Chapter 48

She sat perched on a nearby barrel observing him. He was still out cold; tied to the ship's mast. His head lulled back and forth with the sway of the ship as it danced across the sea.

The midday sun was hot, but they were thankful for the sea breeze that cooled the unforgivable balmy weather that was slowly approaching them from the west.

Every so often, one or two crewmen would offer her wine or bread to eat but she would refuse. She was in no mood to eat or sleep. Warily they watched her observing the pirate tied to the mast. No orders were given on what to do with him as he was dragged and chained to the damp pulpy wood.

Slow footfalls caught her attention and she looked up at Commodore Oliver Ramsey, the captain of the ship, making his way towards her. The burly older man with grey matted hair looked a worse for wear. He stopped inches away from her shifting his gaze from the man clinging to the mast then to her.

"What do you plan to do with him, lass?"

She looked away from his expectant gaze and focused on Justin.

What was she going to do with him?

Truthfully, she did not think that far. She wanted answers. That was clear.

She wants to know why he took her child? Where is he keeping him?

With each rising question in her mind, she was getting impatient and anxious for answers only he could give. And that upset her even more. So much so, the threat of her tears hung dangerously on her eyelids.

She blinked them away, refusing to let these men see her at her weakest. Her lips thinned as she quickly stood and gave the order.

"Wake him up."

*****

Brisk cool seawater brought him out of the dark recesses of his mind. With a gasp, he shook his head as he was doused again with water.

"Bloody hell, enough! I'm awake." He yelled.

His head lulled back, resting on the wood post as his eyes slowly opened. 

Still lightly drunk, his head went forward to land on twelve sets of boots. Twelve unrecognizable men surrounded him. With daggers and scabbards drawn to give them courage. He chuckled inwardly.

What did he do?

Had a tavern brawl gone wrong?

His head flopped back to look up at their unfamiliar faces. It was clear now to him that he was in a predicament of sorts. Tied to a ship's mast. Again....

He frowned; it wasn't his ship.

That. Sobered him up some.

"Untie me, " he ordered to no one in particular, but it was loud enough to hear, yet none of them moved.

He struggled furiously. The light groan of the ropes popped and slightly stretched.

They exchanged nervous glances. One and all kept a safe distance lest their captive changed his inclination and decide to break loose and attack. 

"I said untie me. Now!" He looked up at them.

No one moved. His jaw clenched as he looked around slowly. 

Where the hell was his crew?

What did they do?

He lowered his head and tightened his eyes shut. He needed to remember what happened last night.

Why was he tied up?

All of those thoughts froze in the back of his head the moment a shadow loomed over him. 

He opened his eyes, and they fell on small boots then slowly made their way up to focus on snug breeches, a form-fitting blouse, then...familiar, accusing aquamarine eyes.

She held his gaze. He was fully aware something was afoot. Those eyes of hers showed no love. No despair. No hurt.

Only anger. As if...Sparks flew like metal against metal.

His chest tightened. Of all the disastrous outcomes that could have happened to a pirate captain, the infamous Black Scourge was faced with the unthinkable — a jilted lover.

He was caught in the net of her harsh blue-green eyes. Ones that seemed to cut right through him. The ones that used to look at him as if he were the most important person in the world.

Tempest Whitwell.

His Tempest. It couldn’t be her. He was dreaming. Or hallucinating. He must be. 

He blinked. Tempest was still there, staring back at him.

He pulled against the ropes. He wanted to reach for her. Tell her how much he loved and missed her. But he froze as the pointy edge of her cutlass pressed to his throat.

He held her gaze with shock and confusion.

"What is the meaning of this, Tempest?"

Her lips thinned as she stepped closer and lowered to her haunches before him.

Aquamarine eyes clashed with his.

"You're going to give me back my son.

Or you die."

*******

"You're going to give me back my son.

Or you die."

An eerie silence spread across the ship's deck as they stared at one another.

Justin's gaze lowered to the gleam of the blade pressed beneath his chin, then slowly rose up to settle on Tempest.

He frowned at what she was saying.

Her son?

"Tempest..." He shook his head then paused as she pressed the blade to his throat.

"Where is my son?" She asked again.

Confused, he glanced up at the men around her. He did not understand.

"Tempest, our son..." He stopped as she leaned forward. The glare in her eyes went ice cold.

"My... son, " she hissed.

He remained silent.

"I won't ask again, where is he?"

"You know very well where he is, " he leaned forward.

She stood abruptly and began to pace.

He relaxed some but cautiously watched her and the blade in her hand; gleaming from the little sunlight left in the day.

"Tempest? Why are you doing this? Untie me." He said as he pulled on his restraints.

She stopped and faced him once more.

"You have the nerve to ask as if you don't know why?"

"No, I don't know why. Untie me. Now." He hissed.

"Not until you tell me where you have my son!" She yelled.

"He is DEAD! Tempest, " he yelled back.

She stumbled back with a gasp.

"What did you say?" She paled.

"He is dead. How can you not know that?" He shook his head?

"You lie, " she refused to believe him.

"What did you do with him?" She dropped to her knees.

Distraught sea green eyes rose to his, on the verge of tears.

In a flash of fury, she lunged for him, wrapping her fingers around his shirt.

"You murderer. You killed my son!"

"I did not!" He yelled struggling against his restraints.

In the melee of their shouting, one of the ship's men came running across the deck.

"A ship approaches, Captain!"

Another crewman followed, turning pale with fright. 

"It is the Floating Vengeance, and it is coming quickly."

