Ride The Wild Wind (Time Travel Historical Romance) (30 page)

“Don’t lie to me!” He kicked Max, who yelped in pain and scrambled under
the bed. “My men saw you rutting with that outlaw.”

It took all her willpower not to stand up and kick him in the balls, but
she figured this bully could break her face with one punch if he wanted. He
grasped her by the hair and forced her head back. “Did Whitehorse rape you?”

“Hell no! He’s my lover.” As a final insult she added, “And I support
his cause to save the Navajo, you disgusting pig bastard!”

She fully expected him to beat the crap out of her, but instead, he
released his grip.

“You will make a full confession in your own handwriting of your
participation in that Indian’s crimes before you stand trial. Then, you will
tell me precisely where Whitehorse has hidden weapons, as well as all his known
hide-outs. I suspect you will be hanged alongside your outlaw lover. At the
very least imprisoned for the rest of your days.”

Clutching the front of the dress shut, Halle got to her knees. “Do what
you want with me, but first
you
are going to make a full written
confession that you assaulted me. How’s that going to look in the history books
a hundred years from now?”

 Without answering, he quickly strode to the door. Now what was he
going to do? Call in some of his goons to slap her around, or fondle her? And
just where in the hell was Antonio?

Blood dripped from her nose onto the floor’s wood planks. She lifted the
hem of her skirt and blotted her nose. The colonel opened the door and yelled
for his secretary to bring paper and pen, then turned around, his eyes fixing
upon her. He smoothed out his wrinkled uniform with his hands, then started to
speak, but his expression changed. No sound came out of his mouth. Max limped
out from beneath the bed where he’d been hiding and snarled in the direction of
the doorway.

Then she saw it, the bright red stain blossoming in the center of the
colonel’s gut. The tip of what appeared to be a silver blade had poked through
his chest. He’d been speared through the back! He took two staggered steps
toward her. Bright droplets of blood dripped on the floor behind him. Simmons
slumped to his knees as Antonio charged into the room.

Simmons stared up at Antonio. Blood oozed from the corners of his mouth.
“White...horse,” he choked out.

“So nice you remembered my name Colonel. Now, I want you to memorize my
face.”

“Kill me now—finish me.”

Antonio reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a handkerchief for
Halle. “Why I should deprive you of the experience of knowing what it feels
like to have a lance thrust through your body? Did you or your men give such
concern to innocent women and children when you instructed them to be
slaughtered at Fort Darcy two years ago?”

Colonel Simmons coughed. Copious amounts of blood trickled from his
mouth.

“I fear—” He coughed again. “You do not realize the consequences of your
actions.”

Antonio’s gaze fell upon Halle. “Did he… abuse you otherwise?”

Halle understood what he was asking. She shook her head no.

The Colone reached feebly for his pistol in his holster. Halle cried out
a warning, but Antonio had already seen. Antonio stormed over to the man and
kicked the gun from his grip. Halle watched in horror. She’d never seen Antonio
so enraged. Antonio grabbed the man by a hank of hair and forced his face
upward. Leaning low he said, “And did you, Colonel Simmons consider the
consequences of
your
actions when you ordered your men to slaughter
nearly a dozen innocent women and children?”

The Colonel’s eyes closed. “Is that what this is about? A few dead
stinking Indians put out of their misery? Who in the hell cares?”

Halle watched in horror as Antonio drew a knife from his boot. Still
holding the man by the hair, he laid the blade against his throat. “My wife and
infant daughter were among those ‘stinking Indians’ you murdered. But the blood
bath did not end there. Your men went on a killing spree, finishing off the
wounded with their swords. My son lost his hand because of you.”

“Kill me now, Whitehorse, or I will pursue you to the end of my days.”

Antonio released the man, stepped back and slid the knife into his boot.
“If you survive, Simmons, which you won’t, you make certain that you do
come
after me. I want to kick your ass straight through the gates of Hell.”

Antonio whisked Halle out the door and across the darkened courtyard and
to his waiting mount. “Ride out and don’t look back. Whatever you do, don’t
come looking for me. I will find
you.
” He lifted her onto the horse
then handed her Max, who whimpered. “His leg doesn’t appear to be broken. Keep
him warm and comfortable. I will tend to him later.”

