Ocean's Justice (13 page)

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 deflected the blow, so it clanged against the bulkhead instead. A rivet clattered to the catwalk. We fought for the shovel, both pinning it against the hull, and I felt it grind through one rivet and then another. The panel slid beneath me as water splashed my bare feet. I hadn't wanted to sink the ship, but this bastard had forced my hand. So be it.

I threw myself back into the inky mud, splaying out my limbs so I'd stay on the surface. The metal panel broke free, forced inward by the weight of the Indian Ocean fighting for entry. I watched him flounder on the edge, trying not to fall in with me, and my smile widened. The water flowing in formed a layer on top of the mud, floating my body free. I ducked beneath the surface, swimming to the eddy that swirled behind him.

"You have to surface some time, bitch, you can't swim forever. And when you do, I have a surprise waiting for you." He grasped his crotch with one hand. The surprise looked particularly small, even to my inexperienced eyes.

"Come on out!" he called, looking at the spot where I'd submerged, unaware that I'd surfaced behind him. His eyesight must be worse than I thought. He couldn't see death lurking in the shadows. All the better for my surprise.

I started to sing, keeping my voice so soft it was beyond the range of human hearing, yet I could see it affecting him. His body grew rigid and his eyes widened. I increased the volume so that he could hear me, but the only part of him that moved was his increasingly furious expression.

"Come on in," I said slowly, beckoning as I hoped he understood.

The man staggered toward the water, his fear increasing with every step. I sang again, louder still, and his pace increased. Two more steps. One. He splashed into the water, feet first, and his boots dragged him deep into the mud beneath the surface, where he couldn't breathe. He stood like a statue, desperately trying to move as he held his breath. Ah, but this man was in my world now and he would never leave it.

I dove under the surface, so that I could float face to face with him as he died. I wondered if he could see me as well as I saw him, but I didn't care. This was for my satisfaction and not his.

When death claimed him, his arms lifted from his sides and his head sagged – my control over his body died with him. Leaving the corpse behind, I shot to the surface before I was forced to swim through the filth that his body expelled. Drowned men voided their bowels like any other dead body.

I eyed off the hole in the hull. Water was pouring in so fast that there was nothing I could do to stop the flow. I couldn't save the ship, but perhaps I could save some of its crew if I hurried. Hauling myself out onto the catwalk, I slammed the door open and sprinted down the passage and up the ladder to the crew quarters. Darkness followed me, for it was night time and most of the lights were dimmed for sleep.

I shook the young apprentice awake. "Charlie. Ship is sinking."

The boy grumbled under his breath but didn't wake, so I took a deep breath and started to sing again. If I could control the angry attempted rapist, the sympathetic Charlie would be no problem, I hoped. "Ship sinking. Save...everyone," I told the boy.

The boy nodded and crawled out of bed, heading for the captain's cabin. I hid in the shadows while I watched him hammer on the captain's door and tell him of the impending disaster. Satisfied, I headed up to the deck. The sea surface looked closer than it had since I'd boarded...just a short jump and I'd be swimming again. I glanced back at the men clambering into the lifeboats. For a moment, I considered killing them all so that none would live to tell the tale of the girl they'd found floating in the middle of the ocean. They'd let the bastard imprison me, after all. Even if they hadn't condoned his actions, they hadn't stopped him or tried to help me.

No. Their chances or survival were slim enough without my interference. Sober, most of them were kind men who deserved a chance at life. Aside from the angry man who'd hurt me, of course. The man who would have hurt me much earlier if it hadn't been for William. Wait, William – where was he? I didn't see him on the lifeboats – he must still be below. I couldn't let him drown. I dashed for the hatch.

I'd barely made it down the first two steps before strong arms grabbed me, smashing my body against the bulkhead. Pain exploded as another rib fractured and I heard my voice cry out before a hand clamped over my throat, cutting off my air.

"He said it was bad luck to bring a woman aboard. What'd you do to Barrett?" my assailant demanded. Sciarra – Barrett's friend.

I attempted to swallow, but I couldn't. I couldn't even draw in enough breath to speak. William would die if this man prevented me from waking him. No. I wouldn't let that happen.

He slammed me against the bulkhead again, further abusing my already bruised body. "I found him in the hold. You didn't know he was meeting me there, did you? You killed him and sank the ship, bitch. You're trying to kill us all – just like I bet you did to your last ship. And I'm going to make sure you...gurnghk!"

I dropped my knee from his crushed balls, sucking in a deep breath. "William!" I screamed. I had to save him – there was so little time. The ship was sinking fast.

Sciarra's fist met my jaw, engulfing my head in blinding blackness, and I crumpled to the deck. He was on top of me, wrenching at my pants before I could even see. "I'm going to fuck you right here outside the captain's cabin for that, bitch. And then I'm going to leave you here to drown with the ship."

I gritted my teeth. "No."

My pants ripped and a meaty hand bruised the bare skin of my thigh. His other hand fumbled between us for his own pants as he shoved his knee between my legs. "Yes," he grunted.

"No," another voice said as a gaff slammed into the side of Sciarra's head. Sciarra crashed against the bulkhead and didn't rise – I hoped he'd been knocked out cold. He and Barrett had agreed to meet in the hold, where they'd imprisoned me. Both of them had planned to rape me and neither would survive the night, I vowed.

A clatter caught my attention as William threw the gaff down and extended his hand. "Are you all right?" he asked as he helped me to my shaky feet.

