Springer, Jan - Be My Dream Tonight [The Desperadoes 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (22 page)

“Where is she?” came a familiar angry growl. Instantly she recognized the voice of Kayne
Durango
. Instinctively she knew the men had somehow lost Eve and that she was in danger.

“I haven’t seen her,” she said. She’d learned early on to remain calm when a man aimed a gun at her. No use aggravating them when she was at a disadvantage. But the knowledge they were looking for Eve set something really bad loose inside of her. It twisted into an ugly knot and settled into her stomach.

“Tell me where the fuck she is or I put a bullet right through your fucking brains, C.J.” By his tight voice, she knew he would do exactly as he threatened.

“Kayne, back off.” She recognized the voice of one of his gang members. The one they called
Mad.
The one who dressed in animal skins. Freaking wild man. Probably a Neanderthal in bed.

“You’re wasting your time with threats. I haven’t seen her. What the hell did you do to piss her off?” she asked.

She felt the gun barrel ease off slightly. Obviously, they’d done something to aggravate her.

“Get your weapon off me or I say nothing.” Hell, she would say nothing anyway. The minute she got a chance, she was out of here. The familiar panic she always felt when around men was already grabbing hold. C.J. forced herself to bite it down. It didn’t last as her rifle was ripped from her grasp and two men grabbed each of her wrists. Before she could put up a good fight, they’d tied her wrists.

Fucking assholes!

“We found our horses and a wagon in the next valley over. We followed her tracks to near the mouth of the cave. Wolfe has her and we believe you’re in on it,” Kayne said in a deathly low voice.

“You’re a bloody moron if that’s what you believe. I’m here to kill Wolfe and put the nightmares I endure every night to rest,” she snapped as her anger really took hold.

All three men glared down at her. Nope, they weren’t happy campers. Muscles twitched in jaws, and if their eyes could shoot bullets, she’d be dead now.

“Tell us everything about Wolfe and that gold.” Kayne growled. “And don’t leave out anything or Eve’s going to be dead and so are you.”

Well, crap. If this wasn’t a time to start talking to men, then she didn’t know of a better time to get her act together.

“Okay, fine. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.” C.J. knew that Kayne was right. She’d better leave nothing out because if she did, then Eve was dead. That is if she wasn’t already dead.

She bit back a whimper of pain as that idea slashed through her like a blade. God, help her, but if Wolfe did to Eve what he’d done to C.J. on their first night together, Eve would be ruined for any man. Forever.

* * * *

With her bound wrists Eve managed to hug her sore knees to her shivering, bruised, and battered body. She sat on a thick padding of what appeared to be deer hides in front of a small flickering fire inside the cold cave. It gave off little heat, but she was sure that was the purpose. Wolfe wanted her miserable, and he was doing a good job of it. She felt as if she’d never left this place. It seemed as if almost two years hadn’t slipped by and she’d been here for an eternity, yet she must have been here not more than an hour.

Wolfe had dragged her in here. Then he’d smacked her around, trying to get information out of her whether she’d come alone or not. She’d told him nothing aside from hinting she’d come here with a virtual army and they were surrounding the cave as she spoke. Okay, maybe she shouldn’t have done that, but the stall tactic had worked. Worry had creased his evil gaze, and his meaty fists had stopped raining down on her.

He’d left the cave, issuing orders to two men to keep guard at the entrance of this cold, rock-encrusted room. Then he’d left.

Compliments of his beating, parts of her body ached. She had an exceptionally sore spot on her lower abdomen where he’d punched her a few times. Her upper lip ached from a cut and swelling, and her left eye was already swollen shut. What she wouldn’t give for an ice-cold steak to soothe the throbbing pain or to have her rifle so she could blow his brains out.

Wolfe hadn’t changed. He liked abusing women. Well, once an abuser, always an abuser. At least that’s the way she’d been raised by her parents to believe. They’d told her to never allow a man to hit her, and if he did, she was to leave and never look back. No matter what.

