Wilde, Jennifer (38 page)

"Let
me—won't you just let me catch my breath?"

"There'll
be time for that when we reach camp. Reckon it'll take Rawlins a while to track
us down. Couple hours, at least. It'll be good and dark by then."

"Why—why
are you doing this?"

"I
got me a score to settle."

"How
can you just—"

Brennan
slapped me across the face with such force that I fell to the ground. He stood
over me with his hands resting lightly on his thighs, his face expressionless.
His vivid blue shirt billowed slightly as a small breeze blew across the
stream. The full sleeves fluttered, the silky material flapping. I sobbed,
shaking my head. I had never been so frightened in my life.

"I
don't like women," he drawled, "particularly women who jabber. If you
know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut. Dead bait's as good as
live. If it wasn't for disappointin' my brother, you'd be dead already. Billy's
got a weakness for women. He's gonna be glad to see you."

He
pulled me to my feet and, keeping hold of my wrist, strode on into the woods. I
stumbled along beside him, swerving to avoid tree trunks and thorny branches.
Shadows thickened all around. Sunlight was fading quickly now. The woods seemed
to be filling with dark blue-gray mist, brown tree trunks, and dark green
leaves losing color, merging into black. Perhaps fifteen minutes passed,
perhaps more, and then I saw orange flames flickering up ahead, through the
maze of trees. Three or four minutes later Jim Brennan dragged me into a small
clearing. Heavy tree limbs met overhead, making a leafy ceiling through which
it was impossible to see the sky.

It
was dark now, but the fire cast a wavering light. The man standing beside it
was blond and sturdily built, not as tall as his brother, not much taller than
I, but muscular. He looked as though he would have the strength of a young
bull, the hump of his nose giving him a belligerent, pugnacious appearance. He
wore black boots and black breeches identical to his brother's, but the
loose-fitting, silky shirt was bright crimson.

"What
the
hell?"
he exclaimed.

"I
thought you'd be pleased, Billy Boy."

"Where'd
she
come from?"

"You
know when we were standing on that bluff this morning and you said you thought
you seen some mules moving down the trail? Well, I figured if there was someone
traveling they'd probably stop for the night at that waterfall. Sure enough,
they did."

Billy
stared at us angrily. He seemed uneasy, even jumpy. Whereas his brother was
unlikely to display any emotion, Billy Brennan was obviously volatile,
explosive. Fists clenched, jaw thrust forward, shoulders hunched, he seemed
about to charge and snort.

"Where's
the man? She sure as hell wuzn't travelin' alone."

"He
was out shootin' turkeys. I reckon he'll be payin' us a call before too
long."

Billy
moved closer, peering at me. He might have a weakness for women, but he was
none too happy to see me. That much was clear.

"Christ,
Jim! You don't mean—a woman looks like this, she can only be travelin' with
Jeff
Rawlins.
You snatched her from his camp! He'll come back and find
her gone and—Jesus Christ!"

"What's
the matter, Billy Boy? You ain't scared, are you?"

"That
Rawlins—"

"I
got a score to settle with him. So do you."

Billy
was even more upset, his cheeks ashen. "He's dangerous, Jim! There ain't a
tougher man in the whole territory. I just wanna steer clear of him. We tangled
with him once, and once was enough. That time we jumped him on the Trace—he put
a bullet through your shoulder, busted my jaw, damn near broke my neck!"

"All
the more reason we should set up a little trap for him. There are practical
reasons, too. We need them mules of his. We got one horse between us, and we
ain't gonna get nowhere that way. Relax, Billy Boy. I got it all figured out.
He'll come looking for us, and he'll find us, and we'll be ready for him."

"What
about
her?"

"I
more or less brung her along as a present for you, brother. I thought you'd be
a bit more enthusiastic. After we get rid of Rawlins, you can amuse yourself
with her. Hell, you can even keep her if you want to. Then when you get tired
of her, we can sell her to one of them whorehouses, just like Rawlins was
planning to do."

