Broken Road (14 page)

   “
You aren’t good enough to stay for. You may have money and good looks, but you think that will make any girl in her right mind stay?
You are as cold as the winters that freeze this land. Your road is too broken for anyone to travel on. You are destined to die alone, Winthrop, just like your father,
” Lisa had said in the cool tone of her’s before she had ran away with his cousin and what he had thought at the time, his heart.

   Clenching his fist and gritting his teeth he let his anger drain from him, there was no point in being baited by the truth. It had burned him in his very soul to hear that dark fear of his said by one he had cared for yet it had to be said sometime. At least he knew it now.

   There was nothing he could give her besides a place to stay and a fun time or two before even she would leave, finding something new to take up her time.

    Just thinking about the past left a bitter taste in Winthrop’s mouth and he didn’t like it at all. He slowly got to his feet and took the child from Devil’s arms. Devil fussed and frowned as she was searching for the baby in her sleep. Winthrop put the baby to bed and then took her mother up stairs in his arms and laid her in her own bed. Going against everything that had driven him for the whole of his life since he was thirteen, he kissed her forehead gently and left the room closing the wood door behind him. It was going to be one hell of a morning.

…

Devil woke on the floor of her room late the next morning with the urge to spend all day there, but sadly enough it wasn’t meant to be. A
ruffled and tired Royal came in
to her room and promptly dumped her on to the floor with a firm tug of her blanket.

   “You still do not wake easy,” he said with a raised brow.

   Devil glared up at her father with an open eye. “You could let me sleep. I’ve had one hellofa month ya know.”

   Grimly Royal nodded. “I do know, but you need to be up and quick. Some of the men caught another man on the ranch last night and they got him to spilt some information before he croaked.”

   Devil was on her feet in a flash, pulling on some sweats that belonged to Winthrop. “What did he have to say?”

   Royal’s eyes glinted with steel. “Nothing good. But at least we know what the moves are going to be on you and why.”

   She crossed her arms and frowned. “Mind sharing the dish, Da?”

   “Your other father was in deep with the German Underground, he was a high-roller in getting the connections here in the U.S. He was wanted by more people then you can imagine, but when he turned to us in Russia we made a mistake. That is why he started to run; it was so no one could find him. He made a deal on his family to keep him safe.”

   Devil felt all the blood drain from her face.

   “You are the comp price for your father’s life, however since he is no longer alive, you inherit his debt. The leader of the G.U. is so hidden even we are not sure who he is and that makes it more dangerous then you can imagine.” Royal clasped his hands to her shoulders and gave her a small shake. “You know what this means don’t you?”

    Devil turned into herself and thought about what Royal had just told her. Did she know what that meant? Yes, she knew only to well. If she wasn’t careful she would end up like her sister and maybe, just maybe something worse. She had to protect herself and Lilla as much as she could; the child was the most important thing at the moment.

   Not only that, but since a man found the ranch it meant they would have to hunker down for now and if things got too bad they would have to relocate.

   Devil looked in her father's cool eyes and stared back with an aloof glance. “I know. It shouldn’t surprise me. That fitly man must have made a plan to take all of us down with him after he died. I’m glad I got the chance to shoot his sorry ass. But there are two things he didn’t count on. I have the Mafia and secret agents from the government on my side,” she said with a dark grin. “Oh but he is so going to turn over in his grave.”

   “Secret government agents?” Royal asked with a raised brow.

    Devil snorted in mock disgust. “You know as well as I do by now that the men on this ranch used to be government agents with, shall we say
special
talents.”

    Bowing his head in acknowledgment Royal smiled. “You always did have a way of ending up in the wrong place with the right people.”

    Devil nodded and started to plan. Last night was only the beginning, more would come and they needed to be ready. But first she needed to find something dangerous to distracter her.

   Thinking for a moment, her mouth cured into an evil grin as she knew what would do the trick. And this plan had two parts…

…

Lilla giggled as Winthrop tickled her tiny toes and laughed right along with her. It had been awhile since he was able to play with the baby girl and it did his heart good.

    Lilla waved a little fist up at him and squeaked. She wiggled till he let her foot go and kissed her forehead.

    It was then that he realized just how much he was going to miss the pink ball of mush when Devil took her when she left.

    Red came running to in the house in that instant yelling, “Boss! Boss, where are you!”

   Winthrop was on his feet with a baby in his arms in seconds, coming to his ranch hand. “What’s all this about,” he asked in a hard tone.

   Red turned around the face to boss and squeaked at the look of anger there. “S-she…s-she’s-”

   “She, who? Doing what?” Winthrop snapped. Why was he so worried at the moment?

    Red swallowed and tried again. “She’s out there! With the wild horses that came in last week. Kip tried to stop her, but he couldn’t. She’s in deep Boss! Ya better hurry.”

   Red found himself yet again with an armful of baby and the Boss banging out of the house before Red had even finished. Red looked at the baby girl who stared back at him with wide blue eyes and thumb in her mouth. When she smiled he couldn’t help but smile back.

   “Your mama’s in for it now isn’t she?” he asked the kid. Lilla just giggled and smiled wider at him.

From the moment his mud encrusted boot touched the bottom stair of the porch he was running towards the stables and corral where he could hear the screams of a wild mustang.

