Authors: Marie Harte
“You’re
going to have to do better than that,
boy
.” She snorted in disdain.
His
face turned red and he swore, but he didn’t attack.
She
waited for Freddy to regain his feet. He didn’t disappoint. Standing again, he
put his hand behind his back and withdrew a long nosed revolver.
Thais
darted forward with her knife, nicking Freddy’s jugular to cause major blood
flow. He dropped the gun and clutched his neck. Cedric took advantage of her
distraction, as she’d known he would.
She
turned to take the brunt of his blow on the back of her shoulder, then kicked
out at his stomach. Her foot made contact with his ribs and she heard a subtle
snap.
He
hissed in pain but looked ready to advance again. Tired of playing and
irritated that her shoulder throbbed, she spun around and punched him in the
face. The attack broke his nose. Blood spurted and he yelled in pain.
“Not
so pretty now, are you?” She shoved him aside and stepped over Freddy, who was trying
to crawl away. She debated whether to let him then decided she didn’t need the
hassle. She’d come to this backward town to find and kill Gregor.
Keep your
focus on the prize, Thais. Information about Bartel is all that matters.
She
yanked Freddy’s head up by his dirty hair. “Next time, leave the women alone.”
Before
Freddy could answer, commotion sounded down the street, and Beast snorted a belated
warning. Another crowd had gathered and grew steadily nearer. Hinto’s height
made him easy to spot amidst the mass. He didn’t look pleased.
Two
men who looked remarkably like Freddy led the way. One dropped to his knees and
put a bandana to Freddy’s neck.
“Damn,
son. What the hell happened?” He glanced around, seeking another source for the
damage done to his friend. Though he called Freddy “son,” Thais didn’t think
any of the three were more than a few years apart at best.
“That
bitch knifed me,” Freddy managed, his voice little more than a hiss.
All
eyes turned on her, but it was Hinto’s anger she found most disquieting.
“What?”
She planted her hands on her hips, defensive though she had no reason to be.
“He and his friend Cedric tried to molest two women.”
“What
women?” someone in the crowd called out in a belligerent tone. “Don’t see no
women here.”
Others
grumbled in agreement.
“Freddy
mauled Daisy Danton while Cedric tried to take advantage of Tilda. I don’t know
her last name, but she’s older than Daisy and really annoying.”
Silence
met her words, and then the tide of animosity turned.
“Hell,
Freddy. You know better,” the man helping Freddy said.
“Butch
ain’t gonna like this,” his friend warned, shooting Thais a lethal glare.
Others
expressed their displeasure.
“Daisy
and Tilda? Shit. You know Tilda’s brother works in the UTO in Ermine. Gonna get
the UTs down here on us if they ain’t careful.”
“Hate
the UTs.”
“Me
too.”
“Shitheads,
the pair of ‘em.” Someone remarked and spat on the ground at Cedric’s feet. “Freddy
ain’t smart enough to think it. Had to be Cedric’s doin’.”
The
crowd dispersed and headed back to the bar with Cedric.
Freddy’s
friends hauled him to his feet, bracing him between their bodies, and left with
a warning.
“We’ll
be seeing you again, sugar. Count on it.” One of them pointed his fingers in
her direction and cocked his thumb like a gun. They walked away, dragging the
idiot with them.
She
and Hinto stood alone.
Thais
waited for him to speak, but her quiet only seemed to make him angrier. Not
feeling like explaining herself further, Thais turned on her heel, mounted her
mare, and rode north, following the trail Tilda and Daisy had taken.
Hinto
followed on Beast, still silent.
It
didn’t take her long to find the pair of women walking with quick strides along
a trail through tall grasses and clustered trees. In the distance, she saw
their destination, a row of houses away from town neatly constructed of painted
wood, glass and brick. A few fenced-in corrals held horses and chickens. Behind
the houses, several farmers plowed and tended crops.
“Oh,
Tilda, that was awful,” Daisy whined.
“Here
we go again,” Thais muttered. She rode closer. “Hey, Daisy, Tilda, wait.”
They
turned and stared at her in horror. When they looked beyond her to Hinto, they
screamed and ran.
“Hell.”
Hinto shot forward on Beast and blocked their escape. He quickly dismounted and
calmed Thais’s quarry with a charm he’d rarely used on her.
She
shook her head. “I just need some information. Gregor McKenzie. Where can I
find him?”
“Why?
Are you going to insult him too?” Tilda asked, apparently still irked about
being called a bitch.
“Lady,
you should be thanking me. I saved your lily white ass from Cedric. Or did you
welcome his attentions after all? Maybe I was mistaken.”
Tilda
paled. “No, no. I, ah, Gregor. He lives on the McKenzie ranch four miles that
way.” She pointed south. “He’s a nasty man, much worse than the dreaded Nolans.”
Tilda cleared her throat. “I suppose we owe you our thanks.”
“Grudging
though they may be,” Thais added with an unwilling grin. “Lady, you really are
a pain in the ass. But thanks for the information.” That said, she turned her
mare around and headed south.
She
heard Hinto swear but had no time for his nonsense. Gregor was nearly in her
grasp. Once she had his gun, she could return to Kitty for the information she
needed. More importantly,
no more Hinto
.
The
disquiet following that thought bothered her, and she chalked up the feeling to
belated anticipation. For three years she’d been trying to run down the past.
She was closer now than she’d ever been. So why did she feel so distanced from
her life?
“Dammit,
I said hold up,” Hinto snarled and grabbed the reins as they entered a copse of
trees.
She
blinked up into a furious blue gaze and sighed. At least they’d have this
disagreement away from prying eyes.
“What
the fuck did you think you were doing back there? You could have been hurt, you
idiot. Or worse. Put your hat back on.” He grabbed it from the saddle and
slammed it on top of her head.