Billy
examined me with belligerent blue eyes, scowling as he did so. He began to warm
to the idea. Lifting his lips at one corner, Jim Brennan shoved me toward his
brother. Billy caught hold of my arms, gripping them tightly, studying me as he
might study a horse he was thinking of buying. Some of his anger vanished,
replaced by lust. He crushed me to him, slinging one arm around the back of my
neck, the other around my waist. He attacked my lips like a madman, forcing
them open, thrusting his tongue into my mouth, all the while holding me so
tightly I thought my bones would crack. I tried to struggle. It was futile. His
arms merely tightened, his mouth working even more furiously over mine.

"Easy,
Billy Boy.
Easy.
Save it for later, after we've killed Rawlins."

Billy
Brennan lifted his head and loosened his grip on me, still holding me against
his chest. He was breathing heavily, a virile young bull eager to stud. His
brother, amused by the lusty exhibition, gave a dry laugh.

"You
do like the women, Billy Boy. Ain't never seen nothing like it. Save it,
fellow. After Rawlins is dead you can go at all night long, and if I know you,
you will."

"She's
a dandy, Jim. A real dandy. What's her name?"

"Wouldn't
know."

"What's
your name, wench?" Billy growled.

I
tried
to speak. I couldn't. My throat was dry. My lips were sore. I was so terrified
I could only shake my head. Billy caught hold of my hair and jerked my head
back.

"When
I ask a question, I wanna answer!"

"I
reckon she's stunned, Billy Boy. Hell, man, you went after her like a pack of
starving wolves. Her name ain't important. What's important is she's Rawlins's
property, and Rawlins is gonna be looking for her. Knowing him, it ain't gonna
take him all night to find us."

Billy
looked nervous again. His forehead was moist. He released me and stepped back,
his eyes filled with uncertainty.

"I
still don't think this is such a good idea, Jim. That Rawlins is one mean
bastard. So he comes lookin' for us and we hear him comin'? What's to stop her
from yellin' at him, warnin' him to watch out?"

The
older Brennan sighed and gave his head a little shake. "You're my brother,
Billy, and you got lots of brawn, but when it comes to brains—" He shook
his head again. "We'll tie her up, gag her. There's some rope looped
around the saddle horn and a couple of rags in the pack. Get 'em."

Billy
strode across the clearing, past the fire. I noticed the horse for the first
time, tethered to a tree in the shadows, the saddle still in place. I saw the
blond take down the rope and open the pack. His brother stood with his arms
crossed over his chest, looking both weary and bored. Billy returned. He was
perhaps twenty-five years old. While his brother possessed a cool native
shrewdness, Billy was plainly both slow and dense. He was the kind of man who
blasted his way through life with blazing temper and flying fists, leaving the
thinking to someone else. Each man was dangerous in his own way. Together, they
were deadly.

"You
want me to tie her up, Jim?"

Jim
Brennan sighed. "If it ain't too much trouble, Billy Boy."

His
sarcasm was wasted on Billy. He seized my arm and dragged me over toward the
trees. I was still stunned, and I knew it would be foolish to struggle. My
knees were weak. I felt faint. This was a nightmare, a terrible nightmare that
surely must end. I told myself that, over and over again, willing myself to
hold on. Billy wrenched my arms behind me and crossed my wrists, binding them
so tightly I could feel the rope cutting into my flesh. He jerked and tugged,
securing the knots, and I winced, gnawing my lower lip to keep from crying out
at the pain. When the job was done to his satisfaction, he caught hold of my
shoulder and whirled me around.

"There,"
he said gruffly. "You ain't gonna get loose uv that."

"You—you're
not going to get away with this," I whispered. "Jeff will come. He'll
kill you both."

"Shut
up!"

"He'll
know it's a trap. He'll—"

"My
brother knows what he's doin'!"

"He'll
never fall for it. He's too—"

He
jammed a wad of cloth into my mouth, cutting me short, causing me to gag. He
was angry again, his blue eyes flashing savagely as he tied the other rag
around my mouth, knotting it in back. Then, scowling darkly, he spread his palm
over my face and pushed hard. I tumbled over backwards, falling against a tree
trunk. My head seemed to explode, and then I was whirling through a black void,
spinning dizzily into oblivion.

