Not allowing her to respond, Ross continued in a low, threatening voice, "That's too bad, because you're never going to see Carter again. Your father will meet the terms of the ransom, no matter how difficult they are, but when he does, he's going to find himself cheated, just like he cheated my father and so many others like him. He isn't going to get you back at all, Devina."
Ignoring Devina's low gasp, he continued heatedly, "While he's waiting for me to bring you back, you, Jake, and I will be on our way to Mexico, where nobody will ever find us. We'll live well on the money Jake and I have accumulated from the robberies. In the meantime, all the money from Pa's mine will be in the bank in Tombstone, in my name, where your father can't touch it. Wouldn't you say that's a suitable revenge?"
Devina paled, but Ross refused to allow her lack of color to influence him. He prompted angrily, "You haven't answered me, Devina."
When Devina still did not respond, Ross pulled her closer. He was aware that she was shuddering, that fear had suddenly appeared in her eyes, and he regretted its presence. But his regret was only momentary. If he could not hold Devina with love, he would hold her any way he could.
Ross's voice was as cold as his gaze. "I'm not Charles, but I'm as close to Charles as you'll ever get. Keep that in mind, Devina, along with the promise that when you're in my arms I'll please you more than Charles could ever hope to please you. And I'll make you want me, the way you're wanting me even now. So close your eyes and pretend, if you have to." His eyes suddenly taking on a feral gleam, Ross rasped, "But I warn you. Don't ever mention Charles Carter's name to me again."
Devina's eyes were on his slowly descending lips, and Ross felt regret sweep his mind. He didn't want it to be like this between Devina and him, but he would have her this way if he could have her no other way at all. In the end, he'd make her forget Carter ever existed.
Ross adjusted Devina's small, trembling body against his as his mouth claimed hers. He allowed the warmth of that contact, the sweet taste of her to fill his mind. He allowed it to sweep away all other thought except the reality of the present, his love for the woman in his arms, and his unyielding determination to keep her there.
His face devoid of color, Harvey faced China Mary within the confines of her small office. He was fast losing control. Mary was smiling.
"You're certain you've located my daughter?"
"Yes, I am certain, Mr. Dale."
Harvey's patience expired with a snap. "Well, where is she,
dammit
! I want to go there now!"
"I will have one of my employees take you there soon, Mr. Dale."
"Soon isn't good enough! I want to go now!"
"I do not see any gratitude in your expression, Mr. Dale," Lily's clear, sweet voice interrupted. "Perhaps you do not fully appreciate that my mother has worked industriously in your behalf and has succeeded where all others have failed in finding your daughter."
Harvey's breathing grew labored, and he was visibly trembling. Lily's presence added more pressure to a situation that was already almost more than he was able to bear, and his humiliation was complete with the realization that Lily and her mother were enjoying his distress. Taking refuge in hauteur, he shot Lily a cold glance.
"Do you really expect me to express gratitude?" Harvey's laugh was scornful. "If you do, you are both fools!" He turned back to Mary. "I want to know where my daughter is now!"
Mary was still smiling. "In time, Mr. Dale. We have some business to transact first."
Barely restraining the desire to close his hands around China Mary's neck, Harvey nodded.
"The papers, is that it? I'll deliver them to Walter Sherkraut. He's a reputable businessman and can be trusted to turn them over to you if you can lead me to my daughter."
"No, Mr. Dale. Leave them with Roger Ball at the Safford Hudson Bank for safekeeping until you return with your daughter. Give Mr. Ball instructions to turn the papers over to me at that time. My patronage is valued highly in that banking establishment, and Mr. Ball will do nothing to endanger it."
"Crafty bitch!" Harvey stiffly nodded his head. "All right. I'll do it. Is there anything else you want from me?"
"Just confirmation, Mr. Dale. When Mr. Ball confirms that he is holding the papers, I will see that you are guided to the location where your daughter is being held."
"All right! I'll get the papers and take them there now. Is that enough for you?"
"It will suffice. You may have your men ready to travel tomorrow morning."
"Tomorrow! I'll get the papers now. You can tell your man to"
"Tomorrow morning, Mr. Dale. And in the meantime, I would suggest you conduct your arrangements carefully, without drawing attention to your purpose if you choose to raise a group of men to rescue your daughter. We cannot be certain who is watching, can we?"
All but overwhelmed by the newest fear China Mary had planted in his mind, Harvey nodded. "All right, tomorrow." His eyes narrowing, Harvey impaled Mary with his gaze. "If you're bluffing, Mary…"
China Mary's smile broadened. "Like you, I am an honorable person, Mr. Dale. Like you, I can be trusted to keep my word."
Her subtle threat echoing in his ears, Harvey turned abruptly. Without another utterance he covered the few steps to the door and, within seconds, was striding toward his office. Mary's cautioning words returned to his mind, and he cast a suspicious glance over his shoulder before continuing forward with a lurching step. His humiliation, his defeat at the hands of the wily Oriental hag was but another price he had been forced to pay.
Harvey swallowed and breathed deeply against the heavy palpitation of his heart. His eye twitched uncontrollably, and he raised his chin in an attempt to regain control as he put his degradation behind him. It would all be worthwhile when Devina was safe once more.
Lai Hua walked swiftly, casting a glance towards the gradually darkening sky. She had made a difficult decision only a few minutes before and she hoped, very desperately, it was not too late.
Carefully avoiding the faster, more direct approach to her destination, in fear of being seen, she turned the corner of Third and
Toughnut
, and started toward Fourth. She was aware that her route did not stir the curiosity of passersby as she turned into an alley. Those of her race often used back alleys and back entrances in Tombstone when front doors were barred to them.
She had never been more grateful for that circumstance than she was at this particular moment.
