Second on the Right (46 page)

She looked at him incredulously. She knew
something must have happened to have caused this change, but she
had no idea what. Despite her best efforts, her face flushed,
showed the hurt she was feeling inside. She nodded, trying
suppressing any emotion, any tears whatsoever.

The anger in his eyes seemed to recede. With
a sigh, he said quietly, “Just, remain in here.”

He waved her towards the corner where a
hammock had been setup for her. A few tears escaped, running down
her cheeks. Without another word, she lay in her hammock, facing
away from Benedict.

Reaching Saint Vincent Island, the
Mistral
Thief
anchored off shore. Eileen stepped towards the door to
join the crewmen on deck waiting to go ashore. One look from
Benedict shattered any hopes she might have had about leaving

Benedict grabbed her and yanked her to him.
“And where is it ye think ye are goin'?" he asked with an
unfriendly chuckle.

“Leaving the ship. I can't stay here, you
can't keep me here!" She tried to push away, but he held her wrists
tight.

“Aye. I can. And that is exactly what I
intend ta do." He leaned in close, feeling the temptation to kiss
her. Eileen struggled against his hold. She tried to use the nearby
table to push back, but ended up kicking him in the groin. With a
groan, Benedict bent forward. Though not enough to send him to the
floor, it did cause some pain.

Benedict recovered. “T'will be tha last time
ye catch me off guard, wench!" he snapped. He was going to teach
her a quick lesson so she would never try to fight him again. With
fire in his eyes, he ran his dagger down her cheek. She tried to
pull away, but he pinned her against the table. Leaning close to
her face to ensure his words were heard, "Ye fail ta realize, I am
a pirate. I take what I desire." She cringed at his proximity. "We
will be havin' words when I return. In the meantime, behave." He
traced the tip of the dagger over her skin, stopping the point at
her neck. "Do ye think ye can manage?”

She nodded. The look in her eyes as she
listened to him was one of pure terror. Never had he spoken or
acted in such a way towards her. Benedict felt a slight pang of
guilt at having been so rough, but he felt it was necessary. He
suppressed any regret as he left.

The
Jolly Roger
had reached and passed
the
Mistral Thief
during the night. Knowing her destination,
James ordered the crew to press on towards the island. In silence,
they worked as their captain anxiously paced about the ship. The
crew was excited at the prospect of shore leave.

Anchoring off shore away from the side where
Kingstown was located, the
Jolly Roger
sat in cover of
darkness. James planned that when the
Mistral Thief
arrived
with Benedict on it, there would be no evidence of the
Jolly
Roger
in sight. He was counting on the element of surprise.

James hiked up the rocky terrain to the
familiar hideout he and Eileen had explored so long ago. It took
several wrong turns and a corrected turn to finally jog his memory,
but at last he found it: Benedict's hideaway. James knew the first
thing Benedict would do once ashore would be to head for this
secret stowaway of treasure to ensure its safety. Keeping an eye
out for the arrival of the
Mistral Thief
, James took in the
ocean breeze, his nerves tingling in anticipation. There, he
patiently waited.

If Benedict refused to give Eileen up, James
was fully prepared to take Benedict’s life in exchange. Eileen may
have trusted Benedict, but James didn’t. And every moment he knew
she was with him was constant agony in his mind. Eileen's trust
blinded her to what kind of man Benedict truly was. James had no
such delusions. He feared for her safety. He hoped Benedict hadn’t
touched her yet, but knew it would only be a matter of time. He had
noticed the way Benedict looked at her, how he acted in her
absence. Just the thought made James' livid.

After a while, the light grew bright as the
sun rose. Morning arrived, but Benedict had not. James wondered if
he had made an error in judgment. He was about to leave when he
heard faint footsteps. Stepping out of sight, he again waited for
the captain to enter, tempted to run him through with the sword
first, then ask questions later.

Having left Eileen on board the
Mistral
Thief
, Benedict had taken a long walk around the island. Before
heading to his hidden treasure, he needed time to think. Leaving
Eileen the way he did left a knot in his stomach. He cursed himself
for caring. He was a pirate after all. He should be satisfied with
how he had handled the situation.

Images of Eileen flashed in his mind. He let
out a growl.
Why do I feel a strong urge to turn around and go
back to the ship?
He knew exactly why. The fear in her eyes,
the tears streaming down her face. He had so desperately wanted to
pull her to him, to have her fall in love with him, but in
contrast, he had actually pushed her further away.

He recalled their intimate encounter after he
had rescued her. The feel of her body, the look of every curve was
exactly how he had imagined it. And then he fell asleep. "Arrghh!"
He cried out at the thought of having dozed off after his dream had
come true. He had been exhausted from months at sea, searching for
treasure. It all had caught up with him. He shook his head,
resuming his walk, this time towards the hideaway.

"Pull yerself tagether man!" he mumbled.