Halle fumbled in the dark for the reins, finding none. “I can’t ride.
There’s no saddle...no reins.”

“Dinishwo
will take care of you.” He fisted her hands into the
horse’s mane, then smacked the mount hard on the flanks, sending the animal
charging into the night with Halle hanging on for her life.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

They rode hard the next day, northward toward the Chuska mountains,
never stopping to take a full meal, but only to fill their canteens and to let
the horses drink. Since Antonio’s uncle, Chief Manuelito, had relocated his
band safely in the Chuskas for the coming winter, believing all would also be
reasonably safe there, Antonio also believed Halle and the children would be
safe as well. Knowing soldiers would be on their trail, he ordered a few of the
men to ride back toward Dinetah, to lead them off course.

Halle, exhausted from lack of sleep, had shadowed half moons beneath her
eyes. He examined her once they made it to safety, finding no signs she’d been
physically tortured, other than the slight swelling to her nose where the
Colonel struck her, and a severe bruise to her right breast. She maintained
that she hadn’t been sexually molested. Max appeared to be on the mend as well,
and preferred to keep company with the boys.

They stopped to make camp in late afternoon. Some of the younger men
killed three small deer and a few porcupines. Dried beans and corn, confiscated
in the raid on the fort were cooked with meat into a tasty, filling soup. The
group of more than seventy men, women and children, ate their fill. Antonio
learned it was the first decent meal they’d eaten in the week since their
capture.

Around a leaping fire, The People relayed stories of how once a day
soldiers brought them dirty pans of mush made from worm-infested cornmeal and
fouled water. Some of the children and elderly were still experiencing
dysentery they’d acquired in the fort’s camp. Lukachukai and Diego were both
mildly dehydrated, as was Tani.

Antonio gathered wild bergamot leaves and brewed a restorative tea for
all who remained ill.  He watched an exhausted Halle keep vigil with the
sick children long into the night, sponging their faces and administering the
tea at regular intervals.

That night, as a handful of men remained on sentry, a few women attended
a breech birth. Antonio offered assistance, but they did not want his help.
Instead, Sonny had been called in to perform a traditional
sing
. Forceps
would have made for an easier delivery and would also have increased the
survival chances of both mother and child, but it wasn’t The People’s way, nor
the family’s wish. Sadly, the baby was stillborn and its mother succumbed soon
afterward.

While Antonio respected their beliefs, he now realized his medical
knowledge could never aid them. He’d acquired limited supplies from the fort’s apothecary
including surgical tools and pain medicines. In the right setting, these
implements could be used to heal and save lives. He shook his head at the
futility of his situation. It wasn’t him The People didn’t trust, but the white
man’s medicine. Perhaps one day when this senseless war was over— if he
survived—he could make a fresh start elsewhere as a doctor.

With Halle’s adoptive parents sleeping nearby, Antonio pulled the
blanket over Halle, who’d since fallen into a sound, and peaceful sleep.  

The next day’s ride seemed longer than the day before but by late
afternoon the purple, snow capped Chuska’s came into view. Spirits immediately
lifted within the group. Due to the proximity of a clear mountain stream, Sonny
directed the group to make camp nearby, and a few of the young men left to
hunt. Children ran about squealing and playing games along the creek bed while
women busied themselves with making fires to cook the evening meal.

With dozens of men, women and children crowded together, it was impossible
for him to spend private time with Halle. But that night after most had fallen
asleep, Halle surprised him by sneaking away from her adoptive parents and
awakening him with a soft kiss.

They stole away from camp, laughing and shushing one another as they
tore through the trees. Far from the cries of babies and the smell of wood
smoke, they came upon a clearing, illuminated by light of a half moon. Pulling
her to the ground, Antonio unlaced the blanket dress and worshipped her body
with his hands and mouth. She shivered in the freezing darkness, her teeth
chattering. He drew her thick, woolen garment around her shoulders for warmth,
then set about the task of gathering a few twigs and brush wood to build a
fire.

A few minutes later he returned to her side and quickly undressed. “Are
you warm enough?”

She reached for him, drawing him down to her.

