Read Online Oceanswept by Lara Hays - Free Book Online Page A

you want?” I demanded, hoping my tone was as harsh as I meant it to be.
    His sallow eyes still lingered at my neck. Was he staring at my skin or noticing my frightened hand clutching tightly at my robe? I forced my fist to unclench and I pulled my hand to my side. He couldn’t know just how vulnerable I was.
    But he already knew. It was why he was here.
    He held up the jug. “Skidmore sent me. Said ye might enjoy a little refreshment .” The jeering smile never left his face.
    “Rum, is it? Leave it in that crate. I will get it when I want it.”
    He continued to advance. “Nay, it’s too big to fit through those bars.” He jingled the keys. “It’s best I deliver it personally.”
    “I do not want your rum. I do not want anything to do with you. Just turn around and leave.” Although I tried my hardest to sound threatening, a shrill edge of panic sounded in my voice.
    Sneering, the man held out a key and dragged it against the bars walking the length of the brig, then back again.
    My one chance to flee would be when he opened the gate. I could dash out quickly and hide in the darkness of the ship’s hold.
    He stopped his pacing in front of the gate. Slowly, deliberately, without ever taking an eye off me, he positioned the key in the lock.
    “Leave now or I’ll scream,” I threatened, stepping back.
    “Please do,” he beckoned, turning the key.
    I tried to summon a scream, but my breath caught in my throat. My mouth was dry. I was frozen with terror. I wondered whether screaming would even help. I was a prisoner here, a nothing . No one could possibly care if I lived or died. Would anyone even respond? Worse yet, would my screaming only signal other pirates to come and join in the games? Perhaps they were already waiting, and this man was only the first in a long line.
    The pirate slowly opened the gate of the brig, breaching the protection of my iron bars. I watched for my chance to run but he opened the door just wide enough to slide through into the brig with me, blocking my escape. If he wasn’t going to let me out, I would force my way out.
    As he was slipping through the gate, I rushed directly at him, grabbing the gate with both hands and slamming it into him with all my might. The edge of the iron gate cracked into his face, smashing the back of his head into the sharp metal door frame.
    He cried out in agony. Blood spurted from his nose. With more force than I thought the scrawny man had, he pushed back the gate and swung the heavy jug at me, hitting me squarely on the jaw. I flew through the air and crashed into a heap against the back of the brig.
    “You cheap hussy!” he swore, slamming the door shut behind him. We were locked in the brig together. Only the keys would unlock the gate and he no longer had those. He must’ve dropped them somewhere in the darkness when I slammed into him.
    The pirate threw the jug onto me. It hit me in the ribs, knocking the breath from my lungs.
    Although I had dropped my candle, it stayed lit as it rolled into a corner of the brig. In the distorted shadows, the sailor looked horribly demented. Blood covered the bottom half of his face and stained his shirt. His features twisted with rage. A low noise hissed through his clenched teeth.
    In two large steps he crossed the brig and knelt over me. I screamed with all my might.
    His hand grabbed my throat and bashed my head against the floor. “Quiet. You take what’s comin’ to ya.”
    With one hand still on my throat, his other hand roughly stroked my leg.
    “Please,” I whimpered, unable to hide my fear.
    He tightened his grasp on my throat and slammed my head against the floor once more. Brilliant stars flashed across my sight. I kicked as he grappled at my legs. Without relaxing his hold on my neck, he climbed on top of me, using his weight to immobilize me.
    Silent cries wracked my body. Tears poured from my eyes.
    I clawed at his face, threw my knees into his back. Try as I did to escape, the struggle