The Heiress of Winterwood - By Sarah Ladd Page 0,108

But never would he have thought he would be entering one to rescue his daughter.

Time was limited. The crew would be on to them soon, and what match would two men have against a crew? Sputtering light flashed from behind a drawn door. Graham looked back at Sulter, pressed his finger to his lips, and leaned closer, desperate to hear anything above the thudding in his brain.

From within the wooden walls he heard a woman’s voice, soothing, soft, and low. He heard a harsh whisper. A baby’s whimper. Graham held up one finger, then another to indicate the distinct male voices that met his ear. Their best hope was to catch the men off guard.

He waited through the silence until the murmur of men’s voices once again sounded from within. Good. The men were distracted. He signaled Sulter, and then with all of his weight, he rammed the door with his shoulder and slammed it against the wall. Women screamed. He saw one man. Two men. And then his eyes narrowed on Littleton.

Pistol pointed straight at Littleton’s chest, he pushed him and one other man past a table and against the paneled wall.

Littleton’s struggle for composure played on his dark features. Flickering light from one of the hanging lanterns glimmered off of the perspiration trickling down the sides of his face. His voice rang with imperious bravado. “Ah, the mighty Captain Sterling, come to claim his bride. I’d wager this is not what you expected to find, is it?”

Graham fought the urge to look back at Amelia and Lucy and kept his eyes focused on Littleton. He pressed the pistol against Littleton’s chest.

A sinister smirk curved Littleton’s lips. “You’d best kill me, Sterling,” taunted Littleton. “Because mark my words, if you are fool enough to let me live, I’ll have my revenge yet.”

Graham gritted his teeth. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure, but unfortunately it isn’t up to me when your miserable life will come to an end.”

“Then you’re a greater fool than I thought.” Littleton’s squeaky laugh dripped with the desperation of a caught man. He licked his lips and shifted his eyes to the man Sulter was tying to the table leg. “You may think that you will have your way by simply barging onto this vessel, but you are sorely mistaken.”

Graham narrowed his eyes on the man, his chest tightening at the pure evil lurking in Littleton’s expression. But suddenly, a woman’s scream pierced the air. He glanced back toward the sound, and in that split second, the man who’d been standing at Littleton’s right lunged, pushing Graham backward against the long table situated in the middle of the room.

Graham gulped for air as the man struggled to pin him down. But the smaller man was no physical match. After taking a few blows to his side, Graham adjusted his grip on his pistol, righted his opponent, and landed a solid blow to the man’s jaw, sending him staggering against a sideboard. Candlesticks and decanters crashed to the ground at the impact, and Graham whirled back to face Littleton. To his surprise, Littleton had locked his arm around a woman’s waist and held a knife to her throat. At second glance, he saw it was not Amelia or even Mrs. Dunne whose eyes were wide with terror. It was none other than Helena Barrett.

Graham did not have time to figure out how this woman had found her way into this mess. He raised his pistol. At the movement, Littleton tightened his grip on Helena, and she squeaked in fear.

The pitch of Littleton’s voice increased. “I would not recommend that, Sterling.”

Graham’s was steady. “Let her go.”

Littleton sneered. “I want my money.”

Graham licked his lips. He was not dealing with a sane man. “And if I give you the money, will you let her go?”

He laughed. “You can take them when you leave.” Littleton nodded toward Amelia, Mrs. Dunne, and Lucy but tightened his grip on the horrified Helena. “But I’d be a fool to let this one go.”

Graham’s pistol itched in his hands. His coat might as well have been made of fire. Perspiration poured down his temples, burning his eyes. He was a man of swift decisions. And a swift, sure decision needed to be made. In addition to saving his daughter and Amelia, he needed to get Mrs. Dunne and now Helena Barrett to safety. The desire for justice bubbled up within him. If it took his last breath, he would not allow this man to