Authors: Marie Harte
Hell,
her sisters were even now scouring the Territories for Bartel, sacrificing
their own happiness, their lives if need be, to fulfill Estefina’s last wish. All
because they’d played when they should have seen to their duties—duties she now
avoided because of a man.
She
couldn’t take her eyes from Hinto, noticing that even at rest he looked hard,
on edge.
And
still, the affection grew.
Beast
made a sound behind her, breaking the spell.
On
a curse, she rose and spun on her heel to dunk her head under the water
trickling from the cave wall. Yanking her braid apart and making it hurt, she
forced herself to refocus. No more thoughts of pleasure with Hinto. No more
tender musings, and she’d forget she ever heard him mention marriage in context
with her. Then again, for all she knew he’d imagined she was someone else, a
woman from his past, perhaps. Maybe even DeeDee.
The
thought depressed her and she swore, annoyed all over again.
“I
can’t find Pilar soon enough to suit me. Just five minutes with the woman, Goddess.
That’s all I ask. Then you should do with me as you will. But please, grant me
some peace. Give me leave to depart from this man.”
Before I do something
I’ll regret. Before it’s too late.
***
Pilar
grinned as she, Deke and Brian rode from the train with over a thousand in gold.
This was their best take of the month, and it made her uneasy. She wouldn’t
have figured Bartel to be this sloppy. Then again, under her direction, the
Flower Gang had vastly improved their efficiency.
Hit hard, move fast, exit
with stealth. Always follow the plan.
Deke
and she would hold up the gold car while Brian set the charges and convinced
the conductor to stop the train. He’d normally blow up a tree or something to
grab the trainmen’s attention and slow down the rails. But this time they’d
blown the main safe. Sure, they’d sacrificed a few paper bonds and promissory
notes, but the gold nuggets ran free.
They
rode north out of Little Valley with plans to stop and celebrate. Using one of
their stash points, they buried all but a hundred gold nuggets a piece, enough
to grab a decent hotel and a bath, at least. But from the look in Deke’s eyes,
Pilar didn’t think her man could wait until they returned to town to celebrate.
Oh hell, Brian looked just as eager to play.
Contemplating
another three-way dimmed some of her excitement, but Pilar dismounted and
joined her lovers anyway.
Until
company arrived in the form of a tall, dark and dangerous man. He stepped out
of the shadows as if he’d been waiting for them.
“Damn.
Gregor McKenzie, as I live an’ breathe.” Brian stared in shock, and then he grinned
and held out a hand.
Deke
hung back, alongside Pilar. “Brian?” Deke growled.
“Oh,
right. Sorry.” Brian turned. “Deke, Pilar, this here’s Gregor McKenzie. His
brother Butch runs the town of Morrow, just a few days west of here.”
“Butch
and I run Morrow together.” Gregor frowned, and Pilar made a mental note. No
love lost between the McKenzies, apparently.
His
gaze met hers, and he smiled. “Brian Sampson. Been a while, eh?” Gregor hooked
his thumbs in his trousers and rocked on his feet. A good ol’ boy, except his
predatory eyes never stopped combing their camp, taking in every detail. “So
you’re the Flower Gang. Hear tell you’ve been hitting the railroads pretty
hard.”
“Oh?”
Pilar asked quietly, studying his reactions. She could tell a lot about a man
from the way he responded to feminine strength. Most men shied from it. Some
ignored it, choosing instead to put her down as nothing more than a whore for
her “brazen ways.” Very few—Deke and Brian—had looked beyond her exterior to
the core of power she held deep inside.
Something
about Gregor told her he wouldn’t make the mistakes the more common men of the
Territories had.
“Ma’am.”
He tipped his hat toward her in respect. “Butch sends his regards. He dearly
wants to make your acquaintance. My brother loves a strong woman, and there
aren’t too many out here.”
Deke
tensed. “What the fuck you do you want, McKenzie? And who told you we’d be
coming this way?” He shot Brian a look.
