Author's notes: Still don't own them sigh. However, I am enjoying playing with them! Sorry for the long wait, but here's chapter III! Please forgive any typos or mistakes-I wanted to get this out without having to wait for betas. However, if anyone is interested in beta-ing part IV, please let me know…Now on to the further adventures of our characters! Please read and review. Shameless begging here.
Part III
David cast a critical eye up at the sky, judging that they had about another hour before the fast-approaching storm would hit. He grimaced. He had been so eager to help Katie out that he had ignored the small signs that had hinted at a storm. The waves were choppy, and he knew that they had to reach Raiatea and get to the beach to find some shelter. He didn't want to risk them out on the Rattler during a storm.
"David?" The voice at his elbow made him jump, and he whirled around. Isabelle was standing slightly behind him, her eyes wide at his quick movement, and at the look in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I was just going to ask if you thought we should get some blankets and food from the cabin. We are going to wait the storm out on land, aren't we?"
He raised one eyebrow, impressed at her expanding sailing savvy. "I didn't know you'd picked up enough of the feel of sailing to anticipate a storm. Yes, we'll need some supplies; it's going to be a hard storm. But we should try and keep calm, so as not to worry Katie."
Isabelle grimaced slightly. The faint flush of pleasure at his praise quickly faded. "I'd hoped I was overreacting about the severity of the storm, David. But I don't think we have to worry about Katie." They looked back at the slim girl, who was working on bringing the sails in a little. "She's the one who suggested I ask you about the supplies after I wondered about the storm. She's a trained sailor, David, and I think she already knows how strong the storm's going to be. She's worried, but not necessarily afraid."
He nodded, and threw a sharp glance at Isabelle. No, he hadn't been imagining it; her face was a shade or two paler. "And you, Isabelle? Are you afraid?"
She took a moment to reply, her gaze fixed on the approaching clouds. Her voice, when she spoke, was low and tight.
"A little, David. I don't like storms. They can do bad things…" Her voice trailed off, her eyes far away as she relived some painful memory. David reached out and gently took her chin in his hand, turning her head to face him.
"Don't worry, Isabelle. I'm not about to let anything hurt you…or Katie," he hastily added. "You two mean too much to me to let that happen." As Isabelle's eyes widened, he realized exactly what he had said and silently swore. He hadn't meant to blurt out some of the complex feelings he had for Isabelle. He wasn't sure that either of them was ready for that. He backpedaled hastily, releasing her chin and giving her a crooked little smile. "Besides, you're too eager to go back and check on your newest horses to let a little storm get in your way."
She laughed, easily falling into their habitual teasing. "And you're too eager to ruffle Morlais' feathers some more to let a storm get the best of you." She turned and headed down to the cabin, pausing once to look back at the handsome captain. She wondered if David had really meant that she mattered to him; she couldn't deny the thump her heart had given at those words, but she firmly told it to keep quiet as she began to gather the supplies. She and David had never progressed beyond gentle flirtation; with both of their histories, it was unlikely that he could feel more for her, yet she couldn't help wishing that it were possible.
When Isabelle poked her head out of the cabin, the supplies neatly tucked into an oilskin pouch, she was greeted with a stiff wind that tossed her hair about, and she noticed that the sky was noticeably darker. She quickly moved over to David again.
"What do you want me to do?" she called to him above the sound of the wind. She saw that David had guided the Rattler into a tiny bay, and was busy securing the ship. He barely spared her a glance before turning back to his work.
"If you could help Katie lower the longboat, and then get into it with her, that would be a great help," he called over his shoulder. Isabelle nodded, then hurried over to where Katie was unfastening the ties. They worked together to release the boat, then settled themselves in it. They watched anxiously until David heaved himself over the Rattler's side and into the boar, taking the oars to guide the boat to shore. Even that small distance from ship to shore was rough, with the choppy waves and rough wind conspiring to dump enough water on the occupants of the boat to make them thoroughly uncomfortable. Isabelle gritted her teeth and hung onto the sides of the boat as another wave sloshed in and splashed her legs. God, she hated getting wet when it wasn't her idea. She looked over at Katie, who seemed more concerned with holding on to the bag of supplies than the state of the storm, then couldn't stop herself from briefly admiring the play of muscles under David's shirt as he rowed as fast as he could towards shore.
