Caribbean Gold

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Alicia sprang after the fleeing mercenaries, unwilling to allow them to leave.

One fell face-first in the shallows beyond the rocky ground. Another whirled to strike at her but she pushed him hard, sending him tumbling against the side of Morgan’s old ship. Russo lifted another and introduced him more permanently to the rotting timbers, leaving him struggling above the water.

“New figurehead?” Alicia muttered.

“Well planted,” Healey said.

Russo kept quiet, concentrating on the running mercs and, no doubt, trying to keep ultimate control of his rage.

Alicia pushed on. She jumped up onto the side of the ship and picked her way across the perished wood. A timber in front of her collapsed under a man’s weight, trapping his ankle and making him fall. Alicia took that as a sign of righteousness and clubbed him into unconsciousness.

She looked up. A man approached.

“I’m Labadee,” he said.

One of Jensen’s lieutenant’s, he came at her with a knife to slow her down. The first thrust was measured, designed to force a mistake. She didn’t fall for it, but did have to stop her advance.

Labadee came again, a series of three quick slashes, and Alicia swerved around each of them, the last drawing a thin line of blood across the top of her right arm. The man’s eyes shone with bloodlust. Alicia shook her arm, spattering him with red.

“That’s all you’re getting.”

As he hesitated, looking like he might want to taste the droplets, Alicia waded in. A boot to the left knee, a punch to the ribs. Another strike of a leg and Labadee was twisting away, evading her blows but unable to bring the knife to bear. Alicia pressed it, but couldn’t turn her back on Jensen and his other men. Labadee pulled away.

Then Russo landed beside her, boots splintering timbers. A merc leapt at the big man, tripped over a jutting spar and went sprawling. Alicia wrestled a log free and hurled it at Labadee. The man didn’t move, allowing it to strike his face and then licking his lips with a grin.

Alicia wasn’t impressed. “Stay right there. I can probably fit the next one in yer gob.”

Labadee opened his mouth.

Alicia ripped a chunk of timber free and sprang at the man. He was ready, striking out with the flat of the blade and then the tip. Alicia caught it deftly with the wood and then twisted, tearing it right out of his hands and trying to break his wrist in the process. Labadee let go quickly, backing up. Alicia sidestepped, but then Russo lunged too and splintered a little more of the ship. A man fell through a gap ahead, crying out with shock as he vanished into the bowels. Another man stepped onto a rotten spar and saw the bottom half of his body plummet until he wedged against his belt, left dangling and unable to wrench himself free. Jensen headed for the stern of the ship.

Alicia trod more carefully. The entire ship was groaning now, and she sensed it beginning to shift. Crouch was trying to skirt the vessel by using the rocks along the side, but the process was dangerous and slow. Healey looked like he didn’t know where to put his feet. A merc turned to take a potshot at the lad, but Caitlyn took him out.

“Keep moving!” Alicia shouted.

The ship’s prow buckled and fell with a deep grinding sound and a great splash of water. Timbers collapsed upon each other and several planks heaved themselves upward like spears. Alicia saw the crack tearing its way down the length of the galleon.

“Oh fu—”

She sidestepped, leapt away from the tear. Several mercs saw it coming and, to their credit, only one stayed there staring in confusion. He didn’t hang around for long, plummeting the moment the running crack passed him by. The ship split apart, spars grating and groaning in resistance and in protest. Alicia felt herself overbalancing, but managed to compensate. Russo was not so nimble, nor so lucky. As the lower portion rolled so did the big solider, slipping, scraping and splashing into the deeper water.

Alicia made sure he was okay before letting a riposte come to mind, but by then Labadee was back in her face, and he’d brought a friend.

“Forrester,” the man said. The second of Jensen’s lieutenants.

“I don’t give a shit,” she said. “You assholes come any closer, you’ll find out what it’s like to get keelhauled.”

They hesitated. Alicia caught a glimpse of Jensen leaping into the water and swimming hard for the small cave exit. Several mercs were at his side. The rest were pretty thinned out. Crouch struggled with a man close to the water’s edge and Russo was busy swimming for a rocky shore. Healey waited at Alicia’s side.

Labadee then saw the red dot hovering around his chest.

Most men’s reaction would be to turn and dive, but the Jamaican only stopped and searched out the source of the dot. He found Caitlyn hidden among the rocks and gave a crooked grin.

“You people, you’re cleverer than you look.”

Alicia coughed. “And you’re not only stupider, but uglier too.”

Labadee frowned a little at that before holding out both palms and backing up. Forrester went with him, the man’s blond curls tightly wrapped to his bronzed skull.

They jumped into the water just as Russo climbed out. Alicia gave the surprised soldier a shake of the head.

“I’ve seen faster seahorses, Rob. Really I have.”

“I don’t know if that’s good or bad.”

Healey helped him out. “Alicia said it.”

“Ah, then fuck you too, bitch.”

Crouch was waving wildly at them. “What are you all waiting for? We have them on the run! Let’s bloody well end this.”