She slammed all her weight into Thorne.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chaos exploded aroundChristian as Red and Thorne tumbled over the bank and into the sinkhole.
The giants rushed his men with wild shouts, and gunshots drowned out all other noise.
He sprinted to the edge. Before he could start down the steep limestone, a flash of crimson stood out against the frothing water below.
Son of a . . .
He jumped.
With a splash, he landed hard and struggled to stay upright on the steep slope. He took a step toward the struggle and slipped. Damnation. He couldn’t get closer, and even if he could, so much mud had been stirred up, it was impossible to see below the surface. A glint of steel emerged from the havoc, there and gone in an instant, and the water stilled.
After an agonizing second, Thorne lifted his head from the water and stood waist-deep, chest heaving. “Bloody wench.” His father grasped his arm, where blood seeped through his fingers.
Heart racing, Christian leveled his blade at the pirate’s neck and scanned the sinkhole. If the blood hadn’t been hers, where was she?
Come on, Red.
His sword wavered and Thorne grinned.
Bubbles surfaced in the middle of the sinkhole, and a moment later, copper hair glistened in the sun.
Thank God.
The sounds of battle above them wound down and Christian pressed the point of his blade above his father’s heart. “Captain Thorne, you’re under arrest for high piracy.”
Isaac poked his head over the edge. “Need any help down there?”
“Yes, help me tie up this criminal.”
His friend climbed down and stepped behind Thorne, pushing him from the water. He pulled out a strap of leather, wrapping it around one of the pirate’s wrists, then the other. Christian stood still, each beat of his heart reverberating down his arm and blade. His father’s face had gone stony, the sporadic twitching of his lip the only hint of emotion.
Once Thorne’s hands were securely bound, Christian lowered his sword, the weight suddenly unbearable. Isaac met his gaze for a brief moment before giving a subtle nod, then led the captain up the rocky bank. Once they disappeared from view, Red swam back. She stepped from the water and Christian tilted his face skyward to avoid staring at the wet fabric clinging to her body.
“How’d you find us?” Accusation dripped from each word.
He lowered his gaze enough to meet her flashing eyes. “I believe you meant to say thank you. You’re welcome.”
She wrung out her hair. “Of course I’m thankful. I just don’t understand how.”
He climbed the bank and turned to offer her a hand. “I had every ship in port being watched. Turns out I didn’t need to. Only one woman I know would be foolish enough to barge through town in breeches. If you were trying to fool anyone into thinking you were a boy, you failed.”
A faint blush crept across her cheeks. “We had watches set.”
“And I have state-of-the-art looking glasses. Sent straight from Washington.”
She frowned and glanced around them. The remaining giants were being tied up by his men and hers. “And what of us, Lieutenant? Arewe under arrest as well?”
Her chest heaved and his gaze slid over wet cleavage. Damn her for making him want her.
He took a steadying breath. “For what? Treasure hunting? Hardly a crime, if you ask me.”
At his words, she spun toward the sinkhole with wide eyes. “The treasure.”
She took a step toward the bank and he reached out to catch her arm. “Don’t you think you’ve wasted enough time searching for this treasure?”
