Niko's Stolen Bride (12 page)

A blast sounded, like steam released from an overheated boiler. The world burst into a dazzling glow of bright white. Kara sucked in her breath, waiting for the explosion. For a second, she saw the outline of Niko’s body against the light. With his height and broad shoulders, he was unmistakable. Her fear spiked. He was out there on deck, unprotected.

The burning glow seemed to hang in the sky for long seconds before it faded into a trail of spent smoke. Everything went dark again. Nearly blinded by the change in light, she stood in the middle of the room while gunshots rattled outside with a muted clatter like caps from a child’s pistol. They whined, thudding into the ship’s hull.

This couldn’t be happening. It was like a scene from an action movie. She’d never enjoyed watching them and didn’t want to be a part of one now.

The ship changed course again, zigzagging through the dark sea. She lurched against a sofa, reaching out to catch herself against the padded arm before falling onto the cushions. Her knee banged painfully into the low coffee table that sat in front of it. Twisting, she searched the dark outer deck, straining desperately to be sure Niko hadn’t been thrown overboard.

For a moment, she could no longer see him. An iron band of fear tightened around her chest and she struggled to breath. Then she spotted him near the railing, one hand grasping the smooth, rounded surface, the muscles in his arm standing out with strain. She heard his voice as he shouted an order to someone. George, most likely, just out of her range of vision.

It was sheer instinct that made her push up from the sofa and start toward the glass doors. She had to do something. Anything.

The ship swung wildly once more. She stumbled, going to one knee. The sudden sharp pair brought more coherent thought. If she went bumbling out on deck, she would be a liability. Yet, she couldn’t bear to retreat below again.

The pilot house door was to her left. The
Black Mag
ic was plowing straight ahead while the roar of the following boat seemed to be falling back. She sprang up, ran for the door, feeling down the edge until she found and grasped the handle. Wrenching it open, she stepped inside. The heavy metal panel slammed shut behind her as the ship tilted again.

Eduardo was at the controls. Reeling, she fell to one knee to avoid crashing into his chair. He leaned to swivel the cushioned leather chair next to him toward her and held it steady.

“Sit.”

The one terse word was welcome enough. Slamming into the chair, she rotated it forward and grabbed for the padded edge of the control panel. Digging her fingers into the soft leather, she steadied herself and took a deep breath that shuddered through her.

“They’re sh–shooting at us,” she said when she could speak again.

“I thought I heard a couple of hits. We’ll have to get that repaired.”

Something about his tone struck an odd note. She didn’t expect him to be as frightened as she was, but some level of concern would be understandable. “You’ve been through this before?”

“A few times.
Black Magic
is a fast yacht and we’ve never been boarded. Always a first time, though.”

She stared at the older man, slowly registering his grin. “You’re enjoying this?”

His grin widened at the note of incredulity in her tone. “Perhaps, just a little.”

If she’d ever doubted it before, she now knew the truth. Men were crazy.

The thunderous boom and whoosh of air came again, and the glow lit the night sky at least half a minute before falling behind them. Ahead of them, gray in the brightness, lay nothing but empty ocean.

“What is that light?”

“Parachute flares. Niko’s setting them off to blind the scum in the boat. It doesn’t hurt that they also mark our position.”

Hope spread through her veins like molten lava. “There’s help on the way?”

He gave a quick shake of his head as he squinted into the darkness. “Not close enough. We’re on our own.”

“What do they want?” Her voice rose at the last word and she bit it off sharply, feeling foolish in the face of Eduardo’s calm acceptance.

“A ship like this is worth millions. They either hope for wealthy passengers carrying a great deal of cash or they want the yacht to sell on the black market.”

She’d thought as much, wasn’t sure she liked being correct. “They wouldn’t hurt us?”

He shot her a look that clearly told her anything was possible, but his voice remained low and reassuring. “Most likely, they would set us off in the lifeboat.”

She wanted to believe him, but couldn’t. She’d heard of the owners of yachts disappearing along with their ships.

Eduardo pointed to the control panel in front of him. “Here they come again.”

He put a radio microphone close to his mouth and began to speak, repeating the distress call with updated coordinates and status. Kara leaned closer to the ten-inch square that was part of the ship’s security cameras. She could see the shapes of the two men on the back of the ship and, behind them, the lighter froth of the wake. Niko was the darker, broader blur and George had on the paler shirt that caught more light.

The younger man was manning the spotlight mounted on the side of the ship, keeping it trained on the oncoming boat. It was directly behind them now. With a sudden surge of speed it disappeared from view. There was a thump and the yacht quivered with the impact.

Eduardo bit out a curse as the ship shuddered, jolting to the right. Throwing down the microphone, he steered sharply back on course. Kara jerked and swayed with the turns then righted herself, her eyes fixed on the small screen. Niko and George were still aboard. Miraculously, they were all right.

The thudding jolt came again. This time, the other ship collided with the yacht with a force that Kara felt in her bones. Smaller thumps followed in rapid succession along with the screech of metal.

“Grappling hooks,” Eduardo said. The look on his face was suddenly grim. “Lock the door.”

“But Niko and George are–”

“Now,” he barked. “If they get to us, they have the ship.”

In two steps she was there, pushing the heavy bolt home. She slammed back into the seat, her eyes glued to the screen. The men had moved to one side, almost out of the camera’s range. The other boat was alongside, out of view. Another flare lit the screen, momentarily turning the world white as a snowstorm.

Shouts and the echo of gunfire sounded over the loudness of her and Eduardo’s breathing. With a ruthlessness foreign to her, she hoped that Niko had shot the flare directly into their boat. She imagined, at worst, it would burn the skin. At best, they’d be temporarily blinded and would give up the chase.

