The commander frowned at her as Isaac gave the order. “Who the hell are you?”
She gave him a cheerful smile. “Someone you don’t want to cross. Now, get your men off this ship.”
He grimaced, but gave the order. Once his crew vacated the schooner, Isaac’s men raced up the gangplank. His heart swelled as they clambered up the rigging and began unfurling the sails. Not a single one questioned this insanity. Loyal to a fault.
Samantha waited until the last of the sailors from theTempesthad boarded before loosening her dagger’s deadly grip on the commander’s throat. She guided him to the gangplank. “Go on.”
He took a step, but once free of her blade, he spun with flared nostrils. “How dare you!”
She nodded to the men holding the lines and they tossed them free. The ship began to pull away, the gangplank sliding along the dock as the commander swung his arms for balance. “You won’t get away with this!”
A grin spread across her face as the sails billowed in the breeze and the schooner surged forward. “I just did.”
His eyes widened and he turned toward the dock. It was too late. The gangplank clattered off the thick boards and dropped from below his feet. With a high-pitched scream, the commander splashed into the water.
Isaac stared, his jaw slack, until Samantha jabbed him with her elbow. “You better get this ship sailing, and fast.”
He raced to the helm and spun the wheel. “Get her moving. Full sail, now!”
The men already up in the rigging adjusted the sheets and the schooner headed into the harbor. The commander had been fishedfrom the water and stood at the edge of the dock, his face beet red. “You’ll answer for this, you bastard,” he shouted, shaking his fist.
Isaac groaned as he adjusted the wheel. “I’m going to lose my job.”
Silas nodded. “We all are.”
Samantha had climbed the stairs to the quarterdeck and gave them a tight smile. “Nonsense. Catch Thorne, and all will be forgiven. Besides, that man was all pomp. He needed a good setdown.”
*
“Ship ahoy.”
Isaac’s pulse jumped as Samantha’s voice rang down from the crow’s nest. A moment later she swung from the ratline and landed gracefully on the deck.
She handed him the spyglass with a grim look. “I think we found him.”
He strode to the forecastle and trained the glass ahead. There. On the horizon, the dark smudge of sails. Three masts. His breath caught. The bastard had found himself a frigate.
Wind whipped through his hair as the schooner practically flew across the ocean’s surface. With no cargo to weigh her down, and a light crew load, they made excellent time. His sailors went about their duties, tense but sharp, sensing the fight ahead. Samantha gave a longing gaze toward the dim haze of the coast. He didn’t blame her. Would have been a hell of a boon if they had Christian at their side.
Isaac returned his gaze ahead. Nothing to be done for it now. He couldn’t hope to match Thorne in firepower, but perhaps they could gain an advantage by using the schooner’s speed and maneuverability.
“Double shot the charges—let’s make every shot count. Aim for crippling hits. We need to take her down by taking away her offensive edge. If we just try to sink her, she’ll take us out before we can do enough damage.”
The men were quiet, boots pounding the deck as they hurried to their stations. Isaac pulled the looking glass back to his eye. Thorne stood at the helm, hands steady on the wheel as the pirates readied their weapons. With each passing minute, the frigate loomed larger. Soon enough, he could read the vessel’s nameplate. TheAvenger. It certainly matched the captain’s lust for revenge. And followed a trend—his last ship had been named theReckoning.
When they were close enough to hear the muffled shouts of Thorne’s men, a puff of smoke blossomed from the pirate ship’s hull. The shot splashed harmlessly ahead of them, sending a clear warning—come closer and feel our wrath. Without flinching, Isaac steered straight ahead, the schooner surging through the waves with deadly intent. The powerful vessel ahead of them began to turn, and Isaac’s knuckles tightened. For the second time in about as many months, he stared down the barrels of Thorne’s cannons. An unnatural silence stretched across the sea—the calm that always came before battle. Isaac counted down in his head as the two ships barreled toward each other.Three. Two. One.
“Now!”
Thunder filled his ears as the guns fired, black smoke billowing across the deck. At the same time, the deck below his feet shook, the ear-splitting cracking of wood piercing the air as Thorne’s men fired. The ship shuddered as she took the broadside shots, each one splintering through the hull. Isaac grimaced. Too much damage. He swung the wheel as fast as he could, battling the steady force of the water against the rudder.
“Haul her over! Keep her off their guns!” He aimed the ship across theReckoning’sstern as the men above adjusted the sails.
Salt spray stung his eyes as his crew fired another round of shots down the deck of the pirate ship, making the crew dive for cover. Good.
Still, the pirate ship turned with them, lining up for another attack.The schooner listed, already taking on water. They couldn’t take much more. His heart pounded as the chaos of the attack thrummed beneath his feet. The ship bucked under him, every movement sending a pulse of pain through his chest. If they didn’t make it to the windward side of the frigate, they were done for.
Before he could shout the orders, another round of cannon fire came, the deafening boom ringing in his ears. A horrible crack split the air as the top half of the mast sheared, men screaming as they plunged into the sea with the rigging. Still attached to the schooner, the lines went tight, dragging the ship to a near standstill, her bow swinging port. Splintered wood and fallen sails littered the deck. Isaac’s teeth ground together, his eyes darting over the damage. The pirate ship closed in fast, and his crew were scrambling.