Silently she scaled the rear staircase to the large frame building, opened the door at the top, and walked down a narrow hallway, following the room numbers intently. Her heart racing in her breast, she paused as the room she sought came into view. A momentary panic assailed her as she thought of the reception she would receive if the one she sought was indeed present.
The sound of her own heart racing in her ears, Lai Hua raised her small hand and rapped lightly. No response. She rapped again, disappointment and anxiety moving through her mind. A moment later a muffled voice sounded sleepily from inside the room. Before she could respond, the door flew open to reveal Jake Walsh's startled face.
Joy and relief coursed through Lai Hua, and she released a short, anxious breath. Her small face reflecting her uncertainty at the continued silence between them, she requested politely, "Mr. Jake, I may enter?"
Jake stepped back allowing her entrance, but Lai Hua was conscious of the restraint in his manner. She had expected as much. He closed the door and turned to face her, his expression sober. "You made yourself very clear the last time we met, Lai Hua. What are you
doin
' here?"
Lai Hua swallowed with visible difficulty, her eyes momentarily closing at the accusation in Jake's eyes. He was angry and hurt at what he considered her betrayal of the love she had professed for him. If only he knew how very deep that love was. She attempted a smile. "It has been many days since last we met and spoke."
"I didn't think there was much left for us to say to each other, Lai Hua. You made your
feelin's
very clear."
"I am glad that the intent of my actions was not misunderstood, Mr. Jake. I would not have you believe that my feelings for you are any less than they were before."
Jake's mouth twitched with discomfort, and Lai Hua shared his distress. If only there had been another way.
"Come to the point, Lai Hua. I have things to do tonight. I'm
leavin
' town tomorrow
mornin
' early."
Lai Hua felt his pale eyes, the color of the midmorning sky, touch the dark shine of her bound hair. She felt them move across her face, caress the skin of her cheek, her lips. Their warmth touched a familiar spot inside her, and her lips parted. The short, responsive intake of his breath echoed in the silence of the room, and her heart pounded anew. Jake's voice was hoarse when he continued. "Why did you nod, Lai Hua? Are you
tellin
' me you knew I was
leavin
' Tombstone?"
Lai Hua nodded again. "My heart told me it was so. I was uncertain if you would again return, and I wanted to say good-bye."
A short, bitter laugh escaped Jake's lips and Lai Hua felt his pain. He shrugged, but the emotion in his tense expression belied the casual gesture. "Good-bye, Lai Hua. Now, if that's all you came to say"
Lai Hua took a step forward, her courage almost failing. "I… I came to say good-bye in another way, Mr. Jake. A way more in keeping with that which we shared."
Jake's pale skin colored in a sudden flush. His expression was wary. His strong chest began a lightly agitated heaving.
"How many ways are there to say good-bye, Lai Hua? As far as I'm concerned, our good-byes are done."
A warm heat moved into Lai Hua's eyes. "If I might give you a parting gift, Mr. Jake, one from the heart."
Jake swallowed and paused before he attempted a reply. His youthful features were stiff, and his response was barely a whisper. "A gift?"
"A gift of myself, Mr. Jake."
Lai Hua took another step forward, the boldness of her actions reverberating within her as she stood a few feet from Jake's familiar strength. With slow deliberation, she released the first fastening on her jacket. Her trembling fingers moved to the second and then the third, her uncertain gaze never leaving his handsome, boyish face. Love shone from her eyes as she opened the garment, revealing her creamy skin, her small breasts. She slid the jacket from her shoulders and dropped it to the floor. The whisper of sound it created seemed unnaturally loud in the pervading silence. She moved her hands to the waistband of the cotton trousers that hugged her slender body. In a few moments they, too, were lying on the floor and Lai Hua stood naked in front of the man she loved. Still he did not move to close the distance between them.
Her voice tremulous, Lai Hua spoke into the void. "Do you refuse my gift, Mr. Jake? I give it to you with all my love."
Jake's low groan was simultaneous with his sudden movement as he closed the space between them. Joy coursing through her, Lai Hua was suddenly in his arms, scooped up high against his chest as he walked the few short steps to the bed. The mattress was soft beneath her back, still warm from his body. She lay, aching with anticipation as she watched Jake cast off his clothes until he stood as naked as she.
Within moments their flesh was pressed intimately close and a joy not without pain filled Lai Hua's mind. She felt his lips against her eyes, her cheeks, her mouth. She parted her lips to his kiss, welcoming its sweet intimacy. Jake tore his lips from hers to trail them down over her throat, her chest, her breasts. She clutched him close against her, giving him all she could offer. She encouraged his loving, allowing her own hands to travel over his strong hard body, to find the staff of his manhood, to stroke it warmly, lovingly. She heard his low groans, realized her mistake as Jake raised his eyes again to hers with a soft word of apology. Within moments he was pressing his throbbing tumescence against the moist, aching bud of her passion, then thrusting deep and hard inside her. She opened herself to him, reveling in the hunger that drove him, delighting in the wonder of his possession, realizing she had not felt truly alive since the last moment she had been so intimately joined to this beautiful man.
Then she was gasping, reaching the climax of the emotion he so faultlessly raised within her. She clutched him against her as his harsh rasps echoed in her ears, wishing never to separate from him as their bodies shuddered in mutual ecstasy, his filling hers, hers accepting and cherishing his.
Lai Hua heard the sweet words of love Jake whispered in her ears. She heard his apology for the swiftness of his culmination, his promise that he would surpass his poor effort and enjoy her gift many times before the night was past. He then set about to fulfill his promise, and she brimmed with love.
With great deliberation, Lai Hua turned her mind from the approaching dawn, and the awakening of another kind which would ensue. There was time now only for love… and how very much she loved this man.