It seemed ages before the sun finally disappeared behind the bend in the horizon and Gavin found himself once again standing beside Jeremy on the deck. This time, however, half the crew had turned out as well to see him off, two men standing on either side of one of the small boats as it dangled out over the water.

“Remember, Gavin: quietly. Don’t get caught,” Jeremy insisted, clamping a firm hand on Gavin’s arm. Gavin nodded but didn’t chance another word, afraid an apology would leak out and make him appear weak. He had never felt weaker, but if Jeremy didn’t see fit to demote him, he needed to maintain some shred of dignity before the crew that he still had superiority over.

So with nothing but the nod, he stepped into the boat after Christopher and waited patiently as they were lowered to the water level. He hadn’t even wanted Christopher to come along, but someone needed to hold the boat while he sneaked onto the ship, and the cabin boy had eagerly volunteered for whatever reason. Probably just that he felt stiffed, always shoved to the side in plundering and decisions and basically anything adventurous.

Once the boat was released from the ship, Christopher doused the lamp while Gavin rowed. They had slipped momentarily into view again earlier in the evening to find La Sangra’s exact location, and now it was simply a matter of crossing the distance unnoticed. Fortunately for reasons of stealth, thick clouds had sprung from nowhere in the late afternoon, quickly coating the sky and blocking the waning moon almost entirely. This made navigating the seas a bit more difficult, but La Sangra had gone to sleep with her lights on, and Gavin need only row in the direction of the oil lanterns spotting the sky. In half an hour they were within only a few meters of the ship.

“¡Signor! ¿Usted lo oye?” The shout from above made Gavin and Christopher both freeze. Christopher’s heart leapt into his throat, but Gavin quit rowing and motioned for him to remain still and silent. He waited, listening with a deadly focus to see if “Signor” thought anything of the sound the first man had heard, no doubt the gentle splash of the oars sliding in and out of the tranquil black water.

After only a second, the frustrated growl came back, “¡Idiota! Es agua contra la nave. ¿No es usted marinero?” Gavin’s shoulders visibly relaxed and Christopher, who himself did not understand Spanish, trusted Gavin’s reaction

Within only a few more minutes of slow, silent rowing, the boat had sidled up to La Sangra and Gavin twisted two hooks into the wood of the hull. He slipped ropes through the hooks and handed them to Christopher and pulled them tight so that the boat was pushed against the ship as close as it would go. The thumping could alert the ship to their presence, so Christopher would have to hold the ropes tightly for some time. It would be exhausting, Gavin warned and had already warned before, but Christopher mutely nodded, determined to show the older man he was just as capable as any other member of the crew. His smaller, softer hands took the ropes and pulled them tight. He had been on the sea half the time Gavin had and had years to go still until he earned the scarred badges of a sailor.

With the boat secure, Gavin eyed the distance to the lowest opening leading into the hold. He would have to squeeze past the cannon blocking it, but it would still be safer than setting foot on the deck. So wrapping the leather straps of the climbing hooks around his wrists, he set to, ignoring the burning that soon began in his toes and spread up through his legs, his back, his shoulders, and his hands. It was a long, slow climb, but finally Gavin’s fingers gripped the edge of the opening and he peeked quickly through the hole, anxious should someone be waiting on the other side.

Fortunately, the blackness of the night kept anything from being visible through the windows, and any men within this level of the hold were either asleep or far too drunk to notice much of anything. With a grunt at the effort, he pulled himself up, tucked the hooks into the waist of his breeches, and squeezed around the cannon and onto the ship. Here he paused for several enhanced seconds, his eyes and ears straining for any danger. He heard nothing save for a few throaty snores and some tipsy laughter.

