Black Blood (11 page)

“I know this
news hurts you, but you need to hear it.” He stood from the ground
and brushed the sand from his hands. “I’m only trying to protect
you.”

“From people I
love.”

Harrison didn’t
know what to say. She was losing no matter what choice she made.
How did he make her see that the consequences for one choice were
much worse than the other?

“
You
know,” he licked his lips, “l
ove is about putting the other person’s needs and happiness
above your own. Your parents aren’t doing that for you.”

Her eyes were
swimming as she turned to face him. Her complexion was pale and her
voice shook. “Does love also meaning betraying someone’s
trust?”

Harrison felt
like someone had a fist around his heart and was squeezing it to
putty. He ignored her ice-cold tone and reached for her. She
flinched away, but he didn’t let his voice ring with the hurt of
her movement.

“I’m sorry you
feel that way. I didn’t go and see Gabe to hurt you. I just want to
take care of you. I love you, Gemma.”

Okay, so now
his voice was shaking.

She was silent
as she took in his words. With quivering fingers she wiped the
fresh tears away and turned to face the ocean.

“I know you
would never hurt me intentionally.”

Harrison felt
the relief build from his toes, filling every blood vessel as it
rose through his body.

“
But you
did hurt me. You went behind my back.” She turned to face him with
a sigh. “And right now I feel like there’s absolutely
no one
I can trust.”

The relief
drained from his body as he stared at her dumbfounded.

“
Gem,
you
can
trust me.
You’re right, okay. I shouldn’t have snuck off to see Gabe, but
it’s only because…”

Her shoulders
slumped and her head tipped back.

“
You’ve
got
to be
kidding me!”

He felt the
same old feeling seep through his body as he read the signs, a
mixture of anger and worry swirled together like a badly measured
cocktail.

“
You have
to go, don’t you? I guess we’ll finish this when you get
back.”

“Yeah, I
guess.”

Her face was a
melting pot of vexation and hurt, but he willed himself to look
into the depths of her eyes and was sure he spotted a glimmer of
love. He clung to it as he watched her glide up the beach, but
couldn’t ignore the sense of dread that lingered in his stomach as
she shimmered into gold dust.

Chapter Fifteen

Canon City, Colorado –
1885 AD

The clothes
were in her hands before her eyes were even open. Dropping the
bundle to the dusty earth, she sorted through the pants, cotton
shirt, waistcoat and boots, pulling each item on with quiet
efficiency.

She was
oblivious to her surroundings, still caught up in the middle of her
fight with Harrison. Of course he loved her, how could she even
think twice about it? But how could he lie to her like that?

Technically he
never lied. He just didn’t tell you where he was going.

SHUT UP!

The war inside
her mind escalated as she tried to fathom the consequences of his
decision. Could she trust him again?

Of course you
can, you idiot!

But if he
ignored her request to see Gabe the first time, wouldn’t he just do
it again?

Maybe… but
only because he loves me.

His words had
embedded themselves in her chest. She knew he had meant every
syllable.

But if he did
mean it then why is he trying to dig a trench between me and my
family?

“Where are we,
Dad?”

It wasn’t Dom’s
question that first pulled her into the situation, but the sound of
jittering hooves.

“Canon City,
1885.”

Gemma glanced
to her right and found herself nose to nose with a chestnut
mare.

“Hey
beautiful.” She slowly extended her hand and acquainted the horse
with her scent.

“Great.” Ruby’s
reply was sarcastic. “And why are we here?”

Gemma’s father
placed the Stetson hat on his head as he spoke. “Right now the
local bank is being robbed.” Placing his foot in the stirrup, he
mounted a black horse. “We’re going to retrieve the money and make
sure the perpetrator is placed in the hands of the sheriff.”

“Sounds pretty
lame.” Ruby inspected her chipped nail with a disapproving
frown.

“Ruby… shut
up.” Penelope’s request was sugar sweet and said with a smile.

Gemma watched
her sister roll her eyes and fight off a grin as she swung herself
into the saddle.

