Brianna flailed as she dangled from the rope, her body fighting for any place her feet could catch hold, but there was nothing. Her father’s cry of rage was loud at first but faded as her vision grew dark around the edges, and the burn of her lungs began to bother her less and less in a terrifying way.
A shadow blocked the sun above her. She blinked in a daze as a figure came hurtling toward her, sliding down the canvas sail, a knife in his hand, barely slowing his descent. When he was a few feet above her, he swung the knife to slice the rope holding her up, causing them both to plummet. She landed with an agonizing thud on the deck beside him, gasping for air as she pried the noose from her neck.
His name escaped as she gasped for air. “Nick . . .”
She started to smile, only to see a
