Authors: Marie Harte
“I
was with them. We split up to better search Four Corners.”
“Oh.”
He nudged Beast to follow her mare when she moved ahead of him again. “So, ah,
when you find your prey, what then?”
“Then
I’ll kill them.”
“And
then what?”
She
couldn’t look that far ahead or she’d never succeed. Nothing else in her future
mattered except finding that crown and the enemies who stole it.
“One
step at a time. First I’ll find Pilar and Bartel. Then I’ll take back what was
stolen.”
“And
then what? Trust me, I know all about the need for vengeance. After my father
was shot and Dana was killed, all I wanted was to destroy those who’d taken
our lives away.”
Dana
was killed? “Why didn’t you?”
He
smiled, a self-deprecating expression that surprised her with its warmth. “Cooler
heads prevailed. My father wouldn’t let me. It took all of us to keep Mahpee in
check. Stubborn idiot almost killed himself in his grief.” The shadows in his
bright blue eyes made her forget her troubles, for just a moment. “Years later,
we’re still a family. Still working for a future where we can all find
happiness.”
“But
I’m taking you from your duty,” she argued, not wanting him to make the same
mistake she’d once made. “You should continue to find your bounties and make
what gold you need to help your father.”
“I’ve
been working so hard for so long, frankly, I can use this short time off to
recover. Besides, the seeds you gave me might help him.” He glanced away and
tightened his grip on the reins. “To be honest, there’s no certainty they’ll be
able to heal him out East.” He sighed, sounding frustrated. “That’s
if
we
make it alive across the Divide. And
if
I can get us enough gold to pay
for the trip. It’s going to take everything we have to find passage for Dad.”
“You
need gold. So why not simply take what you need from those who can afford it,
like so many others have done?” Not that she agreed with the notion, but she’d
heard of a few recent gangs stealing from the railroads. They worked between
towns where no law ruled, so not much could be done to stop them.
“Trust
me, I thought about it,” he muttered and rubbed gently at his thigh. “But my
father would kill me. Hell, my mother would probably rise from the dead and
haunt my sorry ass.” His bleak humor eased some of her sadness.
“Ah,
a forbidding mother. I know that well.” She shook her head in remembrance. “On
that last night, my mother caught me trying to sneak away to be with my friends.
I thought she’d yell at me or force me to pay tribute with the others. No less
than I deserved. But she only reprimanded me for getting caught, then told me
to have fun.”
“Sounds
like my mom.”
“She
wanted to come with me. She didn’t like the Territory men. I had a bad feeling too,
but I left to get away from them.”
“So
you think if you and your friends were there you could have stopped the
ugliness from happening?”
Remembering
all the carnage, she didn’t think so.
Hinto
nodded. “Yeah, you’d probably be dead right alongside them all. Hey, look at it
this way. If you’d been there, you probably wouldn’t be here working to find
your enemies and whatever else they took from you. That’s what I tell myself. I
couldn’t stop what happened to my family, but I can help them now.”
The
wisdom in his words reminded her, oddly enough, of Chow Yen.
“Thais?”
He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her cheek. “You okay?”
“Yes.”
At this moment, she was. She continued to glance at him as they rode, baffled,
intrigued, and strangely comforted.
***
Gregor
kept an eye on the Flower Gang, still laughing over his discovery. Brian
Sampson. That asshole had a piece of his brother’s version of a wet dream. Too
funny. Not that Brian was a bad guy. He liked whoring and gambling as much as
the next man. But he didn’t move a muscle unless his dickhead brother told him
to.
Not
like Gregor. Gregor helped Butch when Butch
asked
, not ordered. He’d
never kowtow to that freak, and Butch knew it. Someday, when he’d lulled Butch
into trusting him enough to tell him where he’d buried Momma’s treasure, he’d
shoot the motherfucker in the face. Not the back of the head, but right between
his eyes.
