the strength to help her, the fact that he hadn’t tried made her ache with sadness.
Tears sprang to her eyes as the hand on her hair yanked harder and another twisted in the fabric of her cloak, choking her. Her hands clenched the dirt, the small rocks jabbing into her palms. With a shriek, she twisted, throwing the debris at Otto’s face. His howl rent the air, and he dropped to his knees, clawing his eyes. She pulled herself to her feet and ran.
Harvey bellowed to Frank to grab her. The crunch of her shoes and her harsh breaths almost drowned out the sound of two sets of footfalls not far behind. Her lungs burned as she fought her weighty skirts. A gunshot pierced the night, and a bullet drove into the dirt nearby. A grunt followed by a thud behind her spurred her on with a surge of hope that one of her attackers had fallen. The remaining footsteps grew louder. She didn’t dare look back.
When a hand clasped hers, she didn’t have the breath to scream. Her eyes darted to the man gripping her hand in his, and she nearly cried out. Christopher Black ran beside her, urging her on ahead. Where had he come from, and why was he here? Bone deep relief wiped the questions from her mind. At the moment all that mattered was that he was here.
Chapter Seven
REBECCA’S FEET HURT SO badly they burned. “Where are we going?” she wheezed, pulling back on Christopher’s hand.
“Just a bit further,” he assured her, his grip tightening.
A mild saltiness seasoned the damp air. When they rounded the corner, she understood why. They’d reached the harbor. Merchant vessels towered over the wooden docks along the coastline as waves lapped against their massive hulls.
The hollow rapping of their boots on the pier jarred her frazzled nerves as he led her down the wooden path to a merchantman. “Welcome to The Fair Maiden ,” he gasped out when they reached the gangplank. “I’ve been captain of this ship for the last several years.”
He took her elbow and assisted her up the ridged panel. A man on deck approached them from the shadows, and she tensed, ready to run, but Christopher’s step never slowed.
“Jack, let me know immediately if anyone comes near this vessel,” he said.
“Aye, Captain,” the sailor replied, barely sparing her a glance.
Crossing the deck, Rebecca huddled against the chilly breeze off the waters, vaguely recalling this ship as the one Christopher had repaired with his father.
They passed through a door and descended a staircase into the darkness below. At the base of the steps, he lit a lantern hanging from a peg and held it aloft.
“Why are we here?” she asked, her feet shuffling as exhaustion settled in, making each step a chore.
“This was the closest, safest place I could think of.”
They entered a modest room, and he shut the door.
“Is this your cabin?” she asked, spying a bed in the corner.
He set the lantern on a bed table bolted into the wall. “It was.” Christopher stripped off his jacket and tossed it onto the end of the bed before running a hand through his untamed hair. “What just happened back in the street?”
She dropped into a desk chair. “I don’t know.” Numbness settled into her bones. Her situation was hopeless.
“You don’t know,” he echoed, dumbfounded. “All right then. What were you doing there? From your clothing, I suspect you knew what manner of place you planned to go.”
“I borrowed the dress,” she muttered. “I…I had to see someone.” Her father was gone, running for his life. Without her to help him… A mist of tears blurred her vision. She didn’t think she could bear it if something happened to him. He was all she had left.
“Must have been someone important.”
“It was.” Staring at a black knot in the floorboards, she shook her head. “It would be best if you didn’t get involved in this.”
“Best for whom?”
“For both of us,” she croaked. Each time she saw Christopher Black, she dreamed of things
Tears sprang to her eyes as the hand on her hair yanked harder and another twisted in the fabric of her cloak, choking her. Her hands clenched the dirt, the small rocks jabbing into her palms. With a shriek, she twisted, throwing the debris at Otto’s face. His howl rent the air, and he dropped to his knees, clawing his eyes. She pulled herself to her feet and ran.
Harvey bellowed to Frank to grab her. The crunch of her shoes and her harsh breaths almost drowned out the sound of two sets of footfalls not far behind. Her lungs burned as she fought her weighty skirts. A gunshot pierced the night, and a bullet drove into the dirt nearby. A grunt followed by a thud behind her spurred her on with a surge of hope that one of her attackers had fallen. The remaining footsteps grew louder. She didn’t dare look back.
When a hand clasped hers, she didn’t have the breath to scream. Her eyes darted to the man gripping her hand in his, and she nearly cried out. Christopher Black ran beside her, urging her on ahead. Where had he come from, and why was he here? Bone deep relief wiped the questions from her mind. At the moment all that mattered was that he was here.
Chapter Seven
REBECCA’S FEET HURT SO badly they burned. “Where are we going?” she wheezed, pulling back on Christopher’s hand.
“Just a bit further,” he assured her, his grip tightening.
A mild saltiness seasoned the damp air. When they rounded the corner, she understood why. They’d reached the harbor. Merchant vessels towered over the wooden docks along the coastline as waves lapped against their massive hulls.
The hollow rapping of their boots on the pier jarred her frazzled nerves as he led her down the wooden path to a merchantman. “Welcome to The Fair Maiden ,” he gasped out when they reached the gangplank. “I’ve been captain of this ship for the last several years.”
He took her elbow and assisted her up the ridged panel. A man on deck approached them from the shadows, and she tensed, ready to run, but Christopher’s step never slowed.
“Jack, let me know immediately if anyone comes near this vessel,” he said.
“Aye, Captain,” the sailor replied, barely sparing her a glance.
Crossing the deck, Rebecca huddled against the chilly breeze off the waters, vaguely recalling this ship as the one Christopher had repaired with his father.
They passed through a door and descended a staircase into the darkness below. At the base of the steps, he lit a lantern hanging from a peg and held it aloft.
“Why are we here?” she asked, her feet shuffling as exhaustion settled in, making each step a chore.
“This was the closest, safest place I could think of.”
They entered a modest room, and he shut the door.
“Is this your cabin?” she asked, spying a bed in the corner.
He set the lantern on a bed table bolted into the wall. “It was.” Christopher stripped off his jacket and tossed it onto the end of the bed before running a hand through his untamed hair. “What just happened back in the street?”
She dropped into a desk chair. “I don’t know.” Numbness settled into her bones. Her situation was hopeless.
“You don’t know,” he echoed, dumbfounded. “All right then. What were you doing there? From your clothing, I suspect you knew what manner of place you planned to go.”
“I borrowed the dress,” she muttered. “I…I had to see someone.” Her father was gone, running for his life. Without her to help him… A mist of tears blurred her vision. She didn’t think she could bear it if something happened to him. He was all she had left.
“Must have been someone important.”
“It was.” Staring at a black knot in the floorboards, she shook her head. “It would be best if you didn’t get involved in this.”
“Best for whom?”
“For both of us,” she croaked. Each time she saw Christopher Black, she dreamed of things
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