The Pirate (7 page)

He broke off and she realized that he didn't want to react the way he had the last time.

“Don't worry, Rudy. None of us are going to take this lying down.”

“Sometimes you don't have a choice. Men like these pirates, they have nothing to lose. They don't understand things like our lives and our loves. It makes it very hard for them to be reasoned with.”

Daphne nodded, realizing that Rudy and his girlfriend had probably been in a situation like this in South America. “I've never been taken hostage before.”

“It's not something you want to get used to,” he said. “The men who held us in Peru were with the drug cartel. So it wasn't a ransom thing. But a territorial thing.”

“I don't imagine that makes much difference,” Daphne said.

“No, it doesn't,” Rudy said.

“I read a bit about the pirates in this area before we left and they don't seem to be motivated to kill their captives—just use them for leverage to get money.”

“I don't care about that. I'm tired of being used by men with no moral compass. I'm not going to take this sitting down.”

Rudy stood up and walked away and all Daphne could do was stare after him. He was a loose cannon—someone without anything grounding him to the moral compass he'd just talked about. Focusing on Rudy would give her something useful to do, but she had no idea how to talk him down from this. How to make Rudy give up his anger. Hell, she hadn't been able to get rid of her own anger until she realized that she didn't want to lose Laz.

It was funny how caring was the bridge that made all the difference. There was no one here that Rudy could care about. Their group was newly formed and they hadn't bonded with each other yet. Who knew when they would?

And the women here…well, Rudy wasn't going to fall for Franny, who was clearly involved with Bob, or with her because, well, she wasn't his type. But maybe reminding him of the woman he lost would help.

Daphne walked over to Jerry who was sitting by himself to see if he knew anything about Rudy's past.

“What's up with Rudy?”

“He's agitated and I think he's a bit unstable right now,” Daphne said. “He has been in a hostage situation before.”

Jerry nodded. “When he lost Maria. This has got to be bringing up some bad memories for him.”

“What do you know about that situation?”

“Just that…it was gruesome. The banditos that took Rudy and the rest of the Doctors Across Waters team didn't treat them with respect. The women were violated and the men beaten. I think that Rudy might be feeling like he's back in that situation.”

Daphne took a deep breath. Tried to think of something she could do or say to make things better for Rudy. “I can't reassure him.”

Jerry nodded. “No one can. We don't know what is going to happen to any of us.”

He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “We don't even know if the Captain is going to make it back. I guess if he doesn't it will mean he is either in league with the pirates or dead.”

Daphne blanched. She felt like she'd taken a punch to the stomach. She didn't want Laz dead. She wanted to see him again. To flirt with him again. To see if there was more to the attraction between them than casual sex.

But she knew that was out of her control. One of the things her therapist had said after her divorce was that she had to let go. Letting go had been hard then but it was infinitely harder now. She took a deep breath as Jerry got up and walked over to talk to Rudy.

Their team wasn't going to be the same after this. How could anyone be the same after being threatened? She realized that not trusting a man because he broke your heart was infinitely easier to deal with when you were faced with men who might kill you.

In the overall scheme of things Paul's betrayal wasn't that bad. In fact she realized he'd done her a favor. Their marriage had been flat and boring for a long time, and if he hadn't made the move to end it she might have stayed with him for the rest of her life and never experienced anything worthwhile.

Of course the threat of dying wasn't something she really wanted to experience at this moment, but she knew that she wasn't going to continue to define herself by the divorce. It was past time for her to redefine herself by the actions she took. No more letting life happen to her…

Daphne looked around the holding area and realized how much her focus had narrowed. Nothing beyond living and getting back to her sons mattered to her right now. She'd been silly to think she had to run off to find adventure and the start of her new life. She was a well-rounded woman who had a good life. As much as she wished she wasn't in this situation right now, she was determined to get out of it and make her life more than it had been.