“I have missed you so much,” he breathed against her skin, inhaling her
sweet scent. He sucked one nipple into his mouth and she arched into him, her
fingertips sliding into his hair.

“I’ve missed you, too.”

There were so many questions he needed to ask, but now was not the right
time. She was safe, along with the other women and children who’d been taken
prisoner. All that mattered was she was here with him in this moment. He
covered them with her blanket dress and cradled her in his arms a long while,
content to just hold her exhausted body.

 “I never thought I’d see you again,” she whispered.

 He kissed her forehead, caressed her cheek with the back of his
hand. “I told you I would return. I always keep my word.”

 His fingertips trailed down her throat to her pretty, pert
breasts. She shivered, either from the cold, or from his erotic touch, he did
not know.  He drew the blanket over them again, then pressed her onto her
back and eased between her thighs. He entered her in one smooth thrust.  

She gasped softly as he drove into her core, thrusting deep and fast. He
hadn’t meant to take her roughly but he felt as if he were losing control, as
if he had to possess this woman body and soul or he might die.

From her eager response, he knew there was no discomfort. He slowed his
movements, pleasured her now with long, teasing strokes, reveling in the spasms
that drew him in deeper into her velvet softness.

A cry tore from her throat when she climaxed. She clung to his arms,
gasping, as her fingernails clawed into his flesh, as her body continued to
spasm around his. She held him tight as he thrust wildly, spiraling toward his
own ecstasy.

When she called his name that was all it took to send him over the edge.
His seed burst forth and he cried out, his body shuddering violently as he
spent himself inside her.

Afterward, they lay side by side, drifting down.

“Antonio?”

“Yes?”

“That was really good, wasn’t it?”

He laid a hand across his eyes, a chuckle escaping. Why should her
response surprise him?  “Yes. It was very good.”

She rolled onto her side to face him. “Will making love always be like
this?”

“I hope.”

 He noticed the eastern sky had begun to lighten. Momentarily he
heard the stirrings of those at camp who were preparing for the dawn offering.
To avoid being caught together, they gathered their clothing quickly and moved
farther south down along the banks of the clear mountain stream, bathing together
in the fast moving frigid water as the sun rose over the mountains.

“Tell me everything that happened at the fort.” He briskly splashed icy
water over his body, pausing to watch her cup handfuls of water and poured it
her neck and breasts. He grimaced at the dark bruise on her breast—evidence of
the colonel’s brutality.

“Simmons knew we were lovers.” Her lips quivered from the cold.
“Soldiers reported seeing us the afternoon of the invasion. Doli must have told
them what they wanted to know. She received special treatment and was removed
from the holding pen with the other women. I saw her socializing with a few of
the officers.”

Doli
had been rescued in the raid, but Antonio would not tell Halle
of the facial mutilation inflicted by some of the other women who’d learned of
her betrayal. Fearing she might be appalled, he refrained from disclosing
further details. Disgraced and shunned by The People, Doli returned to the
fort, destined to become the men’s whore.

“When the Colonel pressed me for the truth I didn’t lie. I told him I
supported your cause.”

“You could have been imprisoned for such talk…or worse.” Noting her
shivering, he took her by the hand and led her from the water, dried her briskly
with the blanket, then himself. “You said none of the soldiers abused you. Is
this the truth? ”

 “Yes.” Her teeth chattered as she dressed. “The Colonel was the
only one. He was royally pissed that I was involved with you. If you hadn’t
arrived when you did, I’m pretty sure they were going to torture me.”

Antonio reached out, pulled her against him, and kissed the top of her
damp head. He wished he’d reached her sooner.  “From a distance I watched
Simmons carry you to your quarters. You were dressed in the blue gown. I wanted
to charge the fort at that moment and kill him but Sonny held me back.”

She pulled back to look at him. “Antonio, let’s not talk about this
anymore. I have something more important to tell you.”

He combed her damp hair with his fingertips, tucking a few strands
behind her ears. “This sounds serious.”

“It is. And no matter how bizarre my story sounds, you have to believe
what I’m about to tell you is the truth.”

“I am listening.”

“We’re all in danger here. We have to take Tani , Diego, and Lukachukai
to Albuquerque as soon as possible.”

