CHAPTER 25
When Mr. and Mistress Murray ultimately had to return from their own little world, the energy shift on the Ridge drastically shifted from celebratory to urgency. The time had come. The plan to end Stephen Bonnet once and for all was in full swing.
The strategy that had been decided upon at Jocasta's wedding was now ready to be put in action. They had received word from Philip Wylie that Bonnet had agreed to a meeting with "Alexander Malcolm" to discuss taking on his whiskey business, and wanted it done sooner rather than later. A time and place was set, they just had to follow through.
The main issue was, however, who would stand in for Alexander Malcolm? It couldn't be Jamie. Bonnet knew him too well and would straightaway know something was amiss seeing his face; same with Roger. In the end, Jamie approached Ian and asked if he would be the one.
"No!" Skylar exclaimed, not afraid to hold back her opinion on the matter. "Absolutely not." Ian tried to reason with her, but she cut him off. "Ian's not a stranger to him. He's met Bonnet too, remember? What if he's recognized? It's too risky."
Ian tried to talk to her again. "The amount of time Bonnet's eyes have been on me is nae a quarter of what it was fer Uncle Jamie and Roger. He willna ken who I am, I promise ye. It has te be me." He held her arms and tenderly stoked his thumbs on them. "I'll be fine, Yank. Nothin' will happen."
"Ye ken I would never let any harm come te him, mo nighean," Jamie added. "Roger and I will be there the whole time."
She hated this. But she knew that any amount of fighting would get her nowhere. Ian was as stubborn as Jamie. As soon as his mind was set on something, there was no convincing him otherwise. She only had one condition.
"Then I'm coming to Wilmington." Both men began arguing on it but she spoke over them. "I won't come to the meeting place. But there's no chance in hell I'm staying back here. Both of us go, or neither of us go. And I will tie Ian up and lock him in a closet to keep him away if you push me far enough." Jamie chose to lose this battle and appeased her demand.
Claire and Bree announced they were coming to, much to the displeasure of their husbands as well. The three women promised they would stay far away from the action, but just needed to be able to be there for the second it was over.
They had all arrived in town the day before the meeting was to take place. The morning of, Jamie brought Ian his disguise. Facing Bonnet as a Mohawk would be far too suspicious, so he was to dress in what society would call "regular clothes." Just holding them in his hands, Skylar could feel Ian's anxiety rise, but nonetheless, he agreed. Jamie told him that once he was dressed to meet the rest of them downstairs in the tavern's dining room. Skylar kissed his cheek then followed her father.
She couldn't stop her leg from bouncing as she sat at the table. The mood was heavy.
Brianna was the first to share her thoughts with, "I have a really bad feeling about this."
"Please don't say that," Skylar commented. Her mind was already racing with every worst case scenario. She didn't need anyone else's negativity.
Roger held his wife's hand. "I want Bonnet out of our lives fer good. And nowhere near ye," he looked at Skylar, "ye," then back to Bree, "or our son."
Roger had filled Skylar in on the rumor that Bonnet would likely try to claim Jemmy as his own, saying that Bree had willingly laid with him since "God would never let a child be conceived through such a violent act as rape," he explained was the people's thinking.
"That's the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard in my life. And I've been subject to 21st century political bullshit," she had said in response. But then this was even more reason to make sure Bonnet was long dead before he ever had that chance.
Jamie followed with, "Getting rid of Bonnet is fer the greater good."
Claire agreed, but she still had her own worries. "Yes. Though I still don't trust Philip Wylie, even though he stands to make a lot of money from this deal."
"You don't possibly think he's not going to go through with this? That he's just laying a trap for, like, revenge or something?" Skylar questioned. Her already bouncing leg sped up and her hand was involuntarily tapping the table. The idea that Ian could get hurt or worse from this was too much for her to handle.
If he gets so much as a scratch on him, I will find Wylie myself and rip his throat out.
"I think he'll keep his word," Jamie said.
"But what if he doesn't?" Claire pressed.
Then I murder him, it's settled.
"Well, if he doesna, I'll likely be dead. So, if ye could find the time, I'd appreciate it if ye'd make him suffer fer it." Jamie meant this as some sort of dark joke, but no one found it amusing.
