Page 135 of An Imperfect Scoundrel

“Now, we kick. Your body will do the rest.” Louisa glanced over her shoulder at the black smoke pouring from Cedric’s ship. “I suggest we move quickly, though. I don’t want to be nearby that ship when it goes under.”

“Or when the furnace explodes,” Alana managed through gritted teeth.

“There’s a furnace?”

“One of Captain Shaw’s great secrets.” Alana tightened her hold on her board. “Like the Naval boats, his ship was run by steam.”

A peculiar numbing feeling coursed through her body, as though her injured skin had peeled itself off her bones and was floating nearby, waiting to torture her once she was free of the water again.

They kicked at the same time, swimming, Alana much less gracefully, toward the nearest longboat, which seemed to float farther away from them the closer they got.

“This isn’t so bad,” Alana said, glancing at Louisa. “Perhaps I shall take up swimming once we return to Wiltshire.”

“It’s a delightful activity… however, not when one is using it to escape a burning pirate ship.”

Alana looked back at those words. Flames were indeed visible, shooting up from the center of the ship, encouraged by another round of cannon fire.

The explosion that followed rocked all three ships, casting an invisible wave of pressure in all directions. The shock wave knocked both Alana and Louisa from their boards, shoving them under the water.

Alana broke the surface first, kicking her feet hard, and called out for Louisa, but she didn’t answer. Her red hair wasn’t visible in the bright mid-morning sun. Spinning in a circle, Alana’s wild gaze darted across the water.

Where was Louisa?

Panic driving her, Alana forced herself to duck her head under the water. Opening her eyes, she squinted when the salt stung her eyes. A pop of scarlet caught her attention. She swam in the direction of the color and discovered Louisa floating on her back, unconscious, her red hair fanned out behind her like an exotic fish.

Sliding an arm across Louisa’s chest, Alana pulled her close, ensuring her face stayed above the water’s surface. Twisting around, her gaze searched the water for the longboat, which had managed to float even farther away after the explosion.

She’d never reach the boat while holding onto Louisa, but if she let go, Louisa would surely drown, and Alana didn’t intend to watch any more people she cared about die today.

Kicking her feet, Alana dragged herself and Louisa through the choppy water, her only goal reaching the longboat. Agony blazed through her body, the saltwater burning her lacerations and the effort of pulling two people through the ocean burning her muscles.

Hovering on the edge of unconsciousness, Alana forced herself forward, grunting out the most inappropriate language to keep herself awake, her hold on Louisa loosening as she struggled to stay afloat.

They were so close.

With one final scream, she propelled them both forward, kicking until they crashed into the side of the boat.

Alana reached up to grab the edge, but before her fingers could close around the boat, a hand appeared above her, grasped hold of her wrist, and yanked her from the water, flinging her at the bow.

“Who are you?” Alana gasped as the man jerked Louisa from the water, dumping her across an empty bench.

“Wallace. United States Navy.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CEDRIC/CHARLES

There was another way out of the cabin!

Cedric lay on his back staring at the hole in the ceiling, the same hole he’d fallen from when the mizzenmast collapsed.

He would attempt it as soon as he could stand.

If he hadn’t broken anything…

He moved his right leg, drawing his knee toward his chest, then repeated the action with his left leg. Once he was certain he was merely bruised, he rolled onto his stomach and pushed onto his knees with a groan.

In truth, he knew Alana would have a better chance of survival if she was rescued by the Navy in Mrs. Parker’s company. Two women together, even though one was disguised as a man, would be less suspicious than if she’d been discovered with him.