Free Stormy Persuasion by Johanna Lindsey Page A

were to meet you with your ship and when.”
    “How was that ambush arranged so quickly?”
    “Because Captain Grigg was in town that night. He was told about your change in plans.
     He sent his spy to a revenue ship in the harbor, and the rest you know.”
    “What I need to know is where I can find him, boyo . So if he doesn’t have a base, why don’t you tell me where he stores his cargo.”
    “I can’t because he doesn’t. D’you really not know how many men work for him? Half
     of them just drive the wagons and simply wait for him to beach, unload, and they cart
     the goods straight to the buyers. No hiding it like we used to. No giving the revenuers
     that patrol the waters a chance to find us. He arranges everything in advance and
     has been operating that way for years. There’s nothing more I can tell you.”
    “Yes, there is,” Nathan said in a quieter tone. “You can tell me why he killed my
     father.”
    “Well, your sis—you don’t know?”
    Nathan lifted the man a little off his feet to get his point across. “Tell me.”
    “I know nothing. Nothing!” The sailor’s jaw was clenched, but he was shaking like
     a leaf. “I wasn’t working for him back then.”
    Nathan pulled the man away from the wall and raised his fist warningly. “The tavern?”
     he growled. “Last chance to say something useful.”
    The sailor’s eyes widened. “There’s an alley behind it, that’s all I ever see of it.
     The cap’n’s of a mind that the less we know the better. Only Mr. Olivey gets told
     when, where, and who. But I heard him call the bloke we deliver to Bobby.”
    “The owner?”
    “Don’t know, never asked.”
    Nathan smashed his fist into the man’s face. “Too little, too late,” he muttered,
     but the man couldn’t hear him.
    Nathan hurried back to the tavern to rouse Mr. Olivey for more information, but he
     slowed as he approached. The watch had found Grigg’s defeated crewmen. All four of
     them were still unconscious, didn’t even stir as they were lifted and placed in a
     wagon to be taken to jail. Nathan wasn’t even surprised. The man who had laid waste
     to them really was a bruiser.
    Nathan was disappointed, but if the sailor he’d questioned could be believed, and
     he probably could be, Nathan knew much more now than he had before. And if his new
     turn of luck held, Grigg wouldn’t be caught by Burdis before Nathan returned to England.
    Corky was in the small crowd gathered in front of the tavern, but he was nervously
     looking around for Nathan rather than watching what was going on. Nathan waved to
     draw his attention.
    Corky ran over to him immediately. “We better get back to our post and quickly. The
     owners of the ship came by to see how the loading was going and got caught in a fistfight.
     Someone actually knocked out one of them and he’s furious.”
    “That’s—unfortunate,” Nathan said with a sinking feeling. “Did they board?”
    “No, not tonight. Where did you take off to?”
    He gave Corky the short of it, saying, “Grigg’s men are in town. I had words with
     one of them.”
    “He’s operating out of London? I know he’s cagey, but I didn’t take him for a loony.”
    “He only delivers here to a number of buyers, but I got a lead on one of them. It’s
     the first clue I’ve had about Grigg’s whereabouts since he killed Jory. And now I
     know where to look for him when we get back to England.”
    “Or you could send word about him to your commander friend.”
    “Hell no, and he’s not my friend. He’s just a revenuer using me to get himself a promotion.
     Our goals merely line up—temporarily.”
    Corky tsked. “Connections have their uses, particularly if they come with titles.
     It doesn’t serve your best interests to hate all nabobs just because of your sister’s
     in-laws.”
    “I don’t hate them all. Only the ones I meet. Now it’s late and we sail in the morning.
     We need some sleep. They can wake us if any more