Love and Fury: The Coltrane Saga, Book 4 (29 page)

Briana was confused. “What for? I can’t walk into one of those saloons and—”

“If you will listen,” he interrupted irritably, “you’ll find out. It’s all taken care of. You’re going to have a room at the hotel. You’ll tell Coltrane you decided to move out of here because he was treating you so bad. How do I know you’ll tell him? Because you’ll just happen to see him leaving the saloon, very drunk—drugged, too—and you’ll find him coming to your room in that state.

“You see, darlin’,” he went on, “Ladida is taking some of her girlfriends into town to make sure Coltrane’s buddies are all taken care of, so he’ll be on his own. She also knows the bartenders, and she’ll make sure everyone gets good, strong drinks. How about that?” He grinned.

Briana glared at him with loathing for both him and herself. How low she had sunk!

His grin faded. Dirk Hollister never liked for anyone to look at him like he was dirt. This snotty bitch was looking at him just that way. He leaned over and stared down at her in the moonlight. She needed to be taught a lesson, but Mason had told him firmly he could not dip his stick in her. First, she was Coltrane’s, and next, Mason was going to have her. Later on, Mason would hand her over to Dirk.

Dirk didn’t see how that was fair, especially since Mason had that wild thing, Delia, in his bed day and night. She must have some powerful stuff, he figured, because Mason acted like he couldn’t get enough. But all Dirk had was Ladida, and the truth was, she made Dirk nervous. She was too strange—and what a temper! She wasn’t pretty, either, and her body was nothing like the one he was looking at now. Briana, in a little lacy underthing, that luscious flesh bathed in silver moonlight…well, it wasn’t fair, asking him to keep his hands off her.

He wrapped his fingers in her long hair and twisted her head back. He placed first one knee beside her, then the other, and was straddling her. He continued to grasp her hair, bending her head back so she couldn’t yell.

She choked the words out. “Mason will kill you if you touch me.”

He laughed shrilly. “I’ll just tell him you needed calming down. Now, you just do what I tell you to do, and you’ll be moaning in just a few—”

They hadn’t heard the door open, so Ladida’s scream of rage startled them both.

Ladida hurled herself on Dirk, beating him with her fists, cursing him. Dirk threw Briana from him and yelled, “Have you gone
loco
, woman? I’ll squash you like a goddamn bug if you don’t calm down.” He grabbed Ladida and held her firmly.

“Ladida loves you,” the Mexican girl cried, wriggling. “I want you to make love only to
me!”

With a low, guttural laugh, Dirk took Ladida in his arms. “Well, now, I’d much rather have you than that icicle there. Come on, show me how much you want me. We got time.”

He yelled to Briana, “Get dressed and get out of here. Wait for us downstairs. As soon as I’m finished pleasurin’ this little spitfire, we’ll head to town.”

Ladida and Dirk began kissing passionately, fondling each other.

Briana, trembling with humiliation, rushed around the room, gathering her clothes. As quickly as possible, she left them and hurried downstairs, not wanting to endure the sounds of their thrashing around.

And all the while she wondered…would the nightmare ever end?

It was close to midnight when they reached Silver Butte. Ladida left them and made her way to the saloon where her girlfriends were, she knew, entertaining Colt and his men. Dirk took Briana to the hotel where Gavin was irritably pacing.

“Where the hell have you two been? You should have been here hours ago,” he snapped. Hastily, he explained his plan to Briana, then took her to the room where she’d be staying. A few minutes later, Dirk took her to the saloon where Ladida had gone, where Colt was drinking.

She waited in the shadows while Dirk went in to check on things. Soon he came out to proclaim that Coltrane was, indeed, quite drunk, in such a stupor that he hadn’t recognized Dirk. “The bartender didn’t know what was going on. He’s gonna put Coltrane in the alley. Ladida’s friends took care of Coltrane’s drinks, and he’s in real bad shape. The bartender didn’t even know what they were doing.”