Now where to find the princess. From the ransoms he had participated in, and from his knowledge of the matter, hostages were kept usually in the lower levels of the hold. Often the cells were in the bilge, and he hoped for Sophia’s sake with a surprising streak of sympathy that this wasn’t the case on this ship. The bilge was a grotesque dungeon even for the roughest of pirates, much less a spoiled lady like Sophia. Of course, it was no doubt preferable to the second place Gavin would check if he couldn’t find Sophia below: in the captain’s chambers. A male hostage wouldn’t be kept within the captain’s chambers, but it was definitely the most secure area on the ship and he shuddered to think what would be done to a pretty hostage kept there. He might hate Sophia, but that didn’t mean he could think of Captain deMargita’s probable treatment of her without some tinge of disgust.

Because he didn’t know the layout of La Sangra, it took a bit of shuffling around in the shadows to find the stairwell leading below. Luckily, he had learned nothing if not how to move quietly despite his lack of grace, and soon was treading gently down several flights to the bilge to begin his search.

The bilge presented no cage, though, nor did the next lowest floor. Gavin was beginning to fear he really would have to infiltrate the captain’s cabin when footsteps on the staircase beside him sent him diving beneath them, behind a pile of boxes. He watched as a crew member approached a door he had overlooked before and, after several short raps, opened it and stepped inside. Another man stepped out, then paused and shared several words with the man inside, explaining that “the chit” had been sleeping for some time, but restlessly so he should be as quiet as possible if he didn’t want her to cry through his shift. The man laughed that he had his ways to make her quiet if she awoke, but the exiting guard reminded him with a sharp frown that the captain had ordered the crew not to touch her on pain of death.

When the departing guard had disappeared up the stairs, Gavin waited only another minute before slipping from his hiding place and pausing outside the door to gain his bearing. It was a one-shot deal, and if things went wrong he was beyond in trouble. After a deep breath, he rapped several times on the door and listened for the shuffling inside.

“Qué-“ the man inside started to ask as he pulled the door open. Before he could finish the question, though, Gavin’s sword had slashed at the man’s throat and sent him crashing to the floor in a spasm of convulsions and gushing blood. Gavin spared the body only a quick look of disgust before stepping through and surveying the room for any further obstacles. There were no further guards present, and the only sound in the room was the soft breath of sleep coming from the figure curled into the corner of a small barred cage in the far corner of the room. Gavin walked closer and looked down at Sophia with a mixture of pity and fury. It was difficult to watch her sleeping and not remember the pretty little thing curled up with him, her eyelashes fluttering against his chest. It was also difficult, however, to look at her flushed cheeks and not recall the way in which she had embarrassed him, storming up onto his ship as she had. And it was simply impossible not to consider just how seriously she might have ruined his life.

Nonetheless, it was not time for Gavin to weigh his feelings about her. He was simply here to rescue her, so without another moment’s hesitation, he crouched down against the bars and hissed,

“Sophia.”

She didn’t stir, so he continued, a bit louder, “Sophia! Sophia le Chapelier!”

Finally she stirred, and when he reached out to tap on the floor with his words, her eyes finally fluttered open.

She gazed up at him through a sleepy fog and muttered, “Gavin?”

“Yes. Now come on.”

“Gavin? Why are you here?” she repeated. Without her brain functioning properly yet, she was convinced she still slept and that this terrible figure from her past had somehow found a way to worm his way into her dreams. What a nightmare!

“I’m getting you out of here. Now tell me: do you know where the key to this is?” She continued to stare at him blankly until he snapped, “Listen, I have no desire to die here waiting for you, so either tell me where the damn key is or I’ll leave you here for Captain deMargita to do with you what he wants.”

“He . . . I . . . The key is here . . . ” she answered with more than a bit of confusion, not sure why this dream of Gavin was rescuing her. It certainly wasn’t the sort of dream she would have expected. With a small grunt at moving her sore body, she pulled the key out of the pocket in her skirt and held it up.

Gavin gave a deep sigh of relief, “Perfect. Now come on.”

“I can’t come out,” she retorted, sitting up and leaning against the wall. “It’s not safe–“

”Sophia, wake up. This isn’t a dream. This is unfortunately very real and if you don’t come with me right now these Spaniards are going to look like saints compared to what I’ll do to you. Now come on,” Gavin hissed, standing and pointing to the locked door.