When she got back home she was going to try something new every season. Take those language classes she'd been talking about for a while now and maybe dabble in a little pottery. She wasn't going to let any opportunities pass her by anymore. She realized that there was no guarantee that they'd come by again.

Why was she just realizing this now? she wondered.

D
aphne and the others waited for the Captain to be returned to them. Hamm had organized all of the hostages into paired teams and given them all a task. Daphne was simply grateful. She'd been paired with Hamm and they were in charge of getting all the water and food supplies they could find.

“Where are you from?” Hamm asked as they both loaded their arms with water bottles.

“D.C. area—Virginia actually. You?”

He was a good-looking man of at least six feet. He had reddish brown hair cut close to his head and silver eyes that reminded Daphne of her youngest son's. He didn't smile easily, but he was relaxed and projected a sense of calm, unlike Laz, who projected tension. Or was that simply her reaction to Laz?

“I…um, I heard you and Laz talking earlier on deck and saw some men come aboard. Who were they?”

Hamm pulled away from her. “What else did you see?”

The easygoing man she'd just been talking to disappeared as she saw in Hamm that same tension that Laz carried.

“Nothing. Fridjtof came up the stairs and I had to leave.”

Hamm nodded. “Fridjtof is working with the pirates.”

“Why did you hire him then?”

“We didn't,” Hamm said.

“You still haven't told me anything,” she said.

“Get those packages of dried fruit,” he said.

She reached for them and then turned to look at the other man. “I'm not going to stop asking questions just because you are trying to avoid them. I think given the situation we are all in, I deserve some answers.”

Hamm rubbed the bridge of his nose. “We are working to catch pirates in this area.”

“Who is we? And why weren't we informed?” Daphne asked.

“You weren't informed because you don't need to know,” Hamm said.

Daphne followed Hamm as he put down their food supplies. “That's ridiculous.”

“Why?”

“Because you put us in danger,” she said. She didn't like the feeling she had right now. That her entire life was out of control and there was nothing she could do to change that. But Hamm and Laz both had the ability to make things better. Why hadn't they said something before the ship left port?

“No, I didn't. We're the best shot you have of making it out of this alive.”

Daphne stepped back as Hamm took a step closer to her. “Now is not the time for second-guessing. Our mission was already set when your people were added to this trip. We couldn't change courses without disrupting everything.”

She nodded. “I'm sorry. I was out of line. I hate it when a patient's family demands to know everything that I'm doing in a operating room…there are some things they just don't need to know because it would just scare them.”

“That's where we were coming from,” Hamm said.

She nodded. “I'm so scared.”

“You should be. These are dangerous men with nothing to lose, but at the end of the day you have to remember that you aren't the target of this attack. They want money and as long as they can ransom the ship, you and your friends are safe.”

Daphne wasn't reassured by his comments. “What if they can't?”

“Then Laz and I will make sure they understand that your group is off limits. Don't worry, Daphne.”

“I do worry,” Daphne said.

Hamm started to respond but the door opened and a loud thud echoed through the area before the door was slammed again. Hamm cursed under his breath and ran across the room.

Daphne turned to see Laz pushing himself up off the floor and waving off his second in command. Laz stood up and swayed. Daphne and Bob both rushed to his side.

“I'm fine.”

“We'll decide that,” Bob said.

Daphne could tell that there was mainly external bruising and bleeding. She started toward him, needing to help in any way she could. “Are your ribs cracked? Do you have pain—”

“I'm fine. Hamm, we need to talk. Doctors, stay together. I need to talk to everyone in five minutes.”

“I don't think you're in any shape to be giving orders,” Daphne said.

“I do,” Laz said. He pulled away from them and walked to a corner with Hamm. She was torn between doing her duty as a doctor and just wanting to make sure that Laz was okay.

“Let him go,” Bob said.

Laz looked over at her and gave her a small half-smile that was reminiscent of his old grin. She nodded and went with Bob. She wasn't backing down. This wasn't a situation that would serve her well if she hid in a corner.

