Chapter 9

Boyd thought he might kill Fulton.

The man was always a charmer and Boyd had mostly found this trait amusing. Until tonight.

He cinched the horse to the back of the carriage and then climbed in, taking his spot next to Annie, his arm across the back of the bench in clear and obvious possession.

Without hesitation, she leaned into him, doing a great deal to soothe his ruffled feathers.

"What did ye come to say?"

"Introductions, Lockton, if you please." Fulton gave Annie one of his winning smiles that had Boyd grimacing once again.

"Annie Wren, Fulton Smith," he answered with a frown. "Now tell me why ye're here."

Fulton nodded at Annie before he turned back to Boyd with a grimace. "One of my men, Remi, disappeared just after you left."

"Not the blue-eyed one?"

"That would be him." Fulton shook his head. "Second fucking time I've had a plant on my boat."

"Language," Boyd answered, his arm dropping about Annie's shoulders.

Fulton's brows lifted but he said nothing. "We can only assume he's gone back to the boat that was following us."

"Which means some of Makem's men know I'm here and that I was, at some point, with a woman."

Annie gasped and his arm about her tightened.

"My boat will meet us in the next harbor and then…"

"We'll race him to Scotland?"

"No, actually, I thought we'd go south, and then follow the west coast to Cumberland."

"Upton."

"That's right. He has the property and the manpower to withstand an assault and the connections to bring justice swiftly down upon Makem's head."

"Annie tells me Makem has a boss. The King."

"Not the king," Annie supplied, one of her hands spreading out on his chest.

"I've heard of him." Fulton nodded. "And I've known for a while that Makem's his underling. Runs goods from India to here. Nearly as much money as the king himself."

"Ye never mentioned any of this to me." Boyd scowled at his friend. This information might have helped.

"I barely want to be involved. I already told my brothers, after this last battle, I'm retiring to Italy. Sophie is tired of being on the boat and my wife's happiness comes before my brothers."

Boyd grunted. He'd promised his brothers he'd help them capture Gyla, their last challenger. He'd done more than his duty. "Yer brothers sure do have a knack for trouble."

"I told them. If they want life to settle, it's time to stop expanding. That's how they piss—er—irritate people every time."

Fulton wasn't wrong.

"What if Makem catches wind, pardon my word choice, of the plan."

"We'll outrun him."

Boyd didn't like it. He let out a low rumble, but Annie surely heard it, her chin tipping up to assess him.

Fulton held up a hand. "Sophie is on the boat too, Lockton. I wouldn't suggest it if I didn't think I could keep the ladies safe."

And then Fulton winked at Annie. "And Sophie will surely have a dress or two she can spare for you, Miss Wren."

Boyd relaxed deeper into the seat, keeping Annie close. Fulton would not gamble with his wife's life. "All right, Fulton. We're off to see Upton."

Fulton nodded. "I dispatched a message to him the first night Armstrong brought Miss Wren to you. He'll be ready for us."

"Good work."

Fulton didn't answer as he looked at Annie. "What I don't understand is why Makem is suddenly so interested in us. His men were found outside Gris's house, his boat is following me. Are you that beloved to him, Annie?"

Annie snorted and Boyd had to chuckle, just a little. "Annie didn't just leave…" He pulled the two journals from his pocket. "She took some very interesting reading material with her."

Fulton's brows lifted as he settled back in his seat. "Tell me everything."

* * *

Annie stared up at the boat as the dingy approached, her throat growing tight with apprehension. It was so large.

She'd seen boats like this, of course, but always from a distance. How would they even get on deck?

She held Boyd's hand as he craned his neck. "I've never been on a ship so large before."

Boyd glanced over at her as she swallowed down a lump. "Never?"

She shook her head. "The largest boat I've been in is a wherry to cross the Thames."

He straightened up. "An ocean boarding is going to be an education, then."

"How do we get on?"

"Rope ladder," he answered, pulling her a touch closer as she gasped in a breath.

She shook her head. Anxiety rolled through her as she wasn't sure she'd be able to climb it. She didn't love high places and… "Who knew this is where running away would take me?"

