Read Online Hart's Passion (Pirates & Petticoats Book 2) by Chloe Flowers - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Chloe Flowers
Tags: Historical Romance, charleston, romance and adventure, pirate romance, Keelan Hart, Landon Hart, Keelan Grey
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figures swiftly entered her room and headed toward the bed. Finding it empty, it was only a second before they saw her. She clutched her throat in terror. The taller one passed in front of the window.
It was then she noticed the ropes.
With a frightened squeak, she darted toward the open door. The shorter man reached out to grab her wrist. She ducked and dashed under his arm, sending an elbow into his kidney as she passed. Releasing his breath in a loud grunt, he stumbled forward. The tall one was quicker and grabbed her hair as she sped by. She spun and kicked at his shins with her bare feet.
“Damn! Grab her, Orvis!”
She let her legs buckle, and fell away backwards. Her head slammed into Orvis’s nose, causing him to let out a howl.
“Quiet, idiot! You’ll have the whole house upon us!”
The taller assailant still had his hand in her hair, and he jerked her head painfully forward. Keelan swung her forearm up in an arc and struck him in the throat, eliciting a strained hiss of breath. His hand loosened slightly. She opened her mouth to scream as a wide fist made contact with her chin. Little white dots exploded in front of her eyes then vanished into utter darkness.
CHAPTER SIX
Keelan woke to a dull throbbing pain in her jaw and moaned. Her mouth tasted like she’d chewed on a horseshoe and gargled with sawdust. She opened her eyes to total darkness. In a panic, she squeezed them shut before carefully opening them again.
Was she blind? She rested on a hard floor of some sort. She wrinkled her nose at the stench. Was she in a barn? The realization that she was in chains dawned, as she heard the faint chink of metal links when she moved. Panic swallowed her breath and she sat up quickly. A blunt force of dizziness crashed into her, and she braced her hands on the floor to keep from collapsing. Her head was throbbing.
Where was she?
Slower this time, she straightened. Flexing her fingers and rotating her wrists, she winced. The manacles were heavy and roughly made. She tugged at the shackles. It might be possible to wriggle her wrists out, if she could collapse her knuckles enough, but the links were securely fastened to the wall about knee height from the floor. Twisting her hands only managed to make her skin chafe and burn.
A sound disturbed her work, and she stopped moving to listen.
The lumbering shuffle of heavy footsteps grew louder. They stopped and the door creaked open, swinging on rusty hinges. A faint light from a lantern fanned into the room. At the sight of dozens of empty shackles hanging from the walls around her, a renewed wave of panic enveloped her. She glanced frantically around, trying to get her bearings, and search for something to use to remedy her plight.
Aside from the manacles on the walls, there were two doors. One was nestled in a far corner, away from Keelan. The other was obscured by the form of a short, round man carrying the lantern. He moved forward to the center of the room and held the light high.
“Yer awake, finally. Feared I might’ve hit ye too hard.” He eyed her before placing a bottle of ale and a small bundle wrapped in a bit of cloth within her reach, then warily stepped back.
“Who are you?” she demanded sharply. She tried to prevent her voice from shaking but failed. “Why have I been chained?”
The man cocked his flabby head to study her. “None o’ yer business who I be. You’re locked in ‘ere for safe keeping until yer new master comes to fetch you.”
“New master?” A sharp jolt of panic tightened the skin across her cheeks.
She struggled to her feet, tried to ignore the dizziness and leaned against the wall. She held her pounding head until the spinning subsided enough to focus on the hulking form in front of her.
Fear coursed through her and the only way to keep it from totally taking over her body was to funnel it into anger and indignation. Otherwise, the hysterical scream beginning to bubble in her chest
It was then she noticed the ropes.
With a frightened squeak, she darted toward the open door. The shorter man reached out to grab her wrist. She ducked and dashed under his arm, sending an elbow into his kidney as she passed. Releasing his breath in a loud grunt, he stumbled forward. The tall one was quicker and grabbed her hair as she sped by. She spun and kicked at his shins with her bare feet.
“Damn! Grab her, Orvis!”
She let her legs buckle, and fell away backwards. Her head slammed into Orvis’s nose, causing him to let out a howl.
“Quiet, idiot! You’ll have the whole house upon us!”
The taller assailant still had his hand in her hair, and he jerked her head painfully forward. Keelan swung her forearm up in an arc and struck him in the throat, eliciting a strained hiss of breath. His hand loosened slightly. She opened her mouth to scream as a wide fist made contact with her chin. Little white dots exploded in front of her eyes then vanished into utter darkness.
CHAPTER SIX
Keelan woke to a dull throbbing pain in her jaw and moaned. Her mouth tasted like she’d chewed on a horseshoe and gargled with sawdust. She opened her eyes to total darkness. In a panic, she squeezed them shut before carefully opening them again.
Was she blind? She rested on a hard floor of some sort. She wrinkled her nose at the stench. Was she in a barn? The realization that she was in chains dawned, as she heard the faint chink of metal links when she moved. Panic swallowed her breath and she sat up quickly. A blunt force of dizziness crashed into her, and she braced her hands on the floor to keep from collapsing. Her head was throbbing.
Where was she?
Slower this time, she straightened. Flexing her fingers and rotating her wrists, she winced. The manacles were heavy and roughly made. She tugged at the shackles. It might be possible to wriggle her wrists out, if she could collapse her knuckles enough, but the links were securely fastened to the wall about knee height from the floor. Twisting her hands only managed to make her skin chafe and burn.
A sound disturbed her work, and she stopped moving to listen.
The lumbering shuffle of heavy footsteps grew louder. They stopped and the door creaked open, swinging on rusty hinges. A faint light from a lantern fanned into the room. At the sight of dozens of empty shackles hanging from the walls around her, a renewed wave of panic enveloped her. She glanced frantically around, trying to get her bearings, and search for something to use to remedy her plight.
Aside from the manacles on the walls, there were two doors. One was nestled in a far corner, away from Keelan. The other was obscured by the form of a short, round man carrying the lantern. He moved forward to the center of the room and held the light high.
“Yer awake, finally. Feared I might’ve hit ye too hard.” He eyed her before placing a bottle of ale and a small bundle wrapped in a bit of cloth within her reach, then warily stepped back.
“Who are you?” she demanded sharply. She tried to prevent her voice from shaking but failed. “Why have I been chained?”
The man cocked his flabby head to study her. “None o’ yer business who I be. You’re locked in ‘ere for safe keeping until yer new master comes to fetch you.”
“New master?” A sharp jolt of panic tightened the skin across her cheeks.
She struggled to her feet, tried to ignore the dizziness and leaned against the wall. She held her pounding head until the spinning subsided enough to focus on the hulking form in front of her.
Fear coursed through her and the only way to keep it from totally taking over her body was to funnel it into anger and indignation. Otherwise, the hysterical scream beginning to bubble in her chest
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