They reached the beach, and Isabelle jumped out to help tug the boat in. She was wet enough already; what did a little more matter? She and David secured the boat, and then turned to help Katie out. She was a sorry sight; a last wave had drenched her from head to toe, and with her hair plastered to her head and her eyelashes in spiky points, she looked more like a little girl than a young woman. The wind was already whipping the trees near the beach, and a light drizzle had started. David hurried his companions into the trees, picking up the supplies and throwing them on his shoulder. There could be an abandoned shack or possibly a village close by; at the very least, they would be under more shelter than on the beach.
To his relief, just a little way past the beach they found an old shack. It was run-down and small, but it looked dry enough. Once inside, David pulled out a couple of pieces of cloth and tossed them to Isabelle and Katie.
"Come on now, dry off. If you two stay soaked any longer, you're going to get sick, in spite of the warm weather." Taking his own advice, he scrubbed at his face and arms until they were dry. There wasn't anything he could do about his wet pants, but he peeled off the wet shirt and spread it out on the floor. His pants would just have to dry on him. He turned to see that Katie had already taken off her shirt, spreading it out as he had, and had wrapped her blanket around her. Isabelle, with her longer hair, was still trying to dry it. He walked over and gently took the cloth from her and briskly rubbed her hair where it was awkward for her to reach it. She turned to thank him, and found herself facing David's strong, bare chest. She took in a quick breath and her eyes met his, noting how the damp hairs curled slightly at his temples. They stared at each other a long moment until Katie demurely cleared her throat and looked up at them, her blue eyes twinkling. They abruptly separated, Isabelle murmuring her thanks as she snatched back the cloth.
"David, could you please be a gentleman and turn your back while Isabelle gets out of her wet blouse? I'm sure you wouldn't mind…" David gritted his teeth at the laughter he could hear in Katie's voice as he obediently turned and faced the door. He had seen Isabelle in the camisole before, but now, with these new feelings starting to come forward…His mind teased him with tantalizing images of slender arms and delicate waist as he heard the soft rasp of the wet cloth sliding off Isabelle's skin and heard her sigh of relief as she wrapped herself in the blanket.
"Everyone decent now?" he asked.
"Of course, David. You can turn around now," Katie replied. He turned only to see the graceful bend of Isabelle's neck as she turned her head to finish drying her hair. He caught the tiny smirk on Katie's face as he tore his gaze away from Isabelle, and briefly wondered how she would respond to him placing her outside in the rain.
Katie leaned into Isabelle, plainly tired. It had been a long day, and she had helped out quite a bit working the sails. David settled himself behind them, gently rubbing their arms through the blankets. They couldn't build a fire inside, so they would have to rely on each other to keep warm. They quietly talked about what to do in the morning. Since they were there already, David proposed that they stay on the island and scout around a little. The women agreed, with Isabelle suggesting that they stay to the woods as much as possible. If there were pirates here, it would be to no good to advertise their presence. Katie interrupted them with a yawn, and David suggested that they sleep.
They sat staring at each other for a minute, until Katie exclaimed, with a bit of irritation, "Oh, for the love of-OK, Isabelle, you lay down here, and I'll lay down next to you, and David, you lay down next to me." The two older adults meekly followed her directions, and the last thing David heard as Katie snuggled into her blanket was her muttering, "You'd think that two adults-but no, they have to act like children…"
He waited until Katie's even breaths settled into the pattern of sleep, and softly called out, "Isabelle?"
"Yes, David?"
"Thanks for helping out today, and…for listening." He wanted to say more, but didn't. After a moment, he could feel her smiling as she said, "Don't mention it, David. Good night."
The morning sun warmed his face, and as David started to wake, he was aware of warmth at his side and soft hair pressing against his arm. Katie? No, he knew that fragrance, soft lavender and jasmine. Isabelle?! He cautiously opened his eyes and turned his head slightly to find a wealth of soft dark curls. Isabelle was curled up with her back against his side. He looked for Katie, and found that somehow (and he didn't think it was by accident) she had moved to their feet during the night. He watched her face for a minute. In sleep, all stress and worry were gone, leaving her face smooth and as young looking as David remembered from six years before. He sighed softly. He really did hope they would find those pirates, not just to keep the men on Katie's ships safe, but to ease at least one worry among the many that had to be on her mind in running her business.