Holding Briana tightly by her arm, Dirk led her through the shadows, down the alley, across a narrow street, and then they were directly behind the saloon. Seeing a man slumped against a trash barrel, she knew it was Colt.

“Go on,” Dirk whispered. “Help him to his feet and get him to the hotel. I’ll be watching all along the way in case he passes out completely. Then I’ll carry him, but I hope that won’t be necessary. It’s better this way.”

On stiff, reluctant legs, Briana went to Colt and knelt beside him. “Colt? It’s me. You can’t sleep here. Come with me.”

His chin rested against his chest, and at the sound of her voice, he tried to raise his head. “Go away,” he mumbled. “Get away. No good for you.”

“Come with me,” she repeated, tugging on his arm. “You must come with me. Now.”

He shook his head, tried to stand, fell to one knee. Then, with her helping, he finally stood. He was so muddled that he let her lead him. Slowly, stumbling under his weight, Briana guided Colt along until they reached the hotel. He said not a word as she led him through the lobby, up the stairs, and into her room.

Reaching the side of the bed, she pushed him onto it as gently as she could. Through the mist of tears that seemed a permanent part of her vision those miserable days, Briana maneuvered him out of his clothes.

Finally he was naked beside her, as he had been a week ago.

She lay all night with her head on his shoulder, arm across his strong chest, feeling that she was, somehow, offering him comfort for what she was about to do to him. The comfort she gave to him comforted
her,
and no one else would ever, know she had done it. She lay there listening to his breathing, apologizing to him silently with every breath of her own.

At dawn, the sound of the doorknob turning caused her to go rigid. Eyes wide, she stared toward the door, pulling the sheet tightly around them both.

The door opened slowly. Gavin appeared, eyes sweeping over the- scene before him. A slow grin spread across his face, and Briana squeezed her eyes shut.

“Oh, no, I can’t believe it!”

Briana’s eyes flashed open at the sound of Gavin’s sudden, horrified scream. He slammed the door behind him and came into the room.

“Dani,” he screeched, “tell me this isn’t what it seems! Oh, Dani, how could you?”

Briana realized, shocked, that Gavin was actually sobbing. His fists were striking the air as he continued to scream, “No…no…”

Colt stirred, struggling to awaken. Who was screaming?

Suddenly Gavin leaped at him, slapping him, screaming, “Animal! Your own sister!”

His shrieks were silenced as Colt came alive and struck him, knocking him to the floor. Then Colt struggled to stand, shaking his head to fling away the sick fog surrounding him.

When he saw Briana, Colt covered his face and turned away, moaning, “No! I couldn’t have!”

“I ought to kill you!” Gavin struggled to his feet. Facing Briana, he commanded harshly, “Get out of here, Dani. Go to my room and wait for me there.
Now.
”

There was nothing she could do except obey. She dressed hastily, wishing Gavin weren’t watching, and then moved toward the door.

The room suddenly went deathly quiet, neither man saying anything. Colt was in shock, and Gavin was letting it sink in. Just as she reached for the doorknob, Briana looked from Gavin to Colt. How could she leave Colt this way? Why, he looked like a broken, beaten old man.

Gavin sensed what was happening. “Dani, go!” he thundered, pointing to the door.
Now!”

Wretchedly Briana gazed at Colt for what she knew would be the last time. Her heart cried out silently,
You will never forgive me, but I pray one day you will understand that I had no choice ,no choice. And I love you so…

She ran from the room.

Gavin faced Colt. “When the people of this town learn what you have done, Coltrane, they’ll tar and feather you. You cost the Bowden girl her life, and now you’ve ruined your sister’s life. Maybe they’ll go ahead and hang you, Coltrane. Who would blame them?”

And your father murdered mine
, Gavin thought savagely.
You deserve this.

Colt could not speak. There was no defense and nothing to be said.

“Oh, let me out of here!” Gavin cried, moving to the door. “I can’t stand the sight of you!”