“Not
me, Deke.” Brian shrugged. “Just friends with Gregor, is all.”
“I
followed you today. Watched you take on the train. Real impressive, I have to
admit.” He held up his hands in surrender when Deke withdrew his gun. “I don’t
want your gold, just a chance to talk. Like I said, Butch wants to meet you.”
He
directed his comment to Pilar. Interesting.
“Why?”
“Aside
from the fact that he’d give his left nut to have a pretty woman like you by
his side?” Gregor ignored Deke’s rising fury and put his hands down. “Your gang
has been hitting the railways hard. Enough that some of the line’s investors
are beginning to worry.”
“And
your brother cares, why? Is he one of these investors?” Pilar fingered the
spear she always carried.
“Not
my brother. Only thing he’s invested in is Morrow and the ranch. He has a
proposal for you. I’m here to extend the invitation, that’s all. Your choice to
accept or not.”
Pilar
wondered just what the hell a successful man like Butch McKenzie wanted with
her. “We’ll consider it and get back to you. Where can we find you?”
He
smiled, sly insincerity in his bright grin. “I’ll be heading home this evening.
Should you choose to visit, do so at your convenience. Butch wants to talk to
you, and it involves a lot more gold than you’re getting off the rails. And
from what I hear, the Flower Gang is making a killing. Think about it.” He
tipped his hat, nodded to Deke and Brian, and walked away into the night, as if
he owned the very ground over which he walked.
Once
the quiet enveloped them, Deke turned to Pilar. “What do you think, baby? I
dunno. Somethin’ about McKenzie I don’t like. He talks funny.”
“He’s
okay,” Brian said. “Educated out East with his brother before they came here. Likes
his sex rough, his cards dirty and his women pretty. Our kind of man.”
Deke
waited in silence.
“I
don’t trust him, but I’m intrigued,” Pilar said softly. “He showed little
emotion. His smiles lied, and he did not fear you or your gun. But being
compared to his brother bothered him.”
“Huh?”
Brian frowned.
“Yeah,
I saw that.” Deke nodded. “Brian, you say this Gregor is alright. But I don’t
want that asshole brother of his thinkin’ he can take what he wants. No matter
what Gregor said, McKenzie will want a piece of our action. And you, Pilar. He’ll
want you.”
She
snorted. “He can want all he likes. See how far that gets him.” She grabbed Deke
to her and kissed him hard, bruising his mouth. She let him go only when he’d
relaxed.
Deke
grinned. “That’s what I love about you, woman. All that sass and anger. So fuckin’
pretty, and damn smart, too.”
He
didn’t even pretend at subtlety and unfastened his breeches. His cock fell out,
stiff and proud.
Brian
came forward and did the same, eager to share in Pilar’s sudden good will.
Needing
to cement her hold over both men, Pilar stripped and sank onto her hands and
knees on the grass. They mounted her like animals. Deke shoved between her legs
not caring of her readiness. He bruised her as he pushed, and after several
thrusts she accepted the pain and her body eased around him. Brian shoved
between her lips, nearly gagging her. She glared at him as he stuffed her face
full of his cock.
He
stroked her cheeks but didn’t slow down. “God, I love this, Deke,” he moaned.
“Yeah,
my warrior knows how to handle her men. She owns us, right baby? We work for
you, and I damn well know it.” He tensed and shuddered, spilling inside her. But
he didn’t stop. He slowly began shafting her again, even as Brian filled her
mouth with bitter seed.
No
longer annoyed, Pilar accepted their frenzied need, yet one more token of her
power over the pair. Deke caressed her back as he shoved inside her, and
affection blossomed anew. He would never be able to take her first love’s
place, but in this world, in this place, Deke gave her most of what she needed.
Even Brian, to an extent, redeemed her value.
While
Deke sought a second release, Pilar wondered how to turn McKenzie’s interest in
her favor. The arrogant Gregor intrigued her. Intelligent, different, powerful.
