Chapter Two

Sabeen worried her lower lip as she stared at the unconscious man lying on the cave floor. She couldn’t worry about him; she had to protect the children.

“Who is he, Sabeen?”

She sheathed her sword and faced the five youngsters in her charge. Three slave children and the sole two of the plantation owner. Crissy was the eldest at nine, and her younger brother, Stephen, was a precocious five. The other three ranged from six to eight.

“I do not know, Crissy. I have never seen him before. Come, we have to go.”

“And just leave him?”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. Crissy had begun arguing everything lately. “Yes, he is not dead, and when he wakes, we need to be gone from here. Long gone.”

No doubt the man would be furious and, if like most men she met, wanting to make her pay. Her experiences with them had been anything but pleasant.

“What if he came to see Daddy and is a guest?”

Sabeen bit back the words on how she’d found Crissy and Stephen’s parents, mutilated and lying in pools of their own blood. She couldn’t tell the children here or now. First priority was getting—and keeping—all of them safe.

“Then, I will apologize and beg forgiveness before accepting whatever punishment they deem I deserve for committing such an act. Get moving.”

The others moved toward their exit; however, Crissy hesitated, wringing her hands and chewing on her lower lip. Sabeen understood the look on her face. Attraction.

Nothing she could fault her for; even Sabeen, for all her mistrust of men, couldn’t deny his appeal. Unlike a lot of the overweight overseers, this man was fit with no extra weight. His white shirt was completely opened, exposing a powerful, bronzed chest, while his tight black breeches drew her attention to his lower body. Weapons were strapped to him, and they were worn, informing her he was no amateur with them.

That worried her more than she cared to admit. Yes, she could hold her own, but there existed no doubt he would have defeated her. Crissy knelt by him, spurring Sabeen into action. Hastening to her side, she grabbed the child by the wrist and pulled her away.

“We need to leave.” Sabeen never glanced at the man but couldn’t stop her mind from recalling the vividness of his blue eyes.

“He is a good man.”

In the child’s imagination, perhaps. She would believe that herself…most likely…never.

“Right. Crissy, now!”

With obvious reluctance, her young charge got up and came with her. Shoving Crissy before her, Sabeen hastened her up a small passageway too narrow for the mystery guest should he try to follow when he awakened. Even so, her nerves were a wreck until she got them to the hidden shack. She fed them and got them ready for bed.

“We need to talk, Crissy,” she said, tucking the girl in.

“I know. I should not have argued when you said—”

Sabeen pressed two fingers over her mouth. “Not about that.”

In the faint glow from the solitary tallow candle that sat in a brass holder, blue eyes watched her solemnly.

“They are gone? Forever?”

She brushed the thin blonde hair from the innocent face. “I am so sorry.”

Tears gathered and leaked over. “Where will we go?”

Sabeen rolled her lower lip and tried to ignore the queasiness in her stomach. “I do not know, Crissy.”

The child sat up and crawled mostly into her lap. “Now neither of us has our parents.”

Brushing a kiss along the crown of her head, Sabeen held her until the tears stopped, and Crissy fell into exhaustion. Once she had tucked her in again, Sabeen made her way to the doorway where she paused and ran another protective gave over the children. Content all was safe for now, she blew out the candle and cautiously made her way out into the fresh, thick jungle air. Sinking to the floor by the front door, she curled her hand around the hilt of her sword and closed her eyes. To get to the children, someone would have to kill her first. There were alerts people would trip to wake her prior to their arrival as well.

Even with the knowledge of the children being safe for now, sleep didn’t come easily. Images of the horror seen—and heard—today remained fresh in her mind. Disturbing and frightful. She knew a few things for certain—they would be killed if discovered, they had to get off this island, and she had to find a way to get Crissy and Stephen to their uncle who lived in England. She believed that’s where he lived. What, then, would happen to her and the other three kids she hadn’t any idea but would deal with that when the time came.

The severity of her—their—situation weighed heavily upon her, and it was a long time before she finally fell asleep. When she woke, she secured the area before heading to find some fruit for their breakfast. From high in a tree, she could see the remnants of the plantation. Parts still burned, and she believed, if she listened hard enough, the cries of fear and death could be heard.

Back at the hideaway, she shared a meal with five solemn children. Crissy and Stephen sat pressed against one another, and Sabeen understood Crissy had told him about their parents. The others had picked up on the mood and ate quietly.

“I do not know what will happen next, but we have to stick together,” Sabeen said, wiping her hands on her breeches. “We are family now and must look out for one another.”

“Family,” Stephen echoed.

With a smile, she nodded at him then glanced to the others. Jon was eight and watched her with serious brown eyes. Ester and Olivia acted like twins; both were six and loved to look after Stephen. They, too, gave her a nod.

“We are heading to a place your father had built farther from the house. There, I will try to find a way to get us passage to England.” The children pressed together. “All of us,” she added.

“Daddy had another place?” Crissy asked.

Sabeen hesitated. The child had just lost her parents; she wasn’t exactly anxious to inform her how much of a bastard he’d been. Not that their mother had been an angel. Unless one was discussing the Angel of Darkness.

“A place he could go and work in private.” She swallowed back her breakfast, which was making a violent return.

“You went?”

“A few times.” Her skin crawled with the memories of what she’d endured there. Not that the plantation house was any better. It took several deep breaths before she regained control.

Luckily, her response seemed to appease Crissy for there were no more questions. They disposed of breakfast remains, and she led them to a place she never wanted to return to. However, it was not about her but the children. So, what she wanted made no difference. They stopped frequently because of the heat and the toll it took on all. The sun had begun to set when they reached their destination. The entrance remained well-disguised, and while there were no signs of disturbance, Sabeen still hid the kids and went alone.