“I…this is something I can help with,” she said. “I'm getting the first-aid kit and taking care of him.”

Bob smiled at her. “Good. I think he'll feel less threatened if you go over there. We need him in the best possible shape.”

“I think so too. This situation is really dangerous.”

“Yes, it is,” Bob said.

“Have you experienced anything like this before?”

“Never en route. On the ground we've had some tense situations.”

Daphne knew that the groups they sent around the world at times encountered hostiles but reading a report and being here…well it was a world of difference and she had absolutely no idea how to deal with it.

But she did know how to deal with an injured man, and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. When she and Hamm had searched the storage area earlier, she'd seen inside the crates they'd brought with them. She went over to a large box and opened it up, getting out the things she'd need to make sure that Laz was okay. After talking to Hamm she knew that he and Laz were the only chance they had of making it off this ship safely.

She would do whatever she could to make sure they all made it off. She knew that the others in their group felt that way as well.

“If they take us to Ely, do we have any contacts there?” she asked Bob. Ely was the famous pirate port of call. Usually that's where the ship was held until the ransom was paid.

“No contacts in that city. It's lawless, which is why they take the ships there,” Bob said.

“What are we going to do?” Franny asked. “My cell phone isn't picking up any signal at all now. In fact no one can get a signal.”

Bob wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “We're not going to panic. We are going to keep level heads and figure this out.”

Daphne liked his advice. It made sense to her. Panicking would only make her worry and be afraid. She needed to stay calm.

“I'm confident the Captain will get us out of here,” Daphne said.

“I hope you are right,” Rudy said, coming up to join them. The other man still looked tense and out of sorts.

“Me too,” Daphne said.

She didn't let her thoughts dwell on any outcome other than them all free and safe. She knew that her negative emotions would just contribute more to those around her. She got the first-aid kit and headed over to Laz.

 

“They want the names of the doctors. I'm not sure if they know that Daphne is related to a congressman or not. I want to keep them isolated and safe,” Laz said.

“Don't worry about it. I'll keep them back. How are you?”

“Fine. Has Savage checked in?”

“Not yet. But we could be having radio problems,” Hamm said.

“Doubtful. I'm sure it's this place,” Laz said. He was in charge of communications and equipment for their team. He knew his equipment wasn't going to fail. Now if the relay satellite they used for their communications was having problems that was out of his control. But the chances of that happening were slim unless the satellite was over the Southern Atlantic Anomaly.

Laz triggered his wireless mike. “Savage?”

Some static came back over the line but nothing clear.

“Fuck.”

Hamm shrugged but didn't say anything else.

“For now it's you and me. We got this.”

“Damned straight we do,” Hamm said. “Who's in charge?”

“Not sure. Fridjtof was the one questioning me, but I don't think he's the brains of the operation.”

“Excuse me, Laz.”

“Not now, Daphne. I'm sorry I can't answer any of your questions.”

“Not a problem. I'm going to bandage you up. Keep doing whatever you are doing.”

Laz glanced at her. He was so afraid for her. For the first time on a mission he had something personal to lose. And he knew it made him weak but he didn't care. He had been fighting battles his entire life with no real ties to anyone and now he had her.

He reached around Hamm and touched her face. Just to reassure himself she was okay. He wanted to kiss her but didn't think that public displays of affection were called for now.

“I'm fine.”

“No. You're not.”

She wasn't going to take no for an answer. He knew that because she hadn't asked him if she could help. She'd assumed she could.

He was taken aback.

He'd been injured like this more times than he could count and since he was still able to function, taking care of his injuries was at the bottom of his priority list.

“Sit on the box over there,” she said.

Laz did what she asked because he was still bemused. No one had ever…He shook his head to clear it.

“I'm going to go to the northeast corner of the room. I had a signal from there earlier. I'll try to raise Savage. After the doc patches you up we can regroup,” Hamm said.