He turned back to Isabelle, propping himself up slightly on his elbow as he looked down into her sleeping face. He distinctly remembered the last time he had woken up with her, the morning after he had been hurt and Isabelle had cared for him, bandaging his wound and keeping his warm with her body heat to make sure he lasted the night. He hadn't had the opportunity to simply look at her, as she had been awake before him. He smiled at the memory of how she had woken him up. His gaze lingered on her lips. She was a superb kisser, and he found himself wondering if she would still feel the same to him after everything that they had gone through since then. His eyes traveled over her features, over the arched eyebrows, the sculpted cheekbones and delicate nose, the thick brown curls drifting across her cheek, the firm chin and those soft pink lips. Oh, he knew she was beautiful, but awake, her words and attitude always seemed to distract one from really looking at her. He wondered if she was doing that on purpose. But now, asleep, he could see just how lovely she really was, the physical beauty only adding to the fascinating package that she made.
He carefully tugged her blanket a little higher, tucking it around her shoulders, and couldn't resist gently stroking her hair. A voice behind him almost made him jump.
"You really like her, don't you?" Katie asked. David turned to see that she was sitting up and blinking at him in the bright sunlight, and he could see that her sharp gaze hadn't missed anything. Her chestnut hair had curled slightly with the rain, and she had put her shirt back on sometime in the night. She raised one eyebrow at his silence. He sighed.
"Yes, I like her, OK? She's a good friend, and my partner. She watches my back and has stood by me in some rather difficult times." He laughed softly. "I know that a lot of people think she's only out for herself, and maybe she is, a lot, but she's helped out quite a lot as well. Even Lavinia has to agree that she's become a better person." He glanced again at the sleeping woman.
"Oh, David," Katie sighed. He was so absolutely clueless. She could see that it was much more than that. Michael used to look at her the way David was looking at Isabelle…She gulped hastily, surprised that, for the first time, a memory of Michael hadn't also brought some pain. David looked at her curiously.
"It's nothing, David, just thinking. But, David, I know you better. Isabelle's not just a friend to you. I can see it." She pushed ahead even as David started to protest. "David, what if I told you that Lavinia told me that she'd seen Isabelle talking at length with a good-looking man a few nights ago?"
"It was probably just a buyer for her horses," David protested immediately. He was startled to feel a rush of jealousy sweep through him, and his jaw clenched. Isabelle hadn't told him about meeting anyone new! He was even more startled to hear Katie's quiet chuckle.
"David, Lavinia told me no such thing. I said, 'what if,' David. You seem to have a pretty strong reaction for someone who's only a 'friend.' Oh, well, it looks like Isabelle's waking up. We can talk later." Her impish smile irritated David, but she jumped up and walked out into the sunshine before he could say anything. He turned to see Isabelle stretch and yawn, then look at him in surprise.
"David?" She covered another yawn with her hand. "Wasn't Katie between us?" Her eyes, now a little more alert, darted around looking for the girl.
David smiled crookedly. "It seems that she woke up and moved. Did you get enough sleep?" The concern in his voice and the look in his eyes startled Isabelle. If she didn't know better, she would swear that David actually cared. She found herself not a little bit distracted by the fact that he was still not wearing a shirt, and she was inches away from him. She was also acutely aware that she was only wearing her camisole. She glanced up at the face above hers, and her tongue darted out to wet her suddenly dry lips. The day's worth of stubble only made him more attractive. Snap out of it, woman! she chided herself.
"Yes, David, I got enough sleep. I feel fine, thanks."
David ignored the rush of heat at the sight of Isabelle wetting her lips. He didn't know if he wanted Katie to be right. He looked a moment longer into Isabelle's large eyes, before standing quickly and snatching up his shirt. He shrugged into it, and smiled down at Isabelle.