At last reaching the cave, he gingerly
stepped inside. His gut told him to be wary. He didn’t know why,
but he found himself unsheathing his sword as he entered. A flash
of light reflected off metal caused him to swing his sword in
defense, catching the downward swing of his opponent’s sword. The
clang of hard steel on steel echoed in the cave. Benedict pushed
hard, but was met with an equally strong force. James circled his
sword around Benedict’s and, with a loud clap, knocked it out of
Benedict's hand.

"Show yerself!" Benedict demanded of his
opponent.

James’ sword remained at the ready, followed
by Captain James Hook. Benedict recovered from his look of
surprise. He thought for sure he had some time before the
Jolly
Roger
reached the island.
Apparently, I've underestimated
him
. "What is it ya want?" he snapped.

James pointed his sword at Benedict's chest.
His eyes were dark, hinting at a lack of sleep and, consequently,
patience. "You know what I want." He stepped forwarded, causing
Benedict to retreat. "I want Eileen."

Benedict, without his sword, was at James’
mercy. He chose to feign ignorance, shrugging. "I'd like ta have
her meself," he simply said.

James did not fall for the lies, pressing the
tip of his sword against Benedict's chest. "You will take me to
your ship. You will allow my men to search it. And once I find her,
you’llallow us to leave."

Benedict thought for a moment, then gave a
quick nod and a shrug. "Agreed," he said.

James stepped back, waved his hook in the
direction of the ship and waited for Benedict to lead the way. With
a great sigh, Benedict turned and headed back towards the
Mistral Thief
. He didn’t enjoy being forced to do anything,
certainly not by James.
He wouldn’t be here if it weren't for
me.
While he led James back to his ship, his mind turned over
ways to solve his dilemma.

Boarding the
Mistral Thief
, the crew
eye James suspiciously. James noted the vantage points, in case
things went bad. His plan was simple: find Eileen, demand her
return with him and leave safely back to the
Jolly Roger.
The only problem James had with the plan was whether or not he
would be able to quell his temper.

"Jas," Benedict said with forced
friendliness. "Welcome back ta me ship, tha
Mistral
Thief
!"

"Where is she?" James said in a deep
voice.

Benedict was facing James. At the question,
his eyes darted to the left, as if looking behind him. They looked
back at James. "There's nothin' here for ye, Jas," he said in all
seriousness.

“You’ll not lay a hand on her, Captain—"
James began to argue, but stopped.

Benedict saw his gaze directed behind him.
Rolling his eyes, he turned to see Eileen standing at the door of
his quarters. Her hair was pulled back in a braid with a few loose
wisps of hair flowing in the breeze. Her face was extremely pale,
her eyes surrounded by dark circles, and her body slimmer than
before. Yet, to James, she couldn’t have been more beautiful. He
moved his right arm behind his body, hiding the hook.

Benedict snarled.
She can't manage to
follow a simple order, won't listen to me!
he thought,
exasperated.

"James?" she looked at him, as if in a
dream.

"Woman! Did I not tell ye ta stay?" Benedict
snapped.

James couldn’t help but smile, "Eileen!" He
moved towards her, but was stopped as Benedict stepped in his
path.

"James!" Eileen cried, running to him.

He pushed roughly passed Benedict, glaring at
him all the while. James swept Eileen into a tender embrace,
immediately feeling the fragility of her body. He forgot where he
was. He was so happy to finally have her back in his arms.

"My love!" he whispered, kissing her and
burying his face into her neck, her familiar scent intoxicating to
him. "I-I thought you were dead. If I had known—" He choked on his
words.

Eileen cried "I thought. That boy. I—" She
stopped. Her gaze fixed on Benedict.

"You!" she shouted at Benedict. He looked at
her in feigned surprise.

"You!" she screamed at him, running to attack
him. Benedict grabbed and twisted her wrists. She ripped violently
from his grasp. Her breathing was ragged. Benedict removed his
pistol from his belt. Holding it to her head, he pulled her close
to him.

"Benedict!" James shouted. "Let her go.”

"Now why would I be giving up so fine a
prize?" he asked, running his lips up her cheek where he roughly
kissed her.

When Eileen had caught her breath, she said.
"You knew he was alive, Robert. You knew and yet you never said a
word!"

"True, but it is ye who never asked, dearie,"
he whispered into her ear. He chuckled proud of his cunning. He
glanced at James, who stood tense, sword pointed in their
direction. "Oh and as fer layin' a hand on her. Well, that be too
late." He laughed obnoxiously.

James clenched his teeth. "How dare you speak
of my wife in that manner!" He advanced, but stopped as Benedict
pushed the barrel into the side of her head. "You've obviously
taken advantage of her trust."

"How dare I? Why don't ya ask tha lady,
hmmm?" he grinned wickedly. Eileen closed her eyes. Her flushed
skin betrayed her. "I assure ye, it was consensual. Isn't that so,
missy?"