She would have fought Wolfe, but before physically abusing her, a couple of his men had bound her ankles and her wrists, leaving a taut rope between so she couldn’t kick out or strike him.

Before his leaving he’d also informed her in a nasty snarl that he would pick up where he’d left off before she’d escaped with C.J. Just thinking about being forced to have sex with him sent slices of revulsion raging through her.

Well, the son of a bitch was in for a rude awakening because the minute her hands were free, she’d show him she wasn’t the helpless, fearful, amnesiac woman she’d been their last go-around. Not only had C.J. taught her how to shoot and hunt, Lane had taught both women self-defense in the short time he’d been with them. It hadn’t been easy for C.J. in her very pregnant situation, but he’d been especially hard on C.J., drilling her every day.

Eve shook her head with self-disgust. Yeah, and look where all their help had gotten her? She’d fallen asleep on the job! She realized her mistake in not taking the time to rest more often during her traveling with the wagon and the horses. But she’d wanted to make up for the loss of time that dragging a wagon along would cause.

Unfortunately, she hadn’t been as well rested as she should have been. If she ever got out of this mess…correct that, when she got out of this mess, she’d never allow herself to get tired again.

And if she ever hooked up with Kayne, Maddox, and Riley again, she’d be sure not to run from an argument again. She should have confronted them right there and then in the barn and told them they were going for the gold. Instead, she’d allowed her anger to blind her. And like a little child throwing a temper tantrum, she’d run away. She was a fool for running and not standing up for herself.

Great, now she was having lightbulb moments regarding herself in a freaking cave surrounded by nasty people who would just prefer to blow her head off and be done with her. She should get herself in life-threatening situations more often in order to get in touch with her feelings. Not.

Okay, so all she needed was to keep herself calm and hope to heaven that her showing up here and being stupid enough to say they were surrounded didn’t make Wolfe think that C.J. was out there. But C.J. was good. She wouldn’t allow herself to get caught by Wolfe again. At least she hoped not.

Just thinking of her friend being unaware that in Eve’s panic she’d tipped Wolfe off that Eve might not have come here alone made her swear softly beneath her breath. Here, she thought she was better than the guys in every way regarding shooting and riding, and now she’d gotten herself caught. God! She was an idiot. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

She kept that mantra going in her mind for who knew how long when she suddenly heard a soft grunt from the entrance to the area she’d been sequestered. That sound was quickly followed by another one. She swore she thought she heard someone hitting the ground hard. And then came another thud.

Oh crap. What were those guards doing out there? Stiffening, she held her breath as she caught movement in the darkness on the other side of the fire. Sweet mercy, had Wolfe returned? Had those sounds been that of the guards leaving?

She hugged her knees tighter and squinted past the firelight that blinded her to what was beyond. Panic swelled in her stomach as she once again caught movement. It had to be Wolfe. Or maybe even the guards coming in.

Oh God. One man she could probably fight off. But more than one? Not good odds. Panic continued to flare. She sucked in a few deep, steadying breaths. Wished she could hold up her bound hands to shield the firelight so she could see who was out there, but, although she realized it was silly, any movement from her would only make her a target. So she kept still.

More sounds followed. Low whispers this time.

Okay, she was definitely going to be in huge trouble here. She saw two shadowy figures emerging on the other side of the fire. Shit, the guards were coming inside.

“Eve! Oh my God! Are you all right?” Kayne’s hoarse whisper rocked through her senses, and a moment later he was crouching down beside her. He smelled so good. Of pine and glacier water and just plain comfort. Concern wracked his face as he quickly slid his hands along parts of her body, obviously searching for broken bones.

“I’m fine. Just a little beating. I’m okay. He didn’t hurt me. Nothing that I can’t handle.”

“Fucking slime bag.” Kayne growled as he dropped his hands and began untying her ropes.

“How did you get here?” She’d taken all their horses in her spite against them. She’d thought that would stop them cold from following.

“Long story. But short story is some people were just coming to the cabin to stay for the night, when we met up with them. We borrowed their horses.”