“Doesn’t Niko have a weapon?”

“Only a pistol. Good for close quarters. He’ll use it if they make it aboard.”

Terror gripped her as she stared at the screen, trying to penetrate the smoke left from the flare. At last she found two figures moving on the stern of the ship. George had left his post at the spotlight and they both leaned over the rail, their positions precarious, given the erratic path Eduardo was steering.

Suddenly, there were other shapes there with them, swarming over the sides of the ship. The scene was illuminated clearly for a few seconds as the spotlight swung crazily on its swivel base. The men grappled hand-to-hand with the intruders. Niko, taller than the rest, was easy to pick out. He wrestled with a man dressed in dark clothing who perched on the rail with one foot on the teak deck. George was out of sight, though she caught a flash of light on metal that could be the knife that he carried.

“They’re on board,” Kara choked out. “Fighting.”

“How many?”

“Two, I think. No. Three.” Her voice rose in pitch. “One is coming toward us.”

The man had crept up from the lower swim platform and darted across the main deck, heading straight for the sliding glass doors. Niko must have seen him as well. With a surge of power, he shoved the man he struggled with over the side and turned, charging toward the running man. He dove for the man’s legs, taking him down to the deck with him. They rolled in violent struggle, passing from camera view.

“Oh my god!”

Eduardo spared her a quick glance as she started to her feet. He closed a hand around her arm, his grasp firm. “Is someone down?”

“I–I’m not sure. Niko–” She stopped then swallowed hard against the knot in her throat. “I can’t see him.”

“Take the controls. I’m going out.”

Her gaze shot to the wheel and what appeared to be a mass of lighted panels. “I can’t,” she wailed.

“Yes, you can. There’s nothing but open ocean for miles. Just keep her straight and steady.”

With a strength she hadn’t guessed he possessed, he pulled her toward his chair. Rising, he forced her down into it and placed her hands on the wheel. The leather covering was warm from his grasp, much like the steering wheel of a car. The controls vibrated with tension and she guessed they were racing along as fast as the ship was capable of moving.

Contrary to his claim, she knew there was danger in the slightest maneuver she made. She could stall the engines. She could turn too sharply and sling someone overboard. Any wrong move and she could kill them all.

They could also die if Niko and George were overcome by the invaders. She had to do her part to avoid that. Grasping the wheel more firmly, she tried to focus on the few short words that Eduardo bit out before he left her alone in the pilot house.

The sea spread out before her, the moon painting silver streaks across the low waves. There was nothing else. No dark land masses, no lights from passing ships or distant islands. It was just them and their attackers.

Sparing a glance at the monitors, she saw bulky figures merge and split, moving too fast to identify. The men collided and shuffled, mere shades of gray, blending together with the shifting shadows. At least they were within the camera’s view again, which meant Niko was back up on his feet.

As the spotlight swung across the deck again, she picked out Eduardo, his shirt shining in its crisp whiteness. The patter of gunfire sounded again, closer this time.

No one fell.

Kara allowed herself to breathe, sucking air so deep into her lungs that they hurt with the effort. She concentrated on the electronic controls. If only she knew what they were all for. She could be driving them straight into trouble and not know it. She swallowed hard as she realized that the door to the pilot house was unlocked. She was no longer protected by even that uncertain line of defense.

A sudden surge in speed jerked her forward, one she had done nothing to cause. She stared at the monitors in puzzlement before shifting her gaze back to the screen.

The door to the pilot house opened, crashing against the panel behind it. Kara spun around in her seat.

“It’s just me,” Eduardo said above the engine noise and slamming of the door behind him.

“What’s going on,” Kara demanded.

“George cut the ropes of the grappling hooks.” Elation and relief were strong in his voice. “The other boat fell back, stopped acting as a drag on us.” Arriving at her side, he made shooing motions. “Get over.”

Gladly, she gave up the wheel and slid into the next chair. “So it’s over?”

He gave a hard nod. “Scum didn’t like it when Niko started firing back at them. They jumped ship.”

“They’re gone for good?”

He shrugged, his attention distracted as he scanned the controls in front of him. “Maybe, maybe not. Depends on how desperate they are. Could make another run.”

“But–” Kara broke off sharply as she realized her voice was wobbling. Eduardo swung the wheel hard to the right and she slammed back into the leather seat, her hands clenched on its arms. “How could they?”

“Might have a trick or two left, more firepower maybe. Unlikely, though, or they’d have used it already. They’re not usually stupid men, just violent.”

Hard on his words, gunfire spit again, louder, closer together. The brittle clatter of glass shattering and falling sounded near the stern. As Kara stared at the monitor, the lighter blur that was George twisted violently to the side and fell to the deck.

She moaned in distress, starting from her chair, but Eduardo reached to stop her with a brief touch. “Don’t”

“But George was hit!”

“Let Niko bring him inside.”

She hesitated, but nodded in reluctant agreement as gunfire rang out again. Perching on the edge of the chair, she strained to follow the images on the monitor. Another burst of fire, then the pirate boat veered away in a plume of spray, falling off behind them with only a metallic glint in the darkness to give away its position as it sped away.

“The other boat’s leaving,” she exclaimed, relief scorching through her veins so fast she felt light-headed for a second. On the monitor, she watched as Niko appeared beside George where he had fallen. The two shapes blended and merged as he heaved the smaller man to his feet, supporting him with an arm around his waist.

Eduardo glanced down at the security camera’s screen. “Going after easier prey.”

“You don’t mean it!” Not everyone could survive an encounter as well as they had, she thought. Niko and his crew had reacted so quickly and thoroughly.