Taken By Storm(61)

Storm noticed that Burke had remained silent listening to the exchange. His eyes narrowed and he appeared to drift off in thought. Something weighed on his mind, and she couldn’t help but wonder what it was.

“When do we meet this man?” Storm asked, her question bringing Burke out of his musing.

“Tomorrow at dawn at the fork in the river,” Philip said.

“A safe place?” Storm asked.

“Secure enough,” Philip said. “William and I have already found the vantage points. I thought it best if William and Burke take points while you and I speak with the man.”

“I want to be there,” Burke insisted.

“I think you should,” Storm said to everyone’s surprise. “This man sells information for a price. If he meets with me and recognizes my identity, then he will certainly tell, for a goodly sum, my general location. Burke offers no such appeal to him, so therefore Burke and Philip would be the logical men to meet with him. William and I will take the points.”

“You are a wise leader,” Burke said with a smile.

“You’re just discovering that, Mr. Longton?”

“Admitting it, Storm, for all to know.”

Storm ordered that they make camp near the meeting place. She wanted to be sure that the fellow arrived alone. It took a couple of hours to cover the area and make certain all was in readiness for tomorrow’s meeting.

Food taken from the ship provided supper for the evening. Storm wanted no campfire or scents to drift in the air and attract unwanted visitors or alert anyone to their location.

It would be a cold night for the four, but tomorrow they would have what they had come for and be on their way home.

As usual, Storm took the first watch, and Burke joined her.

“You should get some sleep. Your watch will come fast enough,” Storm warned when he plopped down beside her on the ground. It wasn’t that she didn’t want his company. It was just that she didn’t favor discussing their relationship right now, and that was all he seemed to want to talk about when they were alone.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to mention us. I just want to spend some time with you.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time together of late.”

He shrugged. “Somehow it never seems enough.”

“Are you being romantic, Mr. Longton?” she asked with a smile.

“You know…” He paused and nodded slowly. “I think I might be.”

She laughed softly. “You can be amusing.”

“You find my efforts at romance amusing?” He shook his head. “That’s not a good sign.”

“At least you try,” she encouraged. “And I do appreciate the effort.”

He leaned over and stole a quick kiss. “I’m glad to hear that, but it’s no effort. I simply speak the truth.”

He stunned her silent.

He kissed her again, only this time his kiss was filled with passion. It consumed her much too quickly and just as quickly heightened her desire for him. It had to stop, but she didn’t want it to; Lord, she didn’t want it to.

“I’ll leave you now,” he said after releasing her lips. “Reluctantly.”

She watched the darkness swallow him and raised her fingers to faintly touch her pulsating lips. She hadn’t really wanted their kiss to end and hadn’t wanted him to leave.

If she chose to have an interlude with him, would she be able to release him easily or would her heart ache?

She seriously needed to consider the question, or perhaps it was the answer that disturbed her.





Chapter 24




The skinny little fellow reminded Burke of a weasel. He didn’t trust him from when first he laid eyes on him. He had dark, beady eyes and barely any hair, and he acted as if he expected someone to pounce on the scene at any moment.

“What are you afraid of?” Burke asked after being in his company for only a few minutes.

“Nothing, nothing,” the man said quickly, and kept turning his head from Burke to Philip.

“You have a name?”

“Names aren’t necessary,” the man said.

“But the coins are,” Burke confirmed.

“No coins, no information,” the man said with quivering bravery.

Burke withdrew several gold coins from his pocket and held them out in his palm.

The man went to grab them with thin, grimy fingers; Burke was faster and closed his fist.

“First the information and then you get paid. The prisoner’s name.”

“Cullen, a big fool of a man.”

“Why do you say that?” Burke asked.

The man gave a gruff laugh. “He was stupid to think that Lady Alaina could love him. He’s nothing but a peasant, not fit to be in her presence.”