Laz nodded and Hamm walked away. He turned to look at Daphne and remembered the threats that Fridjtof had made against her and the other woman in the group. He didn't really know any of the doctors who were traveling with Daphne but he'd talked to her. And she wasn't just a nameless, faceless victim that he wanted to protect. She'd become human to him.

“Why are you watching me like that?” she asked.

She had a cotton swab and was putting disinfectant on the larger cuts on his body. The fact that she was doing that told him there wasn't anything seriously wrong with him.

“I like to look at you.”

“Why? I'm pretty average looking.”

“Maybe that's why,” he said.

“Gee, thanks.”

He smiled and took her hand in his. Daphne had a look that was all-American. She was his ideal type of woman, though he couldn't explain that to her. There was something about her thick brown hair and deep chocolate eyes that reminded him of home and of why he kept doing this job, which was slowly taking a toll on him. A real toll.

The job had been eating away at him lately, making it harder for him to go back home and blend back into his old life. Even being on the sea didn't bring back his sense of normalcy the way it used to.

“I meant it in that you remind me of everything that is…home. You are full-on sassy in a way that I've only ever seen in American girls.”

She gave him a half-smile. “Sassy?”

“Yeah. I had a sister, so I know sassy is different from bitchy.”

“You are a smooth talker,” she said, rolling her eyes.

“I am. What do you say we go for a drink when you get done patching me up?” he said.

Her eyes seemed shadowed as she looked down at him. “I'd like that. But I'm afraid we're going to have to settle for bottles of purified water and a talk with the rest of our fellow hostages.”

“Are you scared?” he asked her.

“Yes.”

“What part scares you?”

“The men with the guns. I'm…I've seen too many gunshot wounds. Operated on too many people who've been hit with a bullet not to really fear them.”

Laz reached up and touched her face. “I'm not going to let anything happen to you.”

She gave him a haunted look and Laz realized there was more than just fear hiding beneath the surface of this pretty all-American doctor. He wished they had more time together so he could figure out the mysteries that were Daphne. But that would have to wait. And in all reality he'd probably never get to know her.

“Trust me.”

“That sounds like an order,” she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she finished bandaging him up.

“It was. I don't have time to coax you into trusting me. This is a life-and-death situation and I'm your best chance of making it out of it alive.”

She tipped her head to the side. “I know that. I'm trying, but trust doesn't come easy for me. But if I'm going to trust any man…well, it's you, J.P. Lazarus.”

She put the last bandage on the worst of his cuts and then stood back to study him. Unlike Daphne, who brought him a sense of comfort and quelled his longing for home, he doubted his looks did anything for her.

He was a rough-and-ready guy who'd been beat up one too many times. He was solid muscle and he knew he could handle himself in any situation, but his kind of living had left marks on him. And despite the trauma Daphne had seen in the operating room, she was too innocent for a man like him.

That didn't mean he wasn't dying to kiss her. To have that little taste of home that he'd earned getting his ass beat and keeping her name quiet. She'd never know what he'd done to protect her. What he'd continue to do and that was as it should be.

He closed the gap between the two of them and standing toe-to-toe realized her head came to his shoulder. Perfect for dancing or holding her. He wanted to know what she felt like in his arms. But not now.

He cupped her head in both of his hands, tipped her mouth up to his, and kissed her. Just a quick rub of his lips over hers. She exhaled and parted her lips the tiniest bit, and he tasted the sweetness of her mouth.

That was all he wanted. All he needed. He felt like a knight of old who'd received a token from his lady. He pulled back.

“Thank you.”

He walked away from her and rejoined Hamm, pretending that Daphne was nothing more than that glimpse of home. But he had never lied worth a damn and especially not to himself. Daphne wasn't a taste of home, she was a glimpse of the home he'd always longed for and he knew that it was right in his grasp if he could only reach out and take it.