Authors: Marie Harte
“So
he’ll protect Gregor?”
“That’s
a safe bet. I’d also wager word about what you did will get back to him, since
the Nolans work for McKenzie. If we don’t move soon, we’re going to have a
helluva time skirting trouble in this town.”
More
trouble. Just what they didn’t need.
Chapter Seven
“Thais,
did you hear what I said?”
The
damned woman had her head in the clouds, staring off in the distance. He’d
wanted to tear Cedric apart with his bare hands after hearing he’d tried to
harm Thais. Worry for her had overcome his good sense. But hell, Hinto didn’t
know how to deal with a woman who could fight as well as a man and looked like…that.
He
couldn’t help studying her profile. Slender yet tough, she projected an air of strength
most would accept at face value. But Hinto had held her, had tasted her and
stroked that dewy soft skin. He knew the vulnerability she didn’t want him to
see. That the vixen liked how he made her feel.
He
hadn’t been the only one aching to climax during their recent embrace. He’d
felt every hitch of her breath, every squirm and shudder she made as she writhed
in his arms, wanting to get closer. Only her sheer determination to get Gregor
had saved her.
This
time.
The
rational part of him was glad of it. He’d been close to taking her in the
damned woods on Beast’s back. And he wanted nothing more than to savor the
experience, to fuck her in a soft bed and revel in her passionate cries, to
feel each and every sting from those fingernails scoring his back as he drove
into her time and time again…
“What?”
she asked. “I said I heard you. Do you have a hearing problem? Why are you
looking at me like that?”
He
wanted to kiss her. He wanted to strangle her. Quite the dilemma.
“We
need to plan before we rush in and shoot Gregor.”
“I’m
not going to shoot him.”
He
frowned. “You need a gun.”
“No.
I have exactly what I need right here.” She patted her hip, where her trusty
blade sat in a sheath attached to her belt.
“What?
You going to throw it at him and pray it hits before thirty McKenzie men shoot
you?”
“No.
I’m going to challenge him to a fight.”
He
stared at her, not having heard right. “What?”
“The
Goddess never condones murder. A challenge, however, is an honorable way to
serve Kitty’s needs. Once he’s dead, all that is in his possession will rightly
belong to me.”
“Unbelievable.”
Beast
huffed in agreement.
“Honey,
you try to challenge Gregor and you know what’ll happen? He’ll agree, cheat,
and drag you back to his homestead, where any number of men will beat and
torture you to hell and back. That what you want?”
“Of
course not.” The irritating woman glared at him, those green eyes as bright as
the vibrant grass surrounding them. “I won’t blindly walk into a trap. I will—”
“Enough
‘I.’ Try ‘we.’”
She
gritted her teeth, and he found some satisfaction in knowing he could aggravate
her as much as she tried his patience.
“Fine.
We
can lure him into a trap, where I will then challenge him.”
“No.
I’ll kill him.”
Then I’m going to kill Cedric for putting his hands on you. He’s
a fucking dead man walking.
Thais
said something he didn’t understand in that lilting accent of hers. “You know
what? I no longer care. You want to shoot him? Fine. But his gun is mine.”
“Right,
so you can give it to Kitty. Then she’ll tell you all about Aaron Bartel and
the woman with the flower painted on her cheek.”
Thais
tensed and urged her mount to move.
Beast
quivered under his body, eager to follow the pretty little mare constantly looking
over her shoulder at him. Another randy male ruled by his glands.
At
least Thais had acknowledged his right to protect her, though she didn’t seem
to understand his motives. How could she, when he didn’t?
Still,
Hinto had never knowingly put a woman in danger, and he wouldn’t start now.
“This
woman with the flower. What’s her name?” He didn’t think she’d answer when she
spoke.
“Pilar.”
“She
friends with Bartel?”
“She
was once.”
Silence
except for the birds, the wind, and Beast’s occasional grunt.
“Lemme
guess. Bartel and Pilar wronged you. You’re looking for revenge.”
She
stopped and faced him. “Not revenge. Justice. Revenge serves no one, not now.”
Ah,
damn. That sadness returned to her eyes. The same expression she sometimes wore
when she turned quiet.
Hinto
didn’t say any more, but he wondered what she’d do when she found her justice. He’d
been looking for five years for the thieving bastards who’d burned down their
house and almost killed his father. Because of the lack of justice in the
Territories, his father now had the lung sickness, and they’d had to rebuild
everything in Shine.
At
least he still had family. At home with his father, his younger brother, Wolf, broke
in horses while Mahpee helped their father farm and worked the occasional vore.
Right about now they’d be helping the neighbors gather and preserve the crops
for the coming winter. And once again, he wasn’t there to help.
“Where’s
your family?” he blurted, more than curious about this woman he couldn’t figure
out.
Thais
glanced at him, then looked straight ahead as they plodded closer to McKenzie
land. “My mother is dead.”
A
wealth of buried emotion there, and no mention of her father.
“Mine
died years ago, like I told you. My dad and brothers are home at the ranch,” Hinto
volunteered.
“Why
aren’t you with them? Do all Territory men stray from their families?”
Territory
men. Was that how she saw him? As just one of the many men living out West? “I
don’t know about all men. But I work bounties to help pay for things at home.”
Her
visible interest encouraged him to reveal more.
“My
father’s sick. He hasn’t been the same since… In a long time. The gold from my
bounties is going to pay for a trip across the Divide”
“Why?”
She stared at him with wide eyes.
“Because
my father isn’t getting better. Rumor has it some of the medical machines still
work in the East. Dad needs to go or he’ll die.”
She
frowned. “Have you no medicines here to heal him?”
