Free Love's Abyss (St. John Series) by Lora Thomas Page A

disgust me,” declared Alex.
    Suddenly, there was a crash and a thin gray-haired woman came rushing out of a door. The woman stopped in her tracks and her mouth dropped open. She approached the man who was holding the auburn-haired lady. “I demand you release Lady Madison immediately,” she commanded in an authoritative voice.
    Slim looked down at the stick of a woman before him. A devious smile crossed his face. “How ‘bout I take you instead. Ya look like ya could use some fun.”
    “How dare you state such—”
    “SILENCE!” Alex yelled. He crossed the ship to the old woman. “I suggest you shut up before I let him have his fun with you.” Alex dictated as he gestured his head towards Slim. If that one spoke one more word with her horrid voice he would shoot her.
    “Do you know who you have attacked? That’s Commodore McClain and this ruffian has his . . . his . . .” She stopped before she revealed Madison’s identity as the Commodore’s fiancée, afraid that it might be used against them.
    “Who? His mistress?” Alex questioned. Miss Ruby lowered her gaze. Alex looked towards the Commodore. Oh, this is rich. He stole Maggie’s necklace and gave it to his mistress .
    Madison wasn’t paying attention to the conversation at hand. She had an idea. Before she could rationalize her thoughts, she reacted. She quickly shoved the tall skinny man holding her, knocking him off balance. As he fell, she grabbed his pistol, pivoted quickly, and pointed the weapon at the blond-haired pirate.
    “Stop!” she shouted.
    Alex and Max looked at her in disbelief.
    “Is she serious?” Max questioned.
    Alex just looked at his friend. He turned and fixed his gaze back on the brazen redhead. “Go ahead, shoot me. But rest assured, Angel, before that bullet leaves the end of the pistol, my good friend here will have slit your lover’s throat. Then, because you have only one shot, my crew will have their way with you. So you see, love, it’s a lose-lose situation . . . for you.”
    Madison glared at this pirate. Before she could respond to his reasoning, the pistol was ripped from her hands by the skinny black man she had taken it from.
    “Max?” Alex asked.
    “Yes, Capt’n?”
    “Is the cargo loaded?”
    “Aye, the gold and artillery are secure aboard The Abyss .”
    Alex glanced at the scene before him, Slim holding the Commodore’s mistress and the Commodore with his bloody, bruised face and swollen eyes. An idea crossed his mind. He had thought about killing McClain, but even he wasn’t so heartless as to kill a man in front of his naive mistress. No, I’ll torture the Commodore, he thought evilly. “Max, take the prisoner to The Abyss .”
    “Sir?”
    “The Commodore’s lovely red-headed lady friend.”
    “I don’t think that would be a wise decision, Captain ,” Max replied forcefully, in an attempt to remind his friend of the irrationality of his decision.
    A look of cold fear came over Andrew’s face. “You wouldn’t?”
    “Max!”
    Max took a quick frustrated breath. “Aye, aye,” he gritted. Max walked to Slim and tied the wrists of the feisty woman. Dragging her to the edge of the ship, she fought him the entire way. He wrapped his strong, muscular arm around her tiny waist and grabbed the rope. “If you don’t want to join the Commodore’s crew below, I suggest you wrap those wee little arms of yours around my neck.”
    Madison gazed down between the ships. She could see the bodies floating in the water. She watched as shark fins bobbed up and down, feasting on the bodies of the fallen soldiers. She placed her arms quickly around the dark pirate’s neck and closed her eyes. She felt her feet leave the security of The Armada then quickly touch down on the pirate ship.
    As Alex was walking towards the rope, he heard the murderer’s voice behind him. “I’ll make you pay for this,” the Commodore declared.
    Turning, Alex slowly walked towards the beaten man and bent down.