"Not. Funny. Father," Skylar informed him.
Their heads all turned to the sound of the room's door opening. Skylar's heart dropped seeing Ian there in his new clothes. He was wearing a white shirt underneath a long gray vest with black pants and a dark gray jacket. He also had a tricorn hat to hide his braids in. She couldn't make sense of picture in front of her. She hadn't seen him dressed like that in so long that it didn't feel right to see him like that now. And it was more than obvious he didn't feel right either. Just from his body language when he walked in, he was horribly uncomfortable. She empathized for him. This wasn't Ian.
But he's not supposed to be Ian right now, she reminded herself.
He walked to the table to join them as Jamie spoke, "Ah, here comes out go between now. Mr. Alexander Malcolm. Glad ye could join us."
Ian sat in the chair next to Skylar and she took his hand, squeezing it. He gave her a half smile in return.
"Well, Uncle, is this what ye had in mind?" he asked Jamie.
"Even better."
"You look very handsome, my love," Skylar told him, trying to relieve his unease over the costume, even just a small amount. He kissed her hand as thanks.
But there was one hitch with the disguise. "What about my markings?" The clothes couldn't hide the tattoos on his face.
Claire had a remedy though. "I'll help you find some clay to cover them up. We don't have to fool him for very long."
"We must get to Wylie's Landing before the parley," informed the group. He looked back at Claire and gave her instructions. "If we've not returned te Wilmington in two days, go back te the Ridge."
Skylar raised her eyebrows and let out a dry chuckle. "Seriously? You-you're actually asking the three of us, us, to just leave if something happen to any of you? Maybe think that through again."
Claire shared her sentiments. "If you don't return, we're coming to find you."
Jamie gave her a look of total non-surprise. "I thought ye might say that. Dinna fash. Bonnet's only a man."
Claire nodded. "And nothing more."
Skylar took a deep breath.
He's only a man. But he'll die like a bug.
Skylar had a hard time letting go of Ian. She hugged him tight with her face buried into his neck. He very gingerly was stroking her hair and he gave a long kiss to the top of her head.
"I'll be back before ye ken it."
She moved her face back an inch to get her mouth free to say, "You saying that does nothing to comfort me, I'm sorry to say. You don't exactly have the best track record with that." She felt him laugh.
"Well, third time's the charm, aye?"
You and Dad with the not funny jokes today.
She pulled back and looked at him. Claire had been able to find clay that was a close match to his skin color. It didn't make the dots disappear completely, but enough that they weren't noticeable at first glance. She, carefully to not smudge, ran a finger along their path and sighed.
I'm sick of this Alex guy already. I want my Ian back.
"Hurry back now, okay? And be safe. Do not be a hero."
"I'll be back by yer side in no time. I love ye."
"I love you too." They shared a kiss, then Ian climbed onto the driver's seat of the wagon next to Roger. Following Jamie, who was on his own horse, they went off. The three women watched until they were out of sight.
When they were gone, Skylar dropped her face into her hands and let out a groan. "Jesus Christ!" she yelled, muffled by her hands.
Claire put her arm around her shoulders. "They have a plan, and it's going to work. I'd say we have the harder job right now. Waiting."
Skylar inhaled sharply through her nose and she raised her head back up and ran her hands over her hair.
"You're right. You're right. Dad's got this. Roger's got this. Ian's got this. They're going to be fine."
"There's a beach an hour or so from here, isn't there?" Bree asked. "Why don't we go and…what's the word you say, Sky? Chill?"
Skylar snorted. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"
"I second that," Claire said. "But before we do, there's a couple errands I'd like to do while we're here. As ingenious as your fang syringe was, Bree, I think it's time for one made from the classic materials."
So, their first stop was the glassblower. He seemed bewildered at the idea of needing a glass tube for a syringe rather than it being made of brass, but he agreed to take it on and told Claire to come back in a few days.
They then traveled to the smith to get the base of the instrument made and the needle. They were a little worried that he might accuse them of practicing witchcraft by asking for a hollow needle. He definitely gave them an odd look, but money is money, and he took the order.
