A Pirate's Heart (St. John Series) Read Online Free Page B

if they had heard her. When no one moved, she let out a relieved breath.
    “You no hablo what I’m sayin’, but you’ll hablo this,” said one of the men as he grabbed the habit Sister Corena was wearing and ripped it from her head. He grabbed her brown hair, pulled her up to him and tried to kiss her. Sister Corena slapped the man fiercely. An evil smile crossed his lips. “I like fighters,” he said coldly as he slapped the sister again.
    Looking around the room, Kristina wondered where the other sisters were. She saw no one. Realizing she must get help, she turned slowly, stood and began to climb the steps only to be stopped by a figure blocking her path.
    A shiver ran down her spine as an evil smile crossed the man’s face. “Well, looky here,” he said as he roughly grabbed Kristina’s arm. “I believe I’ve found somethin’ that made the trip ta this useless mission worthwhile.”
    Kristina smiled sweetly as she batted her soft brown eyes at the short, fat man in front of her. In a honeyed tone, she asked, “Is there something I can help you with, Señor ?”
    The man looked at her suspiciously. “What ya up to, little Missy?”
    Before he realized what she was up to, Kristina reached up and grabbed the man’s dirty tattered shirt collar and yanked, sending him tumbling down the stairs. She quickly jumped out of the way as he bounced down the stairs past her.
    “Run, Kristina!” she heard Sister Corena scream.
    Kristina ran up the stairs to the landing and headed down another set of steps. She stopped short when she saw the shadows of men on the wall in the stairwell. Turning, she raced back up the stairs to her bedchamber and quickly dropped the heavy wooden bar to block the door. She could hear the echo of boots running up the stairs. She ran to the window and crouched down, holding her breath, hoping the men would run past her chambers. The footsteps ran past her door and she let out a relieved sigh.
    “Search everywhere for her!” a nasally voice shouted. “She’ll bring a fortune at Tortuga!”
    Kristina turned towards the window and lifted the latch. Placing her dainty hand on the window she slowly opened it, praying the rusty hinges would not creak this time. Her appeal was not answered as the hinges softly creaked in protest of movement. She slipped her other hand out of the window to hold on to the frame, but the wind caught it, flinging it open, causing the hinges to creak loudly.
    “She’s in here!” a voice shouted from the other side of her bedroom door.
    She could hear the intruders attempting to open the door, but the heavy oak bar prevented them from gaining entrance. She didn’t look back at the door, but instead took a deep breath and jumped from the second story window. She landed with a loud thud on the porch roof. She quickly scurried to the small ladder that was propped against the roof, left there from repairs earlier that day before the rains came, and rapidly descended the ladder. As soon as her feet touched the rain-soaked ground, she heard the men exit the back door of the mission. She began running as fast as her legs would carry her towards the small village.
    As she rounded the corner of the mission, her feet slid in the slick mud. Catching herself with her hands, she quickly regained her footing and headed towards the path to the village. When she reached the tree-lined path that led to the village, the sight before her stopped her in her tracks. The village was under attack! Flames could be seen shooting from the thatched rooftops of the small stores and houses. She looked towards the shoreline beside the village and could make out the sails of the ship docked several meters off shore.
    A scream from inside the mission broke the trance that held Kristina in place. “The sisters!” she frantically panted as she turned and crept through the woods to the far corner of the mission, opposite from the direction she had just came. Pressing her back against the