River of Peril by Susan K. Marlow

Author:Susan K. Marlow [Marlow, Susan K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8254-7972-4
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2014-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

The Chase Is On

The drop was higher than Jem expected. With a startled cry, he landed hard on the deck. His twisted ankle screamed a protest, and his legs shot out from under him. He flipped headfirst into the deck railing. Blinking back tears of pain, he realized a sore head was better than the alternative. His clumsy tumble had nearly propelled him over the edge and down to the next deck.

Jem looked up. Black Boots had vanished, no doubt headed for the stairs. Apparently, only a fool kid would jump off a roof. “No, just a desperate one,” Jem told himself. Using the railing for support, he heaved himself to his feet and took a deep, steadying breath. His knees felt shaky, but he couldn’t rest. He limped into a narrow passageway that ran the length of the deck, wincing at each step.

What else is up here? He tried to remember the places Henri had showed him. Fancy staterooms, officer quarters, storage compartments, a few washrooms—

“He’s on this deck,” Clay’s voice echoed from up ahead. “And he’s got to be hurting. He fell pretty hard.” A pause. “You, Marcus, search fore. I’ll go aft. He can’t get far.”

Jem’s heart pounded until it threatened to explode through his chest. He stumbled through the first door he came to. A storage closet. Mops, buckets, and shelves full of scrub brushes and boxes of soap lined the tiny compartment’s walls. Shutting the door, Jem felt his way through the dark and crouched in a corner. He wrapped his shaking arms around his legs and pulled them up to his chin, listening for the slightest sound.

Running feet and angry curses made Jem hold his breath. When the footsteps passed by his hiding place, he let out his breath and relaxed. Maybe he was safe for the moment. He was in no hurry to leave. His left ankle throbbed, his back hurt, and his head felt like a blacksmith had taken a hammer to it.

“But I can’t stay here,” he whispered into the darkness. He had to catch up with Ellie. She was probably wondering what had happened to him.

Concern for Nathan also welled up inside Jem. His cousin might still be trapped in the pilothouse with Captain Belrose, who certainly must know everything by now. If the captain was part of the Knights of the Golden Circle, would he let his only tie to eighty-five thousand dollars’ worth of gold slip through his fingers? How desperate was the South to get ahold of the gold? And what about Henri? Once he learned the whole story, would he abandon Jem and the others?

By the time Jem finished thinking, he felt limp as a worn rag. The spurt of adrenaline that carried him over the roof’s edge and into hiding had drained away. But his headache was gone, and the pain in his ankle had faded to a dull ache, easy to overlook. He heard no more running feet in the passageway, or any other sounds.

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