Sophia frowned and crossed her arms, suddenly coming to much quicker, and argued, “Well then that’s not much motivation for me to come with you.”

“I’m rescuing you and you’re refusing?”

“Rescuing me? You’re the one that got me in this mess in the first–“

Something heavy thudded against the ceiling above them, and both glanced quickly up, a new sense of urgency suddenly sneaking through the room.

Gavin reached through the bars, “I’m not here because I want to be. I’m under orders from Jeremy and I’m not one to fail in my orders. Now come on unless you have a serious death wish.” Sophia’s eyes narrowed and she stayed resolutely in her spot, glaring at him in the dim glow of the nearby lantern. When the thud above her head came again, though, and a voice called down the staircase and floated through the door, she realized just what an opportunity this was. Though she didn’t want to go with Gavin anywhere, Captain Declan was an acquaintance of her uncle’s and would return her safely home. She had a better chance at survival and a quicker trip home with him than taking this detour to Rio de Janeiro with Captain deMargita.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, Sophia leapt forward and handed Gavin the key, watching anxiously as he struggled to turn it in the rusted lock, making far too much noise for her taste as he jerked it around. Finally the lock sprung, though, and Sophia stepped out, brushing past Gavin with what she hoped he read as a calm confidence. However, when she had followed him to the door and saw the body draped across their path, a black pool cushioning his resting place, she gave a small yelp and jumped back.

“Hush,” he commanded, almost shoving her the way he would have a fellow crew member. He remembered just in time it was a small girl beside him, though, and stopped his hand. The body couldn’t stay there, though, and not just because it would call attention to her escape that much sooner. The way Sophia was pressed against the wall, staring at the body with horror, he doubted he’d be able to get her to step around it. So with a frustrated sigh, Gavin grabbed the body by the boots, dragged it into the cage, and locked it in. With any luck, someone checking it would take the crumpled figure to be that of sleeping Sophia if they didn’t look too closely.

The blood was still pooled in the doorway, though, and Sophia shook her head when Gavin motioned for her to follow, “No! I’m not going anywhere near–“

”Now!” Gavin whispered, reaching out to grab her wrist and drag her through. She stepped back, but Gavin had lost all patience. Without any further argument, he grabbed her around the waist and swung her over his shoulder. She yelped and began thrashing about, but he managed to get her through the doorway and halfway to the staircase before she managed to wiggle her way out of his hold. She would have crashed completely to the floor had he not caught her against his chest and set her down a little more gently.

“Would you please cooperate,” he whispered. “Or you’re going to get us caught and they’ll kill us both. Now come on,” he ordered, grabbing her wrist and pulled her up the stairs after listening to make sure no one was coming down. When they reached the floor with the openings, he leaned closer to whisper, “There are men sleeping and drinking in here, so be absolutely quiet and stay close.”

She frowned, unhappy with the arrogant tone he commanded her around in, and whispered back, “They won’t kill me. No one is allowed to touch me, and I don’t care if you–“

Before she could finish her sentence, Gavin had pulled a knife out and held it against her throat, hissing, “If you don’t shut the hell up, I’ll kill you. Now come on and quietly.” Sophia stared at him wide-eyed. How dare he threaten her like this! What had happened to her romantic, crooning wild man? But then, she had long ago realized he was nothing like she thought, and she didn’t doubt that he would enjoy killing her after she had embarrassed him so. And once he learned what she had told the Captain . . .

Gavin ignored the tears that sprang into Sophia’s eyes, glistening in the faint light coming down the stairwell and, keeping the knife out, pulled her into the room. At least now she obeyed, lifting the hem of her dress to tiptoe quietly beside him as they skirted the snoring bodies.

When they reached the window through which Gavin had climbed earlier, he pulled her closer again and whispered, “You’re going to have to dive or you’ll make too much noise.”

