He lowered her gently to the deck, all the while wondering what the past hours had been for her. Would she survive Browne’s harsh treatment and return to her old self? Or would she awake a dead-eyed shell of the woman she had been? He had seen that sort of reaction once before in Bianca, the mere child he’d rescued and married to restore some semblance of her honor after these same pirates had taken her by force. “Poor Bianca. I never knew her as a whole and vital woman. She died, in spirit, long before that stray bullet pierced her tiny breast.” Laffite realized suddenly that he’d spoken aloud. He cleared his throat self-consciously and glanced about the ship’s deck. No one was close enough to have heard. Only Nikki, and she remained still… silent… pale as death. He quickly erased that thought from his mind. “Hey, Boss! Look here!” Reyne Beluche, Laffite’s uncle, called out in a jubilant voice.
