“Sure you will.”

  The smaller one handed over a clean rag to the larger one, who wiped the blood off his meaty fists. The whip had drug through the dirt to be mingled with his own flesh each time they’d connected.

  “What do you want from me?”

  “We want you to return the slave you stole. And the boy.”

  “They are safe in England and it doesn’t matter what you do to me, they will never be back.”

  Their smiles turned his gut over. He could hang here and take anything they doled out, but if Leona or his son were in their clutches, he would not be able to handle it.

  “They will be here soon.”

  “Not a chance.”

  “Of course they will. We sent them a letter shortly after you landed saying how you needed them both back here right away to save your life.”

  He spat out the blood pooling in his mouth. “They’ll never believe that. Nor will they come.”

  “You think this because they would not trust such words from just anyone. But we did have one person, well, two, whose words, we were informed, would be believed.”

  That unease that had been fluttering in his belly grew in a second, nearly overtaking him.

  “Who?”

  “Well now, son, that would be me.” General Harrington turned the corner of the doorway, leaning against the wooden frame. “And that Ben slave. He signed it as well, before I slit his throat.”

  Betrayal unlike anything that had swarmed him when he’d learned of his brother’s treachery consumed him.

  “I trusted you,” he gasped.

  “As you should. I was your commanding officer. It was my job to instruct you and teach you right from wrong. You have to believe I have your best interests in mind now. You will see, I am right.”

  “Never,” Trace bit off. “Why do you need them back here?”

  “Because you need to learn the punishment for someone who goes against me.” The general took a deep breath and lit a smoke. “Also, I want my son.”

  Trace’s heart stopped for a moment before he blinked and tried to convince himself he’d been hearing things.

  “Falcon is my son.”

  The man laughed and blew a thin line of smoke toward the ceiling. “No. He is mine. I’ve been fucking your wife pretty much since you married her. All the times I sent you away, purely so I could have access to that pussy. And she gave it to me so willingly. She truly is a whore.” He walked closer. “I don’t give a damn about that bitch of his mother, but my son, I want him back. He needs to be here so he can be raised and taught the proper order of things.”

  Drawing hard on the rolled tobacco, until the end glowed, General Harrington then put it to Trace’s skin. Trace hissed in pain but never lowered his gaze from the man doing this to him.

  “He is my son,” he uttered with conviction. “When I found him he was living in filth because his mother and her current boyfriend, my brother, had been treating him like a dog.”

  “Adversity makes for a stronger man.”

  “You will not get your hands on him.”

  “Of course I will. She’ll get your note and she will come with him, to save you. She will come alone because I know all the people around her and if they show their faces, I will slit your throat in front of her and my son. Once we have her again, she will stay here for the simple fact that she is under the misguided conception that you’ll be turned free.”

  A cold haze settled over Trace and he nodded. “I may be hanging from some ropes right now, General, but if you do not kill me now, I will escape and I will kill you. Without hesitation or remorse.”

  Another few burns on his chest.

  “We will see how your tune changes when your slave is within my grasp. Sleep well, Colonel. Leave him there for the night, he should survive. If he does not, then he’s not the man I believe him to be.”

  Within moments Trace was alone in the dark, still dangling from the hook. The tears snuck past his defenses. Again, for the second time in his life, he was not able to protect those who meant the most in the world to him.

  He willed Leona to stay away, but knew if the note made it to her, she would come. And this time, he would lose them both.

  No! Not this time. I will not let her be hurt again because of me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “Do you think he’s forgotten about me? About us?”

  Leona reached for the boy beside her as she thought of the best way to word her answer. On the tip of her tongue to immediately deny Trace had forgotten him, but she did understand where he was coming from. The reason behind all of his fear.

  For a moment, Falcon resisted her tugging him into her lap. Then he went willingly. She looped her arms around him, lacing her fingers, not forcing him to have eye contact. Just holding him. After a few moments he settled against her, relaxing.

  “Your father would never forget about you. His work may take him away, but I promise you, you’re always on his mind.”

  “He has been gone so long. I think maybe he found somebody else. A boy who will make him proud.”

  Leona pressed the side of Falcon’s head into her chest. Eyes blurring with unshed tears, she wished Trace had returned.

  “I have known your father a long time and I have never seen him more proud than when he watches you. You are everything to him, and even if there were some kind of trouble, he would move mountains to get back to you.”

  Falcon tipped his head up to stare at her, eyes full of worry and so much older than they should have been. “And you.”

  All she did was smile and hug him tight once more. This was not the time or the place to get into her own misgivings and concern about what was going on. Spring had passed in the summer and they were creeping toward autumn with no word from the man who’d left right after the new year.

  What she couldn’t tell, and didn’t, was about all the nightmares she had. The way she would wake covered in sweat body, aching with pain. None of it made any sense, aside from the fact that she knew she and Trace were linked. However, given the distance, she wasn’t sure they had anything to do with him. They were quite possibly just her own memories coming back to haunt her.