With the pieces on their way, they went back to the tavern to find the horses and headed for the beach.
It was a beautiful scene when they arrived. It was totally empty. The sea was a blue gray color with waves crashing onto the light brown sand. There were dunes scattered across the shore with patches of tall grass covering them. The breeze brought the salty smell of the water to greet them. Skylar's anxiety lessened almost immediately.
They walked down closer to the ocean and walked along. Claire had them be on the lookout for supplies for her surgery as they went.
"So, we've got the kelp for iodine, and what else are we looking for?" Bree wanted to know after they were able to check the first one of the list.
"Well, certain shells. I can grind them down to use their calcium. And maybe some sponges to use in surgery."
"You're going to use SpongeBob in surgery?" Skylar joked.
"I'm using what?"
Skylar smiled at the nostalgic memory. "SpongeBob SquarePants is a cartoon from my childhood. I think it started in the 90s. He's a sea sponge who works as a fry cook and lives in a pineapple."
Claire and Bree looked even more confused by her answer. "I don't even know how to respond to that," Claire laughed.
"My mom hated it. She used to say that it was going to rot my brain."
"My mom used to say that too about certain tv shows," Bree teased, nudging Claire.
Claire smiled, but tried to get back to the point. "Anyway, the shells?"
"I'll save some for Jem," Bree decided. "Maybe I'll make him a mobile. Might make him sleep better."
Skylar had the same thoughts. "That's a good idea. I bet Ollie would love a couple shells of his own. I'd love to bring him out here one day."
"That would be so sweet. We could do a trip with us, you three, and Fergus and Marsali. I'm sure all the cousins would enjoy playing in the water together."
"Us old folks will stay behind," Claire declared.
They stopped walking for a bit to look out at the water and take in the view.
"I haven't been to a beach since before my mom died," Skylar told them. "We actually came down here to the Outer Banks one summer."
"And how different is it now compared to then?" Claire asked.
"Well, considering we're not jammed packed right now with giant rainbow umbrellas and tourists tanning, I'd say vastly."
"Hey, is that what I think it is?" Bree spoke up.
They followed her gaze and saw a pod of humpback whales jumping.
"That's amazing," Skylar said with a smile.
Claire sighed in astonishment. "We didn't often get to see sights like that in our time."
Bree added, "There's so much here that's unspoiled."
"So many of them now. And to think by the end of the 19th century, whalers have all but wiped them out."
"Yeah and the ones left are used as tourist attractions on whale watches. It's disgusting," Skylar voiced as well.
Bree then expressed, "I can see why Melville was inspired to write about them. God, I love Moby Dick."
"Me too. Did you ever read it Skylar?"
"I ended up here before it became required reading for me in English class, and I can't say I ever found myself wanting to sit down and read a 400 something page novel when I could just scroll on my phone. So, uh, no. I never did."
A memory suddenly hit Bree. "I remember seeing a whale fluke off of Cape Cod once. Remember, we used to race on the beach when I was little?" She and her mother shared a look, then took off in a sprint.
"Hey!" Skylar called after them, picking up her skirts to run too. "No fair!"
They didn't go too far though. They all got winded after no more than 30 seconds and stopped.
"Man, that is not as easy in a corset," Brianna fussed.
Skylar had her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath. "Jeez, I was not a runner in my time, and I am still certainly not a runner now."
"I think I'm getting old," Claire stated.
"Did you not just call yourself one of the old folk?" Skylar teased, laughing.
"Alright, I think I'm gonna live dangerously," Bree professed as she took off her belt and jacket. "I'm gonna dip my toes in the water."
"You're braver than I am," Claire praised.
"And I," Skylar tagged on. "Enjoy frostbite. I'm sticking with you." She looped her arms through Claire's and the older woman smiled.
"We're going to search for some more shells," Claire informed Bree, gesturing with her head towards one of the dunes. Bree acknowledged that with a nod and they separated.
When the two got to the top of the hill, they looked down and waved at their sister and daughter respectively. She waved back.
"I'm gonna check a little bit over there for ones for Ollie," Skylar told Claire.