Bad
enough Butch had spent his life kissing Momma’s ass. But what he’d done, to see
a McKenzie in a place like that… Not much sickened Gregor, but Butch had done
the unthinkable.
It
still shamed Gregor to think about what he’d seen. Just one time, seared into
his brain for eternity.
Once
a month Butch would disappeared from the ranch for a day. No one knew where,
and everyone knew better than to ask. Since their parent’s death fifteen years
ago crossing the Divide, Butch McKenzie held control over the McKenzie fortune.
Cold,
deliberate, cruel. He ruled with an iron fist, and for a time Gregor had loved
him without reservation. Until he’d learned the truth.
Big
brother Butchie needed a firm hand. A very firm, very feminine hand. He needed
it so much he’d screamed, cried and begged to feel that hand beating his ass,
his cock, and his torso until he’d come all over the place. And then he’d
begged for it again.
Watching
the horrific scene had destroyed whatever respect Gregor had for Butch. In an
attempt to erase the truth, he’d killed the woman who thought she could control
a McKenzie. His efforts hadn’t done more than throw Butch into a rage. In that
respect, he was Edward McKenzie’s son.
Butch
had beaten the shit out of Gregor, so badly he’d almost died. Out of
embarrassment or anger, Butch had never said. Gregor had never spoken of what he’d
seen, and Butch pretended his near-death experience had never happened.
The
shock of his older brother’s weakness still made him ill. Shit, their father
probably turned over in his grave every time Butch asked for another beating. God
knew where he found his pleasure now. Gregor didn’t ask, didn’t want to know.
A
man wasn’t a man unless he could control a woman.
Good for nothing but
pussy, son, and don’t you forget it.
Hadn’t he heard his father say that,
time and time again? Granted, Daddy had always left Momma well enough alone. But
Momma’s poison had kept everyone but Butch out of her life. He’d never
understood why Daddy hadn’t upped and killed the bitch, but his father had
warned him to leave well enough alone. Secretly scared of her anyway, Gregor
had agreed without complaint.
Besides,
ignoring Patsy McKenzie had been easy. She hated everyone except her precious
Butch. Edward McKenzie left his older son to his wife but took Gregor under his
wing.
They’d
lived in a big house in the East. Gregor had watched his father tame the help. Edward
raped the maids, serving girls, whores and even refined ladies who thought too
much of themselves. He’d beat them into submission, and the utter rapture in
his expression when he found release had urged Gregor to seek the same.
Gregor
had learned everything worth knowing from his dearly missed father.
One
thing Daddy had done for Butch, he’d given him the balls to carry off his
charade. The ranch hands feared Butch, as did the townsfolk. Hell, everyone
thought Butch was a tough ass. Little did they know…
Gregor
understood Butch far better than Butch knew. His older brother wanted the
Flower Gang because a woman led them. Same reason he’d been so interested in
that slut who had knifed Freddy.
A
real man would have broken her in half after fucking the disrespect out of her.
But not Butch. Oh, he pretended to appreciate Gregor’s handle on women, even
liked to watch, or so he said. But he didn’t use the whores the way a real man
did. He let Gregor fuck them, then Butch killed them.
He’d
never appreciate Pilar the way a real man would. Hell, she was as tall as a
man, but those tits had been mouthwatering, even hidden behind that denim shirt.
He could imagine shoving between them, unloading all over her face, or maybe
gagging her on his cock. He’d take her over and over again until she begged for
mercy. Then he’d tie her up and make her fuck one of the maids. Maybe Celia.
Excited
about the prospect, he warned himself not to spoil it. He’d bring good news
back to Butch and try his damnedest to pretend his brother’s perversions didn’t
disgust him.
Don’t worry, Daddy. I won’t let Momma’s boy win. In the end,
only a real McKenzie will rule Morrow. And if my luck holds, maybe pretty
little Celia will be carrying before the year is out.