"I'm going to go out and see if I can find that little imp, then we can have a quick bite and start looking around." He walked out and took a few deep breaths of the fresh morning air. Oh, he was going to kill Katie when he found her…
After he left, Isabelle slowly sat up and reached for her shirt, grimacing as she shook it out. It was dry, but cold and wrinkled. She put it on anyway, and stood up, carefully folding the blankets and taking out the food from the pack. She was puzzled by David's actions. She had been burying her feelings for the Rattler's handsome captain for so long, not daring to let anyone know that she had been falling in love with him. She knew that David wouldn't return her feelings. He saw her as a partner, a friend, and sometimes a project in the making of an "honest woman." Besides, if he couldn't even make it with Lavinia, what hope was there for her? She was less inclined to have a traditionally happy life than Lavinia, and she knew that she and David were alike. What was that saying, "opposites attract?" Well, by those means, David would never be attracted that way to her. Oh, she knew he appreciated her looks, and enjoyed their early flirting, but these days that had become much rarer.
But in the last couple of days…he'd been acting differently towards her. He had kissed her, a tender gentle kiss not fueled by lust, had spent long moments staring at her, and this morning there had been concern in his voice for her. She didn't want to hope that his feeling were changing, but deep inside a little part of her dared to hope. She walked out with the food to find David splashing water on his face from a little stream, and Katie perched on a rock finger-combing her hair. They turned at her approach, and, with appetites sharpened by the previous day's efforts and the cool air, quickly finished their breakfast.
"Now," David began, when they had stowed away all their supplies, "we should start out making a round of the beaches. The pirates could have a base farther inland, but we're more likely to get a glimpse of them near the beach. And don't make much sound! We don't want them to surprise us." His two companions nodded, and they set off, David leading the way, with Isabelle keeping Katie between the two of them in case any trouble arose. The first two hours of exploring gained them nothing except for sore feet and a few glimpses of perfectly legitimate ships. Then, after a break, they approached Raiatea's north shore and Katie tugged on David's arm.
"David, see that ship out there? That's one of mine! That would be the Dawnfire, if I have the schedule straight. They're a little early," Katie whispered. They watched as the graceful ship came towards the island, when suddenly a plain ship, larger than the Dawnfire, came from a hidden cove, bearing down swiftly on the smaller ship. Katie's eyes widened as the larger ship swung broadside of hers, and in a few minutes, people from it swarmed her ship. The two started to sail closer to the island. A small boat splashed down from the Dawnfire and came in towards shore. The three people watching tried to be even smaller as the people came on shore.
David could see the difference in the crew of Katie's ship and the pirates. They were struggling, indignant, but also outfitted in neat, clean clothing. The pirates were more flamboyant, but their clothes had seen better days. He looked at Isabelle, and she silently shook her head. None of the pirates were familiar to her, either. David breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least it wasn't Pitcairn and Summers. Those two were vicious, and had their own score to settle with both he and Isabelle. He watched as one man came into view. He had been waiting near the trees, and David hadn't noticed him. He was more smartly dressed than the pirates were, but he headed towards them with nonchalance. He heard Katie's hiss of outrage next to him, and looked over just in time to pull her down as she began to rise.
"Katie, are you insane?" David hissed. "If you stand up, they'll see you, and they outnumber us!"
Her face was a mask of anger, and her eyes were snapping blue fire. Obviously she knew the person in question. "David, I know him! That's Father's cousin, Mitchell Barnes! That lying, sneaking, snake!" she whispered furiously. "Father promised his aunt that Mitchell could have a position in the company. He was lazy, but bright, and Father never let him get away with anything. After Father's death Mitchell made some noise about me running the company, but I told him he could do without a job if he felt that way. He settled down, and I sent him as part of the contingent for the South Seas route. He was only supposed to handle the hiring of local hands! I never should have trusted him to anything! My God, it's been him that's been doing all this-"
David cut her off by placing his hand over her mouth. Her voice had been rising in anger, and the group on the beach had been getting closer. He waited until he saw that she had subsided, then removed his hand. She was still furious, but she held her tongue. Barnes spoke to the leader of the pirates, and they brought the little group closer to where David and the others were hiding.
Barnes then turned to address the Dawnfire's crew. His voice was smooth but oily, and it made David's skin crawl. "I want to thank you, gentlemen, for handling the cargo so well. I do wish that you had done less damage to it when we approached-"
"Don't think that you can get away with this, Barnes!" one of the crew yelled. "Miss Leighton is going to have your hide when she hears about this!"
