She needed to leave London.
Now.
Eva darted toward the nearest vessel preparing to sail.
Its hull was dark, scarred from years of rough voyages.
Men shouted on deck as cargo was loaded.
No one noticed the small figure slipping through the shadows.
Eva grabbed the rope ladder hanging along the side and climbed.
Her muscles screamed.
But fear pushed her upward.
She hauled herself onto the deck and ducked behind a stack of barrels.
For several minutes, she stayed perfectly still.
No one shouted.
No one dragged her away.
Relief washed through her chest.
Maybe she had done it.
Maybe she had escaped.
Then a voice spoke behind her.
“Well now.”
Eva froze.
“That’s an unusual stowaway.”
She turned slowly.
Five men stood around her.
All armed.
All grinning.
Their clothes were mismatched—leather coats, faded scarves, pistols tucked into belts.
Not merchant sailors.
Pirates.
One of them spat on the deck.
“Captain’s gonna love this,” he said.
Another laughed.
“Or throw her overboard.”
Eva’s blood ran cold.
“Women are bad luck,” someone muttered.
“Especially on pirate ships.”
Before she could react, rough hands grabbed her arms.
They dragged her toward the center of the deck.
Lantern light flickered across the ship’s name painted along the railing.
THE HUNTER SHARK
A tall figure stepped out of the captain’s cabin.
The crew immediately fell silent.
Captain Jack Hunter.
He was taller than Eva expected, broad-shouldered with dark hair tied loosely at the back of his neck. A scar cut across his jawline, and his cold eyes scanned the deck like a predator deciding what to eat first.
He looked at Eva.
Then smiled slowly.
“Well,” he said.
“What have we here?”
“A stowaway,” one pirate answered. “Girl snuck aboard.”
Jack walked closer.
His boots echoed against the wooden planks.
Eva forced herself not to step back.
“Women don’t sail on my ship,” Jack said calmly.
The crew nodded eagerly.
“Throw her over,” someone suggested.
Eva’s heart pounded.
“Wait.”
The word slipped out before she could stop it.
Jack raised an eyebrow.
“You speak?”
“I can cook,” Eva said quickly.
The crew laughed.
“Everyone can cook,” one pirate mocked.
“I can repair sails,” she added.
That earned a few curious looks.
“And?”
Eva swallowed.
“I know how to read the sea.”
Jack’s expression changed slightly.
“What does that mean?”
“I know reefs,” she said. “Currents. Storm patterns.”
The men exchanged glances.
That wasn’t something dock girls usually knew.
Jack crouched in front of her.
His eyes narrowed.
“Where did you learn that?”
Eva hesitated.
“Watching.”
“Watching who?”
“Sailors.”
Jack studied her face.
Something flickered behind his gaze.
Recognition.
A very faint one.
Eva didn’t notice.
But Jack did.
Because he remembered her.
Years ago.
A merchant vessel screaming through storm waves.
A desperate crew.
And among them—a little girl clutching the railing while pirates tore the ship apart.
Jack’s smile deepened.
The dock rat survived.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
“Please,” Eva said quietly.
“Just give me a chance.”
The deck fell silent.
Jack straightened slowly.
Then he laughed.
“Alright.”
The crew looked surprised.
“You can stay.”
Eva’s shoulders sagged with relief.
“Thank you—”
“But.”
Jack’s voice turned cold.
“You work the lowest jobs.”
He leaned closer.
“And if you cause trouble…”
His eyes gleamed.
“I’ll feed you to the sharks myself.”
Eva nodded quickly.
“I understand.”
Jack turned away.
“Welcome aboard,” he said casually.
“Hunter Shark.”
The crew dragged Eva toward the lower deck.
None of them noticed the strange look lingering on Jack’s face as he watched her disappear into the darkness.
Because Jack Hunter had just recognized the daughter of the couple his crew slaughtered years ago.
And he had no intention of letting her die quickly.
No.
He planned to keep her close.
Very close.
And make her suffer for a very long time.
Meanwhile, far back in London—
The constables had already found Bill Morgan’s body.
And the hunt for his killer had begun.
Eva Thorne had escaped the docks.
But she had just stepped into something far worse than the man she killed.
A pirate’s hell.
And the ocean was only getting started.