"Alright, darling."
Skylar walked to the other side of the dune, letting her fingers run along the long grass as she went. She kept her eyes on the ground and came across a large conch shell.
"Woah," she muttered under her breath. She knelt down and picked it up.
This is so cool. Ollie's gonna love this.
"Claire! Come check this out!"
"Just one minute, Skylar!"
She stood back up and dusted the sand off of it. She was looking over the design and color of it when a voice pierced through the air in her direction like a bullet. And the way she felt at hearing it, she may as well have been shot by that bullet.
"Well, well, well. It appears fate is on my side yet again."
Her blood ran cold before she even saw his face.
This isn't happening.
She took slow half steps to turn around, praying all the while that she was wrong. But there he was. Stephen Bonnet. He was standing just a couple yards from her, staring at her with the eerily charming smile that she still had nightmares about.
She could feel his hands on her all over again, his mouth leaving marks on any bare skin he could find. She wanted to scream and run. But she couldn't give him the satisfaction of showing her fear. She swallowed hard and stared him down. He no longer had power over her.
But immediately, another thought entered her mind.
If he's here, who the hell is Dad meeting?
Terror and anxiety near made her pass out. She was having too many thoughts in too short an amount of time. Her head was filed with images of Jamie, Roger and Ian in imminent danger.
Bonnet raised his chin. "I told ye, lassie, that we were bound te meet again in this lifetime." She didn't say anything. She just needed to keep breathing. But he kept talking, and he took a few steps towards her. "I hear ye've a little on of yer own now. A son. Oliver, is it?"
Skylar's eyes widened. "How do you know that?"
He chuckled and it made chills run down her spine. "I've eyes and ears all across North Carolina, love. There's naught that happens that I don't hear about." He stopped just over a foot in front of her. She didn't move. She grit her teeth and her nostrils were flaring, any fear of him being replaced by fury. "Tell me now, does he take after her mother? Lucky lad if so." His eyes slowly trailed over her. When his gaze went back to hers, he reached out a hand and went to brush some hair behind her ear. In a fit of sudden adrenaline, she grabbed his arm and shoved him back. She smacked him and started to run.
"Claire! Claire!" she screamed.
The shock of her action gave him just a second of pause, but he went after her and caught up to her easily. He grabbed by the hair and pulled her close to him.
"AH!" she hollered in pain, scratching at the hand holding her to try to get him to let go.
"Don't ye worry now, lass. As much as I'd love to have some time with ye," he slithered his other hand down her front and back up to her neck, "it's not ye I'm here fer."
Claire ran over the dune and stopped short.
He smiled a blood curdling smile at her. "Mistress Fraser, what a pleasure te make yer acquaintance again."
Returning to her body, Claire grabbed the dagger from its sheath at her hip and pointed it to him.
"What are you doing here? Let her go!"
"I was walking down the thoroughfare in Wilmington and I saw ye from afar." Skylar tried to pull herself free but he just tightened his grip and pulled harder. She screeched and he just continued on casually. "I thought te myself, doesn't she look familiar? Ye see, I never ferget a face. Neither yers, nor either of yer lovely daughters." He kissed Skylar's cheek.
Claire went to charge him, shouting, "Don't you touch her, you bastard!"
But before she could do anything, Bonnet pulled a knife from his own pocket and held it to Skylar's neck. Claire almost fell over from stopping so fast. Skylar screwed her eyes shut and held her breath. She stood as still as she was able to keep the blade from pressing any harder into her skin.
"How's my son?" Bonnet asked so simply like he was catching up with an old friend. "Does he resemble his handsome father?"
"You don't have a son!"
"Yer misinformed. Yer daughter told me as much, te my face."
Skylar couldn't stop herself from interjecting. "She was lying!"
He pulled her hair again, inciting another cry from her.
He whispered close to her ear, keeping an eye on Claire. "I don't think yer in a position te argue here, love."
Having heard the commotion, Bree came running up the hillside and froze when she saw what was happening.
"Bree run!" Skylar bellowed
"I'm not leaving you," she fought.
"Go!" Claire emphasized.
