Within a Captain's Hold (31 page)

Fredericks called back. “Permission granted. Are ye in some kind of need?”

A shiver ran through Alice as she stepped away from the Captain. Something about the other ship made her wary.

Boarding ladders were set across the span between the two boats and half a dozen men from the
Delmar
crossed over. Fredericks approached the boarding party and to everyone’s horror, the lead man pulled his pistol and shot the captain dead on the spot.

Alice fell back in abject horror and dropped to the decking. The scene before her exploded. Around her women screamed and the men scrambled, shouting as the six from the Delmar pulled and fired their pistols at whomever they saw.

Time seemed to slow. The crew members of the
Olivia Grace
were gunned down before they could pull their weapons. Alice hid behind a barrel. Her skirts making it impossible to crawl, she turned and backed into a niche, praying to survive. One of the young girls called Millie fell nearby in her attempt to escape the vicious attack, Alice grabbed for her, pulling her into her hiding place. She clamped a hand over her mouth begging her to silence her screams. The girl looked at her with terror in her eyes, but nodded that she understood. Alice moved Millie behind her and peered out around the barrel.

Her heart pounded. The blood rushing in her ears as she witnessed an entire band of brutal, vicious pirates flood over from the
Delmar
. They swarmed the deck like locusts and killed any who dared challenge them.

Pure survival spurred her resolve. Alice somehow had to get them below. Could she save the other women as well? Their only hope was to barricade themselves against the barbarians. She left the safety of her hiding place looking about in vain for a weapon. If she wanted one, she’d have to take it from one of Captain Fredericks’ dead crewmen. The tang of blood and gunpowder filled her senses and returned another horrific scene to her mind. Tears threatened to blind her.

A high-pitched scream spun her around. Two of the pirates had grabbed Millie. Alice rushed toward them, screaming for them to release her only to be knocked to one side. A brutal blow to the girl’s head with the butt end of a pistol knocked her unconscious. The savage pirate tossed her once again over his shoulder and swung himself back over to the Delmar.

In a surge of ice-cold anger, Alice fought to pull a cutlass free from a dead man upon the deck. With all her strength, she pulled at the weapon until it released from its scabbard. She slipped on the blood-soaked decking and fell. Turning, she stared into the dead eyes of dear Captain Fredericks. Bile rose in her throat at the sight of the cavernous hole torn in the man’s neck.

She stifled a scream with the back of her hand and scrambled backward away from the gruesome scene into the grasping hands of another attacker. He was quick to twist her arm brutally and relieve her of the cutlass. It clashed to the deck along with her hope of escape. The pirate spun her about and hauled her against him. Putrid breath fanned her face as he sneered down at her with rotted teeth. His hair hung in greasy hanks. A tattered rag of filthy green was tied about the forehead of his pockmarked face. She shuddered and gagged at the smell of him. Shoving against him only made his hold upon her tighten.

“Ain’t ye a purdy one….”

He grabbed at her as he pushed her forward against the rails. His fingers raked against her breasts as he tried to raise her skirts while pinning her to the side of the ship. Alice fought her attacker, kicking back and twisting her upper body. Her elbow connected with the man’s face. He doubled over in pain at the loud crack. Blood coursed from his nose.

He swore and spit at her. Lunging, he tore at her clothes and pushed her down onto the bloody deck. Alice reached out to scratch at his eyes, but he grabbed her hand and nearly broke her fingers as he ripped her ring from her.