Free FEARLESS by Helen Kay Dimon Page A

feet. The gun was missing but she knew he had it nearby. “It’s him.”
    “Back for a second try? You’ll fail this time, too.” Davis’s voice never wavered. He didn’t look at her either.
    The attacker rubbed his cheek against hers. “I’ve already won.”
    She jerked when the attacker’s hot breath blew across her ear. She smelled musk and sweat. The mixture filled her senses and she had to fight to keep from gagging. The slight rock of the boat and salty fish smell of the water backed up on her and her stomach heaved.
    The guy tightened his hold around her chest until she was afraid to move. In panic she clawed at the arm around her but the hold didn’t ease.
    “You and your girlfriend are going to get in the cabin,” he said.
    It didn’t take an expert to know going inside meant death. Her heart raced so fast that she was surprised he didn’t feel it. She vowed to go out kicking.
    Davis glanced at the two steps and doorway to the area below deck. “So we can have an accident of some sort? No, thanks.”
    “I can cut her now and let you watch.”
    The blade nicked her skin. The shock of pain was a promise of things to come. “Davis.”
    The attacker’s whole body shook with a harsh laugh. “Listen to the terror in her voice, Davis. Use your head.”
    For the first time since their unwelcome guest had arrived, Davis glanced at her. Those intense eyes blazed, and for the briefest of seconds his gaze slid to the floor then came back up again. It was a clue. Something about hitting the floor. Desperation ate away in her stomach as she tried to figure out exactly what he wanted her to do and when.
    “Hands up.” The attacker barked the words more than said them.
    After a flash of hesitation, Davis raised one hand and took a step. He came even with the attacker’s side. Davis’s stare bored through her as he moved.
    She couldn’t come up with a scenario in which Davis going into the galley ended with them surviving. And if she knew that endgame, he definitely knew. His mind never stopped analyzing and assessing. That meant he had a plan and even now was unrolling it.
    He touched the stair railing. Instead of going below, he flipped around and yelled, “Down!”
    The sudden change of direction had the attacker flinching. Without thinking, she angled her head to the side and dropped before she could worry about the knife. Her legs collapsed under her, leaving her sitting in a heap at the attacker’s feet. When Davis launched his body and slammed into the other guy, she was trapped between their legs. Right in the line of fire.
    Her breath thundered in her ears as she looked for a space to slip through. She crawled a few inches but couldn’t break free. With one hand, Davis lifted and pushed her out of the way. She ducked as he jumped over her to get to the attacker.
    Her last thought was to run but her body went airborne. Her back smashed against the doorway to the front cabin before she landed hard on her butt. Bones rattled and a surge of dizziness had her head swimming and her vision blurring.
    When her eyes focused again the urge to vomit hit her hard. She choked down the taste as she dragged her body, half falling and half stumbling, back to her feet as she looked to the other side of the deck.
    The men rolled across the deck in an echoing series of grunts. Arms and legs flailed. A knife flashed in the light. Air refused to fill her lungs as she watched the attacker wrestle Davis to the deck. They landed with a thud as the fall knocked Davis’s gun from his hand. The men scrambled, crawling over each other, using clothes and anything else they could grab for leverage.
    Davis’s hand wrapped around the weapon but the attacker pushed it away. Before Davis could make another attempt, the attacker slammed a knee into his back. Davis’s body bent back. Tucking again, he rolled over and smacked the heel of his hand into the guy’s face.
    The attacker wailed as blood spurted from his nose. Instead of