Claire's basket full of shells and kelp was by Brianna's feet, so she grabbed the gun that was packed in as well and aimed for Bonnet. "Let her go!"
Claire went to slash at him but he was able to hit her with the handle of the knife to make her go unconscious.
Tears were streaming down Skylar's cheeks from the pain of him holding her hair and her heart was in her throat. She was seconds away from hyperventilating.
Bonnet turned back to Bree and pressed the knife more against Skylar's neck. She inhaled in fear.
"Put that down," Bonnet ordered Brianna, "or I'll cut her throat on the count of three. One…two…"
"Wait! Wait!"
He pulled the knife back only millimeters but it was a relief to his captive.
He offered a sadistic compromise. "I'll let her go, as long as ye come along with me. It's my son and ye I'm wantin'."
"Don't do it, Bree!" Skylar hollered. Bonnet rolled his eyes and, having had enough of her, he hit her over the head and everything went black.
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Skylar groaned as life reentered her body. She hissed in pain and held the back of her head as she slowly sat up. The memory of what happened flooded her and she sprung up. She looked around for any sign of Claire and Brianna. She saw Claire near the water, frantically looking in every direction.
"Claire!" Skylar yelled as she bolted to her.
Claire's head whipped around to her. "Skylar, oh thank Christ, you're alright."
Skylar ran into Claire's arms. But she quickly pulled back and held tight onto the English woman's arms. "Bree?"
Claire was on the verge of tears. "He took her. Bonnet took her."
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Why the fuck is this happening?!
"We need to get your father, Roger and Ian. Now."
Unable to speak, Skylar just nodded. They raced to their horses and took off in the direction of Wylie's Landing.
No words were exchanged during their journey. Their only focus was to get to the men as fast as the horses could carry them. Thankfully, they didn't need to go all the way to the meeting spot.
A little over halfway, they found them.
The three were more than a little shocked to see them, especially with expressions of utter panic.
Claire hadn't even stopped her horse before she told them, "It's Brianna."
"Where is she?" Roger replied, his own fearfulness rising at those two words.
"Bonnet has her," Skylar divulged.
Then men gave each other each a glance, then they all drove off back into Wilmington.
They all gathered in Jamie and Claire's room in the tavern to figure out their next steps.
"He could have taken her anywhere! How the fuck are we supposed to even start looking for him?" Skylar exclaimed, pacing back and forth.
"Ye said that Bonnet said he was after Bree and Jemmy. He knows Jem is on Fraser's Ridge so he willna have taken her far, so that he can still easily get te him at some point," Roger deduced.
"Could he have gone right fer the Ridge then?" Ian wondered.
"No, no. Bonnet is a conniving pig, but he's not stupid. He won't go for Jemmy while Brianna is scared of him. He wants her on his side first."
"If he thinks there's a chance in the hottest parts of hell -" Skylar started arguing, but Claire stopped her.
"He could never win her over, you're right. But she might play along, for her safety and Jemmy's."
"Okay, even still. He's just…somewhere around here with her? What are we supposed to do? Knock on every door from here to the border and pray he answers?"
"I ken who likely knows his whereabouts," Jamie spoke. "The same man he is in business with and arranged our fraudulent meeting."
"Philip Wylie," Claire finished for him.
"Aye."
"Great, perfect. So…where is he?" Skylar remarked.
"We ken he's here in town on business, and that he often spends too much money on women and gambling."
"So if we scour every gamblin' hall and, um…" Roger felt uncomfortable finishing the sentence.
Skylar found no issue with it. "Whore house, Roger. You can say it."
"Aye…that…then we're bound te either be told of his whereabouts or find him himself."
"Then let's fucking go! We're wasting time!" Everyone followed Skylar's orders and started on their mission.
It wasn't long before they discovered him. After having no luck the first two places they looked, Jamie spotted him entering a brothel. They all gathered in a nearby alley to wait until he came back out. It took a little convincing for Jamie to agree, but the plan to capture him was that Skylar would meet him right when he came out to "seduce him," and would lead him to the alley where the others were.
"Are ye sure yer alright wi' this, Skylar?" Ian questioned as she prepped herself.