“Eve, I’ve got your rifle,” C.J. whispered as she melted out of the darkness and crouched on the other side of her. Her friend smiled at her, and Eve’s heart sang with happiness to know C.J. was safe.

“Oh my God. You’re both here?” She must have taken too many knocks to her head so she had to be hallucinating. C.J. and Kayne in the same room? Working together without being angry at each other? Talk about a shock to her system.

“Mad and Riley are out front waiting for Wolfe and his entourage to return. Can you walk?” Kayne asked as he and C.J. hoisted her to her feet.

Eve winced as other sore areas ignited. She’d taken a couple of heavy kicks to her ass, so her cheeks were quite sore. She took a step, felt twinges of pain, but otherwise walked pretty good. She took several more steps. Everything hurt, but yeah, she could manage.

“I’m good. Let’s get the hell out of here,” she whispered.

C.J. grinned in the firelight. “See? I told you she’d be all right.” She threw Kayne a satisfied smirk and then thrust the gun into Eve’s hands. Once the cool metal hit her fingertips, confidence soared through her.

“Have you checked if the gold is still there?” Eve asked.

“You’re all the gold we need.” Kayne growled as he firmly took her by the elbow, grabbed a torch off a nearby metal sconce in the rock wall, and led her to the entrance of the area in the cave Wolfe had sequestered her.

“Compliments like that will get you everywhere,” she whispered to him.

His eyes glittered angrily. “And doing what you just did will get your ass spanked to the point where you won’t be sitting for an eternity, and we’ll do so many other things that you’ll think twice before you pull a prank like that again.”

“Oh, I’m thinking I’ll enjoy everything you guys are going to do to me. Punish away.” Eve chuckled, feeling so relieved that her guys and C.J. had rescued her that she was literally lightheaded with excitement and flying higher than a kite.

Moments ago, she had been poised to fight for her life, and the next she was free. It surely took some getting used to in wrapping her head around the quick change of events.

“This way.” C.J. waved her own torch to them from a few feet down the long rock corridor.

Eve remembered C.J. pulling her down this very corridor after her confrontation with Wolfe when she’d been here two years earlier. She also remembered a Y in the tunnel, and moments later they reached it. Back then, they’d gone left. This time C.J. headed right.

According to her memory of what C.J. had told her, there wouldn’t be any guards this far back in the cave due to the lack of air quality. That is if Wolfe hadn’t changed his routine over the past two years. But there would be several guards posted at the back entrance, and that’s when the action would begin.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Eve, in you being caught, you gave us a damned good break,” C.J. said in a low voice as they moved along the corridor. “Wolfe took pretty much all of his people with him to scour the outside area to make sure you weren’t followed. He only left four people behind. They’re out of the way. Permanently.”

“C.J. is very good with offensive skills. She snapped two of their necks like they were chicken bones,” Kayne praised.

“I’ll snap your neck, too, if you don’t shut up.” C.J. reprimanded Kayne in a not-so-nice tone which made Eve flinch. She expected Kayne to have some snappy comeback or at least curse her, but to Eve’s surprise he just chuckled softly and fell silent. Well, this was an interesting turn of events. Things were definitely looking up, weren’t they?

“How long before we get there?” Eve asked after a few more minutes of brisk walking. She could feel the air beginning to thin and felt a bit lightheaded.

“A few more minutes. Just breathe deep. That’ll help,” Kayne whispered.

Okay, so C.J. must have given him the lowdown on where the gold was because he seemed to know about bad air being so far inside the cave as well as how long they would take to get there.

Great. A few more minutes and she was likely to pass out.

Chapter Nine

Shit! Someone was coming, and he or she was coming in fast, Mad thought as he listened to branches that cracked beneath feet, and a murmur of voices followed. Okay, so more than one person. Excitement raced through
Mad.
He needed to take cover and now. Slipping his knapsack onto his back, he rushed as silently as possible into the dark cover of the nearby pine trees. He began running. If his calculations were correct—