Wrong Kind of Paradise Read Online Free Page B

lieutenant had informed her she would be sailing with him on the HMS Serenity. Blac seemed
    even more distant than ever. Quiet. Contemplative.
    But then again, why shouldn’t he? He had just betrayed his best friend’s daughter. Perhaps guilt had
    set in. She hoped it ate him alive until only his skin and bones were left.
    The path narrowed. Blac brush against her, and her breath stalled. Even after his betrayal, he could
    still affect her senses.
    Silence so thick one could slice right through it lingered between them. The snap of a limb caused
    her to jump. Blac glanced at her. His questioning gaze flitted between her face to Charles’s grip.
    The lieutenant again tightened his grasp and she struggled to break free of its bruising vise. She
    glanced at the man. His eyes were hard and unyielding.
    A steady clomp of feet on packed earth echoed. She stumbled over an exposed root and again the
    hand increased its pressure. But he slowed his rapid gait.
    Blac’s hand steadied her. “Charles, I am forced to concede and allow you to take the girl back to
    Port Royal. But if you do not loosen your grip on her-” Blac reached a protective hand to her hip, trying to
    place her behind him. But Charles’s hand held firm. “I will kill you.”
    The lieutenant smiled. “Seems to me, ol’ man, that you’re a little outnumbered.”
    “You and I both know that won’t help you any.”
    Angel glanced between them. Blac’s tone was perfectly modulated but the fury thrummed between
    them. His eyes appeared almost black with rage.
    The lieutenant chuckled and though his grip loosened considerably, he did not remove his hand from
    her. An extreme pink imprint marred her skin in the shape of his fingers.
    Musket fire erupted and birds took flight over head. The soldier in front of her slumped to his knees
    without a sound. Before he hit the ground face-first, Blac yanked her from the lieutenant and shoved her
    behind him. Another shot split the air and the second soldier fell. Blac pulled his musket, ducking them
    both behind a narrow tree. The lieutenant ducked nearby with his own weapon at the ready. Heavy
    footfalls pounded through the brush before the tall familiar black figure appeared. Bruno trained his
    cutlass on the lieutenant.
    “Bruno!” she gasped out. Thrilled he’d come for her.
    Her father’s first mate didn’t glance at her but waved her closer with his other hand. She raced to
    his side, only once glancing back at Blac.
    Blac’s features appeared grim, his lips thin, his jaw clenched. His eyes moved from Bruno to the
    lieutenant, then to her. He nodded to her as if to give her permission.
    “Toss your weapons. We should tie them up,” she said.
    Bruno nodded, handing her the musket and cutlass. Yanking the piece of hemp from the waist of his
    weathered trousers, he sliced it in two with a dagger. She held the weapons on the lieutenant but kept a
    wary eye on Blac as the two men tossed their weapons into the surrounding brush. Bruno tied the
    lieutenants hands behind his back then moved to Blac.
    “This is a crime against the King, young miss,” the lieutenant said. “You do realize this makes you a
    criminal, much like your father?”
    “I’ve pledged no allegiance, and therefore I serve no king, whether it be yours or anyone else’s,
    sir.”
    A single brow lifted. “Is that so?”
    “Yes. You’ve arrested an innocent man, Lieutenant. My father has committed no proven crimes.”
    “You deny your father is a pirate?”
    She sneered. “Proven is the key word, sir. If you do not know its meaning then perhaps you should
    look it up.”
    The lieutenant laughed but his eyes grew distant. Cold. “Miss De’haviland, you’re a delight but
    even so, ‘twill be my pleasure to hunt you down and hang you right alongside him.”
    “Indeed. Then I shall look forward to the chase.”
    Her gaze turned to Blac, as Bruno stood to his full height and took the pistol from her.
    Blac’s gaze caressed her. “Take