"It's gonna be for two seconds, I'll be fine. Plus, do you not remember my role back in Edinburgh?" She took her hair down and ran her fingers through it to fluff it. Then she took her scarf out so that she could move her breasts up to where they would be visible. Ian hated this just as much now, if not more than, when she put herself through this while smuggling alcohol in Edinburgh.
Finally, he appeared. Skylar took a breath and went for it.
"Mr. Wylie, is that you?" she called out to him.
He looked at her a gross smile curled his lips. "ye are the daughter of Claire Fraser, are you not?"
"I am. I must say, I am most honored that you remember me."
"Oh, I could never forget a face half as lovely as yours."
She giggled and walked closer to him. "Would you forgive me for being honest, Mr. Wylie?"
"Please, speak whatever you wish, my dear." His eyes were laser focused on her breasts.
"I haven't gone a day since our meeting that I don't think of you so fondly." She made her voice soft and her tone suggestive. "My husband, he cannot…satisfy me, in the way I'm certain you can." She came in even closer and played with her neckerchief. "So the fact that I'm seeing you here now is God answering my prayers." She looked up at him with as much innocence as she could muster. He was practically drooling at this point, so she knew she had him. "Would you please, Mr. Wylie, please fulfil what I've been dreaming of since that fateful day?"
"Oh, it would be my greatest pleasure."
"Believe me, the pleasure will most definitely be all mine." She bit her lip and took his hand, leading him towards the alley.
The thick fog of lust that his head was in vanished swiftly at seeing the group waiting for him. He tried to run, but Roger grabbed him and pushed him against the wall. Skylar went to Ian and he held her tight.
"What is the meaning of this? Why are you accosting me in the street?" Wylie demanded to know.
"Tell us where Bonnet is," was all Roger said in a threatening manner.
"Ye said he's come te us, but he didna," Jamie went on. "Did ye give us up? Did ye tell him it was me?"
Wylie responded with his voice shaking from fear. "No. I swear. I don't know where he is. He keeps his goods at my landing, and all I did was arrange for him to meet you there."
"He has my wife!" Roger threw him to the wall again. Wylie squealed in fright.
Jamie continued the interrogation. "Where is his ship? Where does he make berth?"
"I don't know. If I did, I'd tell you. He's made my life a misery, threatening me with blackmail over business he draws profit from. Please…"
Jamie then handed Roger a knife. Roger took it and put the tip under Wylie's chin. He then told them, "There's a brothel he frequents, Mistress Sylvie's. He and I have had meetings there in the past. I'm sure you will find someone there who knows Bonnet. He is a creature of habit."
"Then make yerself scare, Mr. Wylie."
"Without the shadow of a doubt."
With a look from Jamie, Roger pulled him forward and tossed him away. The coward went sprinting past Skylar without giving her a glance and he was gone.
"So, Mistress Sylvie's," Claire repeated.
Jamie nodded. "Claire and I will go investigate. Ye three, wait fer us back at the tavern." They were about to argue, but he cut them off. "We canna all go. We dinna want te cause a scene. Word could get back te Bonnet faster than we do and canna risk him puttin' Bree in any more danger. We'll fetch ye when we have news."
Reluctantly, Skylar, Ian and Roger returned to the tavern and to their own rooms.
"I don't know how Dad can just expect us to wait. Especially Roger, like…I'm scared as hell for my sister, but Bree is his wife, Jemmy's mother. God, he must be a wreck right now," Skylar said as she sat on the bed.
Ian closed the door to their room and went to sit next to her.
"There's naught he nor we can do right now. Uncle Jamie and Auntie Claire will find out all they can, and then we'll be able to get Brianna back. But fer now, all we can do is wait fer them."
She groaned and pressed her hands into her face. "I just need Bonnet out of our lives forever!"
He moved closer to her and put his arms around her, bringing her head to his shoulder. "He will be. Soon. Once we find him and have Bree, he willna draw breath fer long after."
They stayed like that for a minute, him just holding her. When she did pick her head up to look at him again, she said, "So, can I have Ian back now?"
He furrowed his eyebrows together. "What do ye mean?"
