell them the pirates escaped and left me behind in the chaos. I cannot risk having them find you."
"No!" Billy whispered fiercely. "I won't have you separated from me. Not again." One of his hands slid to the side, and she knew he was feeling for the pistol that Flint had left with them.
A raspy voice that Meg recognized as Vane's called out from the passage to the right.
"If you really cared about your ward, Nelson, maybe you shouldn't have left her with soldiers would were ready to fuck her as soon as your back was turned!"
The rush of booted feet was heard, and Meg shrank against Billy. The boatswain shifted closer to the wall of the cavern as the light of the torches came closer.
"And as for a transition to hell," shouted Vant, his voice mocking, "Yours will begin shortly."
An instant later, a dozen soldiers ran through the chamber in single file. Intent on following the sound of Vane's voice, they did not even spare a glance at the walls of the cavern.
As the flickering of the torches receded once again, Meg finally allowed her body to relax. Billy's hands slid to her face, and he guided her mouth to his. His kiss was almost desperate in its hunger, and she found herself melting against his body. One of his hands slid to her bottom, and she fought back a moan.
The instant her lips parted, he deepened the kiss. She tentatively swept her own small tongue against his, unconscious of the effect it would have on him. However, when he settled her pelvis against his hard length, there was no mistaking the depth of his desire for her.
A moment later, the click of a pistol seemed as loud as a cannon. Meg's stomach dropped as torchlight flooded the small chamber.
"Move, and you die."
Meg, recognizing the cold voice, clung to Billy.
Tobias Nelson nodded at the soldier next to him. The man scrambled forward, snatching up the pistol that lay within Billy's reach.
"You will release Miss Davies. Slowly-no sudden moves. Neither I nor Lt. Cole will have any compunction about shooting you in a place that will guarantee you a very slow and very painful death. Of course, the bullet wound will only be the beginning. I can be very creative in terms of the methods I utilize to extract intelligence from enemies of the Crown."
Meg caught Billy's eye, and he gave her the slightest of nods . She stood up, her legs trembling. "Tobias, this is not what-"
He took a step closer, and she retreated a bit, quailing as she saw the fury in his eyes.
"Really? Then why don't you enlighten me? What did I just see?"
Meg swallowed. "I-we-"
Billy struggled to raise himself up. "Leave her out of this. She is innocent of any wrongdoing."
Nelson turned and took a step forward, placing his foot on Billy's chest. He savagely forced him back to the ground, then slid the heel of his boot to press against his captive's throat.
Billy struggled for breath, his fingers scrabbling at the ground. As a pistol was placed against his forehead, his face began to turn blue.
Nelson leaned over him. "There is only one reason you still draw breath. Do not make me regret that I haven't already killed you."
"Tobias, please! Billy and I grew up together!" Meg reached for his arm, her voice imploring. "His parents are old friends of my mother and father, and when-"
He threw off her hand with an impatient gesture, his eyes remaining focused on Billy. The boatswain's eyes were dimming as his grip on consciousness faded.
"Margaret, you will remain silent until I require you to speak-or you may find yourself bereft of your childhood sweetheart." With a last shove against Billy's throat, he released him. The tall man gasped, gulping in deep breaths of air as color slowly returned to his face.
Tobias nodded at Lt. Cole. "Bind him."
The lieutenant sprang forward, quickly looping short lengths of heavy rope around Billy's wrists and ankles. Meg winced as she watched Billy grit his teeth while the rope tightened, digging into his raw flesh.
When Cole finished, he stepped back, and looked to Nelson for his next order.
"Leave us."
The soldier shifted uneasily. "But sir-"
"My orders are not to be questioned, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir." He strode out of the chamber, and silence fell upon them. The rhythmic, slow drip of water from the stalactites overhead had been soothing just a few minutes ago. Now, it seemed to have taken on an ominous note, straining Meg's nerves to the limit.
"So." Tobias began to walk the perimeter of the space, casually holding his pistol at his side. "Your interest in this man was not solely spiritual."
Meg swallowed. "Tobias, I spoke from the heart when I first saw him on the beach. At that point, I truly did not know who he was."
Tobias gave a bitter laugh. "After seeing you thrusting your tongue down his throat, you expect me to believe that?"
Her pulse hammering in her ears, Meg said, "We had been been separated for many years, but when I first saw him in Nassau-" As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized that she had made a colossal mistake.
He stopped directly in front of her. "When you saw him in Nassau? You have been keeping assignations with this man for some time?"
Meg sought Billy's eyes. Her courage was rapidly failing her, and she needed the reassurance that only he could give.
The slap hit her face with a force that threw her off balance, knocking her to the ground.
"Look at me when I speak to you!"
Tears stung her eyes as a sob rose from her throat.