“Albuquerque is out of the question. Why would you suggest such?”

“There’s money—a lot of money—I’ve sewn into the draperies in my room at
Elena’s.”

“How much?”

“Five hundred dollars.”

He almost choked. “Where did you get five hundred dollars?”

“Um, there’s something else I haven’t told you“

 He had already guessed such. He released her and gathered their
clothing. “Tell me everything while we dress.”

She remained silent, which only added to his frustration. What was she
withholding? He sighed, impatient, waiting for her to speak. Instead, she bit
down on her lip and watched him carefully as if to gage his reaction. Guilt was
clearly etched on her face.  He tossed her moccasins at her feet. “I am not
going to like this story, am I?”

“Probably not, but just promise you’ll hear me out, okay?”

He dragged a weary hand down his face, then buttoned his shirt. “Very
well. What have you done
now?”

She opened her mouth as if to speak, but hesitated.

“Halle, you test my patience.”

 “Molly and I were blackmailing a man named Franklin Cole.” Her
words tumbled out in a rush of breath.

The look of shock on his face must have stopped her from continuing for
she clamped her mouth shut. Frightened eyes held his. He clenched his jaw,
biting back a response. Of all the foolish things she could have done! Did she
not realize the danger she’d put herself in? A wave of nausea hit him in the
pit of his stomach as both fear and shock mingled with anger. Once his initial
anger began to cool, he asked, “How in the hell did you get mixed up with Cole?
And why would you do such a foolish thing?” She recoiled at his harsh tone, but
the fear he noted in her eyes told him she already regretted her actions.

 “I sent anonymous letters to Cole telling him that I was a witness
to Hope Brannigan’s murder, the girl on the reward poster whom I resemble. I
kept a post office box at Union City, then paid the postmaster extra money on
the side to keep quiet and to have him forward the mail to me at Elena’s. I
threatened to go to the authorities if Cole didn’t send more.”

Antonio’s mind went into a whirl as he paced. True, she’d done a
dangerous thing, but if there was money…  He rubbed the grit from his eyes
and tried to think. “Now I understand why Cole came looking for you. But why
would you do this on your own? Do you not realize the danger you were in? The
danger you placed Molly in?”

“I was desperate to escape the brothel. Do you have any idea what it’s
like living with Elena? It’s pure hell, Antonio. Molly didn’t want to work
there anymore, not after one of the men abused her. She was ready to move on
and become a respectable woman again, but Elena wouldn’t let her go. She
punished her.”

He flinched. “Punished her? How?”

“She’d lock her in a room without food and water for days. When one of
the ladies didn’t obey Elena’s work orders, she did the same to them. I never
saw any bruises on any of the ladies, but Molly said Elena had beaten her more
than once.”

He grimaced at the thought of Elena holding women hostage, abusing them.
He knew his former mistress could be cruel, but had no idea she had enslaved
women. He shook his head in disgust. This was worse than he could have ever
realized.  He motioned with his hand, not certain he wanted to hear the
rest of Halle’s story, but knowing he must. “Continue.”

“Molly and I were going to split the money we blackmailed from Cole,
then strike out on our own. Together we planned to open a clothing boutique and
hair salon.”

 He chewed his lip, pondering the possibility the money was still
there. “Molly has probably already taken the money and run.”

 “No.” She touched his arm lightly. “She doesn’t know where my half
is hidden at Elena’s. She thinks it’s in a bank. Just think. We could buy a
wagon and fill it with food and supplies and bring it back to everyone here.”

“No. We can never return to Albuquerque. It is too risky.”

“Elena will hide us. She’ll help us get the supplies we need.”

“Elena cannot be trusted! She will deliver you to Cole.”

“But I’m not his niece, Antonio. He’ll know it when he sees me. Hope
Brannigan is white.” Her eyes went wide, as if she had divulged a secret she
didn’t want revealed. She glanced away, but said nothing

“And you are not white?”

She hesitated, dared a glance at him. “Half.”

He had suspected as much, even from the first moment he found her, but
her admission now confirmed what he’d always known in his heart. “You are
ashamed of who you are.” It wasn’t a question.