Angel Gone Bad (20 page)

R
une hated being apart from Angel while he mucked out stalls, curried horses, and set out feed. He worried about her, but he trusted her to hold her own. After they'd separated, he'd been taken to another part of the basement. He was watched at all times, so he'd had no chance to explore. It looked like Crawdaddy had an elaborate system of checks and balances. No telling what he was getting away with down in his secret underground.

Without his guns, Rune felt naked. Hammer had confiscated his Colt .45 and hung it over Rune's saddle horn near his sheathed rifle. But Hammer hadn't checked for concealed weapons. Rune still had his knife strapped to his ankle. Hand to hand, he figured he could take about anybody.

As he worked, he tried to figure out a way to search for Tate. If Crawdaddy had the deputy stowed some place, it'd be down here. Except for the noise he and the horses were making, the place was quiet. That gave him an idea. He couldn't holler out Tate's name and see if he got an answer. That'd get him a bullet quicker than a heartbeat. But maybe he could whistle a popular tune while he worked and see if somebody down here heard him.

He tried the tune of “The Ballad of Lady Gone Bad.”

The outlaw watching him chuckled. “I'd give a lot to spend a night with Lady.”

“Most men would give about anything.”

“All-fired right.”

The first song hadn't worked, so Rune tried to think of something that might cue a Deputy U.S. Marshal that help was here. He remembered a song that gave a nod of appreciation to the AHTA. A lawman might have heard and remembered it.

He tried a few notes of that ballad.

“Hey, I don't know that one,” the outlaw complained. “Whistle another of Lady's songs.”

“I'm trying to remember one.” He tried a few more bars from the AHTA song.

While the outlaw was grumbling about it, he heard a faint response. Somebody completed the melody. He quickly made a lot of noise, tossing hay and whistling off tune.

“If you can't whistle better than that, shut up. You're hurtin' my ears.”

“Sorry. Can't seem to get it right.” He tried the same notes again. And when he heard the faint response, he covered it up by dropping a bucket of oats on the outlaw's foot.

“Balderdash!” The outlaw struck out with a fist.

Rune took the punch in his mouth, tasted blood, and went down. He hoped it'd been enough of a distraction that the outlaw hadn't noticed the earlier response.

“Get up and get back to work. Didn't hurt you none. Damn creepy place echoes, creaks, groans till you'd think ghosts were living down here.”

“No harm done. I was clumsy.” Rune got to his feet, hardly able to believe his luck, but he didn't dare chance it again. He had a direction for a lawman squirreled away behind a door down the hall.

“You gonna be at this all day, or are you done?”

“Done.”

“Good. I've got a little filly waitin' for me.” The outlaw pointed down the hall. “That way. I'm takin' you to yours.”

As Rune walked down the hall, dragging his feet, he hummed the AHTA tune under his breath. He hoped to get some type of response.

“Hurry it up. We ain't got all day,” the outlaw complained.

Rune counted closed doors as he passed them. One, two, three. At the fourth door, the metal cover over the slot in the door clanged up and down several times.

“Ghosts?” Rune asked, masking his excitement. If he wasn't mistaken, Tate or some other lawman was alive behind that door.

“Move it!”

Rune picked up his pace, mapping the underground in his mind so he could find his way back later. He passed several more closed doors.

“Turn here.”

He followed the instructions, hoping he didn't have to go much farther away from the lawman.

“Stop.”

Rune halted outside a door that looked like any other.

The outlaw pulled a set of keys off his belt, selected one, and unlocked the door. “After dark, somebody will come get you.”

“Hope we'll get supper.”

“Most like you'll get nasty French cousin stuff.”

“Cuisine?”

“Like I said. When I'm chowing down on a big steak, so rare it oozes red, I'll laugh about you eatin' surprise meat in slimy gravy.”

“Save me a bite?”

“Not hardly.” The outlaw jerked open the door. “Get in there.”

Rune stepped into the room, and the door was slammed and locked behind him. Safe, for the moment.

“Rune?” Angel called, sitting up in a rumpled bed, sorrel hair wild around her face, wearing something that was like wearing nothing at all, and holding a derringer pointed at his chest.

“Yep.” He smiled, couldn't help it. She was always ready to take on all comers no matter her situation.

“Are you all right?”

“Fine.” He walked over to her. “Good news. I think I've found your man.”

“Is Tate okay? How does he look?” She tucked her derringer back under a pillow.

“I didn't see him. I can't swear it's him, but I think so. And he knows somebody is here to help him.”

“That's wonderful. I want to rush out and rescue him.”

“So do I. But we're prisoners, too. We've got to be patient.”

“I know.”

“While we wait to get out of here, I want to get cleaned up. I smell like horse.”

“You can remedy that in our big bathtub.”

“Is that thing for real?” He quickly covered the distance to get a closer look. “Somebody sure has time for long baths.”

Angel got out of bed and padded on bare feet over to him.

One glance and he forgot everything except her. “Don't get out of bed on my account. That's the best place for you looking like that.”

She pulled the wrap more closely about her body, but it only served to emphasize the rosy tips of her breasts and the dark triangle at the apex of her thighs. She reached out a hand to him.

“Don't touch me or you'll get dirty. I'm sweaty, nasty, and reek to high heaven.”

She licked her lips. “And that's supposed to discourage me?”

He chuckled. “I'm getting a bath in that all mighty big tub, then you can have your way with me.” He glanced at the light coming in through the narrow window. “We've got till dark. Ought to be about long enough.”

She clasped his hand and squeezed. “I'm so glad you found Tate. I'm so glad to see you. I didn't know if I ever would again.”

“I'm harder to get rid of than that.”

“If anybody ought to know, it's me.”

