we have any prisoners?”
“They’re fighting to the death.”
Since when did pirates do that? Aiden frowned. The plan had been to capture a few of the pirates and lean on them for information. The more they knew about the pirates’ organization, tactics and logistics, the easier it would be to take them down. But if the pirates were dying rather than surrendering, that could be a problem.
Steig’s voice crackled over the radio, ordering their team to secure the mid-decks while his men cleared the topside. Aiden was just spinning into a tiny bathroom and clearing the empty shower when a shout went up outside. He poked his head out cautiously.
The chief engineer was grinning. “They just bugged out. Pirate vessel’s retreating at a high rate of speed.”
“Tell Steig I got the tracker set on that boat. We don’t have to follow right away. Let them get out of visual range.”
Roving teams of crewmen started clearing the yacht room by room. There was no way they were allowing a single pirate to stow away aboard the Nymph and sabotage it later. The six bodies of the dead pirates would be given a funeral at sea later, when the ship was fully secured.
The crew debriefing after the attack would be very interesting, indeed. Who in the hell had those men been, and who had trained and armed them? He’d lay odds they were no ordinary pirates. Or worse, they were a sign of times to come when pirates got a substantial upgrade in gear and training.
Aiden hurried toward Sunny’s cabin to give her the all clear. She must be scared out of her mind. He reached her door and knocked on it gently. “Sunny? It’s Aiden. You can come out now. We’re safe and the pirates are gone.”
Nothing. He waited for a few seconds and knocked a little louder. Still nothing. Panic blossomed in his gut along with a sick certainty that she hadn’t obeyed his order to come down here and lock herself in.
He checked the door handle. Unlocked. Swearing forcefully, he barged into her room. Empty. He was going to kill her when he found her. Assuming the pirates hadn’t found her first and—
Oh, God. Snatched her.
He raced out of the cabin, shouting for Steig. He tore onto the bridge, panting. Thankfully, every hand that reached for a sidearm recognized him in time not to blow his head off. “Sunny’s not in her cabin,” he announced. “Has anyone seen her?”
“I assumed she was with Gemma in the panic room,” Steig answered grimly. “When was the last time you saw her?”
“In the salon.”
One of the sailors piped up. “We found a pirate in the salon. Dead from a head wound. Looked like blunt trauma.”
Christ. His worst nightmare come true. A civilian, a woman he was responsible for, hell, a woman he was interested in and attracted to, made a victim because she’d been too close to him. This was exactly why he never got close to other people! Guys in the superhero business couldn’t afford any personal attachments.
Had the pirates seized her to use as a hostage? To ensure a safe getaway? What would they do to her after they were clear of the Nymph? With every new question, his gut twisted a little tighter. This was his fault. He’d gone back to his old ways, been wining and dining the hot chick instead of doing his job and watching out for pirates. When would he learn? Women and work—at least his work—did not mix. Ever.
Sick with worry, he listened as Steig gave terse orders over the ship’s public address system. All hands were to stop what they were doing and search for Sunny.
“How come we didn’t find her when we were hunting for pirate stowaways?” Aiden demanded.
“We’re not finished clearing the ship yet,” Steig replied. “Maybe she’ll still turn up.” But the Swede didn’t sound convinced.
“What’s left to be searched?” Aiden demanded.
“The upper decks.”
“I’m on it. Starting in the salon. I’ll see if I can find some hint there of what happened to her.”
He barreled into the same room where they’d been having a romantic dinner only an hour ago. It was impossible to miss the pool of blood, broken glass and the overwhelming smell of lemon vodka. Clearly, there’d been a fight by the bar. She’d put up a hell of a struggle if the damage was any indication. He spied bullet holes in the ceiling and his heart dropped to his feet. But then he registered that it looked like an uninterrupted trail of holes, as if the fusillade of bullets hadn’t hit anyone in its track across the room.
He worked his way outward from the bar, methodically searching for clues. It was nearly impossible to go slowly, to be thorough. But he dared not miss anything important in his panic. He’d almost finished searching the room when he got to the banquet-style sofa under one of the big windows. He lifted it and leaped back with a shout of surprise. The lid banged shut on whoever was hiding inside.
He grabbed for the pistol at his hip, yanking it clear just as the sofa seat raised up again.
“Jeez, Aiden, did you have to slam the seat down on me like that? You almost broke my nose.”
He jerked his weapon up and away from Sunny and holstered it, sagging in relief. “You scared the living hell out of me, woman.”
“Are the pirates gone?”
“Yes. The ship’s being cleared as we speak. What happened in here?” He glanced over at the stains by the bar.
“I, umm, clobbered a pirate.”
“You killed him.”
“Really? I just hit him as hard as I could.”
“With what?”
“A bottle. Vodka, I think.”
“Effective.” He might be speaking calmly, but his heart was pounding a mile a minute. His legs shockingly shaky, he walked to the intercom and pressed the button. “I found Sunny, Steig. She was hiding in the salon. She’s all right.”
A tinny “thank God” came back over the speaker.
He turned back to her. “Would you care to explain why you didn’t do as I told you and go to your cabin?”
“I tried to. Really. But a pirate was in the hall and then someone shot him and I backed in here. Then I heard someone coming and hid behind the bar and he had bad boots and I knew he was a pirate and I hit him with my bottle and I didn’t know what to do and …”
He pressed his fingers gently over her mouth to stop her babbling, which was becoming more hysterical by the second. “It’s over. You’re safe. The pirates are gone.”
And that was all it took. For the third time that day, she sobbed in his arms. They were starting to make a habit of this. At least this time he wasn’t wearing a shirt for her to ruin with her running makeup. He had to admit it wasn’t all bad having a soft, sexy, sweet-smelling female nestled in his arms as if he was a conquering hero who could defend her from the entire world.
“I was so scared,”