He chuckled. "Are ye scared?"

He knew she was because she could feel her hand sweating in his. Her eyes were large and rimmed with fear as she stared at the boat, shrinking into him. But he knew Annie. She'd not complain, even now. "I've never climbed a ladder like that. I don't know…"

"I'm glad yer in breeches," he muttered, "Makes this much easier."

"The climbing?"

"No. The carrying."

The dinghy reached the ship, one of the sailors effortlessly standing in the rocking boat to tie off the small vessel to the larger one. Her eyes squeezed shut as the ladder dropped down from the deck, lowered by a sailor from above.

"Boyd." She trembled against his side. "I'm not certain…"

"Relax," he whispered. "I've been on many ships in my day, this one more than a few times, and I'll see you to the deck, Annie."

She gave a tentative nod as she felt rather than watched, two other sailors leave the dinghy and start up the ladder.

"I'm going to stand and then ye're going to stand," Boyd instructed. "And then I'm going to lift ye in my arms."

She didn't answer as she felt him push to his feet on the curved bottom of the boat. "Stand, Annie."

Her legs trembling, she did as he commanded.

"I'll keep the boat steady," Fulton called over the noise of the waves.

Boyd let go of her hand for a moment, her body instantly seizing at the loss of his touch, and she wobbled on her feet but in a second, his hands were underneath her armpits. "I've got ye," he murmured in her ear and then he was swinging her around to his front. "Arms and legs tight about me, now."

Under any other circumstance, the feel of her legs about his waist, the way their pelvises met, might have filled her with longing. But all she could do was squeeze her eyes tight and bury her face in his neck.

"Don't open yer eyes and don't loosen yer grip."

And then they bounced as he heaved them onto the first rung of the ladder. The smallest scream escaped her lips as she tightened her grip.

"Annie," he choked. "I know I said to keep a good grip but…"

"I'm sorry." She forced her arms to loosen.

"It's all right." And then they were climbing. Up and up, they went, the smooth rhythm helping her to relax a bit, though she didn't dare open her eyes. "Almost there," he murmured close to her ear.

"Thank the lord."

"When I reach the top, I'll clear yer body over the rail and then one of the other sailors is going to pull ye onto the deck so I can climb over. Ye'll have to let go."

Let go? She wasn't certain she ever wanted to let go of Boyd Lockton, but she nodded into the crook of his neck.

She tried not to lock up again, as the movement changed, his body jostling as he pushed up on the deck rail.

"All right, Annie. Time to let go." And then another set of hands grasped her firmly under her arms.

She took two quick breaths and then did as Boyd asked, her arms and legs releasing as another man pulled her backward. He tried to set her on her feet, but they wouldn't hold, and she wound up with her rear on the very solid floor of the deck.

A cry of relief fell from her lips as her eyes flew open. Boyd stood over her, a small smile playing at his lips. "Yer all right." And then he was lifting her into his arms again.

She wrapped her arms about his neck, allowing her body to press fully to his. "That was awful."

He chuckled. "Let's hope we dock for the unload. Otherwise, getting down will be worse."

She pulled back then, staring up into his dark eyes that felt like home. "I'd rather jump than climb down that ladder."

A chorus of male laughter echoed behind her.

"Hello," a female voice called, the melodic notes of it, tinged with a French accent.

Annie turned to see one of the most beautiful women she could imagine standing to her right. Golden blonde hair that shimmered even in the dead of night, a perfect heart for a face, and her body…like a painting of Venus. Jealousy coursed through her. This woman was everything Annie had never been. Confident. Sophisticated. Stunning. Did Boyd know her? "Hello."

"I'm Sophie Smith, pleased to meet you."

"Annie Wren."

Fulton climbed over the rail. "Soph. Annie could use a dress. She's been in breeches for days."

"Of course," Sophie answered, holding out a hand to Annie. "Come."

"I seriously doubt any of your clothes will fit me." She looked at Sophie's chest, full and lush, unlike Annie's.

Sophie laughed. "Do not worry. We shall find something for you, mon amie. Come."