The captain cursed and turned away.

The men began to scatter as he shouted orders. "Raise the sails!"

Justin looked up at Captain Ramsey. 

"Untie me, " he demanded.

He watched as the captain turned to face him then hesitated, then his gaze sadly lowered to Tempest in a crumpled heap of tears before Justin.

"Untie me, " he demanded again. 

But Ramsey still refused as he nervously looked around with his men hurrying to raise the sails.

"Damn you, don't you see she is not well," Justin angrily shouted.

The captain wearily stared at Justin, conflict evident in his gaze.

"You are no match for my men. You are outnumbered." Justin added.

Still, the captain did not move.

"It will not bode well for you if they find me chained to this mast."

It wasn't until the captain understood Justin's warning that he turned around in time to order a crewman to set him free.

In the middle of all the chaos, Justin was freed. He pulled away from the large wooden mast then quickly reached for Tempest and pulled her close. He stood immediately with her in his arms and walked to the side rail.

He could see his ship in the distance. He immediately turned to one of the crewmen.

"I need your Captain's quarters."

He looked up at Justin then looked at Tempest but didn't move.

" I don't want her above deck when my men board this ship, " he said, "it may get ugly if they take this ship, " he added in a warning tone. "Understand, they do not come in peace."

His shoulders lowered in defeat as he silently led Justin below deck.

In the captain's quarters, he placed Tempest on the bunk and stepped back slowly. He felt conflicted leaving her alone, but he needed to be above deck so that his men can see that he is alright.

The sudden thumps of footsteps above his head and commotion pulled him away as he made his way above deck to see the Floating Vengeance sailing beside them. Immediately a plank fell onto their deck, and his men charged forward shouting with scabbards drawn ready to strike down the ship's crew.

Immediately he stepped forward between them and raised his hands before big John could reach for the man behind him. The pirate's eyes bulged as he halted before Justin and the men behind him followed. The loud shouts and war cries died down, and they stood silently staring at each other.

Bellamy pushed through the crowd of men before him until he was face to face with Justin. Relief spread across his face to see his captain unharmed.

"Cap'n?" He began.

"I'm alright, Bellamy...I.." He began. But before he could finish, large arms wrapped around him from the sides.

"Cap'n, Yer alive!" Quinn squeezed him lifting him off of his feet with excitement.

Quinn placed him on his feet and stepped back with a smile looking around.

"Where is...?" He softly asked.

Justin's lips thinned.

"She is in the Captain's Quarters, " he said.

Bellamy stepped forward. His gaze landed on Justin. 

"She was the one that..., " he began then paused as Justin's gaze saddened.

"She is not well; it is not her fault. I am to blame for all of this, " Justin shook his head.

They remained silent watching each other.

"What 'appened to her?" Big John asked.

Justin frowned as he looked up at big John then at Bellamy. 

"She.., " he paused, " She believes I have our son. She believes I took him, " he shook his head still confused.

"But didn't you?" Ramsey asked. His voice was menacingly low as he stepped forward.

Justin turned to meet the captains accusing gaze.

"Of course not. My son is dead!" he hollered. The vibration of his voice quivered across the deck for all of them to hear.

"What the bloody hell did you do with him?" Ramsey in dismay shouted back.

Immediately scabbards were being raised on both sides as both Captains stepped towards each other.

"I may be many things, but I will never harm a child, " Justin hissed stepping closer to Ramsey.

"Aye, but you would harm the mother of your child instead, by taking her son away?" Ramsey shouted.

"What?" Justin frowned.

"Come now, pirate! You took your son from her. Admit it. Everyone knows you did. Where are you keeping him?" A crewman behind Ramsey spoke up. A wave of murmuring from the men behind him followed.

"What are you fools blabbering about, " the feeble voice of Tempest's grandfather broke the silence in the air. 

Justin turned to watch the elderly man walking forward as his men cleared the way for the Coronel.

Immediately, Ramsey's eyes widened and he quickly with respect gave a curt salute. The seamen behind him followed.

The Coronel stepped closer to the captain. Tired old eyes gazed up at the ship's sails before resting them on Ramsey.

"You are accusing this man of a dastardly deed, captain, " The colonel said.

"Aye, my Lord. He is guilty of it all. Everyone in town heard that he came and took the child the night mistress Tempest gave birth, " Ramsey said.

"Aye, and when we went to see about my granddaughter and grandchild, we were informed that he died in childbirth. So which is it?" The colonel stomped his stick in anger.

They all exchanged astonished gazes.

"It seems to me, good sirs that this wicked deed has Lady Fontaine's name written all over it." Ashbourne the Magistrate cleared the path of men to join the conversation.

Worried and unsettled the colonel nodded. 

"In the meantime, while all is decided, I want to see my granddaughter, " the colonel demanded.

He slowly approached a young man, one of Ramsey's crewmen. 

"You, take me to my granddaughter, " he ordered.

With rigid steps, the young sailor sloppily stepped forward and nervously saluted the coronel.

" Hurry boy, before ye piss a puddle where ye stand. I don't have all day. I'm weary and I need to sit., " he grumbled impatiently as the crewman reached to steady him and walk with him. 

They cleared the path for him but before he walked away, he turned to face Justin.

Sad weary old eyes lifted to his. 

"We will get to the bottom of this, Lad, " he assured him.

Justin swallowed the lump forming in his throat with what had come to light. The lie that his son was dead. He was out there, alive.

He gave the elderly man a quick nod.

"Aye, that we will, Coronel, " he whispered hoarsely.

Aye, that we will....