Barnes strolled over to the man. His eyes narrowed, and he quickly pulled out a gun and shot the man point-blank. The loud shot and the resulting babble of voices masked Katie's horrified gasp. David pulled her against him, no less aghast at Barnes' action. Barnes placed the gun back in its holster and said, "Well, looks like you won't be telling Miss Leighton anything about this," before he turned to respond to the pirates.
The leader of the pirates was clearly angry. "You didn't say nothing about killing any of them. I'm not about to get the authorities after me for murder!"
"Relax," Barnes said. "Not like anyone's going to find anything. You just get rid of the rest of them, take what you can off of that ship, then load the bodies on that ship and run it straight at the rocks. There's another storm headed this way in a day or two. By the time they find what's left of this ship, they'll think it hit a slow patch of water and then crashed here during the storm. Nothing's going to stop me from getting what should be mine. After all," and his eyes darkened and his face became petulant, "I should have gotten a piece of that company, not have all of it fall into the hands of a silly young woman. She had the nerve to threaten my job!" His face was remarkably ugly in its anger, and David suddenly realized how dangerous a spoiled man, used to getting what he wanted no matter what, could become. The pirates shrugged. Apparently Barnes was paying them enough not to protest overmuch. As they lined up the remaining crew and took out their revolvers, both David and Isabelle had to struggle to keep Katie still. Finally David gripped her shoulders and shook her.
"Katie, hush! There's no point in killing yourself as well! We have to stay safe to get the news back to the authorities."
There were tears in Katie's eyes, but her face was full of rage. "But those men, David! They have families, people who care about them! They shouldn't have to die just for trying to ship goods. Oh, Lord, look what I've done to them!"
"No, Katie," David admonished her, softly but firmly. "This is none of your doing. You are doing a good thing, opening up a new trade route. It's not your fault that that man is doing this. Did you ever suspect that he was capable of piracy, or even of killing?" She shook her head, and David continued. "There, then. There was nothing you could have done, and nothing that you did." The shots started then, and David held Katie as she buried her head in his chest, her whole body flinching to every shot, her hot tears making a damp patch on David's shirt. Isabelle gently rubbed her back and looked at David over her head. He mutely shook his head. The only thing they could do was comfort Katie, and head back to Matavai as fast as possible to report the pirates.
The shots ended, and David signaled to Isabelle that they should start moving. They saw that a couple of the pirates had started to move the bodies, and the remaining four, as well as Barnes, were watching them. Barnes turned his head slightly, and David never knew if it had been a flash of color or movement in the brush, but Barnes suddenly shouted, "There's someone here! You two, keep moving those bodies. The rest of you, follow me!" He started to run towards the jungle.
David knew that only their head start gave them an advantage. He abandoned all pretense of stealth and urged Isabelle and Katie to run. They did, leaping over the brush and trying to get to deeper jungle. Shots began to ring out near them. David ducked as one whizzed over his head. He ran faster.
They reached an open stretch of ground. David didn't like it. There was no cover, but they had no choice. He pulled out the pistol he had kept at his side as they ran. The pirates, Barnes trailing, burst through the trees. David's first bullet found a mark squarely on the leader, and he dropped in his tracks. One down, four to go. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Barnes take aim. He looked forward. Katie was in Barnes' sight. "No!" David yelled. He shot again, hitting another pirate in the stomach, but it wasn't enough.
Barnes' shot rang out, and Katie stumbled and fell. A patch of red began to spread on her back. "No! Katie!" David cried. He ran forward and scooped up Katie, hardly pausing as he did. In front of him, Isabelle had turned and was firing with her own gun. They were lucky that they had decided to take them out of the pack when they went exploring. Isabelle managed to hit another of the pirates in the leg. Just as David reached the deeper jungle, he felt a searing fire in his right shoulder. He had been shot! He stumbled, but desperately held on to Katie and recovered. He and Isabelle disappeared into the jungle.