"What do you want to know?" Billy burst out, his arms straining against the rope. "I have information I guarantee you'll find useful, but on one condition-you leave her alone."
Tobias' eyes darkened. "You think you're in a position to bargain with me?"
Billy stared back at him, and shrugged. "I have what you want, don't I?"
Tobias reached down and seized a fistful of Meg's hair, hauling her to her knees. A smirk spread across his face. "What a coincidence. So do I."
"You have no right to abuse her," Billy said, his jaw tightening.
"I am her legal guardian. As such, I will do with her what I think appropriate, because I always have her best interests at heart. Isn't that what your dear departed mother said, Margaret?" He tightened his grip on her hair, causing her to cry out in pain.
"Spare me your tears. If you are determined to play the harlot, the only man you will be doing that for from now on is me. Tell me you understand."
Mute with misery, she averted her gaze.
"Answer me!" he roared, causing her to jump.
"Yes," she choked.
"Yes what?"
There was a long silence, and Meg shook her head, her eyes swimming with tears. "I can't," she whispered.
Suddenly, Tobias let go of her hair. As she slumped to the ground, he raised his pistol. The roar of the discharge was deafening. She screamed as she saw Billy grip his shoulder, his face twisted with pain.
"Do you have something to say to me, Margaret?" Tobias asked, calmly reloading.
As blood soaked Billy's torn, dirty shirt, Meg began to feel lightheaded. She dug her nails into her palms, desperate to keep from fainting.
"I will only play the harlot for you," she whispered.
He smiled, then leaned down, raising her to her knees. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" he asked softly, his hand caressing her face. "In fact, I think you might find me a much more satisfactory lover than your unwashed pirate. Don't you agree?"
Her throat tightening, she nodded ever so slightly, afraid that the lack of an affirmative response would only anger him further.
"Very good. Now unbuckle my belt."
Meg hesitated, and he raised his pistol once again.
"No!" Her fingers flew to the leather that encircled his waist, rapidly divesting him of the belt.
"Excellent, my dear. Such nimble fingers." He gave her a mocking smile. "I see you have talents that have heretofore been hidden from me. Now the breeches."
Meg's heart began to hammer in her chest. Paralyzed with fear, she began to feel dizzy once again.
Don't panic. First and foremost, you cannot lose your head.
Billy had spoke those words to the day they had left Nassau-when she had nearly let her fear of the ocean overwhelm her. Now, his life hung in the balance, and she could not fail him.
"Can we not draw out the pleasure a bit? For both of us?" She raised her eyes to his.
He raised an eyebrow. "What did you have in mind?"
"You are a powerful man, Tobias. I want to see and feel that power. May I take off your jacket-and your shirt?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Billy pull himself up to a sitting position. He shifted his body in order to bend his knees in front of him. His blue eyes were full of rage and pain.
"Meg, you don't have to do this."
She dropped her gaze, her eyes roaming over the ground as she looked for something-anything-that she could use. The silver hilt of the dagger on Tobias' belt gleamed in the torchlight, catching her eye.
Keep talking.
Taking in a shaky breath, she said, "Billy, Tobias is my guardian. I have no choice but to obey him."
Billy's voice rose in agitation. "No, Meg! I won't allow it!"
Ignoring him, Meg spoke to her captor, careful to keep her voice submissive. "Tobias, I cannot possibly focus on you with Billy nearby. Can we not remove to somewhere more private?"
"My dear, his presence here is non-negotiable. Knowing that he will be watching while your soft, inviting mouth is engaged in pleasuring me-well, it's the ultimate aphrodisiac."
His mocking eyes cut to Billy's. "So, how will you feel when you see her on her knees, servicing me like a common whore?"
Meg inched her hand towards the dagger. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Billy meet Nelson's gaze with a cold stare.
"You are a fucking sorry excuse for a human being."
Tobias laughed. "I think you're just having a hard time accepting that I've won. Defeat is a cruel master, isn't it?"
A faint rumble was heard, and the ground shook slightly. Several thin stalactites broke off, and fell to the ground.
Billy cocked his head, a smirk spreading across his face. "Sorry, did you just say you've defeated me?"
As Tobias raised his pistol once again, Meg snatched up the dagger. Without hesitation, she plunged it into his thigh with all the strength she had. She winced as the blade met bone, shuddering in her hand.
Tobias bellowed in pain, knocking her to the ground with a vicious blow to the head. As she lay stunned, a loud explosion rocked the cavern. An instant later, another followed. Then darkness engulfed her, and she knew no more.
Thank you to everyone who has favorited and reviewed! Your comments mean a lot.
About ready to embark on a rewatch of the series...I miss my pirates. Anyone else seen stills for Outlander season 3 (which I'm very much looking forward to) and been tempted to shout, "That's Flint's wheel! You can't have his ship!"