"Alexander Malcolm has done his duty." She gestured to the clothes he was still wearing. "But it's time for him to go. I'd like Ian Murray again please."
"Ye mean, ye dinna want me te stay like this?"
Now she didn't understand what he was saying. "What? No, of course not. Why would I want that?"
"I mean, this is who I was when we met and who ye fell in love with. And teday, ye said I was verra handsome in this, and when ye were touchin' my markin's, I could tell ye were glad they could no longer be seen. I-I thought ye meant that ye preferred me like this. If that is the truth, then I'll do it. I'll wear these kinds of clothes again, fer ye. If it would make ye happy."
Skylar was at a loss for words. She never expected him to be thinking like that, and it broke her heart.
Even after all this time, he still thinks he's not good enough for me?
"Ian, I said you looked handsome because I could see how miserable you were and I wanted to try to make you feel a little bit better. And I touched your covered tattoos because I missed seeing them." He lowered his gaze to the floor and she could tell he didn't believe her. So she tried again. "I fell in love with you. I fell in love with your unbelievably kind heart, with your mind. With you being able to make me laugh even when I don't want to. With you always making me feel safe whenever you're around me. With a million other things that have absolutely nothing whatsoever at all to do with the kind of fabric that you wear on your body."
"But would ye not be more comfortable being seen with someone who looks the part of a gentleman?"
"I want to be seen with you as you. And this," she took hold of his jacket collar, "is not you. You're a Mohawk, Ian. That's who you are now. I know that and I love it. I would never ever consider asking you to give up any of that life or leave it behind. It's part of you, and so it's part of me. I want everything that comes along with that life to be a part of ours. Least of all, the clothes. I know who I married, and I love him more than anything else in this world. Do you believe me when I say this?" He nodded. "Good. Now, can I please have my husband back?" She took the hat off him, his braids tumbling out and down his neck. She ran her hand over his strip of hair and held on to the back of his neck. She pulled him into her and kissed him deeply, reiterating every word she had said through it. When they broke apart, Ian was smiling at her with the brightness in eyes returning.
"Konnorónhkwa, Okwaho'kenha," she whispered to him.
He laughed lightly at hearing her speak the little Mohawk she knew to him, that sealing it for him that she really did accept all of him. He kissed her again then finally went about to change.
After just about an hour, Jamie and Claire returned. They said they had gotten intel from one of the women in the brothel that Bonnet was holding Brianna on Ocracoke and was planning to sell her as a concubine. They were able to secure a boat, Ian using his disguise clothes as payment, and raced to the island.
They had spotted a large ship docked off the coast and they knew right away that involved Bonnet. Once they reached shore, they sprinted in it's direction. They paused when they came around a small sand hill and saw people near them. In the small group, they immediately picked out Bonnet and Bree. Roger raised his gun and fired at one of the strangers. The shot got the others' attention.
With the distraction, Brianna was able to break from Bonnet and took off towards her family, them running to her as fast as they could as well. Bonnet chased after her and grabbed her, but he pushed her to the ground and tried to get away as Roger went after him.
Skylar and Claire fell to their knees to hug Brianna, all three of them crying.
Jamie stopped at his daughter for a moment to ask her if she was safe.
"I'm fine," she told him, not letting go of the other two.
"Christ a-fucking-live, Bree," Skylar muttered in between sobs.
They pulled apart and looked back in time to see Roger deliver a final blow to Bonnet, knocking him down and out. Roger stared at the villain at his feet for a moment, hardly believing that he had actually just done that. But then he saw his wife and he looked like he was about to cry as well.
"Roger," Bree said, and she stood up. They ran into each other and he kissed her no less than ten times on her face and lips. They held the other's face in their hands and pressed their foreheads together, whispering words of love and relief.
While they had their reunion, Ian used the rope Bree had originally tied around her hands to bind Bonnet's. They gathered to watch as the parasite that had been hurting their family for far too long was at long last apprehended and at their mercy.
As Ian finished, he got close to Bonnet's bloodied face and spat, "Ye've been livin' on borrowed time since ye hurt my wife." He gave a final tug on the rope to make sure it was tight enough that it hurt, then went to Skylar, pulling her close to his side and keeping his arm on her hip.