  “Do you think I will ever have a title, like Bryn?”

  Grateful to be on a separate topic, she smiled slightly. “I am no expert on how the titles work with the members of peerage. What I do know is that if anyone could acquire a title, it would be you.”

  Falcon turned in her arms and hugged her. He kissed her cheek and hugged her once more.

  “I love you, Leona.” Then he ran off without a single look back.

  Folding her hands upon her lap, she stared after him until she could no longer see him. “I love you too.”

  Today was a rare day for her. She had no work on her schedule and was planning to go to the opera later with the marquess and his wife. She was looking forward to it, not having been in quite a while.

  After a leisurely dinner and saying good night to the children, they were on their way to the opera. Leona watched intently, wishing from time to time that she not only had the talent but the courage to be up on stage before people performing like this.

  The ride back was done in silence, as everybody seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. The moment they were inside, everything changed.

  A member of the cops waited for them in the receiving room. After speaking in hushed tone to his butler, Lucien led the way to where the law enforcement officer waited. The man stood immediately and offered a low bow.

  “Forgive the intrusion, my lord. I fear this news is of great importance and could not wait until morning.”

  “Speak your piece.”

  Leona wasn’t sure what to make of what was going on, however the tension in the room continued to climb. Remaining toward the back of the room, she debated leaving to allow Lucien and his wife privacy, as she doubted the news had anything to do with her, or was anything she needed to be involved with.

  “Few of my men were out on patrol and we ran into Ms. Bethany. You had requested us to keep an eye out for her?”

  Leona struggled not to collapse to her knees. The fact that Bethany had resurfaced scared Leona more than she cared to admit.

  “And?” Lucien’s tone dropped.

  Ciara moved closer to Leona, who noticed that the mother of two didn’t touch her, but was definitely in a protective position.

  “When we caught her, she was coming out of a less than reputable business with a man who, once we questioned him, said he had just gotten off a boat that had docked earlier in the day.”

  Bile pushed up in Leona’s throat and she swallowed, not wanting to miss whatever this man had to impart.

  “Is she in custody now?” The man nodded. “I want her kept there, for threatening my wife and I want her held and tried. What about this man who had been with her?”

  The officer swallowed and stepped forward. Pulling a folded parchment from his pocket, he handed it over. “We found this on him.”

  Lucien accepted the parchment from him and stared at it. He turned and looked at her. “This is addressed to you, Leona.”

  Her feet were rooted to the floor. She didn’t want to approach him and take it, aware deep down that there was bad news. Ciara glanced to her as well. She forced her feet to move.

  “Thank you.” The whisper had to fight to make it past dry lips.

  “Yes, ma’am,” the officer said. Then he turned his gaze back to Lucien. “We have them both if you care to question them. I will see myself out. Thank you for your time, my lord.”

  The man was seen out and Lucien and Ciara stared at her.

  “Do you want me to read it?” Lucien posed the question.

  She didn’t want anyone to read it. Whatever the horrible news it contained, she didn’t want it to come to light and be true. Even still, she handed the parchment over, knowing she couldn’t handle reading it.

  She held her breath while Lucien took a knife and split the seal on the letter. He unfolded the letter and skimmed it, his expression not giving anything away to her. Perhaps Ciara knew how to read him, but Leona didn’t. To be honest, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to handle finding out.

  Lucien flicked his gaze to her then back to the letter.

  “Do you know a General Harrington?”

  It took a few moments for his deep voice to penetrate her cloud of worry. She stared at him, thinking once more how lucky Ciara was to be with a man like him.

  “Leona?”

  She dampened her lips and nodded. “I do. That was Trace’s commanding officer and the man who helped him put away his brother, and his ex-wife.” She shifted closer to him. “Is that from him?”

  “It is.” Lucien’s dark brows converged and he shook his head. “I do not like it. There’s also the name Ben on the paper. Do you know him?”

  “I do. He was a slave at Hawk’s Cove when I was. Trace said he is still there but works for a fair wage.”

  Leona held out her hand and he passed the document over. She could see his reluctance in doing so.

  He remained beside her as she read the words on the parchment.

  To Miss Leona,

  I know you do not know me but I have heard of you through the stories Colonel Morgan would tell of you. I am his commanding officer, General Harrington. I am writing this letter on his behalf.

  He is in trouble and needs you to come as expeditiously as possible. Also, we need Mr. Garrett to accompany you. At the moment, Trace is unable to write this, and as I know you do not have any reason to believe a word I say, I have asked Ben to vouch for my words.

  General Harrington

  Her heart seized and tears gathered, pushing hard in an attempt to get free of their confinement. Blinking in rapid succession, Leona lifted the letter once more in her trembling hand.

  My Leona, I hope you know how much you mean to me. Please take this man’s word. Mister Trace is in trouble and needs both you and his son by his side. There are two tickets included in there for you and young Garrett to return. I had hoped to see you again but am saddened this is the situation that will get you here to Hawk’s Cove once again.