When he left, slamming the door behind him, Colt was alone. He would, from that moment on, always be alone. He was a pariah, and only he would be able to bear his company.

Chapter Twenty

Colt’s head ached so badly that he began to feel it through the numbness. How could it have happened? He remembered drinking heavily in the saloon, wanting to get drunk, needing to get drunk. He needed to forget about Dani, and what he’d done.

But instead of forgetting, he’d let it happen a second time! How?

Things were terribly fuzzy. He remembered a swarm of girls coming in. They were all over his men, who were delighted. He hadn’t cared for company, so he’d retreated to a table in a far, dark corner. Someone kept bringing him drinks. He kept tossing them down.

Then came the dream. He was outside somewhere—where? Dani was there, and he told her to go away. It was just like all the other dreams about Dani that had come to him every night since the time of that singular nightmare that haunted him with each beat of his heart.

But in the other dreams, Dani had gone away when he begged her to. This time, she hadn’t gone away. And this dream wasn’t a dream.

Finding his horse in the stable where he’d left him, Colt mounted and rode out of town. He made his way to a rocky knoll overlooking a creek where he was sure to be alone.

Colt knew, that Gavin Mason wouldn’t waste any time spreading the filthy story about the Coltrane boy. It would be Gavin’s way. Gavin wouldn’t care that it might also destroy Dani. He wouldn’t care that it might destroy the entire Coltrane family. Colt was deeply grateful that his parents were away. Sooner or later, they would find out, but they’d be spared the worst of the gossip.

How could he face them? How could he face anyone ever again? It would just be so much easier to take his gun from the holster and put it to his head.

Coward!

Colt was washed with self-loathing and revulsion, but he heard the cry of his tormented heart. He was not a coward. He would not take his life.

He would simply walk away from it, that was what he’d do.

The sun was hot and the air was sweet with the fragrance of wildflowers. Colt left his sanctuary and rode straight back into town, to Carleton Bowden’s bank. As he dismounted and looped his horse’s reins around the hitching post in front of the bank, he dared to glance at people passing by. Anyone who saw him nodded and smiled, or even spoke to him. Well, he supposed, word hadn’t: spread after all. He might have time to do what he had to do, then get out of town without having to face everyone’s loathing.

He looked toward the hotel where he’d last seen Dani. Had she been preparing to leave town after all? Yes, that was it, but she’d run into him staggering around drunk, tried to help him…and look what had happened.

Why? Why had she allowed it?

She cared for him, he knew. He had seen it in her eyes, had felt it when she touched him. Why, if they weren’t kin…

But they were.

He stepped from the street onto the boardwalk and went into the Bowden Bank.

The employees all stared at him, and he heard the rustle of whispering, like dry leaves.

Once Bowden was told that Colt wished to see him, there wasn’t a long wait.

Carleton Bowden sat behind his large desk, hands folded tightly on the highly polished surface. Everything about him was neat, orderly, for he was an
efficient
man.

His hands gave him away. He seemed to be clenching them, and he looked at Colt with rage.

“Make your business brief, Coltrane,” he said.

There being nothing else he could do, Colt said, “I wish I could undo what was done, Mr. Bowden. No one is sorrier than I am.”

Bowden’s face remained frozen. “That’s not why you’re here, is it?”

“No,” Colt admitted, “it isn’t. But, you know, if you could look at the situation objectively, you’d see that—”

Bowden stood up very slowly. “You think that because you killed the robbers and got our money back you are vindicated? Is that it?”

Colt shook his head slowly, and Bowden went on. “My only child lies in her grave and you suggest I be
objective?”
 

Taking a deep breath, Colt said, “I know your bank has always handled the family business, Mr. Bowden. Can we talk about that?”

Carleton Bowden was as relieved to change the subject as Colt was. “If you have business, state it. Otherwise, get out of my bank and out of my sight.”

Colt took a deep breath. “I want to sign over all my interest in the ranch, the mine, and all the other family holdings to my sister, Dani. Now.”