I nodded, swallowing in the hope of finding my voice. "Thank you, William."

He grinned. "Any time, lass. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner – before he hurt you." He waved at my torn clothes, reddened, and averted his eyes. I glanced down. My breasts were visible through my torn shirt and my pants hung low on my hips, exposing more skin. I tried to cover myself up with the shredded shirt, but I fought a losing battle. "Let me get you another shirt. I'll have to buy more when we make port – I've never met a woman who liked to destroy my clothing so much." He took my arm and tried to pull me into his cabin. "I've been looking for you all day. I need to explain, to apologise, to–"

I shook my head and pulled back. "Ship sinking. Must go." I pointed in the direction of the lifeboats above. It was my turn to tug on his arm, trying to convey my urgency. I didn't know the right words to make him move. "Not...die," I said. I turned away, almost crying with relief when I felt the heat of his body against my back. I scrambled up the ladder, trying to keep my pants from tangling around my ankles. Strong arms encircled my waist, holding my pants in place as he lifted me to the deck. My skin tingled from the touch and I wanted him to touch more, but that could cost him his life. I needed to get him to a lifeboat.

His longer strides carried him ahead of me, so it wasn't long before he was dragging me behind him and I struggled to keep up as my sinking pants threatened to trip me. "Maria!" he called, glancing back. "Maria, hurry!"

I did hurry, but the ship gave a lurch and I tripped, losing my grip on my pants.

"Don't be afraid, lass. I'll keep you safe." William scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the lifeboat. He passed me to the other crewmen before scrambling in after me. They started lowering the boat into the water and I turned my gaze to the dark surface beneath us. Adrift on the ocean again – perhaps that was my fate. At least the ocean's depths would claim my attackers. Ocean's justice. I smiled.

Twenty-Two

"Sciarra!" a voice shouted. "The ship's sinking, man! Get into the lifeboat before you drown! We'll swing around and pick you up!" I stared at the ship, now sitting far too low in the water. Waves were already washing across the deck – the
Trevessa
wouldn't remain on the surface much longer. Yet as I watched, a figure staggered and splashed to the remaining lifeboat. Sciarra. If he reached it, he'd survive.

NO.

I tensed, readying my muscles for flight. I could remain in the lifeboat with William and the non-hostile crew, perhaps even helping them to safety, or I could ensure the violent bastard died for his crimes. Bitterness and bile or fleeting hope?

Men started shouting about cutting the boat free before the ship dragged us down with her. Panic ensued as several men sawed at the ropes holding us to the sinking ship and I saw my chance.

William grabbed my arm. "No, lass. Stay with me so I can make amends to you for last night. You don't owe the man anything. He'll reach the lifeboat and have as much chance as any of us. Don't risk your life for him."

I melted beneath his cold fingers, wishing I could simply sink into those welcoming arms and forget all that had happened since they had last held me. But I did not forget, nor forgive. The violent human had hurt me and he would pay the highest price the ocean could offer. I sprang, clearing the distance between the lifeboat and the sinking vessel, and grabbed the rail. Laboriously, I hauled my aching body aboard to the sound of William shouting himself hoarse. A wave crashed over me, filling my mouth with seawater as it knocked me flat. I coughed up a lungful of liquid and felt a searing pain in my scalp.

"I knew you wanted me. Now we'll have a boat all to ourselves until we reach land. You're going to learn to please me, bitch, or I'll let you drown like Barrett," Sciarra said as he dragged me across the deck, his hands knotted in my hair. He threw me into a lifeboat and the impact made me expel all my breath in one hit, so I could neither breathe nor respond. It didn't matter – he needed to cut the lifeboat free from the ship before he could hurt me again. This time, I'd be ready. I pulled a breath into my searing lungs, followed by another. Quietly, I began to sing – a different song to the one I'd sung in the hold. This one had teeth and blood lust to boot, for this song had sunk the
Emden
.

The keel bumped across the railings and I saw the ship loom above us as she tipped on her side, hiding William and the rest of the crew from me – and us from them, I realised. It was now or never. I struggled to stand, surveying the swell. Did I imagine it, or did a fin cut the water of a wave? No, there was another...and another. Sharks and shipwreck – a duo Sciarra would not survive. Not to mention me.

Sciarra sawed through the last of the ropes and sank to the bench seat before he saw me. "Get down, bitch." He brandished a knife. The blade glinted in a flash of lightning.

I shook my head and smiled at him. Moving my weight from one foot to another, I started to rock the boat. He clung to the sides, shouting at me to stop. I shifted faster, letting the gunwales touch the water before moving my weight to the other foot. I raised my voice, singing loud enough for him to hear me over the storm. He slashed at me with the knife, but I dodged and he overbalanced. He landed on top of the blade, skewering his hand. He gave a roar and leaped to his feet, charging at me.

I jumped, landed hard, and felt the boat tip beneath me, throwing us both into the waves. Cold water kissed my skin as I pulled off my ripped pants so that I could shift to my true form. I clothed myself in my own skin – the shallow-water blue of a Maori wrasse – and opened my gills to take a life-giving breath from my ocean home. Behind me, the sound of stressed steel screeched beneath the surface as the ship sank. I breathed deep, letting the draught of dissolved oxygen cool my instincts to those of the killer I knew myself to be. I blew spent water out of my gills, taking another gulp before I searched for my prey.