A Hidden Queen

Chapter 2

Josephine's heart pounds in her ears as she quietly surveys her father. Clinton straightens his back, squaring his shoulders with the sound of the approaching footsteps. He glances down at her, a reassurance resting on his features with a cocky grin.

"Don't panic and remember what I said." Clinton commands quietly.

Joe nods her head, biting at her bottom lip. The young woman inhales deeply, calming her nerves and clearing her head. Clinton steps back, resting that non-caring scowl on his face right as the military men come to a rest in front of the two cells. The men frown deeply, disgust clearly written upon their faces.

"What's the matter, boys?" Clinton goads, that mischievous glint in his eyes. "Afraid of getting your hands dirty with handling us?"

"Hill. Baker." The man barks in a strange British accent. "Get the girl first."

The two guards advance, slithering their way into her personal space. Joe slides back; her eyes trailing the sly upturned smirks. With surprisingly, uncanny reflexes, the men rush her, grabbing the front of her shirt and throwing her forward with a startling gasp.

Unable to regain her balance, Joe falls into the arms of another guard stationed directly outside. The giant easily wraps his arms around her thin waist, painfully twisting her wrist behind her back. Curses leap off her tongue as she wiggles about his strong hold. The brute chuckles, twisting her arm higher up and forcing her to lean forward in-order to relieve the tension building in her shoulder. The meaty fingers snatch her jaw, raising her head until it rests against his chest. Joe painfully clenches her teeth as he digs his fingers ever deeper.

"Have you ever seen anything this pretty before boys?" The guard inquires in a southern drawl.

A shiver runs down Joe's spin as his breath warms the back of her neck. She glimpses into the aquamarine eyes, a lustful glint sparkling within them. He snickers at her distraught, further nuzzling his nose into her hair and deeply inhaling the natural scent.

"Dad." She whispers pitifully.

"Get your hands off my daughter." Clinton growls, pulling at the bars.

"What are you going to do about it, Daddy?" He taunts.

Joe's chest constricts with his devilish laugh. His hand trails down her stomach, playing with the top of her beltline. Clinton's growl deepens, his knuckles turning white with his tight grip as the pair keep eye contact. His body shook with anger as Joe turned her head away, tears leaking out of the corner of her eyes.

"Let her go!" Carter yells, rattling the bars as he rams them.

"Jackson! That is quite enough." The officer commands.

"Oh, come on, James. You cannot tell me this isn't. . ."

"Jackson!"

Jackson scoffs miserably, releasing Joe's jaw. The young woman falls forward, her heart pounding in her ears. Joe quickly calms her nerves, shoving the pain back as she snaps her body upwards. The motion catches Jackson off guard, allowing her head to collide with his nose. Jackson cries out, releasing his iron grip in favor of cradling the broken and bleeding cartilage.

Joe stumbles forward, easily regaining her balance and spinning about. The blue eyes flick between the other guards as they stare blankly at the pair before rage gradually settles in. Joe smirks, gesturing for the two men to come.

Hill advances first, lowering himself and charging for her mid-section. Josephine tenses her legs, slamming her knee into his lower abdomen just inches before they collide. He audibly groans as his lungs beg for air and Joe shoves him to the floor.

"Joey! Get out of here now!" Carter howls.

"But dad. . ."

"I said to get out of here!"

Joe swallows hard, hardening her heart as she sprinted off towards the stairs. It wasn't right for her to get freedom while he rotted with his fate. But, she knew, if she didn't take the chance, then there was no way in hell she'd be able to double back and give Clinton a chance as well.

Joe's frown deepens further as Jackson steps out from the shadows. Her heart skips a beat with an evil glint sparking in those dead aquamarine eyes. As if in slow motion, Joe watches in horror as he stretches out his arm, catching her across the chest. She jerks backwards, the air forcing its way out as she slams into the unmoving ground. Her body jerks with coughs as she rolls over to try to relieve the pain that radiates from her chest and head. She brings herself to her hands and knees, swaying with the simple act.

Jackson smirk, trapping her fingers underneath his large boot, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you think you could escape that easily?"

"You three are pathetic." James sneers, standing next to him. "How do you expect to handle him when you cannot even handle a little girl."

"She caught us by surprise. I didn't expect her to fight back after being without adequate food and water." Hill defends as Baker picks him up off the floor.

"They're pirates you moron. They're going to fight back no matter their shape." He bits back. "Now get him out of there. That is, if you think you can handle him."

Hill and Baker grumble under their breath as they move to unlock Clinton's cell. Josephine locks eyes with her father, the determined rage filling every available space within his iris. A pitiful groan slips past her lips as she painstakingly rises to her knees.

Jackson scoffs, snarling at the ill attempt. He kicks her in the side with enough force to throw her off the floor. Instantly, pain encompasses her ribcage, radiating down her back as she collides back down onto the unmoving floor.

"Josephine!" Carter howls, charging the two men.

Clinton swings at Hill, making purchase with his nose and upper cheek, stumbling the man backwards with blood dripping from his chin. He barely dodges Baker's blow as the man rushes at him. The young pirate king keeps himself low, ramming his shoulder into the guard's midsection and forcing them out of the cramped cage. The pair slam into the stone; Baker gasping for air with Clinton's weight pressing against him.

Jackson smirks, basking in the chaos as he turns to face Clinton. The meaty paw encircles Clinton's fist, twisting his wrist downwards before wrapping his long fingers around Clinton's scrawny neck. The pirate king wraps his hands around the thick wrist, pushing against his chest as he struggles to breathe.

"Not so tough now, are we?" Jackson scoffs. "The fun I could have with you and your mutt."

"Jackson. Put him down." James commands off-handedly. "The old men want him alive."

Jackson releases his grip, dropping Clinton to the floor. He gasps for air while rubbing at the freshly bruised area. The man has little time to recover as two guards pounce on his prone body, pushing his chest and head into the floor. Shouts of abuse and curses fly with one of the guards sitting on his back while the other began to knot the worn rope around his wrists.

Josephine is yanked off the floor by the front of her shirt. She turns her head away as the guard breathes onto her, the stench was enough to peel paint. He hastily ties her own restraints, tightening them so they dug into her skin without mercy and shoving her towards the stairs. Joe stumbles, barely missing the outcropping of stone at the bottom. She is unceremoniously yanked to her feet and carried the rest of the way to the heavily guarded door before being pushed into the bright sunlight.