* * * * *
Talon hesitated for several minutes after Kate was safely aboard the skiff, searching the pitching deck for any sign of his brother. Daniel was nowhere to be seen. Had that blow to the head been worse than he’d thought? Had Daniel been swept overboard while Talon was below gathering Kate?
If his brother was still alive, he’d be here by now, wouldn’t he?
Surely, he realized the seriousness of their situation.
His gaze caught and held on several men who were making their way toward him, that bastard McGuire in the lead. Cursing under his breath, he waited for one moment more, searching the chaos desperately for a glimpse of Daniel. Then he leapt into the lifeboat and released it, letting it fall into the churning fury of the ocean below.
They were thrown against the ship then tossed away, as insubstantial as a piece of seaweed. He glanced over at Kate and saw that her eyes were huge in the pale oval of her face.
She yelled something, but he couldn’t hear her. It didn’t matter. He knew what she was asking. She wanted to know why he’d left Daniel behind.
The answer was far from simple. If there weren’t so many other things to worry about, he knew he’d be racked with guilt. But searching for Daniel would have meant losing the skiff, and he was sure Daniel would have wanted him to save Kate. Daniel wouldn’t have wanted all three of them to die.
He wanted to reassure her, tell her everything was going to be all right, but he wasn’t certain of that himself. He’d lived on the sea most of his life, and there had been many times when it had challenged him, made him fight to survive. Always he’d emerged victorious and exhilarated by the battle.
This time was different. He didn’t have a beautiful, seventeen-mast schooner and a crew of seventy able-bodied men at his side. He had only a skiff, his strength and his wits.
It didn’t seem nearly enough.
Kate huddled beneath her cloak, soaked by the rain, buffeted by the wind, her lovely eyes filled with accusation. If she died, it would be his fault. He’d made her trust him and then betrayed that trust.
If only she hadn’t found out the truth. If she’d just look at him with love one more time, he might be able to pull off the miracle it would take to get them to shore.
He hated this feeling of impotence. There was nothing he could do right now, nothing but hang on. The waves would continue to toss them where they willed until the storm died down. By then, they could be hundreds of miles from land, stranded in the middle of the Atlantic, dying slowly as their food and water ran out.
He rubbed his burning eyes, praying they lived through this, hoping he hadn’t made the biggest mistake of his life by taking Kate off the ship. He wanted a chance to tell her about his crew. He wanted to tell her what had motivated his betrayal and beg her to forgive him.
Everything had seemed so simple this morning, and he clung as hard as he could to the memory of the peace that had washed over him when he’d realized how much he loved her. He refused to believe he’d ruined everything irreparably. Because if she wouldn’t give him a second chance, what was the point of hanging on? What was the point of living?
* * * * *
Kate huddled beneath her raincoat and glared at Talon through the sheeting rain. He was insane. He’d taken her off the ship, which, while broken, was still a much safer place to be than this speck of a lifeboat. Any minute they could capsize and be tossed into the sea with nothing to hang on to but each other.
At this point, she’d rather drown than hang on to Talon Montgomery.
She was strangely calm considering the fact that she’d lost her virginity, had her heart broken, and left her husband to die all in the space of one day.
“You’re going to get us killed.” She didn’t even know she’d spoken the words out loud until Talon turned in her direction and cupped his ear.
“What?” The roaring wind and crashing waves made it almost impossible to hear him.
“You’re going to get us killed,” she screamed. “I can’t believe I came with you. Not after all you’ve done.”
He made a slashing motion with his hand. “I can’t hear you. Can’t this wait until the wind dies down?”
“What if the wind never dies down? What if we end up on the bottom of the sea?” She was still screaming, her frustration rising because she knew he was only hearing half her words.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” He moved forward and grabbed her arms, shaking her a little, his blue eyes intense. “I swear I’ll get us to shore.”
She stared at him. “I don’t believe you. I’ll never believe anything you say again.”
Pain flashed in his eyes, and he released her. He said something, but she didn’t hear it because a huge wave washed over them, drenching the boat with icy water. It filled her nose and mouth, making her choke and gasp for air.
Drowning was a horrible way to die, she thought, struggling to breathe. She didn’t want her life to end this way.
Talon forced a bucket into her hands. “Bail,” he yelled quite distinctly. “I know you hate me, but I need your help. If you don’t bail for all you’re worth, we will end up at the bottom of the sea.”
