TT Jenny Lykins Distant Dreams

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seen you. Not to mention the trap Franklin Tilburn has set for us. We'll be evading him during this entire
trip."
She stopped fighting when the implications hit her. Alec could be recognized through her.
"Okay." Her mind raced for a solution. "Give me one of those masks, then bind my hands like I'm a
prisoner and tie me to something out there so they can see me. If I'm ever recognized later, I can say I
escaped."
He looked as if he might argue, but Shae could tell he was thinking over her plan. With a muttered,
"Stay," he disappeared onto the bridge and returned with a black silk scarf.
He tied it below her eyes, then grabbed her hair, wadded it up, then shoved the curly mass down the
back of her shirt. He pulled a piece of coiled rope from his pocket, bound her hands so loosely she had to
hold the rope on, then made a display of yanking her roughly back into view.
"At least act afraid, blast it," he growled under his breath. "Curl into a ball and sit still. The less they see
of you, the better." He looped the rope around a mast and acted as if he were knotting it. "If anything
untoward happens, and I mean anything, Shaelyn, run like hell to the cabin, bar the door, and get the
firearm from my desk."
"Yes, master." She looked up at him and gave a mock quiver of fear. A muscle in his jaw twitched
and he clenched his fists as if he wished they were around her throat.
He turned on his heel.
"Ten lashes to the imbecile guarding the prisoner," he roared as he stormed back to the other ship. As
one, the men turned and looked at Jimmy, who stumbled at the looks and made a great show of cowering
when Alec drew near.
They boarded the pitiful human cargo onto Griffin's ship, then several of the men transferred casks of
fresh water from Alec's to Griffin's.
"Give them water to bathe," he ordered, "and all they want for drinking. Best make their meals bland at
first."
The bedding for the captain and crew of the hostage ship was taken for the slaves, as well as what
clothes could be found.
Shaelyn watched all these proceedings, wishing like heck she had her mini-recorder. The moment the
slaves had emerged from that putrid hold, she'd known what Alec had done. He hadn't been out to rescue a
couple of seasick slaves on the underground railroad. He'd taken a shipload of them coming straight from
their native land, before they ever hit the shores of this country. The thought of him battling severe
seasickness of his own to rescue these poor wretches made Shaelyn's heart swell with pride.
She watched, trying to memorize every minute detail. If only she could get over in the middle of the
action. But if she even looked like she was going to slip from the ropes, let alone cross to that ship, she had
no doubt Alec would have her locked in the cabin before she could manage to stand upright.
She couldn't see much of what was going on aboard Griffin's ship. From what she could tell, the slaves
had huddled together, obviously not realizing they'd been rescued.
Jimmy, Harker, and the first mate, Welford, as well as some of Griffin's crew, passed buckets of
drinking water through the fearful crowd, gesturing patiently that they could accept without fear of
recriminations.
Once all the slaves had been boarded and control seemed to reign, Griffin's crew stowed the planks,
removed the grappling hooks, then pushed away from the slaver.
Alec's men cut the sheets to the slaver's sails, then the men swarmed back onto their own ship as
quickly as they'd left it. Alec was the last to leave. He jumped atop a bridging plank, then turned and
pointed his sword at the fat, furious captain.
"Follow and you die."
As the man sputtered with rage, Alec jumped to the deck and marched toward Shaelyn.
She tried to stifle her smile, then realized no one could see it behind the black scarf anyway.
While the men shoved away and followed Griffin's ship, Alec whipped Shae's ropes loose, pulled her to
her feet by her forearm, then dragged her toward the cabin.
Chapter
16
ALEC PUSHED THE infuriating woman into the cabin and slammed the door behind him. She stumbled
and caught herself on the desk, then spun around and yanked the silk kerchief from her face.
"Criminy, Alec! You can cut the caveman act now. Nobody can see us."
"This is not an act, Shaelyn. When I give you an order, I expect it to be followed."
"Oh, that." She waved her hand as if his orders were nothing more than pesky insects to be batted [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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