Rapture's Tempest Read Online Free PDF Page A

running as if the devil himself was chasing her, Delight darted out into the main street, dodging horses and carriages in her quest for safety.
    “Where’d he go, Sam?” Archie bellowed.
    “That way,” Sam pointed, and they followed her down the street in hot pursuit.
    The snow was beginning to fall in earnest as Jim and Ollie left the stifling smokiness of Harry’s saloon. They paused only briefly to catch their breath in the frigid winter air before heading back to their home—the steamer
Enterprise
. It was then that the young boy, running at top speed with his head down and not looking where he was going, collided full force with Jim, jolting them both.
    Delight looked up into a pair of warm brown eyes, as strong yet gentle hands helped to balance her. “Hold on there, boy. What’s your rush?”
    “Sorry,” she mumbled, remembering to keep her tone husky.
    “There he is! Get him, Sam!” Archie’s strident shout reached Delight.
    Looking back nervously, she tore herself free from the big man’s steadying grip and dashed down a nearby gangway.
    Jim and Ollie exchanged quixotic glances before stepping forward to block the path of the two drunken louts.
    “Two on one’s a little unfair, don’t you think, Ollie?” Jim folded his arms across his broad chest and glared at the two rowdies.
    Ollie shifted his stance defensively. “I sure do. What do you two want with the boy?”
    “He done robbed us!!!” Archie lied.
    “And he attacked me!” Sam embellished.
    “I find that a little hard to believe,” Jim taunted, eyeing their bulk. “Get out of here and leave the boy alone or I’ll make sure you never work on this riverfront again.”
    “Sez who?” Archie challenged drunkenly, swaggering bravely forward.
    “Me,” Jim replied quietly, and he was ready when the roustabout swung at him wildly.
    With cold precision, Jim’s right upper cut laid Archie low as a stunned Sam looked on.
    “You were leaving?” Jim asked sarcastically.
    Sam jumped into action and helped Archie to his feet. He guided him away, and they both glared resentfully over their shoulders at Jim and Ollie.
    “Nothing like a little surprise to stir up your blood,” Jim grinned, turning, but he was surprised to find that Ollie had disappeared down the heavily shadowed passage in search of the youth.
    Following, Jim heard their voices ahead of him in the darkness.
    “You can come out now,” Ollie was saying in a reassuring tone. “The captain and I took care of them.”
    The sound of a creaking crate was followed by the boy’s respectful reply. “Thank you, sir.”
    “You’re welcome, son. But what are you doing down here? This is no place for a youngster,” Ollie scolded him, judging his age to be no more than fourteen or fifteen.
    “I found that out, sir. I’ll be going now.”
    Jim somehow sensed the youth’s nervousness as he joined them. “Where are you going? Home?”
    “I don’t have a home. I take care of myself,” Delight replied bravely.
    “Well, it doesn’t look like you’re doing too good a job,” Jim said sarcastically, staring at the boy’s dirt-streaked face. “What’s your name?”
    Delight panicked—a name! Grasping for an idea, she blurted out, “Del Murphy.”
    Jim studied the boy thoughtfully. “You need a job, Del Murphy?”
    For the first time that night, hope flared within her. “Yes, sir!” Delight answered eagerly. Then, feeling Jim’s eyes upon her, she shifted uncomfortably. The man had the most piercing gaze…it was almost as if he could see right inside of her…as if he knew her most intimate secrets.
    “What do you think, Ollie? I do still need a cabin boy.”
    “He’s a little on the skinny side, but I guess he’ll do.” Ollie voiced his opinion, feeling a certain empathy for the youth. It was rough to be alone in the world. Especially in the wintertime.
    Delight looked back and forth at the two men, trying to judge their thoughts.
    “All right. But one question