A combination that could take a man far in the wilds of the Territories.
Or
even in the wilds of the Amazon.
The
matter of Bartel, or whatever his name really was, never quite left her
thoughts. With any luck, he’d soon notice how much gold he was missing from his
mines in Four Corners and send a scout to learn more. Just thinking about taking
her revenge on him excited her, and she accepted Deke plowing into her with more
than tolerance, but with a greedy thrill.
That’s
right, lover, give me everything you have. Because I’m going to take and take
until
I’m
satisfied.
As he stiffened inside her and
groaned, she wondered if this would be the time her womb bore fruit. Pilar pictured
herself holding a small infant in her arms, one with bright green eyes and dark
hair.
The
image tarnished the hope she struggled to keep in place, bringing with it a
sadness that would never fade. Deke withdrew from her body and took her in his
arms. He stood and hugged her tight. Brian warmed her back, and little by
little her small “protectorate” salved the wounds that would never heal.
“We’ll
have it all Pil. Just you wait and see,” Deke murmured.
She
would wait and see. But this time she wouldn’t depend on the Goddess for help. Pilar
would make her destiny her own way, on her own terms.
Chapter Eleven
“Dammit.
We should have been long gone days ago. I can’t believe you sat us in that cave
for three whole days. Do you have any idea how close they probably are?” Hinto
growled, not surprised when Thais refused to answer him.
She’d
been quiet as a mouse since he’d wakened yesterday with a fierce need to piss. His
bruises had mostly healed on his face. Amazing stuff, that
nucca
paste. He
couldn’t wait to get home and plant those precious seeds for his father.
He
just wished his “nurse” was a bit more forthcoming about her reasons for
sitting for so damned long. And hearing her talk again might be nice. Thais refused
to speak more than one-word sentences. He had a bad feeling she’d leave him if
she didn’t feel so beholden to him for taking a bullet to help her.
Was
she upset that he’d proven so weak? That he’d let them both get caught in the
first place? Why did she seem so distant?
“Hey,
Amazon. I’m talking to you.” His leg hurt when he shifted in the saddle, and he
stifled a curse.
She
saw his wince and angled closer. “Your leg bothers you?”
Anymore,
only his injuries concerned her. Aggravated that all the headway he’d made with
her before being shot had vanished, he told her the truth. “Hell, yeah, it
hurts. I was fucking shot trying to save your stubborn ass, and you won’t give
me more than a yes or no.” His gruffness seemed to amuse her. “What’s so damned
funny?”
Her
lips curled, and his anger drained into a pool of desire that was never far
from the surface when dealing with Thais.
“I
kept you in the cave for three days because you talked to people who weren’t
there. I could not risk you dying, not after you’d saved ‘my stubborn ass.’”
He
frowned. “What are you talking about?” He couldn’t be sure, but it looked like
Thais blushed. Fascinating.
“You,
ah, called out for someone named Wolf.”
“My
brother?”
“Then
you talked about Mahpee…and Dana.”
“My
brother? Mahpee’s wife?” Baffled, he had no idea why he’d mention Dana. Mahpee’s
wife had died years ago, shot by the same assholes who’d shot his father. “What
did I say?”
“Not
much. You just seemed to see many people who were not there. You mumbled a
lot.”
He
had the notion she wasn’t telling the whole truth, but it didn’t much matter.
“Yeah,
well, I’m better now. You said Butch’s men passed by yesterday, right? Then
we’ll need to double back around and head north.”
“Why
north?”
“I’m
taking us to Shine. I want to give my father the seeds and recruit some help. We’re
not going to be able to take care of Gregor with Butch breathing down our
necks.”
He
expected her to argue. He knew how much she wanted to find Gregor, to track
down Pilar and Bartel. She surprised him when she nodded.
“We
should regroup. How far is it to Shine?”
“It’s
in Big Sky Territory. Another two weeks.”
“Two
weeks? That’s a lot of time.”