Sophia leaned around him to look out the opening, saw the distance, and cried quietly, “I can’t do it!”

“You have to.”

“I don’t know how to swim.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’ll drown!”

“You will not.”

“I will! I’ll–“

He held the knife up again and insisted, “You’ll do no such thing. Now dive.”

“I’ll scream.”

“No you won’t.”

“I won’t be able to help it. I can’t do it.”

Holding the knife closer to her throat, Gavin insisted, “You will dive and you will not scream. If you scream, I’ll let you drown. If you don’t scream, I won’t let you drown.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“If I was going to kill you, I could do it now. But if you scream, it’ll be worth it. Now go.” Sophia hesitated but saw she had no choice. With a bit of squirming to squeeze past the cannon, she only got a quick glance down before Gavin gave her a shove and she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming. Unfortunately, this meant she almost bit clean through it when she hit the water with an audible splash.

Gavin winced at the splash and waited with anxiety to see if anyone would react. He glanced down, waiting for her to surface and be spotted by someone on deck. However, it appeared she had been telling the truth about not being able to swim because she didn’t surface. This worked to their advantage, since Christopher and the boat were hidden in the shadows and anyone looking over the edge wouldn’t see her bobbing in the water.

However, when several seconds had passed and no one had reacted to the splash, nor had she surfaced, Gavin muttered, “Christ, you’re kidding me . . . ” Pulling the hooks from his waist so they wouldn’t stab him when he hit the water, he dove overboard, slipping almost soundlessly beneath the black surface.

It wasn’t difficult to find Sophia beneath the water, the moonlight that had finally managed to slip through the clouds faintly bouncing off her flailing arms and legs. Gavin hadn’t taken into account how heavy her skirts would become when waterlogged, and reacted with a bit of surprise at the weight when he managed to grab her wrist and gave a sharp tug. Sophia suddenly fell still, realizing that struggling was doing no good and that if Gavin didn’t hold to his word and pull her to the surface, she was as good as dead. She hadn’t screamed, though.

After a bit of hard kicking, Gavin got her to the surface and shoved her into the boat where she fell onto her stomach, heaving up all the salt water that had rushed down her throat while underwater. Christopher stared at her with alarm, reaching forward until Gavin pulled himself into the boat between them. He ignored her coughing and instead quickly twisted the hooks out, then grabbed the oars and shoved off, wanting to be away from the ship and out of close quarter with her as quickly as possible. His knife clattered to the floor of the boat near Sophia, and when she saw it the tears came back to her eyes and she huddled to the back of the boat as far from him as she could get, coughing and sobbing into her arms. This was not nearly as romantic nor clean as her first rescue had been, and Sophia suddenly wished she had stayed in her cage of deMargita’s ship. At least he had only made verbal threats, never actually shoved her into the ocean or held a knife to her throat.

Gavin suddenly snapped, “Hush. I’m not going to listen to your sniffling the whole ride back.” Sophia’s eyes widened at the absolute lack of kindness with which he was treating her. Her lungs hurt, her eyes hurt, her body hurt, and her heart hurt. There was now not even the faintest doubt in her mind that the horrible things he had heard about Gavin McLeskey did not even come close to painting him as evil as he actually was. She wasn’t simply angry with him; she hated him. She hoped they killed him for telling her about the treasure. She was glad she had told deMargita about it. She hoped Gavin’s death hurt as much as she hurt.

She saw the boy on the other side of Gavin watching her. He was much younger than Gavin, a few years younger than she probably, even. He seemed scared by her presence, or maybe simply by her tears. Sophia didn’t care, though, and she didn’t care if her sniffles annoyed Gavin. She rather hoped they did. So, grabbing the knife up from the ground so that he couldn’t use it against her, she turned her back to them and let her tears fall over the edge to mingle with the ocean.

She took the damn knife, Gavin noted as she turned around. Now I can’t kill the stupid girl, he sighed. But as he rowed, his back to her, a small smile crept across his face.

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