Behind them, Barnes cursed fluidly. If he had heard correctly, that was "Katie" the man had yelled, which meant it was Barnes' cousin, and that had to make the man David Grief. If Katie was hurt, or even dead, Barnes was glad, but he knew that David Grief would make him pay. He looked at the two remaining pirates. "Let's go," he snarled. "I'm not about to let that little witch ruin me now." He was forced to wait as the man's wound was bandaged, however, and he stood there seething with rage. When he caught up to those three, he was going to make sure that all were good and dead.
David and Isabelle stumbled through the jungle at breakneck speed, putting as much distance between the pirates and them as possible. After a while, they tried to go more carefully. Finally they reached a clearing, and none too soon. David was steadily losing blood, and Isabelle saw that his progress had become somewhat weaving over the last few minutes.
"David, put her down. I need to tend to you both," Isabelle commanded. She was frightened. If she had to tend to two wounded people, then those pirates were sure to catch up very soon. David reluctantly put Katie down.
"Is she…?" he breathed. Isabelle gently turned Katie on her stomach. She was breathing, which was a good sign, and as Isabelle got a good look at the wound, she breathed a sigh of relief. "David, it's just a flesh wound. It looks like Katie tripped just as Barnes shot, so she was only winged. She did bang her head when she fell, I can feel a knot here, but she should be just fine. Now let's look at you."
"No," David said. "Take care of her first, then me." Isabelle nodded helplessly, and proceeded to swiftly bandage Katie's wound. Just as she finished, Katie groaned and opened her eyes.
"Isabelle? What happened? Oh, my head," she complained, rubbing at the lump on her forehead. She looked up to see David smile tiredly at her, as Isabelle helped her sit up.
"Barnes shot at you, and winged you. You hit your head when you fell. You'll be just fine, though," Isabelle said. Katie's eyes, however, saw the blood on David's shirt. Raising her eyes to his face, she saw the truth.
"David, you're hurt!" she gasped. Ignoring the throb of her head, she quickly went over and peeled the shirt back from David's chest. "You were shot!" She glanced over at Isabelle, her eyes wide with fear.
Isabelle tried to sooth her. "It's OK, Katie. You just help me bandage the wound, and David will be fine. The bullet looks as if it went clean through, and it doesn't appear to have hit anything vital." Including you, she added silently. She was well aware that if David hadn't shifted Katie when he'd picked her up, the bullet would have gone through Katie as well. "All right now, you clean the wound, and I'm going to get the bandage ready." They worked swiftly, quietly, and soon David's shoulder was sporting a neat bandage of pale blue, donated by the sleeves of Isabelle's blouse. By this time, David was fighting to keep his eyes open.
"David, rest, please," Isabelle told him. "Katie and I will keep watch." He nodded, his desire to protect them warring with his body's demand for rest. His body won, and he slid bonelessly into unconsciousness. Isabelle carefully laid his head in her lap, and handed her gun to Katie. The girl took it, somewhat stiffly. Her muscles were now making the discomfort of the day's trek and their panicked flight known.
They sat there watching as the daylight faded. David started to shiver, and Katie looked over in concern.
"Shock," Isabelle said, "and blood loss. We need to keep him warm. We can't build a fire, or those pirates would find us right away." Katie stood and picked up the one blanket they had taken with them in Isabelle's small knapsack. Isabelle gathered David to her, wrapping her arms around his chest and leaning his head on her shoulder. Katie wrapped the blanket around the two of them and sat again to keep watch. Isabelle closed her eyes briefly, taking in David's musky scent and feeling her fear start to rise. Oh, please, dear God, keep him well, she pleaded silently. She rested her head against David's, feeling comfort in his warm breath against her neck. The silence stretched on, Katie's head snapping around at every sound. The sun began to set.
Suddenly, the bushes to Katie's left began to rattle. She and Isabelle shared one terrified glance. There was no time to drag David into hiding, and they only had a few bullets left in the gun. Katie raised the gun and took aim at the shaking shrubbery. It finally parted, and a man with his own gun stepped through. Katie and Isabelle looked up at him, and they gasped.
Hee hee, aren't I evil to end it here? Who is this man? What will happen to David? Will they be able to reach the authorities in time? Just a couple more chapters, and it'll all be resolved! Now, if I get about ten more reviews, I'll be more motivated to get the next chapter out quickly…