Skylar couldn't fathom that this was real. The man that haunted her nightmares for years on end was going to face justice. She would no longer have to be afraid of feeling his phantom hands and mouth on her. The dark purple bruises he had left behind could be erased forever with no chance of being seen in her mind's eye again. She and her family could just live in serenity without his constant threat hovering over them.
"Do ye think his men will come fer him?" Roger questioned.
"Not if they have any sense. They'll be rid'a him soon enough," Jamie shot back. "They'll have a ship and their freedom. And we saved them the bother of a mutiny." He went for the bag Ian had over his shoulder and took out a flask. He stepped towards Bonnet and threw it to him, the alcohol spilling onto the sand. "Have a drop fer yer soul." With no more dignity left to lose, their prisoner began to lap up the clear liquid as it ran out. Jamie took a knee to get closer and grabbed him by the collar to say, "Know that whatever happens, the last face ye'll see on this Earth willna be that of a friend." He let go and Bonnet's head fell back down.
Skylar wanted to know what came next. "So, what do we do with him? Leave him here to rot in the sun and starve to death?" She would've loved for his end to come slowly and painfully.
"I wanna take him to Wilmington," Brianna voiced. "I want him to be judged according to the law."
"Can you trust them?" Claire suggested. "His dealings have brought a lot of influence in Wilmington."
We can't let him get away again. This needs to end, Skylar thought nervously.
"Tryon," Roger spoke up. "This bastard may have influence with businessmen and landowners, but surely Governor Tryon outdoes them all, even from New York."
Jamie agreed. "Aye. Tryon still owes us fer his mistake at Alamance. He'll see him condemned. That's I'm sure of."
So that same day, Jamie sent a letter to Tryon explaining the situation and what was needed of him. In the months it took to reach him and then get a response, Bonnet was kept in an isolated cell, being given just enough food and water to survive. Guards were set on him 24/7 to make sure he didn't venture an escape or take his life to evade his punishment. Finally, they received word from Tryon. He gave the official condemnation of Bonnet and sentenced him to death. The method of execution decided upon was drowning, and with Bonner's irrational fear of water, a more perfect choice couldn't have been made. So Skylar's wish of a slow and painful death was granted.
Psychological pain is even more fitting.
The day of the execution, Skylar and Brianna told their family they wanted to witness it happen. No attempts were made to talk them out of it. The only ask of them was that their husbands went along.
So they stood on the shore of an inlet and watched as he was chained to a wooden pole in the water. He was terrified yet no one felt any pity for him. They waited as the water started to rise, getting higher and higher and closer to his mouth. They stayed while the other spectators eventually left. But they needed to see followed through.
Skylar didn't move her eyes from him. She could see in her peripherals Ian beside her, holding her hand, turn to look at her every so often; but she didn't give him any response. It was as if she was trying to will him to die faster. The only thing that ended up breaking her focus was Roger saying, "What are ye doin'?"
She looked at him and Bree and saw Bree had taken Roger's gun and was aiming it out to the water.
"Bree-" Skylar started, but the gun was fired before she could continue. The other three's heads snapped forward and saw that Bonnet was now face down and red was dying the ripples surrounding him.
Skylar inhaled sharply. It was done. He was gone.
Bree handed Roger back his gun, not looking at him, still staring at the now corpse of her attacker.
Roger couldn't keep himself from asking, "Brianna, was that mercy? Or was it te make sure he's dead?"
She didn't answer. All she did was lock eyes with Skylar and held out her hand to her. Skylar took a breath, then let go of Ian's hand to take Bree's. In silence, the two sisters turned their backs on Stephen Bonnet for the last time and walked away, into a life of peace they never thought would be possible.
I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has followed this story. FaTS has reached 100 followers and I could not be more grateful! Every follow, favorite, review and view this fic gets brings me so much joy and makes me even more excited to keep going 3
And more is definitely coming! I love ye all verra much and I cannot wait for 26!
MOHAWK TRANSLATION
Konnorónhkwa, Okwaho'kenha – "I love you, Wolf's Brother"