Captive Bride (19 page)

Alan was so focused on his thoughts he didn’t register footsteps behind him until a man grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back and slammed him face-first into the wall. A hard hand gripped the back of his neck. Alan kicked out and his foot connected with a leg. The grip on his neck loosened and he snapped his head back, hoping to connect with his opponent’s face.

A burlap sack came down over his head. He smelled dirt and old potatoes and felt the rough jute against his face. That was when he realized there was more than one attacker. They dragged him between them, his feet stumbling. From the stink and the feeling of walls close on either side, he guessed they’d taken him into an alley. He fought against the hands 172

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holding his arms, lashing out with his feet. One of the men cuffed him in the side of the head with something hard enough to make stars burst in the darkness.

“Enough, boyo.” A thick brogue colored the rough voice. Alan smelled ale and onions on the man’s breath. “We’re not aiming to kill ya, just deliver a message. A rich Chink hired us to look for one of his whores. She was last seen on your street and now word is you’ve got some Chink gal sewin’ dresses.” Alan forced himself to breathe, fight back his mounting panic. The silent giant who held him while the other man talked was as solid as a rock. Struggling against him was futile. “You heard wrong. I have a Mexican woman sewing for me. I hired her several weeks ago. You can tell your boss that.”

“Maybe so, maybe not. But if it’s his property you’ve got, you’d best give her up quick. This is only a warning. Shite will rain down if we find out ya got the girl.”

Before Alan could make more denials, the heavy object struck his skull again and everything went black.

He woke with his cheek pressed against dirt and the smell of garbage in his nostrils. The burlap bag had been removed from his head. His coat, deposit bag and pistol had been taken. He rolled to a sitting position, head whirling, and touched his fingers to his temple.

They came away smeared with blood.

He cursed himself for leaving the main thoroughfare before going to the bank. He should’ve made this detour on his way home. Huiann was in danger. These men were looking for her and suspected she was at the store. If these thugs had forcefully Bonnie Dee

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entered and searched for her while he was unconscious, there would have been only Jeremy to stop them.

Alan climbed to his feet, bracing his hand against the wall. Taking a kerchief from his pocket, he pressed it against the wound on his head. He considered going to the police and reporting the attack, but if Xie was as powerful as Dong Li claimed, the police might very well return his “property” to him. The best thing he could do was stay close to Huiann and be more vigilant about her safety.

Alan hurried home and entered by the back door.

Huiann was making lunch in the kitchen. The sight of her bent over the stove settled the flock of crows fluttering madly inside him. She was safe—for now, but he must find someplace better to hide her. He’d grown too smug and secure during these past weeks and had nearly begun to think of Xie Fuhua as a child’s bogeyman. But the devil was a very real and present danger to Huiann still.

Huiann gasped at the sight of Alan’s bloody face and rushed across the room to his side. She guided him to a chair, dampened a clean cloth and began swabbing the wound. When he jerked, she grabbed hold of his chin and held him steady while she continued to gently sponge the cut. “What happen?”

“I was robbed. Money stolen.” He didn’t want to frighten her with the suggestion that Xie’s men were looking for her, but on the other hand, she’d be more careful if she knew they were. In the end, he decided to keep quiet about it for now.

She clicked her tongue and muttered something then stepped back and examined his temple with a frown. “I sew.”

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“Stitches? No. I’ll just bandage it.”

“I sew,” she said firmly.

She went to get a needle and thread and placed them in a bowl. The kettle was steaming on the stove and she poured boiling water over them, washed her hands and rinsed his wound again.

He began to rise as she started toward him with the needle. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Yes. Sit.” Huiann pushed him back into the chair then held his head steady, her brow furrowed in concentration.

The needle pierced his flesh. He gritted his teeth but held still. Even though it hurt like hell, she was damned adorable fussing over him like this.

When she’d finished, she cut the thread with a pair of scissors, patted the wound once more and stepped back. “Better.”

“No bandage?”

She shook her head. “No bandage. Need air.”

“All right. I guess you’re the doctor.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. Even in the midst of inflicting pain she’d aroused his lust. “Don’t I get a reward for being a good patient?”

