The Duke's Daughter -Wattys2014 Collector's Dream Award Winner-

Chapter Seventy Three

Alejandro stood, puffing on a cheroot, while he watched his men round up the pirates, disarm them, and tie their wrists to their ankles as they were forced into a kneeling position in the sand. The hungover pirates did not put up too much protest as his men moved quickly and quietly about them.

"That be all the pirates on shore, Sir." A senior crewman reported to his first mate. Alejandro's brow rose as he glanced up the beach and watched Chauncey stumbling about. Dismissing the pirate as no threat, Alejandro turned back to his man.

"Bueno, ready the small boats, we will take the Saucy Wench next."

"Aye, aye, Sir." The crewman replied, as he moved off to do exactly that.

Alejandro tossed the cheroot into the sand, grinding the cherry out with the toe of his boot. He turned his attention to the pirates, seeing only one who's face and eyes held an intelligent light at the moment.

"You, man," Alejandro spoke, as he stepped before the pirate, "What is your name and rank?"

"Brutus Marks, first mate." Brutus replied, surliness tinging his words.

"What does your captain plan?" Alejandro knelt in the sand before the pirate.

"I know not. I was on the second shift and did not speak to him before the third departed."

Alejandro stood and moved towards his own crew, dismissing the man as useless.

"We're ready, Sir."

Alejandro nodded and helped push the boat off of the sand before he climbed aboard.

They approached the Saucy Wench without so much as a question from the men still aboard her. Perhaps they had sampled the rum liberally as well.

Alejandro grabbed a loose line and looped his long legs around it, pulling himself up to the deck of the ship. Slipping over the railing, Alejandro padded up behind the two pirates sitting on the hatch on silent feet. Dipping low, he pulled a short blade from each boot top. He slipped the blades around each man's neck and spoke in a low voice between their heads, "Raise the alarm, brothers, and 'twill be the last thing you do."

Small nods from both men satisfied Alejandro, but he did not remove his blades from their unprotected skin until a bit of cloth was tied about their mouths.

The ship was foul, Alejandro noticed, while he awaited his men as they joined him on deck. Everything seemed to be covered in a thick layer of grime. Rats ran freely along the deck, barely even moving when a man stepped close. A pungent odor was prominent and Alejandro buried his nose in his collar.
When all the men were assembled on deck, Alejandro motioned for them to follow him down the hatch.

"Sir!" The crewman closest to him whispered loudly, "You ain't gonna believe this."

Alejandro closed his eyes in annoyance before he turned the sailor's way. He knew everything had been proceeding far too smoothly.

*****

Derek was treading water out past the reef almost directly in the Lady's path. He knew what he was doing was dangerous, but there was no way in hell he was going to let Violet Petals sail right past him on his own stolen vessel.
The pirate had made one solid mistake. The small boat was still tied to the mooring line at the stern and trailed behind in the Lady's wake. The ship came closer, and closer still. Derek moved slightly to his left, and prayed that the currents the ship created would play in his favor. As the ship loomed above him, Derek took a deep breath and dove deep under the water. He watched as the Lady passed above his right shoulder. When the stern and the small boat tied behind came into view, Derek kicked hard with his legs and pushed up through the surface just as the small boat came close. Derek locked an arm inside the small boat and caught his breath for a moment as he was tugged along in the Lady's wake.