  Respectfully Ben

  * * * *

  She woke lying on one of the chaises in the room, Ciara beside her, dabbing her forehead with a damp cloth.

  “It is a trap,” the marchioness said without hesitation as she continued to touch Leona’s clammy skin.

  “Yes.”

  “You will not go.” Lucien stood behind his wife, arms crossed and a thunderous scowl on his face.

  “I must.” She sat up in slow increments, allowing and appreciating that Ciara assisted her. “I do not want Falcon to go, but if we do not, they will kill him for sure.”

  “We will come with you.”

  “No,” she blurted out. “You have far too much to lose. And I would guess that your descriptions have been passed along. They will be looking for anyone traveling with the two of us.”

  “I’ll go,” Ciara insisted. “You will not do this alone.”

  Interjecting before Lucien could dispute his wife, Leona shook her head and gripped her friend’s hand.

  “No. You are a wife and a mother. Two children and a third on the way, you cannot risk this.” She tightened her hold. “Plus, we know if you went, your husband would come, and that puts us right back to this situation.”

  “I do not want you going alone.”

  “I have an idea,” Lucien said, backing to the door. “I need to send for someone. Then, wife, you and I will discuss why you did not see fit to tell your loving husband you are carrying his child once more.” His eyes burned a path across the room before he stepped through.

  Leona stared down at the letter beside her. How Trace must feel, betrayed by the ones he had trusted. Again. Her heart went out to him, and she wished she were close enough to hold him tight.

  She sat there in silence for a while.

  “Are you sure this is what you should be doing?” Ciara watched her with a concerned gaze.

  “I cannot leave him there. I will not.”

  “Why do they want you back?”

  “My guess is to be a slave once more.” It churned her stomach to imagine going back to that life. But for Trace, she was willing to risk her freedom. “But I do not know. Perhaps they just wish to kill me.”

  “And his son?”

  She worried her lower lip. “I know he was not sure if Falcon was his.” She spoke in a low tone, as if they could be overheard. “Perhaps the true father wants him back. I do not want to take him, but I do not think he will let me go without him.”

  “I do not think he will. He is so much like his father in that way, protective of the woman he loves. His mother. You.”

  Leona hugged her. “Thank you, for everything.”

  “Do not think we won’t come after you, because we will. You have a lead on us, but trust me, we will follow, and you will not be stuck there.”

  Lucien stepped back into the room and Phillip followed, his normally teasing expression serious. “Phillip will accompany you. They will not know about him, and he can fight.”

  “I am ready. I will secure passage on the ship. We will not speak, Leona, but I will be there, watching over you.” The Earl of Edais put his gray eyes on her.

  “I cannot ask you to put your life in danger,” Leona insisted.

  He gave her a flirting smile. “And you did no such thing. This is me doing right. You mean something to this family and, while we just met, that means you are also important to me. I will leave now and see you on the ship.” He sketched a bow and left.

  Lucien pulled Leona to her feet and hugged her. “My wife was right. I will follow. You will not be returned to that life.”

  “If it means freeing Trace and letting him and his son—”

  “No,” he interrupted. “That man would not want you trading your freedom for his. He is going to be furious enough that you went. We will not let you three stay.”

  Leona held on to the conviction in his tone and the knowledge that she did have family. They loved her and would protect her, as best they could.

  * * * *

  Time had blurred into nothingness as Trace was rotated through a regimen of whippings, beatings, being burned and always with the taunting. They didn’t let him die, however, and he wanted nothing more than to find a way out.

  They had taken his right eye and now he had a patch.

  Unfortunately, the general knew what he did in terms of being resourceful and made sure there was no way he could escape. Guards were forbidden to speak to him, and there were never less than four present any time the door was open, regardless of the condition of his body.

  Occasionally someone would come in and clean up his injuries, perhaps to keep them from becoming infected and ruining their fun if he died. He was no longer sure of anything.

  But he refused to tell them more about Leona or his son, holding onto the belief the two he loved more than anything in this life were safe in England, away from the clutches of this island’s evil.

  Then the beatings stopped. He was allowed to recover, and fear grew within him as to why. No point in him asking, as they didn’t speak to him. Trace pushed himself as best he could to remain in decent condition. He ate what they gave him, small though it may be and he worked to keep up is strength. He didn’t want to be unable to fight if he had to, or was given the opportunity.

  One day the door opened. Trace ignored the ever-present four guards and stared impassively at the fifth man there. General Harrington.

  His lips were turned up in glee.

  “My son has returned.”

  Trace longed to deny it, but nothing passed his lips. He refused to argue this with him. Falcon was his! All he did was wait to see what the general said next.

  “No questions? Do not worry, you’ll get to see your whore once more before I get her. Seems she’s unaware of her place. No one came with her. Perhaps living over there has made her assume she can do what she wants without consequences. She believed that Ben and I were concerned for your well-being, and has brought my son back to me.” He crossed his arms. “I mean, Ben was concerned, but as that old bastard is dead, it does not matter.”