“I don’t understand.” She delivered the all-purpose phrase he’d taught her.

“Reward. A kiss.”

The grooves in her cheeks flashed as her lips turned up. “Yes, you need a kiss.” And she bent her head to give him one.

He loved the firmness of her body filling his arms and the warmth of her mouth against his. Huiann cradled his face in her hands, her palms soft against his jaw. A rush of emotion filled him. Was it love? All he Bonnie Dee

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knew was that he wanted to protect her and couldn’t imagine life without her. If that was love, he was deeply in it.

Huiann pulled away with a little sigh. “I make lunch now. You go to lie down.”

“I should tell Jeremy what’s happened,” he said as she rose from his lap. “I’ll be back soon.” In the store, Jeremy was in the midst of serving a line of customers. Alan helped him get through the rush before explaining why his face was banged up.

“Have you noticed a couple of men in here recently, both big fellows, one with an Irish accent?”

“I’m not sure. Did you get a look at them?” Alan shook his head and held on to the counter until his dizziness passed. “Keep an eye out. If any big Irishmen come into the store, let me know right away.

Also keep an eye out on the street.”

“Yes, sir.” Jeremy nodded briskly. “Did you tell the police?”

“I don’t know what they can do with no more description than that. The money’s gone.”

“We’d better take the deposit together from now on.

The streets are getting dangerous when something like that can happen in broad daylight.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Alan agreed, but his thoughts were on finding a way to overcome the kingpin of Chinatown. Even if he moved Huiann to the country she might not be out of his reach. Only if Xie was arrested and jailed would she truly be safe from him.

“Did Miss Dodge buy a dress?” Alan changed the subject to divert Jeremy’s worry from the robbery.

The clerk grinned. “Not yet. She says she’ll just have to come back and browse some more.” 176

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“You could keep her wavering between dimity and organza from now until Christmas.”

“She told me she’ll save me a dance at the opera house benefit. I’m really in love this time, Mr.

Sommers.”

“Good luck.”
But be cautious.
“I’m going to leave you in charge the rest of the day. I think I need to lie down.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

By the time Alan climbed upstairs to his bedroom where Huiann was pulling back the covers, his legs were trembling and his head spinning. She helped him sit on the edge of the bed then knelt and took off his boots. Her efficient hands removed his trousers, shirt and socks and swung his legs onto the bed as if he were an invalid. He felt as if he were outside of himself, watching the pair of them together—a petite woman with fine features and long black hair, a brown-haired man a little too thin for his height. They would look wrong to an outsider. What kind of a future could they have together?

From his disconnected feeling, Alan guessed the blow to his head might have been more serious than he thought. He allowed Huiann to push him back onto the bed and pull the covers over him. She sat beside him and stroked her hand over his hair.

“Shh. Close eyes,” she ordered, but when he obeyed the room spun so he opened them again and focused on her eyes. They grounded him like anchors.

“Hurt?” she asked.

“A little.”

She sat, silently gazing at him for several moments, then began to sing. It was a strange, foreign lullaby as Bonnie Dee

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different from the familiar tunes of his childhood as a peacock was from a mourning dove. He listened to the rise and fall of her voice and thought how far she’d come to be here by his side. How resilient she’d been to suffer everything she’d been through yet remain brave and cheerful. She seemed to be managing much better than he to put her past behind her.

When the last quavering note died away, she said,

“My mother song.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Song is of—” she put her forefinger and thumb an inch apart and made a high-pitched chirping sound,

“—small bug.”

“A cricket?”

“Crick-et. Cricket sing—all is good in house.” She ground her palms together in a crushing motion. “Kill cricket. Good go away.”

“Don’t kill crickets or you’ll bring bad luck.”

“Yes.” She smiled and rose. “Now you sleep. Later eat.”

He grabbed her hand. “Stay. Lie with me for a while.”

