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Nickel, that they have gone to that boat youmentioned?”our captor said.
Nickel recoiled as if struck, and his gaze darted frantically to the friends he had betrayed. “I…I’m…I’m not… that was not part of our bargain! I was to tell you when they returned. Yousaid youwould take Willand Mistress Striker and theywould not be hurt. Yousaid nothingof…”
“Oh, hush,” our captor said disparagingly. “They will all hate youanyway. It is too late to defend yourself.”
“Nickey,”Viviansaid plaintively. “Youdid this?”
“It was for us,”he protested frantically. “Will’s father will make himdivorce youand…”
“He was going to do it because I asked him to,” Vivian wailed. “I told you he would if I asked him. I told you… I told you… But you. Damnyou!”
She dove at him, a flurry of flailing fists. He stepped back and another man stepped forward and backhanded her to the ground. We all roared in protest, and Rachel struggled to go to her, but her captors did not release her.
My wife sat where she fell and fingered her split lip. There was horror and a distant thing not quite herself in her eyes as she regarded the blood on her fingers. Her gaze cast about untilshe found me. She was a scared little girl: the child who had turned to a bottle to hide fromcynicismand cruelty.
“It will be well, Vivian,” I tried to assure her, though
“It will be well, Vivian,” I tried to assure her, though anyone hearingmyvoice knew I lied.
She shook her head. “I cannot go back,” she wailed. “I willnot.”
Our captor scoffed. “I was not employed to secure your return, youlittle trollop.”
She gasped and collapsed to sob inher skirts.
“There is no need to be cruel!”I yelled.
“Is there not?”The manseemed to seriouslyconsider the question. “Well, perhaps no need, but I have found I derive a certain enjoyment from it.” He turned back to his men. “Speaking of needs, any who wish can do what they will with her. She is not necessary.”
I roared such that I could not hear the protests of the others. I saw Nickel’s mouth open as he stepped forward and drew his pistols and began to aim at the tall man. I could not count the retorts that took himdown; and he crumpled, wounds blossomingeverywhere.
A muffled pistol retort broke the following silence, and everyone, including our suave captor, started and cast about for the source.
One of the mercenaries stepped forward and pulled on Vivian’s shoulder. She flopped over, lifeless, blood running from under her chin. The smallpistolshe clutched fellfromher fingers.
A ragged cry was torn from our throats yet again, and eventhe mercenaries seemed surprised she had takenher life.
Guilt covered me like a pall. We should not have gone. We should not have left them. So much could have been averted if we had stayed. We could have sailed for Tortuga before my father ever sent instructionto Modyford—or these men.
The tall man went to gaze upon the bodies. Rachel clung to Theodore and her sobs resounded off the walls. Striker was swearingina steady, breathystreambeside me.
I looked to Gaston and found more scared man than ragingHorse inhis gaze.
“I love you,”I mouthed.
He took a ragged breathand mouthed the same.
Knowing I would die loved did not ease my heart, though: I knew I would see Gaston die first: either quickly and callously as Nickel had, or with slow agony for my father’s or Shane’s amusement. My Horse screamed in my heart. It sounded as I imagined the screams of my great black charger Goliath must have. I never heard them; I only saw the animal wheezing with suffering in the aftermath of Shane’s torture. I had not hesitated to pull a blade and release the great beast fromhis pain. I envied my poor wife: the need to release Gaston and myself from the cruelty that was surely our only future gripped me, and I wanted very much to plunge a blade in the both of us. The sure knowledge of the evil incarnated in the men we faced eclipsed any