Read Underworld Queen for Free Online Page A

tons of vacant tables. He chose one in the corner and ordered a cappuccino.
    Jonas turned to the seas and joined what he thought was a salvage operation, in order to raise funds to defend his claim. Through mutiny and demise of the captain on one voyage, he was pressed into service as a pirate, or face death.
    Jonas excelled at being a corsair or pirate. He soon rose through the ranks and became known as the Blackbird, using a black starling symbol on his ship’s colors. He brought great wealth to his crew and investors who hired him. But he tried to spare human life whenever possible, and had a reputation for protecting women, especially beautiful women. This made little difference to the authorities, and he became a wanted man, unable to have a permanent home without fear of being arrested. One day, his luck ran out.
    The barista brought him a large-handled brown ceramic cup and saucer. He inhaled the frothy foam at the top and savored the warm elixir he loved on Sunday mornings while reading his newspaper. Had the world gone crazy? Kids having sex in front of him at his favorite tavern? Promising students with perhaps a dark agenda? Lovely Molly who haunted him and made his groin lurch whenever he thought of her? A mysterious lady wanting information about a 17 th century man who turned to a life of piracy after losing his entire fortune and his family?
    I’m merely a professor. Am I a magnet for these things? He didn’t have an answer.
    He read on:
    Having lost all he held dear, and now a wanted criminal, he perished in a prison somewhere on Antigua in his early twenties.
    Stories are still told in dark places in some of the shantytowns dotted throughout the Caribbean, that Jonas lived, and was found leading a quiet life in several places around the islands. Rumor has it that each time he was found, he would disappear again.
    Carl wondered why he had never run across this compelling story before.
    Why is she interested in him? He considered the sultry dark-haired young woman who asked for his help, who had agreed to advance him a month’s wages to give her a dossier on this intriguing character from history. He was to meet up with her on Saturday at this very coffee shop.
    He thumbed through the book, looking for other references to Jonas Starling, but could find none. He finished off his coffee, declining a second cup and tipped the girl generously. He cradled the book under his left arm and made a path to the front door.
    Grateful for the cool night air, he decided to walk the few blocks to an all-night copy store, instead of taking his car. There, he duplicated the short chapter.
    “You have permission to copy this? Ever hear about copyright laws?” The clerk had greasy hair and pink skin, dotted with red blemishes. His dark eyes studied him.
    Carl opened the cover of the book and flipped to the publication date. “You ever heard of Shastra Publishing? Do you think anyone is still alive who cares?” The clerk looked down at his finger tapping on the 1860 notation.
    “Never can tell.”
    Carl looked at his watch. “Look, man, I’ll just go somewhere else. I come in here all the time and make copies of manuscripts. I’m a history professor.”
    “I know who you are.”
    Does he have a smile on his face? Who the hell is this kid? Carl felt a chill tingle down his spine.
    “Ah, probably nothing to worry about, right?” The kid broke into an evil smirk. “I mean, who could possibly care after a hundred and fifty years?” He rang up the fee and Carl paid with his campus credit card.
    He felt the clerk’s eyes on his back as he left the store. Carl raised his hand to adjust his bowtie and then discovered he had already removed it. He undid one more button on his shirt and rolled his shoulders.
    Maybe I should have stayed for the second beer. Walking back to his car relaxed him.
    The cottage Carl lived in was part of the campus housing for single staff. But he would have chosen it on his own. He loved the