“Nothing
has helped. The bullet that tore through his right lung left room for
infection, and it weakened him. A lot.” He gripped the reins hard.
After
a moment, Thais spoke. “A bullet pierced his lung. Not an accident?” she
ventured.
“No.”
“Ah,
then it is also justice you seek?”
“Yeah,
you could say that.”
Thais
nodded. “I understand.”
Hinto
heard the truth and nodded. “I think you do.”
Some
time later, they stopped in a cluster of trees at the base of a sloping hill. Above
them on a plane cresting the valley sat the McKenzie ranch, where several men
trained horses, herded cattle and sheep, and worked to tame wild dogs. Five bunk
houses surrounded the main house and stable. Situated high, the ranch had a
clear position to defend itself. Despite the groupings of wood line surrounding
the small valley, to reach the house, one would have to ride across flat grass,
so an ambush in plain sight would never be an option.
Two
rivers crossed behind the spread, making McKenzie a wealthy man just for the water
rights alone. But the amount of livestock and horses around the place made
protecting his wealth a necessity.
Using
the spyglass his father had given him years ago, Hinto counted as many bodies
as he could.
“Thirty-two
men.”
“That’s
all?”
“That’s
enough.” He grimaced, knowing they had to grab Gregor well away from here.
“We
need to lure Gregor into the open.”
“Yeah.
I said that before.”
She
scowled. “What do we know about him?”
“He’s
scum. He likes to fight, and he likes to fuck,” he said bluntly, hoping for a
rise out of her.
Instead,
she nodded. “Good. Then I’ll dress as a whore and lure him to where you’ll be
waiting. Then I—or you—can take care of him.”
“Hell
no.” His mouth dried at thoughts of Thais wearing anything DeeDee might prance
around in. “Honey, you act like you’re not that fond of sex. How in the hell do
you think you’re going to feel letting a shit like Gregor feel you up?”
“I
won’t actually service him.” She gave him a disgusted huff. “I’ll simply wear
the clothing to divide him from his friends. When we’re in private, we can—”
“What
if he doesn’t want privacy? What if he likes an audience? What if he pushes a
chain?”
“I
don’t understand.”
Hinto
smiled, but there was no joy in teaching her about the darker side of sex. “Some
men like to be watched. Others like violence, to cause pain. From what I’ve
heard, he likes both. The more depraved, the better. A chain, Thais, is when
man after man lines up to shove inside a woman. A chain of willing dicks to
fill her up.”
She
licked her lips. “Oh.” A pregnant pause. “Then you’ll have to make sure he
doesn’t want to share.”
“How
the hell will I do that?” Angered she was still considering using herself as
bait, Hinto had to force himself to calm down. He had no claim to this woman, no
rights, as she’d said before. And to be fair, she’d lived without him for… “How
old are you, anyway?”
She
blinked at the change in subject. “Ah, I have lived to see twenty-two years.”
“And
in those twenty-two years, you’ve learned how to fight, how to best men?” he
asked, stroking the bruise below his eye.
“Yes.”
Hinto
forced himself to consider the plan. Were it not for Thais’ involvement, it had
merit. A whore could distract Gregor. They’d have to work him just right, but
Hinto could find a way to put Gregor’s companions out of commission for as long
as they’d need to take care of him.
“You
see, don’t you? Gregor is a man with a man’s weaknesses. I say this not to
insult you, but to make you think.”
“I
get it,” he mumbled, wishing she didn’t make sense.
“I’m
not like the women you know, Hinto. I’ve been raised since birth to be a
warrior. I can handle a knife, a spear, a bow. I can fight hand to hand. Probably
better than most men.”
She
didn’t sound boastful, but confident.
“Tell
you what. Let’s scope the place. Come up with a plan. You show me you can do
what you say, and I’ll consider your idea. Not,” he emphasized to forestall her
comment, “because I don’t believe you can’t take me down. But Thais, the risk
here, it’s not right. No woman should ever learn intimacy through a man like
Gregor. And we both know you haven’t been touched yet.” Not nearly enough.
She
flushed but didn’t argue the point. “Fine. Make this plan. Then tonight, I’ll
show you what you don’t seem to understand. I’m not like Tilda and Daisy. I’m
not a Territory woman.”
“No,
you’re an Amazon,” he said softly. “Now shut up and keep watch.”
He
chuckled at the glare she shot him and actually considered using the violent
female’s plan.
Several
hours later he’d changed his mind. While they’d kept an eye on the McKenzie
ranch, he and Thais had witnessed several instances of abuse. Wranglers beating
a horse, each other, and one surprising instance of rough sex in the middle of
the damned corral that had made Hinto cringe with revulsion. He’d described a
“chain” to Thais, never imagining she’d see one. A half dozen of McKenzie’s
ranch hands had taken their turns on one of the whores, messing her in an ugly
fashion. Blood and sex. Not a nice combination. Though the whore had seemed to
like it well enough, the wrongness of it all put a bad taste in his mouth.
He
knew the scene had unnerved Thais, but she had refused to look away. While he
respected her inner strength, he couldn’t help feeling as if her innocence had
taken a stiff beating. But far be it from Thais to admit to any discomfort.
Now,
as they made camp several miles from Morrow, she continued to argue her point. “Gregor
won’t have an opportunity to harm me. Watch as I demonstrate the Wushu.”
“The
what?”
“What
Chow Yen taught us, in addition to the skills I learned at home.”
He
had no idea what she was talking about, but if it helped her deal with that
scene at the ranch, he’d agree to just about anything.
“Now
stand here. Yes, pretend to attack me.”