The Notorious Lady Anne: A Loveswept Historical Romance by Sharon Cullen

wasn’t surprised. Rarely did a captain stand and fight pirates. It was easier to give in with the hope and prayer that the pirates would show mercy, and leave the captain and his crew with enough provisionsto limp into the nearest port.
    A slash of lightning cut through the sky, followed immediately by a crash of thunder far too close for Emmaline’s comfort. She made her way over on her own tender. Once on board, she watched crewmen carry out fruits and vegetables, bolts of fabric, barrels of spices, plenty of rum to keep them comfortable for the next several weeks, squawking chickens, belaying pins, coils of rope, chairs, tables, pots and pans and a few other items they would sell upon reaching Barbados.
    The merchant crew huddled together in the rain, watched carefully by Emmaline’s men.
    A shriek of terror had Emmaline and Phin exchanging a startled glance. Emmaline ran toward the sound, her heart thundering as loudly as the storm ready to burst.
    Anger gave strength to her strides. Her hand tightened on her cutlass until her knuckles turned white. Following the shouts of terror and begging whimpers, she raced down a flight of steps and collided with Shamus. He had a girl no more than twelve years of age draped over his shoulder. Her blond hair whipped back and forth, while small fists pounded his torso. Her legs flailed in the air and her screams pierced the enclosed space.
    “Shamus! Put her down.” Emmaline grabbed his arm and tugged, but he didn’t budge.
    “Shamus, what are you doing?”
    He pushed her away with such force that she staggered back and slammed into the wall.
    Enraged, Emmaline sliced his arm with her cutlass. He yelped and loosened his hold on the girl. She squirmed from his grip and scurried away, her sobs echoing in the empty stairwell behind her. Blood welled from his cut and he turned stunned eyes to Emmaline. He was so wide he blocked the corridor. His sausage-like fingers stretched and his chest heaved.
    He charged her, head bent. There was nowhere to go in such a confined space except backward. She hopped up on the step behind her.
    He grabbed hold of the handrails and lifted himself up, swinging his legs. Taken off guard, she didn’t have time to move. His feet slammed into her belly, sending her flying up the steps. Her head hit the top step and pain shot through her skull. Her vision dimmed and sheshook her head.
    Emmaline grabbed her dagger from its sheath at her waist, and thrust. He twisted away, but there wasn’t enough room to avoid her knife. He fell on her and the dagger impaled him in his soft underbelly.
    He grunted. Warm blood washed over them, coating her hands and chest, the smell metallic and cloying.
    “Anne!” Phin pushed Shamus away.
    Emmaline drew in a deep breath, kicking Shamus’s legs off hers.
    Phin helped her up. “Are you hurt?” His concerned gaze took in her blood-soaked clothes.
    “His blood.” She placed a hand on the wall to keep from swaying. Her skull felt like it’d been cleaved in two. She gingerly touched the back of her head and winced when her fingers encountered a large lump.
    “You hit your head.”
    “A small bump.” She squinted, trying to focus, until there was only one Phin instead of two.
    Phin toed Shamus. “Think he’s dead?”
    “We can only hope. What happened to the girl?”
    “She’s the daughter of the merchant ship’s captain. He’s with her now.”
    “Bastard,” she said softly, looking down at Shamus’s still form. She hadn’t expected that from him—attacking such a young girl. His actions surprised and disappointed her. “I guess we’ll have to take him back with us. We can’t very well leave him with the merchant crew.”
    Phin grabbed Shamus beneath the arms and dragged him up the stairs. Each bounce of Shamus’s head on the steps was punctuated by a moan. Phin dumped him on the deck as Emmaline looked around. Rain slashed down and the thunder reverberated in her throbbing head.
    The captain of the