“Where are we
intercepting the robber?”

“About three
miles north west of here there’s a narrow canyon. My research
indicates that he’s heading to Colorado Springs so his route will
take him straight towards the gorge. Dom and I will head him off
before he reaches the river. Ruby and Gem, I want you to flank him
either side and Pen bring up the rear. We want him surrounded.”
Alistair yanked on the reigns of his horse, steering it in a
northerly direction. “Let’s ride.”

I can’t
believe my dad just said that! Who does he think he is, John
Wayne?

Gemma shook her
head and dug in her heels, loving the feel of her horse
accelerating over the earth. The mare beneath her was well trained
and seemed to respond to the lightest touch.

The family rode
the distance in silence. Following suit, Gemma pulled on the reigns
and steered her horse into a clump of trees. Her brother and father
rode on ahead and the waiting game began.

It didn’t take
long for the sound of thumping hoof beats to echo in the air. Gemma
felt her body tense. Every sense was on full alert as the burly man
shot past them, his jet-black horse weighed down by a heavy
burden.

With one swift
nod from their mother, the two girls emerged from the trees and
began a subtle pursuit. He soon noticed them and steered his horse
towards the river, just as Alistair had predicted. They picked up
pace as he fell out of sight. They found him moments later
struggling to stay atop the rearing animal. The mare shrieked as
the bit in its mouth was forcefully pulled. Gemma watched the
beast’s eyes ring with fear as it fought its captor.

“Outta my way!”
The man’s voice was deep and gravely. He wrestled to gain control
of his horse while trying to reach for the gun at his side.

“We’re here to
escort you and the money back to town.” Alistair reached for the
gun on the side of his saddle. “Why don’t you make it easy on
yourself.”

Before the
robber could even pull his pistol free, Gemma’s father had a
shotgun aimed at his chest.

“Now hand over
the bag.”

After what
Gemma construed as a quick evaluation of his situation, the man’s
shoulders stiffened and his features grew black with rebellious
defeat. He swung the sack at the feet of Dom’s horse. Her brother
retrieved it and followed his father’s instructions to tie the
man’s hands behind his back. In spite of the man’s mutinous
expression, his struggle against Dom’s strong grasp was feeble.

“Okay fine. I
didn’t put up a fight.” The gravel in the man’s voice was coarse.
“You got the money, now let me go.”

Alistair’s eyes
narrowed as if considering it, but Gemma recognized that calculated
flicker in his retinas. This man obviously deserved
incarceration.

“I don’t think
so.”

Gemma sensed
the man’s urge to run and felt a wave of pity for him. In spite of
the dirt, the stubble and the black rage pulsing from his body,
Gemma could sense a deep longing… the potential for goodness
maybe?

She knew she
was probably over analyzing the situation.

What does it
matter anyway? Dad’s made up his mind.

With a click of
her tongue and a flick of her heels, she got her horse moving
again. Taking up the rear, she followed her family back towards
town.

Within minutes
a posse of men joined them. At their helm was the sheriff. The look
of surprise on his face at seeing the robber held hostage by her
family was delicious. Gemma couldn’t help a small grin.

“Here you go,
Sheriff.” Alistair pointed at the prisoner.

“Well thank you
for your help, folks.” The sheriff beamed beneath his white
bottlebrush moustache. “We’ve been after this slippery little
sucker for a while now. He’s been robbing banks all the way from
Texas, working his way north. We’d heard rumor he was in Colorado,
just didn’t know when he might strike. You’ve done our town a great
service.”

“It’s our
pleasure.”

Gemma
smiled along with her family. She even tipped her hat in response
to the Sheriff’s gesture. Her heart didn’t plummet until she heard
the triumphant words of one of the posse as they rode
away.

“So we finally
caught the Coyote.”

Gemma’s horse
pranced beneath her.

“Coyote?” Gemma
looked to her father, a ripple of fear passing through her as
memories of previous conversations with Harrison flew through her
head. She remembered sitting in the mall chatting with her
boyfriend about his History project. He’d been studying his
ancestry and the most colorful character in his line was… She could
hear the puzzle pieces sliding into place with a definitive thwack
as she watched the man being dragged away.

