Chapter Three
Jack continued to arrange his clothing as he walked down the corridor of his belovedMaracaibo. Not that anyone would have any doubt about what he had been doing, but he was damned if he would give his crew any more ammunition than they already had. Besides, Jack could admit to himself, he took more care in his appearance than he pretended to.
Gods above and below, what a woman!The Lady Aria had certainly caught his eye when he had begun his plan to capture House Gryffin’s precious mandalum and identified her as the easiest point of infiltration. Jack had dryly observed to the others that his seduction and manipulation of the lovely noble would not be a hardship.
Well, the gods laugh at our foolish plans.It had certainly not been a hardship. Aria, far from the gossip that had painted her as a vain and pompous minor daughter of an upstart great family, had turned out to be an astonishing, vivacious woman, with wit and humor, and astonishing energy in bed.
Yes, she had all of the qualities she had been accused of—vanity, arrogance, ignorance of the work that others did to maintain her station, the attitude of a spoiled brat—but Jack was convinced these things were mere trappings that she wore lightly, like a cloak that could be discarded. It wasn’t who she really was. These were the surface armor she had learned and picked up to live as a member of a noble house, a member no one really took seriously.
The more time Jack spent with her, the more convinced he was these things had nothing to do with the real Aria. He shook his head ruefully at the memory of telling his second in command they would be taking Aria as well as the mandalum.
Quinn had stopped dead. “The cat is supposed to eat the canary, Captain, not the other way round.”
Jack patted her shoulder. “What’s the point of being a pirate if you can’t do something nice for yourself every once in a while?”
“What do I always say, Captain?”
“That it will all end in tears, I know.” Jack studied the schematics of the ship they intended to rob. “We can send a squad through the ventilation system, here.”
“I’ll lead that squad myself,” Quinn asserted.
“Why, Quinn, I didn’t know you cared,” Jack mocked.
“Don’t you start.”
Jack sighed as he rounded the corner and stepped on to the command deck.Maybe Quinn’s right, and it will all end in tears. Mind you, she’s said that about a lot of things.
“Captain on deck,” said a crewman, and the command crew stood.
“As you were,” said Jack casually, reaching to pour himself a coffee.
Quinn came to his side. “All well with the prisoner, Captain?” Her voice was neutral, her eyes alight with mischief.
Jack gave a slight cough. “Getting there, Quinn, getting there.”
“I’m sure.”
Jack glanced at her sideways as he stirred his coffee. “Is that jealousy I detect in the voice of my chief officer?”
Quinn snorted. “Hardly. Just making sure Mad Jack has his eye on the right ball.”
Jack sipped at his coffee. “Who says a man can’t multitask?”
“Not me. You have so many twists and turns in that mind of yours, you’d make a weasel dizzy.”
Jack walked up the dais which held his command chair and sat comfortably. Quinn joined him, leaning her arms on one of the chair’s massive armrests.
“How’s our course?” asked Jack.
“Holding steady, Captain,” called the navigator. “It’s a lot of shifting about but no one on our trail. Three days to Myrios then another five to Tarma.”
“Good.” Jack pressed a call button. “Can you please have a vacuum cleaner sent to the prisoner’s room? Thank you.”
“I’m not sure I want to know,” muttered Quinn.
“Aye well, the lady made a mess. She needs to learn how to tidy up,” said Jack.
Quinn shook her head. “So that’s why you brought the broom and dustpan. I don’t think that one’s going to be a service sub, no matter how hard you try.”
