Page 119 of An Imperfect Scoundrel

Upon seeing him, she ran across the deck, ignoring the surprised looks of several men as she raced past them. She didn’t slow when she reached him, launching herself at him. He caught her, and they spun, her momentum carrying them in a half-circle.

“Mrs. Parker, I gave you strict instruction not to leave my cabin.”

“I know.” She flushed, breathing heavily. “I only left for a moment to obtain some paper from Mr. Hayward’s cabin.”

Cedric’s heart stopped, suffocated by the tightening of his chest.

“Did a cannonball strike my quarters?”

“No.” She shook her head violently. “It’s worse.”

“Worse than a cannonball?” He grabbed her arm, leading her toward the stern.

“I know where Mr. Evans is.”

“He’s in Mr. Hayward’s cabin?”

“No.” Mrs. Parker paled. “He’s in yours.”

“Mine! How did he get into my cabin?”

“I don’t know. The door slammed shut, and when I tried to open it, it was locked. I pressed my head against the wood, listening to the voices. As soon as I realized who was on the other side, I came to find you.”

“Fire!” This command was louder than the first, and Cedric shifted his attention to the stern, realizing the first Naval ship had used his same method of attack and cut them off using a diagonal route.

A round of cannon fire burst from the starboard side, sending cannonballs flying toward them. Diving at Mrs. Parker, Cedric flung her to the deck and covered her body with his as wood rained down upon them.

“Would I be safer in the cabin?” she asked, her terrified voice coming from beneath him.

“You’d be safest on land.” Lifting his head, he glanced across the deck, littered with wood, rope, and men, knocked off balance when the first round struck their ship.

“Fire!”

Cedric ducked, covering both their heads with his arms as the second round ripped through the ship, coating them with another layer of debris.

“Once I deal with Mr. Evans, you and Mrs. Dubois will immediately debark. I want you both off this ship before the Navy rips us apart.”

“How do you intend to do that?” Mrs. Parker’s muffled voice trembled.

“With a longboat. The Navy won’t attack two women. I hope you can row.”

“We will figure it out.” Her stubborn attitude, so much like Alana’s, caused him to smile.

“I’m certain you will.” Pushing off her, he brushed large wooden splinters from his clothing.

She climbed to her feet without his assistance, and they picked their way through the fallen debris toward the captain’s quarters. As they reached the door, the chilling command echoed across the water again.

“Fire!”

Cedric and Mrs. Parker dropped to the deck as a cannonball flew over their heads. The iron sphere ripped through the lower portion main mast, which buckled, falling toward them.

Screams reverberated from above as the man stationed in the crow’s nest tumbled, plummeting toward the water. When he hit the ocean, the shrieks cut off, his voice forever silenced as the waves swallowed him.

Before the mast could strike them, Cedric shoved Mrs. Parker out of the way and raised his arms as the heavy crossbeam came down upon him, crushing him beneath its weight and blocking the door leading into the officer’s quarters.

Blackness closed in, encircling his vision, and he struggled to remain conscious, his mind focusing on the one task driving him—get to Alana.

His head lolled to the side, the only part of his body he could move, and his gaze scanned the wreckage, searching for Mrs. Parker, his vision obstructed by the hemp fibers of a rope draped across his face.