I
don't know how long I was out. When I finally opened my eyes, it was to see the
Brennan brothers sitting before a fire that was little more than a heap of
glowing orange coals. Jim perched on a log, and Billy sat on a large rock
nearby, gripping his knees tensely. Their faces were shadowed, Billy's blond
hair gleaming in the semidarkness. I could see the horse behind Billy moving
restlessly. Beyond the circle of light from the dying fire there were layers of
darkness. The forest seemed to close about the clearing ominously, trees
pressing nearer.

"When's
he gonna
get
here?" Billy exclaimed.

"Should
be soon now," his brother replied. "It's been dark for nigh on two
hours now. He's gonna be real careful, and he's not gonna do anything impulsive
because of the woman. Keep your britches on, Billy. When he gets here we'll
know it."

"What
if he shoots first?"

"Rawlins
don't play it that way. He'll step right into the clearing. He'd be afraid to
do anything before he sees the woman's all right. Don't worry."

"You
gonna—"

"Soon
as he steps through them trees, I'm gonna lift this here pistol and blow his
head off."

"Man
'ud be a fool to just come marchin' into—"

"I
told you, Billy, I got it all figured out. We ain't gonna hear him, see? We're
gonna be sitting here real casual like, like we're not expecting him at all,
and he'll think he's taking
us
by surprise."

"I
still don't like it!"

"Shut
up, Billy," his brother said patiently. "Just think about the woman.
Think what you're gonna do to her after Rawlins gets his."

My
head was throbbing viciously. The rope was biting into my wrists. I desperately
needed to swallow, but I was afraid to, afraid I would strangle on the wad of
cloth Billy had crammed into my mouth. When I had fallen against the tree, I
had slumped on down to the ground, and I was leaning against the tree now, my
legs spread out in front of me. Jeff would come. He would be here any minute
now, and he would do exactly as Brennan predicted. He would see them sitting
there, and he would step into the clearing with his rifle raised, thinking he
was taking them by surprise. Then Jim would raise his pistol, quickly, before
Jeff could see what was happening. That was why they had let the fire die down,
so he wouldn't spy Jim's hand gripping the pistol at his side.

Several
minutes passed. An owl hooted in the night. A frog croaked. Leaves crackled as
a breeze stirred through the trees. Jim sat as still as a statue, waiting.
Billy shifted about nervously. He was obviously terrified of Jeff. Jeff must
have given him a terrible beating, and that wouldn't have been easy to do.
Billy was stocky and strong. It would take an incredibly adept fighter to get
the better of him. There was a side to Jeff I had never seen. It was hard to
believe that the raffish charmer could be the same man who made Billy Brennan
tremble, the man who had risked his life to rescue Lita from the Indians. Now
he was going to step right into the trap Brennan had set for him, and I was
responsible. I couldn't let it happen. There had to be some way I could prevent
it, some way I could warn him.

I
tensed. There was something behind me. I could sense a presence, feel it
strongly, even though there hadn't been a sound. Someone was there, just behind
the tree. I could hear breathing now, soft, so soft, and the faint sound of a
body inching nearer. Fingers touched my own, and his whisper was so low I had
to strain mightily to catch the words.

"I'm
going to cut you free. Don't make a move. Keep looking straight in front of
you. When I've cut the rope, keep your arms in back of you and keep
still—"

My
heart started to pound. It pounded so loudly I felt sure the Brennans could
hear it beating against my chest. Neither of them so much as glanced at me.
They thought I was still unconscious. I could feel the cold metal sides of the
knife rubbing against my wrists as he sawed at the ropes with the razor-sharp
blade. I could feel the rope giving as strand after strand was severed. He cut
swiftly, silently. A moment later the ropes fell away. It was all I could do to
keep from flexing my wrists and rubbing them, but I dared not make a single
movement that might draw their attention.