Southern Beauty - By Julie Lucia Page 0,46

he started to leave the room, “or maybe I will sell you to the highest bidder. I know I could be paid a lifetime of wages for a lady like you.”

Johanna heard the click of the lock on the door. She noticed the letter that fell to the floor. She knew it was from David. He knew all along that she loved him. She couldn’t believe how betrayed she felt. What did she think, they were going to run off together and live happily ever after? Maybe if she lives through this, she will marry Malcolm or maybe Rene? What did it matter, she was in danger again and this time no one was going to save her. She stared at the letter that lay on the floor. Getting angrier every minute, she began to plot revenge until the candle went out leaving her in the dark of night. She could hear Myers speaking on the deck to someone.

“Thanks brother, I will take it from here,” a voice laughed.

“Well, if you weren’t family I would fight you for her. She is definitely beautiful,’ said Myers. “You know we could get a pretty penny for her in the black market.”

“I know, but I believe it is time for her to get to know me a little bit better. There is no one around to save her this time,” the voice said.

“What about your comrades? Are you just going to desert them?” Captain Darren Myers asked his companion.

“Absolutely,” he said.

“Is it that easy for you to make this choice?” Myers asked.

“Well brother, you know how the old saying goes, ‘blood is thicker than water’,” both men laughed.

Chapter 19

s Johanna listened she couldn’t quite place the other voice, but it seemed quite familiar. She was on the verge of presumption when she noticed a light from the floor below her feet. She hadn’t seen before for it was overshadowed by the candle burning in the room. She leaned down and tried to peek through the cracks but the light extinguished abruptly and then she heard a voice from below.

“Are you going to open the trapdoor or do you want Myers to have his way with you?” She felt the wood with her fingers and pulled the trap open. Hands grabbed her from below and brought her down with a quick hand over her mouth. The trap shut as soon as the door opened to the bridge.

Johanna was scared for she couldn’t see who had just saved her since the voice was muffled by the trapdoor. She didn’t know if she had put herself in a far worse predicament than she had just barely escaped from. If she knew anything about herself, she probably had.

They listened intently to Myers yelling out orders to find her while he paced the floor above them. Her rescuer’s body leaned close to hers while they stood together at the top of the ladder.

He finally let go of his hold on her mouth and brought his fiery lips on hers in the darkness. She knew that kiss. It was hot and steamy and it was all she ever longed for.

“Are you okay?” the voice in the dark whispered softly in her ear.

“David,” she whispered as her heart skipped a beat. She felt relieved, excited and confused simultaneously.

David had never heard her say his name before. It made his body quiver and he quietly exhaled overwhelmed by the feeling. He kissed her again.

“Follow me,” he whispered again as he took her hand and led her to a small opening in the wood. She loved his hand. It was warm and strong. She felt safe even if she was mad at him for stealing the map. She would save her anger for later.

“They were going to use this for cannons but decided they would rather use the ship for commerce. More money in it,” David explained while they crawled through a small space.

To her surprise a boat awaited them with Jacob holding the oars. A makeshift ladder attached itself to the ship and they climbed down into the boat. The sun was about to peek over the horizon. Despite the situation, she was overjoyed to see Jacob. She gave him a big hug in silence. He in turn was just as excited and relieved to see her once again especially in one piece.

David used his strong arms to row and they disappeared out of the ship’s sight before they were noticed. Johanna still in shock from the whole experience sat quietly.

“Are