“Shut-up, Rutland, before I run youthrough,” Damiano warned, his voice harsh and gravely.
“And I’ll kill you if you touch her.”
Damiano laughed. “Brave words from the otherside of the wall. You are useless.”
Alexandra clamped her teeth on Damiano’shand. The ugly man cursed and swung out with a powerful blow acrossher face. Her head snapped back, stars exploded in front of hereyes. Damiano reached out, grabbed her by the shoulders and slammedher to the floor. He thrust his hand down her bodice. Pinched hernipples, sucked her lips, bit her neck. She raised clenched fists,swinging wildly, pummeling at the side of his head.
He grabbed both of her hands and held themtogether over her head. “I like a woman with fight in her.” As heyanked up her skirts, her screams were drowned by Lord Rutland’sshouts. Damiano punched her on the side of the head. She stared outthe opened hatch, helpless to fight anymore.
Through a haze, a figure in the darknessappeared at the aperture above, then in one swift move, he droppedonto her assailant. Damiano’s weight abruptly lifted off her. Sherolled away, cringing and pulling into herself.
“You swine,” snarled Lord Rutland.
How had Lord Rutland come to be in hercell?
In the darkness, the thud of a fist buriedinto flesh. Air wheezed from someone’s lungs. The outline of broadshoulders charged against another dark outline. She scrambled intothe corner, the tiny confines of her cell, making it impossible toavoid the two men. Fists flew as hard and fast as the cursesbetween blows. Knuckles crunched against jawbone again and again.Her food bucket rattled against the wall.
“I promise you, Damiano,” Lord Rutlandgrowled as they banged around in the small space. “You will beweeping with the devil when I’m done with you.” Fists pounded intoflesh.
Boots hammered above her across the deck.She glanced to the hatch. Damiano had left the hatch open andunlocked. That’s how Lord Rutland had gotten in. Their jailer hadinadvertently freed him.
“Damiano,” Captain Diogo roared and pointedhis pistols. “Stop or I’ll shoot you both.” Within minutes, twodeckhands lowered a ladder and hauled both men from her cell. Alantern held by one of the sailors blinded her view.
“Damiano tried to attack her,” Nicholas saidon the way out. “Your profit will diminish if she is defiled,Captain Diogo.”
Alexandra’s heart sank with the truth of hiswords. A virgin was a highly-prized commodity on the slave market.Lord Rutland was protecting her by striking the captain with hisgreed.
“You would lose a substantial amount.”Nicholas pressed when Captain Diogo hesitated. “Damiano should bepunished to set an example.”
“There is truth in what you say, LordRutland. But this is my ship and under my command. Get back intoyour cell.” And at the captain’s nod, a deckhand shoved Nicholasand sent him tumbling into his cell. Diogo turned to Damiano. “Ihave warned you to stay away from the woman. I will not have youlashed because I need every available seaman. But I’m taking awayyour profit share from this voyage. Consider my orders a mercy fordisobeying me.”
Damiano leaned away from his guards and spatinto the grate. “Lord Rutland, you will pay. And to you, my lady.Think how it will be if there is a storm and you are locked belowto suffer the fates of the sea as the ship sinks and the waterrises over your head.”
“I will have you tied to the mast if youdisobey my orders,” Captain Diogo warned. “I lose my patience whenmy sleep is disturbed.”
The hatch dropped with a thud, a lockclicked, sealing them in their separate cells once again. Alexandrasank to the floor, covered her face with her hands and wept.
Nicholas thrust his hand through the hole.“Hold my hand,” he commanded.
Fingers shaking, she lifted her hand andclasped his. Like the force of a thousand burning suns, the heat ofhis strength and energy surged through her.
“Are you hurt?” She hated the idea of LordRutland being injured on her behalf.
“Half of the blows he initiated neverlanded.”
With her other hand, she ran her fingersover his knuckles, and like a blind child would, caressed theirbreadth and width and power. So much could be told about a person’shands, and his were calloused like a blacksmith’s. She frowned withthe incongruity. Aristocrats never labored. “Damiano will rememberhis humiliation.”
“Oh, he will get even, if given theopportunity. I await the occasion with pleasure.”
Her hand felt at home in his, like it shouldbe meant for all time. “I hope Captain Diogo will keep a stern eyeon him.”
“I wish I could lash him until he could notbreathe,” said Nicholas.
A smile touched her lips. She sensed he borehis imprisonment with solid indifference, his fearlessness allowinghim to escape any tragedy. He was heroic for sure, for he had cometo her rescue.
What if they were free from these wretchedconditions, and had met under normal circumstances? Where theelement of her birthright was proven and her rank in societysolidified. Would they be friends? Would he court her?
No. Too many impossibilities and too muchdreaming. They weren’t free. They may never be free. Their fate layin the hands of their captors.
