[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

have to be taken.
“Simon, no!” she begged and rushed over to him. He caught her with
one arm and kept his gun pointed. Delight cupped his cheek and turned his
face until his angry blue eyes met hers. “Don’t, baby, I love you. Please don’t
die for me right now. If you do, we might as well go over this ridge together
because I can’t live without you.”
Simon shook his head. “Delight, don’t ask . . .”
She raised her lips to his ear and whispered, “He won’t touch me. I won’t
let him. I’ll be waiting for you to come get me. Live to fight for me another
day.”
He swallowed and nodded before she stepped away and began the walk
to William’s side. The leering man, the downturned face of Johnny, and the
blatant lustful leering was almost too much for her to deal with. But she held
her head high, and when she got close enough, William grabbed her and
pulled her to his side. She could smell his choking aftershave mixed with the
stink of his sweat.
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Simon pointed at Johnny. “You cowardly bastard, you better do
something to save her. If not, I’ll haunt you to your grave. Do you
understand, you lily-livered son of a bitch?”
She looked at Johnny, who visibly turned white, and then his words
registered. What does he mean haunt . . . Delight realized that Simon thought he
was going to die, and William’s next words confirmed it as he began to drag
her away.
“Kill him.”
“No, you promised!” she screamed and began to struggle with all her
might.
She saw Jace raise his gun with a grin of relish on his face. Everything
seemed to happen in slow motion. Simon reached for his gun at the same
time she broke free and ran at Jace. She grabbed at his hand and shoved him
just as he fired, and Simon did as well. His bullet went wide, but Jace’s hit its
mark. She saw Simon fall back as he was hit, and the widening of his eyes
with surprise before knowing took its place. He gave her a look, one filled
with love as he staggered backward. His heels kicked up the dry dirt at the
edge of the ridge as he fell over and was gone from her sight. She knew she
heard screaming. The sound was an agonizing one that was filled with grief
and fear. Delight wanted to close her ears to the sound, but vaguely
understood it was coming from her. Someone slapped her hard enough that
her face stung, and after two more and some violent struggling, she finally
stopped. She was numb as they helped her onto the horse, and she sat there
seeing, yet not really, as they started to move.
“Should we check for a body?” she heard someone ask.
A nasty laugh came to her ears from William. “No, the river probably
washed his carcass downstream, heading for the Rio Grande. He’ll be food
for fish before too long.”
Delight said nothing as they moved. The grief in her body was wrapped
around her heart, like a fist squeezing, until she wished the painful ache
would kill her. Simon was dead. All her dreams were gone. There was
nothing, except a burning vengeance searing in the pit of her like a stone that
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was not being quenched by her tears. She would kill William for all he took
from her, even if it meant her death. She would see him in hell.
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Chapter Eight
“I can’t believe you brought her here and gave her a room,” Mari
screeched, and a glass hit a wall and shattered.
Delight heard it as she sat on the edge of the bed in a room that was only
meant for high-class whoring. She reached out and touched one of the tassels
hanging from the lamp shade and grimaced. The decor was filled with rich
velvets and lacy curtains of red and purples. She assumed this was what
women liked when they lived the kind of lives where they had to act fancy.
But no matter how many which ways you looked at it, it was a den of
prostitutes. Now she was supposed to be the cherished possession of
William. The thought made her gag as she felt revulsion fill her. She listened
to the voices outside to see what else would happen. Obviously this was the
mistress of William, and she was none too happy she was there.
“Now remember your place, sweetheart, or maybe I need to give you a
lesson on who owns this place again.” William’s voice was saccharine sweet, [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]