Stunned
at his hostility, Thais allowed her own anger to build and whipped the hat off.
Hinto
wasn’t done. “I leave you alone for a few minutes and you bring on a turf war
with the Nolans. Do you have any idea how ruthless they are? No, of course you
don’t. Because you’re not from around here, are you, Amazon?”
Thais
let fly a fist that connected with Hinto’s cheek. The crack sounded loud in the
sudden silence around them. Even Beast remained still, attuned to the tension between
them.
“
Enough.
”
She seethed. “I did as you
ordered
, not asked. For some strange reason,
you now act as though you have rights concerning my person. You do not. Those
women were in danger of being raped, and I stopped that from happening. I did
nothing wrong.”
She
flexed her fingers, bemused to find her hand actually stung.
The
red spot under his eye would surely bruise. Instead of the satisfaction she
expected to feel, confusion mixed with hurt.
“Feel
better now?” he asked, his voice suspiciously low. She could see the storm
clouds brewing in his eyes. Not a good sign.
“No.”
Though she should have. She shifted her shoulder and flinched as the pulled
muscle reminded her of the blow she’d taken, courtesy of Cedric the stupid.
Hinto
scowled. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Thais,
I’ve tolerated a lot of your bullshit, but I’m at my limit.
What’s wrong?
”
It
galled her admit it, but she told the truth, not wanting to waste any more time
on worthless banter. Not when they had a lead on Gregor. “Cedric landed a punch.
Now can we go?”
Hinto
moved with lightning speed. One minute she sat on her horse, the next he had
her in his arms atop Beast.
“Let
me go.” She couldn’t budge in his hold.
“Dammit,
show me.”
Muttering
curses under her breath in her native tongue, she shifted in his lap and nodded
at the back of her shoulder. “It’s fine. Just a bruise.”
Hinto
stripped off her vest and yanked through the buttons of her shirt to expose her
shoulder. With careful fingers, he prodded the tender spot. “Yeah, that’s gonna
leave a mark. Bastard.”
His
touch turned from soft to hot as he stroked her skin. Uncomfortable to feel the
same desire she’d felt for him before, she tried to sever their connection.
“I’m
fine. Let go,” she whispered, unable to look away from his mouth.
“Such
soft skin. So pretty, yet marred by pain.” Hinto leaned down to plant a kiss on
her injury. “I’ll kill him.”
So
caught up in his kiss, she nearly missed what he said. “Wh-what?”
“I’ll
kill him. Right after I kill Gregor.”
“No,
you won’t. I’m here for that. I still don’t know why Kitty insisted you come
along—”
His
kiss smothered the argument and stoked the hunger in her once more. She wanted
to push him away, but her fingers curled into his shirt instead. Like the last
time, he used his lips and tongue to melt her resistance. So hot, so strong,
Hinto demanded her heady response.
Her
entire body lit up as he pulled her closer.
He
broke the kiss and ran his mouth down her cheek to her neck. “I can’t wait to
bury myself inside you.”
A
demon, that’s what he was. A man who could make her lose control of herself, to
forget all the reasons why they shouldn’t be together. If Hinto ever did bury
himself inside her, he’d risk her entire future for a moment of pleasure.
He
sucked on her neck and left a stinging bite that he soothed with another kiss.
Granted,
the pleasure robbed her ability to think, but now that she knew what to look
out for, she’d do her best to steer clear of temptation.
Again.
Angered
more at herself than him for being so weak, Thais called on her formidable
willpower and put a finger over Hinto’s lips when he moved to follow with
another kiss.
“Enough.
I want back on my horse. Right now.” The breathy quality of her voice
embarrassed her, and she could feel herself turn red. But she refused to look
away from Hinto. A warrior didn’t cower but faced her opponent with honor and
dignity…no matter how much her body might ache to be overtaken by a Territory
man.
Goddess, what’s happening to me?
Hinto
didn’t blink. He lifted her carefully off him, sucking in a breath as he did
so. Lowering her onto her horse, he finally glanced away after staring at her
gaping shirt, where the binding kept her aching breasts tight against her
chest.
“Damn.”
He exhaled a long, deep breath. “Might want to replace that shirt. The buttons
are missing and I can see that band holding your— Ah, your shirt’s gaping.”
Nice
of him to notice, she thought with sarcasm. Irritated she still wanted him to
touch her, Thais slid off her mare and dug through her saddle bags for an extra
shirt. Quickly changing, she put herself to rights. The vest and hat felt like
armor, hiding her from the world again. From Hinto.
She
vaulted into the saddle and headed south. Hinto followed without speaking.
When
they broke through the trees and rode through a tall, grassy field, he cleared
his throat.
“I’m
not sorry about that kiss.”
Kiss?
It had been more like an erotic conquest, one she’d surrendered to much too
easily.
“But
I am sorry I yelled at you. You’re right. You did nothing wrong defending those
women.” Gruff yet sincere. Hinto surprised her yet again.
After
a moment, she nodded. “Apology accepted.”
“So
Freddy and Cedric tried to attack those women, then you?”
“Yes.”
“Surprised
you didn’t kill ‘em.”
“I
thought about it, but I didn’t want to involve local law.” A good enough
excuse, and one she thought would appeal to him more than that she’d been
having too much fun making them suffer. “So what did you learn about our prey
in the bar?”
“Prey?”
He chuckled and shook his head. The brim of his hat shielded his gaze, but the
wide smile he wore did nothing to detract from the aura of danger clinging to
him like a second skin. “I like the way you think. Gregor’s no better than an
animal, like Kitty told us. But we might have a problem here. There’s no local
law in Morrow. Only McKenzie law. Gregor and Butch are brothers, and Butch practically
owns the town. He has three dozen or more wranglers working for him on his
spread.”