Huiann stretched out beside him, wrapping an arm around his body. He sighed and curled his arm around her. If it weren’t for the terrible ache in his head, this would be a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

“Why don’t I take you someplace tomorrow—a picnic in the country? Would you like that?” She ruffled her fingers through his chest hair. “I don’t understand. No talk. Sleep.”

“I’m going to take you someplace and show you there’s more to America than this city.” He would show her the house in the country and, as soon as he 178

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closed the deal, he’d move her there. A safe place where no one could find or harm her.

But in the meantime, he would keep handy his service pistol, which had been in the bottom of his trunk since he moved here. It was a heavy Colt that made the flimsy derringer look like a child’s toy.

Chapter Fourteen

Huiann was excited at the prospect of a day away from the house. She packed their lunch while she waited for Alan to bring a wagon from the nearby livery stable.

At first she hadn’t understood where they were going today, but finally realized it was an outing simply to take a break from their daily routine. She wondered if they would fly kites such as she and her brother and sisters had enjoyed on family excursions back home.

Dora leaned against the counter with a cup of coffee in her hands. “You have a good time. I’ll finish Mrs. Henderson’s dress and start the next one. I’d rather be here than at home. Ralph’s out of work again and hittin’ the bottle hard.” Huiann felt guilty at the sad look in her friend’s eyes, but not enough to invite Dora along. This time was for her and Alan to be alone. She patted Dora’s arm. “Thank you for sew dress.” The other woman smiled. “That’s why I’m here.” The kitchen door opened and Alan entered along with a gust of fresh air. He wore a dark gray hat—a Stetson, Dora had called it—and a long black coat that made him seem even taller than normal. His cheeks were flushed from the cold and his eyes bright. Purple and red bruises marred one side of his face, and the stitches at his temple were white against them. Huiann had never imagined her sewing skills would be used to sew a man’s flesh together.

“Are you ready?”

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“Yes.” She put on her coat and the broad-brimmed hat Dora had given her, tying the ribbons underneath her chin to keep it on in the stiff breeze.

They bid Dora goodbye and another pang of guilt shot through Huiann as she stood in the doorway waving them off. The woman had been a good friend to her, the nearest thing she had to a sister in this foreign land. Dora had been sympathetic about her relationship with Alan, for which Huiann was grateful.

But Dora would continue to be unhappy as long as she stayed with Ralph, and Huiann couldn’t change her fate for her.

Fate weaves a tapestry, but it’s up to each man to
choose what color of thread he will be.

“Keep your face covered,” Alan warned as he ushered Huiann down the alley to the waiting horse and buggy. He helped her onto the seat and jumped up beside her.

She kept the brim of her hat pulled low over her face and pressed back against the seat, hidden by the hood of the buggy that rose over them. A shiver went through her that had nothing to do with the cutting wind. Inside Alan’s house it was easy to feel protected.

Out here she remembered that Xie Fuhua was not the kind of man who would take the loss of a possession easily. He had probably not forgotten her.

Alan snapped the reins on the horse’s back and they rolled forward, merging into traffic. He leaned toward Huiann and murmured, “Don’t be afraid.” She looked into his blue eyes, brighter than ever in the sunlight, and her fears faded. Luck was on their side. They would be careful, cautious, and all would be well.

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In front of them, the horse’s glossy chestnut back gleamed. The metal-strapped wagon wheels clattered against the street. The sound of their wheels and those of all the other vehicles was deafening. Huiann didn’t look around but remained hidden in the shadow of the buggy hood until they drove out of the city’s bustle.

As they headed southwest, she smelled the briny scent of the ocean growing stronger. They weren’t going to the seashore today, however. Alan had drawn a map to show her where the city stood on a peninsula between the ocean and the bay. He drew a misshapen oval and told her it was Lake Merced. He had brought fishing poles and Huiann was excited about using them.

She used to fish in Lake Taihu with Bolin when she was younger. Those times spent with him had been very special.

When Bolin had renounced her father’s textile manufacturing business to join the navy, Father had roared and Mother had wept, and Huiann had only seen her brother once since then, when he came home for a visit. She thought of his black eyes, his teasing grin, his wild ways, and her chest tightened. Likely she would never see him again.