   His breath came in short as a million ideas of thing
s
that could go wrong went through his head and as he rounded the corner of the stable he stopped dead in his tracks.  There sitting atop the very black devil horse he had been thinking to shoot was the Devil herself. With every buck and twist she laughed breathlessly and her hair whipped around her as if she were a tornado. She was so beautiful in that moment his mind went blink and all thoughts vanished from his mind.

   Well all but the thought,
My god how she moves
.

   He would have groaned those very words if he had had the voice to do it.

   The horse whipped her around and around in a merriment of crazy fun and she laughed aloud when she was tossed into the air on the horse’s back. It was true; there was nothing that could compare to this.

   Well nothing like the real ride she had shown him, and there wouldn’t
be
a next one if he didn’t get her off that damn horse!

   Devil felt so free just being tossed around. It was as if there was nothing else in the world at that moment and with everything that had happen to her in the last few months she deserved a moment of freedom.

    So she flew.

   The horse was wild, its bucking became harder and Winthrop knew in that moment there was something wrong with the horse. He watched frozen in place as events he had predicted came to past.

   Devil twisted the wrong way with the horse
’
s buck and she knew she was dust. The horse reared forward throwing her over the beast’s head to stare into its crazed eyes. A shiver ran down her spine as she saw the look in those black eyes. Then the beast reared onto its back legs sending Devil off the animal’s head to hit its back hard and land on the ground next to its back feet.

   Winthrop had already vaulted over the fence and was running at the wild beast. It was rearing again and it planned on stomping his little Devil into the dust. She wouldn’t last against the horse he knew well. Even he had been afraid to ride the horse.

   The sharp hooves were coming at her she knew so even out of breath she rolled. The back hoof missed her head by inches. She stared at the black leg in front of her eyes and prepared to roll again, but she didn’t move fast enough. It caught her on the shoulder and pinned her to the ground.

   He did the first thing that came to mind when he reached the horse and that was to drag the damn beast as far away from her as he could. When Royal’s men took the horse away Winthrop went to Devil and made her lay down when she tried to get up. He checked her over finding nothing broke he let his anger take over him. He got up hauling her over his shoulder and heading for the house.

   Devil spluttered as she tried to get her hair out of her mouth so she could yell at the him who had hauled her over his should like a bag of grain. “You stupid idiot, let me down!” She screamed as the
y
reached the porch.

   He simply hopped once so her head hit his lower back and she screamed again, “Let me go!”

   He ignored her and upon crossing the door
’
s threshold he glared at Red. “Watch the kid.” When Red nodded, wide-eyed and open mouthed he watch the Boss take the little lady up stairs hanging over his shoulder.

   Red looked at the baby who giggled watchi
ng them go up the ancient stair
case, and then look at him.

   He grinned suddenly and laughed till his sides hurt. “Oh man, the Boss has it good.” He tapped the baby’s nose. “Your mama’s in for it. Now let’s go find your grandpa.”

…

Thrashing like a wild cat Devil clawed Winthrop’s back, hit him as hard as she could and kicked before he locked an arm over her knees to stop her.

   “What in the hell do you think you’re doi
ng!” Devil hissed up at him through
her hair.

    “I’m taking you up stairs to ravish you
unti
l you learn your lesson,” Winthrop said through his teeth, “I’ve had enough.”

   Devil froze with pure bewilderment. “You’re
what!
”

   “You heard me,” he growled.

   “You’re freaking out of your mind if you think for a moment that I’m letting you do any such thing!” More furious at the clod of a man then frantic she kicked up her inflection of pain on his back and anywhere she could reach. “I will not go!” she raged and grabbed onto the banister of the stair and the rail on the wall.

    Winthrop gave a hard tug till her arms felt like they would be ripped off.

   “You’ll go where I take you,” he growled.

   The sweat on her hand made them slip and with a final pull he headed up the stairs again.

   “I’ll make you pay for this Winthrop, you’ll pay,” she hissed at him.

   “I don’t doubt it,” he murmured and she tried to kick him again, he tightened his grip. He continued on his way.

   “I’ll get you for this,” Devil warned, “there is a reason my father named me Devil. I’ll make your life a living hell! I’ll-I’ll-!” Devil shrieked as she felt herself fly threw the air and the land on a mattress with a
whoomph!
She scrambled up onto her knees and pushed her black hair away from her face. She was glaring so hard she expected him to burst into flames. “You
fucking
idiot!” She puffed up, “What the hell do you think your doing?”

   “Doing just what you told me, but the idiot part was a bit harsh,” Winthrop said as he striped off his jacket and shirt. He glanced at her on the bed and felt all the blood leave his brain, heading south. She was tumbled, furious and completely sexy. He suddenly had a hard time breathing.

   “You stop that right now,” she shouted as he reached for the button on his jeans. Her fingers were shaking. “You can’t just ‘ravish’ me and think I’m going to let you!”

   “Watch me,” he drawled and unbuttoned his pants.

   “You button those right back up Mr. Cowboy. This isn’t going to happen.” Devil crossed her arms not feeling even a little bit childish about it.

   Watching her out the corner of his eyes he pulled off his boots tossing them by the door he had lock and set to pushing down his pants slowly.

   Devil swallowed, dry throat, as she watched him slowly roll down his pants past the huge bulge in them. She was finding it rather hot in the room and rather hard to be angry.