Smuggler's Glory Read Online Free PDF

church locked and barred to entry, and no sign of life
at the rectory. With a frown, he tugged his cloak higher and glared
balefully at the darkening clouds.
    Mounting
Billie once more, he decided to make a wider circuit of the village
in search of somewhere he could stay. Although he didn’t hold out
much hope, and it looked like the tavern was going to be all that
was on offer
    He had
no sooner gone a few yards when he became aware of the sound of
raucous laughter, accompanied by a woman’s squeal. The lewd
comments, accompanied by another round of laughing, didn’t sound
like anything enjoyable. Even from several feet away, Simon could
hear the woman’s pleas to be left alone, and the ribald taunts and
mockery that answered her cries.
    For one
fleeting moment, Simon considered turning Billie around and
ignoring them. He knew from past experience that he couldn’t fight
every battle around him, but this was a woman who needed help.
Unless he was very much mistaken, a woman whose virtue was at risk
from two scoundrels, who were enjoying having the woman in deep
distress. Although he was certainly the last man anyone could
consider a knight in shining armour, his own conscience couldn’t
allow him to leave the woman to fend for herself and face the
consequences. After all, if he saved her, she would probably be
willing to tell him where in this God-forsaken place would be able
to provide him with a room for the night. Although he loved Billie,
he had no intention of bedding down with him for the night and at
that moment, it was looking like a distinct possibility.
    Another
louder scream was enough to spur Simon into action. Shaking his
head at his own foolishness, he turned Billie toward the direction
of the noise. He didn’t have to go far before he found the source
of the screams. There, a few feet ahead, in the middle of the road
were two men tousling with a lone middle-aged woman.
    The
large, burly man held her off the floor, while the man before her
was trying to capture her kicking legs. Together the men were
telling the woman just what they planned to do with her, clearly
finding her pleas and screams for mercy encouragement rather than a
deterrent.
    The
soldier within Simon immediately rose to the surface.
    “ Put her down,” Simon growled, glaring first at the burly man
holding the woman, and then the accomplice who had managed to grab
hold of one of her flailing legs.
    The
smaller man turned slowly, a snarl of contempt on his face. “This
ain’t nothing to do with you, go away.”
    “ Help me?” the woman gasped, “Please?”
    Simon
didn’t look at her. A quick glance around them assured him that
there was nobody else lurking in the area. Dismounting Billie,
Simon stepped forward and straightened his shoulders, his voice
laced with contempt.
    “ Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    “ Warn me about what?” the feral man laughed, glancing at his
accomplice. “Go to hell, this ain’t nothing to do with you. We have
some unfinished business with the woman here, so get lost. You can
have your turn after.”
    The
woman gasped and began to struggle again, seemingly oblivious to
the brief flash of petticoats and bare leg beneath. The weasly man
jolted and jostled as he fought to hold the weight of her leg as it
kicked wildly.
    Sensing
victory, Simon took advantage of the man’s brief lapse of
concentration. When he turned to snarl something at the woman,
Simon lunged into action. One well-placed fist landed at the same
time that the woman placed a well-aimed kick at the man’s
midsection. He dropped to his knees in time to receive a swift kick
to the bottom of his jaw. His head snapped back and he slumped to
the floor without a murmur.
    Able to
put both feet on the floor at last, the woman began to writhe and
squirm against the cruel hold on her upper arms from the brute
behind.
    “ Final warning,” Simon growled. “Are you going to let her go,
or go the same way as your friend here?”
    “ Go to