Her Pirate Master (Entwined Fates) Read Free Page B

come to me this time.”
    Agnus and the two others rushed toward Haydrien. Jack moved to intercept. Throwing up her hands, she shouted, “No! Just get Marcone. I’ll be fine.”
    Her two younger crew members backed down, but Agnus continued to glare challengingly at Haydrien.
    Haydrien snorted in amusement. “Quite brave for an old man. You must love your daughter very much.”
    “If you kill her…” Agnus growled.
    “I don’t think killing her is what you have to worry about.”
    “When this ship doesn’t arrive on time, they’ll look for it,” Jacquelyn said with menace, trying to divert Haydrien’s attention from Agnus.
    “Yes. Good thing you’re not scheduled to arrive there for another two weeks.” He turned to fully face her. “And if you’re plotting a way of escape, you might want to think again. One wrong move from you, I alert my crew, and your father dies.”
    Her lips thinned into a tight, angry line.
    “Are we clear?” he asked.
    “Crystal,” she sneered.
    “Good.”
    * * * *
    Jack fought hard to keep the tears at bay. She never cried, and she’d be damned if she’d start now. Haydrien had assured her the men would arrive at their destination safely, but she still couldn’t stop chiding herself over being stubborn and not listening to Agnus. She hadn’t even gotten to tell them good-bye.
    She’d let her arrogance get in the way. She was a good captain, and she knew it. Infallible she was not. Agnus tried to tell her this guy was looking for her, but she stupidly believed she would be fine.
    This was all her fault.
    Agnus would let her family know what happened. Jonah would hit the roof. Her father probably would too, and it would take both her uncles to keep her father from losing his temper and killing Haydrien. Not that she wouldn’t mind seeing Haydrien die slowly.
    She glared at Haydrien as he walked past her to the column where she’d been working on the wire connections.
    “I see you were trying to fix your problem,” he said as he opened the panel and slipped his hand inside. “You were close. Fortunately for me, you missed it.”
    The lights in the room came on, and the roar of the engine restarting shook the entire ship. She had been close. If only she’d had a few more minutes, she might’ve found the problem. Would that have made any difference? She doubted it.
    “Lear,” Haydrien said.
    Lear leaned casually against the wall. “Yes.”
    “I need you to find that package. It will have to be off-loaded the second we arrive.”
    Lear nodded in agreement. “Gora will want that right away.”
    “What package?” Jack asked.
    “That’s above your pay grade, sweetheart,” Haydrien replied.
    “It’s my ship.”
    Haydrien’s head tilted. “Is it?”
    He waited for her to answer. Anger welled up inside her. He was right. It wasn’t her ship, not anymore. If she wanted to hold to the lie that she was Agnus’s daughter and Captain Marcone was on his way to Tilarus, then the ship was never hers. She needed to remember that. She had no idea what this pirate had in mind for Captain Marcone, but until she found out, she needed to keep up the ruse. She just hoped he continued to believe it.
    “That’s what I thought,” he murmured as he pushed away from the column and closed the panel. “I’m going to head to the bridge and get this beast pointed toward home.”
    “What about her?” Lear asked.
    “She’ll go with me.” Haydrien turned his firm stare toward her. “And if she knows what’s good for her, she’ll behave herself.”
    Jack crossed her arms.
    Haydrien walked toward her and waved his hand. “Lead the way, sub. I want you where I can see you. Especially your ass.”
    He grinned wickedly, and despite Jack’s anger, her heart skipped a beat at the wicked gleam in his whiskey-colored eyes. That thought made her frown all the harder at him.
    “Go,” he commanded with a nod. When she didn’t move right away, he slapped her behind. She gasped,