Stormy Vows - Iris Johansen [89]
For some curious reason, her answer seemed to please him. He regarded her with an enigmatic smile. “You know that you're in a great deal of trouble?” he asked as he studied the quivering of her soft pink lips and the raw fear in her golden eyes.
“I know,” she said huskily, biting her lip nervously. “But… but there wasn't anyone else.”
The cabin door was flung open, and three large, intimidating men rushed into the cabin. Jane looked up, startled, as the trio came to a screeching halt just inside the cabin door while they bewilderedly absorbed the scene in the cabin. One uniformed man in his late fifties, with gray-streaked hair and a tough, weathered face, was obviously in command of the other two, younger men, who were dressed in jeans and crew-neck sweaters.
Jake Dominic looked up, his brows lifting in mock surprise. “Hello, Marc. You certainly took your time about it,” he said to the older man, lazily rising to his feet.
“I roused a few of the men—I thought we might need help,” Marc replied absently, his stunned eyes taking in the crude message on the wall and then wandering back to the fragile-looking girl in the gray armchair.
“I think we can handle her between us,” Dominic said, his lips twitching. “Captain Marcus Benjamin, may I present Jane Smith, girl terrorist.”
Jane threw him an annoyed glance. “I wish you wouldn't keep calling me that,” she complained.
“Sorry, Jane,” Dominic said urbanely, his hands buttoning his cream shirt. “I'm still having problems with those semantics.”
Benjamin's mouth tightened in irritation as he turned to face the two younger men, who were grinning irrepressibly at their captain's discomfort. “You can go back to bed, men,” he said briskly. “Tell Jim to stay on duty on deck in case we need the launch.”
The smiles were immediately wiped from the faces of the seamen at Benjamin's whiplike tone. They sketched a respectful salute and exited hurriedly.
Banjamin turned back to Jake Dominic and Jane, his expression grim. Jane shivered at the stern, authoritative figure the large man presented in his dark-blue uniform. “Now, what is this all about?” Benjamin asked, frowning.
“I was trying to determine that, when you and your bully boys burst into the cabin,” Dominic said lazily. “It seems that Miss Smith took umbrage at my latest directorial effort and decided to make her opinions known.”
“Very expensive umbrage,” Benjamin said gruffly. “You'll have to send to Sweden to replace that panel.” His gray eyes narrowed as Jane gasped in alarm. “What do you want done with her? I have a launch standing by to take her ashore. You'll have to go with her if you intend to press charges.”
“That's right, I will, won't I?” Dominic observed noncommittally, his eyes on Jane's face. “Are you ready to face the music, Jane?”
Jane moistened her lips nervously, but her chin was set determinedly as she said valiantly, “Yes, Mr. Dominic.” She slowly got to her feet. “It probably won't be as bad as all that,” she went on bravely. “I hear the police go easy on student protestors.”
“Then you've been misinformed,” Benjamin said bluntly. “They regard a crime exactly the same, no matter who commits it. You're in big trouble, young lady.”
Jake Dominic frowned and said impatiently, “You're frightening the child, Marc.”
Benjamin shrugged. “There's no use in her fooling herself, Jake. There's a good chance that she'll go to jail for this night's work.”
Jane could feel the last remaining color drain from her face at the captain's grim words. The situation was taking on all the nuances of a nightmare, and she knew a dizzying sense of panic.
“Will you stop intimidating the girl?” Dominic said roughly, “She's just a kid.”
“No, it's all right,” Jane said quickly, drawing a deep breath to steady the quivering in her stomach. Her hand was shaking as she nervously loosened the collar of her dark sweater. “I knew there would be some risk involved.”
“But not this much,” Dominic guessed shrewdly.
“I would have done it anyway,” she