Maximiliano had predicted heavy weather. She hoped the storm would pass before morning broke.
Heavy Weather
Creaking timbers startled Maximiliano awake. He thought dawn must be near, but ominous clouds darkened the sky. He struggled to stand in the driving wind, rubbing his eyes to make sure he had actually seen men in the rigging.
“Time to go,Capitán,” Gatito shouted. “Mother Nature is getting angry.”
Preoccupied with thoughts of the Danish woman, Maximiliano hadn’t been aware of the increasing swell. He braced his legs, holding on to the mast as the ship rose and fell on roiling waves.
They were in for foul weather and must make haste if they were to reach Puerto Rico.
Once again, his well-trained crew had things in hand, and soon they were underway, ploughing through rough seas. He prayed theJuanawould stay afloat long enough to get his men to a safe harbor and freedom.
Soaked to the skin by the driving rain, he and Gatito wrestled with the wheel, struggling to keep the ship on course. He worried about the woman below in his cabin, but his place was beside his men.
It seemed like hours passed before they dropped anchor in the shelter of Bahía Escondida.
With satchels full of loot slung around their bodies, his men lowered the rowboats with difficulty, bade him farewell and scurried down the ladders to take up the oars.
All except Gatito. “I will help you send theJuanato her watery grave,” his first mate shouted.
He shook his head. “No, faithful friend, go with the others before the weather deteriorates even more. Find a new life.”
“What will you do with the woman?”
He had no answer. It seemed Heidi had come into his life at the worst possible moment. And yet...
Gatito shrugged and shook his hand. “Vaya con Dios, Capitán,” he said with a trace of a smile before disappearing over the side.
* * *
Heidi didn’t know how much time had passed when the ship’s movement rolled her against the bunk’s railing. She wasn’t fast enough to grab the barrier before she was tossed to the opposite wall. An eerie half light illuminated the cabin.
The nightgown now seemed like a terrible idea as she struggled to climb over the railing without pitching forward. Even with her feet planted on the wooden flooring, she had to hang on to the railing to stay upright. The hanging lantern squeaked and wailed, swinging to and fro. Timbers groaned and she could hear the howling wind though she was deep in the bowels of the ship.
She’d lived through tropical storms on Sankt Thomas, and knew how destructive they could be, but now she was aboard a ship at the mercy of the wind and waves.
And the vessel was underway. If theJuanasank...
She clung to the railing for what seemed like hours, chanting prayers she hadn’t uttered since childhood.
Trembling with fear, she almost fainted with relief when Maximiliano burst in, soaked to the skin.
* * *
“We must get to shore,” Maximiliano shouted, peering into the darkness of the cabin. His gut churned when he made out a figure in white clinging to the bunk rail. He couldn’t see Heidi’s face, but could well imagine her fear.
“I have to get dressed,” she cried.
The desperation in her voice propelled him to her side. “No time,” he said, dropping to his knees to unlock the chest. He grabbed the sack of loot and stuffed it inside her portmanteau before snaking an arm around her waist.
She resisted when he pulled her to the door. “My shoes.”
He bent the knee to help shove her feet into the sandals, then she clung to him as they made their way to the door.
TheJuanawas rolling heavily. His gut had clenched every time he’d thought about the prospect of scuttling his beloved sloop. The storm might prove to be a blessing in disguise and take her to the bottom. It seemed a more fitting demise for the ship that had serve him well.
Navigating the companionway to the deck with Heidi was like being inside a barrel rolling downhill. He had no choice but to abandon her luggage.