Page 59 of Hooked

It was up to me. I had to act.

I remembered the jagged piece of wood in my hand. I had to use it. Now.

Using the hand that was wrapped around Smeed’s wrist, I pushed against his arm, inching the blade away from my throat. My other hand tightened around the piece of wood where it rested at my side, then thrust it behind me as hard as I could, jabbing it into Smeed’s upper thigh.

It was a foolhardy move. Maybe even idiotic. Likely to get me killed. But the moment the pointy, splintered wood cut into Smeed’s flesh, his strangle hold on me loosened and I was able to stumble away from him, a cry of desperation and fear tearing at my throat as I launched myself in Falstone’s direction.

He was there in the next moment, sweeping me behind him, where I gratefully plastered myself to his back, peering over his shoulder at Huckley, who looked about to explode, so great was his rage.

Huckley breathed hard, but his blustering fury morphed strangely into a chuckle and a grin as Smeed limped forward. “I do love a challenge.” He took one step forward.

“Don’t be a fool,” Falstone warned.

“Even if you take her now, I’ll find her again. She’s mine by law, and I will go to any lengths to reclaim her.”

My heart sank. All the hope I’d collected since Falstone stepped onto the ship suddenly quivered. “He’s right,” I whispered from behind his shoulder, my joy and my relief crumbling. I had no hope that the law would believe me over Huckley. “If they still believe he has a claim on me—”

“He doesn’t,” Falstone said, his voice strong, his stance unwavering. “The magistrate and I have spent the past two days at your uncle’s home.”

I noted the way Huckley’s face went slack at this pronouncement.

Falstone continued, “Since Captain Huckley here was so intent on following the contract with exactness, I wanted to be sure that he had done just that. After all, the terms stated that the monies agreed upon would be received by your uncle on the day your wedding was supposed to take place. That deadline passed more than nine years ago, and your uncle has not received one. Single. Piece. Of silver.”

The captain had not paid. He had not paid! That meant…that meant… “The contract is void?” I asked in an awed whisper.

“Quite.”

The bit of glee and bravado Huckley had been luxuriating in a moment before was gone, leaving him incensed. He stared at Falstone with hate and vengeance burning in his eyes. Then his eyes fell to me. “You belong to me,” he declared in a menacing whisper. “You will ALWAYS belong to me!”

“I BELONG TO NO ONE!” I screamed as I lunged at him, anger taking hold of my limbs as I tried to launch myself at him, but Falstone caught me around my waist and held me back. “NO ONE OWNS ME! NO ONE!”

“Then no one else will!” Huckley raised his sword and ran at us.

My eyes widened in horror, but before I could even think to act, Falstone pulled me aside, stepped forward and swung his own blade with both hands in a swift, decisive arc.

Huckley’s battle cry turned to a scream of horror as his weapon fell to the ground—along with his hand, which had been severed from his arm.

I fell back against the railing in horror, a hand pressed to my mouth as Huckley fell to his knees.

Falstone turned on Smeed, but the man threw his knife to the ground before Falstone even issued a threat.

“Now,” Falstone said, and I could hear both the relief and the shock in his voice. “You.” He pointed to Smeed. “Get a thin strip of that canvas and tie it as tightly as you can around your master’s wrist so that he doesn’t bleed out on his own ship.”

Smeed did so, being careful to move deliberately, as if he didn’t want to spook Falstone.

Captain Huckley continued to glare at us, even as his pale face contorted and he breathed through his teeth. Smeed did as he was told, doing his best to cut off the flow of blood.

As for myself, I refused to look in the direction of the hand that lay on the planks of the deck.

The sound of men clambering brought my attention to the railing of the ship. I looked over to see six men climbing out of a boat and hauling themselves up the ladder. My grip on Falstone’s arm convulsed.

“It’s all right,” he said with a deep sigh. “It’s the magistrate.”

As soon as they stepped on board, the magistrate and his men made quick work of taking the situation in hand, as well as searching the ship to be sure that no one else was on board.

Falstone was finally able to sheath his sword and wrap me in his arms. “Let’s go,” he said. “We will leave him to his fate. He cannot touch us now.” He led me past the magistrate, who nodded in camaraderie, and was helping me over the railing when Huckley started screaming behind us.

“Thief!” Huckley’s shrill word sounded behind us. We turned to look at him where he stood between two men, each holding tight to one of his upper arms, allowing him to cradle the stump of his wrist against his chest. His face was drenched in sweat and mottled gray as he shook from anger and pain. “Ungrateful wench! You are stealing that gown and those jewels. They do not belong to you. Thief!”