The Red Drifter of the Sea (Pirates of the Isles #3) - Celeste Barclay Page 0,90
door. Whoever it was, hadn’t come to her aid.
A wave of hatred washed over Moira as she glanced back for the last time. The temptation to kill her brother threatened to override her good sense. She despised him for all the years of mistreatment, for selling her to Dermot, for keeping her from Kyle. She feared that if she stood closer, she would have already slit his throat or driven her blade into his neck. Forcing herself to focus on what she needed to accomplish rather than what she wanted to do, she placed the hilt of the dirk in her mouth and once more peered out the window. She knew she had a corner room, so she looked at the bricks that made up the outside corner of the building. They were notched, a small piece extending out in an alternating pattern. There was a window ledge just wide enough for her toes. If she could step onto the ledge, then get her toes onto a brick, she thought she might use them to climb down. If she failed, she would pitch backward and land on her back. She prayed that she didn’t break her backbone or her neck or slam her head into the ground. But all three of those outcomes were better than remaining with Dónal.
If Dermot is dead, if Kyle killed him, then what will Dónal do with me? Likely kill me before taking me back to Dunluce. Either you go now, Moira, or you stay with Dónal.
That last thought had Moira climbing onto the windowsill. She glanced out at Tomas, then Snake Eye. Snake Eye caught her movement and vigorously shook his head. He darted to Tomas and shook the man before pointing at her. Tomas shook his head in time with Snake Eye’s, but Moira refused to be deterred. She stepped through the window and onto the outside ledge. Not looking anywhere but at the corner bricks, she took a deep breath and reminded herself of all the trees she’d climbed as a child. She’d scaled the side of the stables countless times to watch the ships sail away from the MacDonnell dock. She’d inched along the foot of the jib and out to the bowsprit before she jumped into the sea. She was determined to do this, too.
She slid her feet along the ledge until she reached the end. She’d closed the shutter furthest from her before she moved, but she held onto the closer one. At some point she would have to release it and grab for the bricks. It was the point in her daredevil stunt where she was most likely to fall. She wished she could push the other shutter closed, so Dónal wouldn’t immediately know how she escaped, but it wasn’t an option. Despite hearing Tomas’s stage whisper calling her name and warning her against her plan, she ignored him.
Drawing up the courage she had mustered, she reached out her left foot until she touched one of the bricks. She drew her leg back in, knowing she could reach it. She slid the ball of her right foot side to side as she inched closer to the edge of her perch. Her fingers gripped the outside edge of the shutter as she leaned as far as she could without letting go. Her fingers wrapped around a brick. It wasn’t the side that would make it easiest to start climbing, but it was her target. Clutching the brick, she stretched her left leg again until her toes landed in the center of the short protrusion.
Without another thought, Moira pushed off the ledge and swung for a moment until she reached her right arm over her left, which had a death grip on a brick. Grasping another notch, Moira steadied herself. Ignoring the strain in her shoulders and the awkwardness of her hold, she felt beneath her for the next brick. When the ball of her right foot was steady, she moved her left leg and arm down until her hand replaced her foot and her foot found a new perch.
With sweaty palms, Moira continued to climb down until she felt hands wrap around her waist and another set around her ribs. She glanced back to find Tomas and Snake Eye both lifting her down the last several feet. With her feet on the ground, she fell against the men, wrapping her arms around the hardened pirates. With only a moment’s hesitation, they returned her embrace.