The Pirate by Katherine Garbera Page A

cared about. But that relationship was dead to him now.
    â€œGet up the stairs.”
    Laz followed directions. Going up on the deck was what he wanted anyway. He needed to see if Samatan was here. Or if they had been the target of another group of pirates.
    Besides the three who’d come to get him, there were four other pirates on deck, including Fridjtof.
    He didn’t like men who lied about their allegiance. Fridjtof took one look at Laz’s face and backed away from him, then seemed to remember that he was in charge here. He stepped forward.
    â€œI need the names of the doctors.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œBecause I asked for them, Captain. You are no longer in charge here,” Fridjtof said.
    â€œAnd you are?” Laz asked.
    He didn’t like the idea of giving up the names of the passengers to this man. He knew that they had connections in the U.S. government and knowing their names would only give the pirates more fuel for their ransom demands.
    Fridjtof drew back his fist and punched Laz square in the stomach. The impact was forceful and painful but Laz didn’t make a sound.
    Instead Laz just glanced at the other man; he needed to see how hard he could push before Fridjtof broke. He needed to understand the mettle of the men who held them so he would know what to expect when they took the ship back. And Laz was definitely going to take this ship back.
    â€œIs that all you got?”
    Fridjtof backhanded him, hitting him hard on the jaw. He felt his teeth grind together as he caught part of his inner mouth and blood spurted out. Damn it, he hated the taste of blood, especially his own.
    â€œI need their names. You can tell me or I can pull them up here…how long do you think they will last? Especially that nosy lady who captured your attention?” Fridjtof asked.
    Laz narrowed his eyes, knowing he had to be referring to Daphne. Damn, he knew that sexy woman was going to be trouble the moment he laid eyes on her. Fridjtof was very determined to get the information. Laz wondered if he was trying to prove himself to his superiors.
    â€œI don’t think their names are important to this situation,” Laz said. “They are a group of humanitarian aid workers going to Somalia. I’d think you could appreciate that and let them go.”
    â€œI’ll decide what’s important,” Fridjtof said.
    â€œYou don’t seem capable of deciding much.”
    â€œI can decide if that little doctor talks to me before or after I give her to the crew as a prize.”
    Laz jerked out of the hands of the men holding him and slammed his shoulder into Fridjtof’s stomach. The other man grunted and fell off balance. Laz kicked him to the ground and kicked him in the stomach twice before he was hit hard on the back of the head with the butt of a rifle.
    He shook his head to keep the lightheadedness at bay. He was a damned good fighter but four to one wasn’t the best odds. Laz tried to hold his own, inflicting as much damage on the men attacking him as he could. But he was outnumbered, and as he continued to take blows to the head he knew he wasn’t helping anyone.
    He wasn’t about to let Daphne or any of the other doctors be “questioned” by these men.
    Laz realized that Fridjtof had made up his mind to prove his mettle, and as the other men tried to beat the information out of him, he promised himself that he’d have a very special type of revenge for the man who had betrayed them and threatened Daphne.
    Each hit he took just strengthened his resolve. Laz had learned a long time ago how to push pain to the back of his mind. It had been that training and his ability that had cemented for him the fact that he was meant to be a warrior. He’d always suspected it but having the skills of a warrior had made him realize that he was uniquely qualified to be one.
    Each blow to his abdomen would have brought another man to his knees, and later Laz