Chapter Twelve
Hinto
sat and massaged his leg. He watched Thais filet two silver long-tails with an
expertise that bespoke practice. She didn’t look up and hummed as she worked,
easily ignoring him as she’d done for the better part of the week.
His
face no longer pained him. The brief glimpse he’d caught of himself earlier in
the river showed the bruises almost gone. The injury to his leg was taking
longer to heal. Still, he could put weight on it without passing out, a vast
improvement in the six days since they’d left the cave.
He
frowned as she continued to concentrate on the task at hand. Had she been
annoyed or waspish when dealing with him, he would have enjoyed baiting her. But
after that last talk they’d had, when she’d confided in him, she now treated
him like a true friend. She smiled and spoke of the beauty of the mountains, of
the trees and their colorful leaves, of the goddamn
weather
. They
shelved discussions of a more personal nature. But anything having to do with
the Territories interested her.
At
least conversation filled the days. The nights just about killed him. When they
camped near a river, she’d excuse herself to bathe, reminding him all too
clearly of how she’d looked, streaming wet, the first time he’d seen her naked.
During the nights while he tossed and turned, unable to forget the feel and
taste of her, she slept like a newborn.
Wanting
to relieve his aching lust, he’d thought about seducing her. And then she’d
turn that innocent face toward him, pleasure for the simplest things making her
eyes sparkle like emeralds. To his surprise, he found that he wanted her happy
more than he wanted her sexually.
Which
made no fucking sense.
He
stifled a groan and stood.
“Hinto?”
Again, that trusting look in her eyes when she studied him.
“I’ll
be back,” he muttered and turned away. He limped to the small creek flowing
through the heavily wooded terrain.
What
the hell am I doing with Thais?
A
question he continued to ask himself as they drew closer to home.
He
needed to find a cure for his father. She needed to find justice.
Gregor’s
bounty would reward some of the time he’d spent helping her, but he could make
a helluva lot more if he headed south to bag Chatrell. The outlaw had made
powerful enemies of several wealthy farmers and ranch owners along the Temeco
border. But instead of following the promise of Chatrell’s rich reward, Hinto
struggled to heal from McKenzie’s attack. Butch and Gregor were more of a pain
in the ass than he would have thought possible.
His
eyes narrowed as he considered the possibility that Kitty had known about Butch
all along, and that’s why she’d really sent him to help Thais. Not to handle
Gregor, but to handle Butch while Thais did what she’d promised.
Annoyed
all over again, he took care of his needs and sought the water to clean up
before their evening meal. One thing his father had been keen on during their
growing years—cleanliness.
Though
dirt was a part of life when rearing wild horses, vores, and livestock, the
value of sanitation hadn’t been lost on Dan Dakota. Hinto’s father claimed that
it prevented disease and infection, and the local doctors agreed. Except for
his lung sickness, he’d spent a surprisingly healthy life in Shine.
Feeling
the need to be clean himself, Hinto tugged off his shirt. He shivered in the
breeze. The cold intensified the further north they headed. They’d need a bigger
fire tonight, and he planned to gather more wood after cleaning the day’s grime
from his body.
Easing
his boots off proved easier than removing his pants. After several moments he emerged
victorious but weakened. Limping into the creek, he eased onto his back and let
the shallow stream wash over his entire body. The cooling water soothed the
heat of his wound, and he untied the cloth protecting it.
Thais
had done a damned good job patching him up. Just one more reason to leave the
woman alone. He knew she didn’t want male companionship, not the way he wanted
her. If she really was an Amazon—and he’d come to believe that the case—she’d
never settle down with him anyway.
Not that I want her to
, he hastily
reminded himself. When she did have sex, it would be to procreate.
“Hell.”
He lifted his head to see the evidence of his desire pointing up at the sky. The
idea of planting a baby in Thais made him hard every time. And that led to
other fantasies…all of which would never happen, not as long as he
liked
the frustrating woman.