He nodded in agreement, squeezing her hand. He didn't say the words, but he thought how good it was to see her and know she was okay, too. Bone deep, that feeling ran. It was starting to look like she was never getting rid of him. He just needed to find a way to make it look like it was her idea.

“Come on. Show me how to use this contraption of a tub.”

“D
on't you want to take a nap? We need our wits about us tonight.” Angel watched Rune from the bed. “And what are you doing refilling the tub?”

Rune rubbed his clean-shaven face, and then ran a hand across his damp, tousled hair. “Think I'm going to pass up a chance to make total use of this Viking longboat? Doubt I'll ever get another chance like this in my lifetime.”

“You already had a bath.”

He grinned, raising his eyebrows. “Come here.”

“Rune, you're being silly.”

“After everything we've been through, why not?” He stepped into the tub, giving her a tantalizing view of his tight ass, and sat down. “Pour in some more of those rose-scented bath salts, will you? I'm starting to like the smell, particularly pleasant after
eau de equine
.”

She couldn't keep from chuckling as she put on her wrapper, for all the good it did, and walked over. She picked up the jar and poured about a cup over his toes. “How's that?”

“Might as well empty it.”

“How can you be so frivolous? We're in a serious situation.” She dumped the rest of the fragrant salts into the quickly rising water.

“All the more reason to make hay while the sun shines.” He patted the top of the tub. “Now, wench, get in here.”

“Wench?”

“You look like one, or maybe that's wishful thinking.”

“Don't you believe I deserve a little more respect than that?”

“Get in the tub and I'll show you plenty of respect.”

“Oh, that kind of respect.” She let her wrapper slide down her arms to the floor, kicked it aside, stepped up on the marble dais, and cocked a hip. “Is this the wench you had in mind?”

“None other.” He looked her up and down. “You sure know how to bring a guy to attention.”

She glanced down the length of him. “Looks like you're ready to fly the flag.”

“Let's make it a Viking one.”

She stepped up, over, and stood between his legs. She had a fine view of the merchandise, and she was definitely buying.

“You going to stand there all day, or are you waiting for me to turn berserker?”

“What is a berserker?”

He put his Thor's Hammer in his mouth and gnawed on it while lasciviously eyeing her breasts.

“What are you doing?”

“You're driving me into a frenzy.”

She laughed, knelt between his knees, and pulled the Hammer out of his mouth. “I've got something better for you to nibble on.”

“You sure do.”

He pulled her close, stroked each taut nipple with his tongue, and then kissed her lips, biting, nibbling, and licking from one corner of her mouth to the other. When she moaned deep in her throat, he thrust inside while massaging her butt with both hands, strong fingers circling ever closer to the heart of her while he pumped up between her legs with his rigid prick.

Angel writhed against his hot, hard body, feeling the water imprison them in a soft, scented cocoon as she struggled toward that perfect place of completion. She shivered, caught between fire and ice, truth and lies, past and future. She grasped the present when his fingers slipped into her hot, wet cleft, thumbed her bud, and sent her spiraling into ecstasy.

She groaned, feeling so shattered by his touch that she grasped his shoulders tightly as she flew away into a million pieces.

“You ready to be ravaged?” he asked, voice low, taut, rough.

“I thought I had been.”

“That was the first course.” He turned off the taps.

He lifted her out of the water, set her gently back with her head resting against the tub, and knelt between her legs.

She stroked his smooth cheek, gazed into his sky blue eyes, and felt love fill her heart. He'd brought her so far. He'd taught her so much. He'd protected her so completely. He was the love of her life.

If he abandoned her again, her heart would collapse. But she'd learned how to be strong enough to survive a broken heart. If he had to leave her, she wouldn't cling, she wouldn't strike out, she wouldn't crumble. She would count her blessings for the time she'd had with him, and wish him well.

She felt tears well up in her eyes and spill over her lower lids.

“You don't want to be ravished?” He reached up and gently brushed her tears away.

“Oh, yes, please ravish me.” She pulled his head down and placed a tender kiss against his warm lips.

“I want to take a chance.” His hands delved under the water and parted her legs. “Not a chance. I intend . . . I want to make a baby with you.”

She gasped in surprise.

“I don't want to ever let you go. I was a fool before. I want us to be a family. Create a family.”

“Are you saying that you love me?” She could hardly believe her ears.

“Yes. Forever.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips.

Reality crashed down on her, ruining all her hopes and dreams. “But you're an outlaw wanted by the law!”

He sat back on his heels. “There's a lot I've wanted to tell you. I hope you'll believe me now.”

“Is it bad?” She reached out and stroked his face. “I hope it's not. I don't think I could bear it.”

“When you first met me, I was working undercover as a detective for the Anti–Horse Thief Association.”

She stared at him in shock, thrilled that he was a lawman, not an outlaw. Now she understood why he knew the AHTA secret hand sign and so much else.

“I was after the Badger Gang. I bought those horses with you to gain entry into the outlaw world.”

“Oh, no.” She covered her mouth with her fingers in horror.

“Right. You ruined my plans, no matter your intent.”

“I'm so sorry, really sorry.”

“I know that now.”

“But why did you escape with the V Gang?”

“I figured it was my best chance to catch the Badger leader, complete my job for the AHTA, and clear my name.”

“And now?”

“I was right. We're about to meet Crawdaddy.” He brushed her lower lip, crimson and swollen from his kisses, with his thumb. “And you helped me get this far.”

“I'll help you to the end.”

He stroked down her face and tilted up her chin. “We're within hours of reaching our goals.” He kissed her, softly and sweetly. “I need you.”

“I love you. I believe in you. We'll win.” She grasped his shoulders and pulled him close. “Give me a baby.”

She felt him raise her hips, thrust into her, and pump until she screamed his name, feeling all the shattered pieces come together as she was made whole by lust, by love, by life.