Ocean's Justice by Demelza Carlton Page A

minute and rejected me the next. For the first time, I longed to be home. No matter how vicious the old women at home were, they'd never lock me up in the bowels of a ship. Instead, they'd banished me to the freedom of the outside world.
    I sank to the floor, uncertainty overwhelming me. I was no longer a child – I knew the consequences of sinking a ship and killing those on board. A shipwreck had brought Giuseppe to my arms, too. William. I couldn't kill William. Not unless I knew for certain that he'd condemned me to this prison.
    One thing I swore: the men who had would die.
    Hefting the shovel once more, I drove it against the next rivet, which crumbled like old bread.
    Clanking across the hold froze me, followed by a man's voice swearing. I gripped my shovel and stepped softly along the catwalk. My jailer had returned and the only one who would leave this hold alive was me.
     

 
    Twenty-One
    The furtive manner of the man who swung the door open told me more than any of his words. He was afraid of being discovered here. He wouldn't be so fearful if his actions were sanctioned by the rest of the crew. I smiled in the darkness. Today, he would die.
    "I say it's bad luck to bring a woman aboard. Sciarra says it's the best kind of luck. Whores like you keep the men happy on a long voyage," a nasal voice said, followed by the clang of him pulling the hatch closed behind him. Closed but not locked, for the valve wheel was still missing. He clicked on a handheld light, a tube that directed a beam of light from one end, and pointed it at the catwalk. "I heard you scream for McGregor last night. Only whores make that much noise – normal girls just lie passive, waiting for the fucking to finish. So you can scream for me, too. Down here where no one, not even your precious McGregor, will hear you. If you make me happy, I might decide to keep you instead of throwing you overboard for the sharks."
    Sharks I knew. I wished I had a school of them now, to feed his screaming body to .
    The light beam swung closer to where I stood on the catwalk with my shovel raised. Three more steps, two, one...I swung my weapon with all my strength, but I'd misjudged the man's height and I hit his shoulder and not his head. He roared and backhanded me so that I crashed to the catwalk, my breath knocked from my lungs. The shovel flew out of my hands and into the ooze.
    The man threw his weight on top of me, wrapping his arm around my neck and dragging me up by the throat. "You'll pay for that, whore." His arm tightened around my throat so that I could barely breathe.
    My life would not end like this. Not on a raft in the middle of the ocean; not in bed without ever regaining consciousness; and not at the hands of this sterling example of human chivalry. I just had to work out how I intended to kill him. I wanted it to be slow and painful...and I wanted to watch. Sharks...I'd settle for just one of the beasts right now.
    The bastard let go of my throat, hefting my body as if to throw me. I braced myself for the blow, for it was sure to hurt, and laughed as my body smacked into the cold mud. I looked up at the hatch above me and stretched out on the surface of the slurry. He'd made a deadly mistake that he wouldn't survive to regret.
    A rough hand grasped my leg, dragging me back onto the catwalk, before a hand fastened on my hair. He dragged me along the metal before throwing me against the bulkhead beside the weeping panel.
    A booted foot slammed into my ribs. "Ready to lie down and take it, whore?"
    "No," I managed to say before he kicked me again. His hands tore at my pants, but the fabric was too thick to rip, so he swore some more. A smile sprang to my lips as I balled up a fist, socking him right in the fork. Oh, it felt satisfying to cause him pain.
    "Bitch!" He let go of me for a moment and I drew a deep, burning breath. He lunged for me again with murder in his eyes.
    I rolled and grabbed the other shovel, raising it to hit him with it. He