“Wallace
“Coyote” Granger… a bad man, Gem.” Alistair gazed at her.

“No!” She shook
her head. “Wait, Dad, you can’t do this. He needs to get to the
next town, he needs to meet Mary!”

“Gem, what are
you talking about?” Ruby frowned.

Gemma ignored
the question and looked back to her father. He knew. He knew
exactly what she was talking about.

“
Can’t we
just let him go on to the next town? The people have their money
back. He won’t rob again. I know his history! He gets this woman
pregnant and falls in love with her and she-”

“That’s enough,
Gemma.”

“But Dad!”

“It’s time to
go.”

“No. Please.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “He won’t exist anymore.”

Her father’s
stare remained unwavering and emotionless as their bodies
disintegrated back to the present.

Chapter Sixteen

Anastasia National
Park, Florida – 2011 AD

“NO!”

Gemma’s body
curled over itself as she fell to the sand. She didn’t care that
she was naked and exposed. All she cared about was the fact that
the space Harrison had been standing in was now empty. Because of
what her family just did, he no longer existed. Coyote didn’t
escape, he didn’t make it to the next town and he never met Mary.
Harrison’s family line was broken and so was she.

She gazed at
the empty space where her boyfriend should have been. All she saw
was ocean. The waves lapped against the sand like they always did,
running back and forth in their unique rhythm. She suddenly
despised the normalcy of it. How dare they not surge and swell. How
dare the sky not open up with sheets of tears!

Harrison was
gone.

He was
gone!!

Unless he just
went to wait for me back at the garage?

The idea was
genius!

Jumping from
her spot, she raced for her clothes. The sight must have been
comical as she tore up the beach, zipping up her shorts, shooting
her arms through her tank top and hopping on one foot while she
pulled on each sneaker. Grabbing her marred helmet from the ground,
she shoved it on her head and jumped onto the bike. The engine
roared as she zipped out of the park and back towards Chatsworth
Classic Cars. She probably broke every land speed record on her
way, but it didn’t matter, she was about to wrap her arms around
Harrison’s waist, cling to his body and never let go. She would
apologize for not trusting him. She would see Gabe if she had to.
Whatever it took.

The first piece
of her soul broke away as she squeezed the brake and felt the bike
lurch to a halt outside Mike’s Motorworld. The sign was yellow and
fading, the paint on the building cracked and peeling. There was no
cleaning area to the right of the forecourt and the happy family
feel of a cheerful mechanic’s was replaced with the grimy stench of
underpaid workers.

A thin grease
ball of a man with a cigarette teetering between his lips
approached her bike with a lustful eye.

“Nice ride.” He
pulled the cigarette from his mouth and let a stream of smoke ooze
through his lips. “What can I do for you today?”

Gemma’s face
scrunched with disgust as she shook her head. With quivering
fingers she reached for the accelerator and moved her bike away
from the garage. Her mind was blank as she wove through the streets
of St Augustine.

It wasn’t
long before she was sitting outside 176 Ninth Street. The beautiful
home that housed the blended Granger/Chatsworth family looked the
same. The essence of a happy home permeated from the double story
house, but the cars parked outside were different. The swing and
slide set out front had not been there the night before and the
squeals of toddlers’ play coming from the backyard couldn’t
possibly belong to Sam and Justin. This home belonged to somebody
else. Gemma’s soul now lay in shards on the pavement.

Her mind was
too numb to cry, too deficient to tell her body to leave. She had
no idea how long she sat on her bike gazing at the house before a
curious woman popped her head out the door and asked if she was
looking for someone. She managed to pull her body out of its stupor
enough to shake her head and accelerate away.

The thought of
going home brought such a sense of desolation, she nearly curled
over with the pain. Instead she drove back down Anastasia Boulevard
and ended up on the beach, curling her toes into the sand and
willing Harrison to materialize before her.