Dangerous (3 page)

He got up, marched over to his horse, and pulled off his bedroll. He came back to the fire and spread it out. “We’ll share.”

“No. We won’t.”

“Your husband wouldn’t approve?” he said with a mocking smile.

This had just gotten way more serious than she’d anticipated. She’d never considered the danger to herself, only the reward when she brought in her captive.

“Lay a hand on me and my husband will beat you until you’re talking out of the other side of your mouth.” She sat on the ground, facing him, watching his every move. “I don’t care where you sleep. I’m taking the bedroll.”

He stared off into the night, a wrinkled crease on his forehead, like he was deep in thought. Suddenly, he grabbed her hand and held it up to the firelight. She watched with trepidation as his lips curled in a smile. “I don’t think you’re married. There’s no ring. No shadow of a former ring. There’s no man waiting down the road for you. You’re alone.”

“Not for long. My sisters are on their way, and they’ll be bringing the law.”

“Well then, I’ll be sure to leave you tied up where they can find you.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I would.” He leaned back against his saddle, closed his eyes and pulled his hat low. “Good night, bounty hunter.”

“You bastard.”

He chuckled. “Such a nasty, sassy mouth. Makes me want to kiss it and make it sweeter.”

T
he sound of horses’ hooves pounding on the nearby road woke Beau. The sun was just beginning to peek over the eastern sky, chasing the shadows from the earth. Slowly, he got to his feet and edged the fifty yards closer to the road, peering into the gloom. Six riders of the Harris gang sat astride their horses, not far from where he stood.

He held his breath, hoping the woman he’d left back at camp would still be sleeping and would remain silent. He held his breath, hoping the coals from the fire had died enough no smoke was visible. He held his breath, knowing if they found him, they’d want answers about the bank robbery money.

“Give me a minute,” Jake said, leaning over his horse. “I’m feeling sick.”

Beau watched the gang member vomit in the road. The cruel group of men laughed at the longrider as he spewed his guts.

“He’s so drunk he couldn’t hit the ground with his hat in three tries,” William said with an ugly laugh. In the gloomy light of dawn, the leader’s eyes were dark and menacing in a way that sent tingles of warning up Beau’s spine. William was a cold-hearted killer who would shoot a man for very little cause. Just like Beau’s older brother had no remorse about killing innocents.

“I’m fine,” Jake slurred. “I’ll just hang onto my horse, and she’ll follow you guys wherever it is we’re going.”

They must have spent the night in town, drinking and gambling and whoring. A normal night’s activity for these ruffians. An exercise in depravity Beau had watched over the last few months.

“Not good enough. You’re slowing us down,” William said, as he spat on the ground. “You’re a drunk, Jake. You’re dangerous and you’re going to get one of us killed.”

The man frowned and stared at William like he wanted to argue the point. “We’re all drunk. I’m not the only one.”

“Yes, you are. Dan, are you drunk?”

“No way.”

“Tom, are you drunk?” William asked.

“Nope.”

That tingle crawling up Beau’s spine suddenly felt like a raging river of warning, and he shrank further behind the brush, praying Annabelle would keep quiet.

William turned to the man in the middle. “Grant, are you drunk?”

“No.”

“Jim, are you drunk?” he asked the man beside him.

“Not anymore.”

They all turned their attention back to Jake, and there was a dangerous undercurrent Beau could feel from twenty feet away.

“Every time we get ready to do a job, you get drunk, Jake.”

The man swiped his face with his hand as if to clear the alcohol from his brain. “No, I don’t. I just like to have a little whiskey the night before to get my courage up.”

William shook his head, his eyes darkened and his mouth curled in a snarl. “You don’t have a little whiskey. It takes a whole stinking bottle before you find any courage.”

The men laughed and Beau knew the boy was in trouble. He had to help him, but how? His mind churned furiously, wondering if he could distract the ruthless gang.

“One drink turns into two and soon the bottle is gone,” Jake said, clearly realizing the danger he was in. “I won’t do it anymore. I promise.”

“Your drunk ass slows us down, your hands shake, and you stink. I’ve had enough.” William whipped out his pistol and shot the man before he had a chance to respond.

Beau jumped inside his skin, too late to help the poor bastard. The blast of the gun echoed through the trees, the boom loud enough to send birds fluttering from their perches. If that hadn’t woken the girl, then she could sleep through a thundering herd of cattle.

Thank God, she hadn’t screamed.

Jake’s body hit the ground with a splat. His horse neighed nervously and sidestepped away from the dead man.

The outlaws stared at the man on the ground and then looked at their leader. No one said anything, knowing they’d be next if they protested. Beau had ridden with these men, and they were a ruthless bunch, but their leader was as cold-blooded as a rattler with a chill.

“Tom, pull his body off the trail and let’s get going. We need to find Beau and get our money. We’re not far behind him, so he can’t be much further. And if any of the rest of you feel the need to drink yourself silly the night before we ride, keep in mind what happened to Jake.”

Tom jumped down from his horse and pulled Jake’s body into the woods. Beau watched as the hold-up man stepped back into his stirrups. Then the group swiftly rode away, leaving the dead man.

Beau’s heart galloped like a racing horse as he watched the backs of the gang disappear over the hill. Eventually, they’d find him, and once they did, William would require answers to the question as to where he’d hidden the money. And if Beau was lucky, they’d let him live.

Quickly, he crossed the road and felt Jake’s pulse. Dead. Definitely dead.

With a sigh, he realized he couldn’t leave the girl behind. He couldn’t ride off and let her face the Harris gang tied up and helpless. Now he would be saddled with the responsibility of a mouthy woman, a wanted poster, locating the robbery money, and the need to reach Fort Worth.

*

Annabelle couldn’t feel her hands any longer. The sound of a gunshot had startled her out of a deep sleep. The first restful moment she’d had all night. The boom of the gun had frightened her, especially when she opened her eyes to a cold campfire and no Beau. After a long, anxious night, that no-good badman had gone off and left her alone, with her hands tied behind her back. Helpless.

And Annabelle hated the feeling of having no control.

A crunch of a twig alerted her that someone approached. Troubled, she jumped and rolled to a sitting position. Beau stepped into camp.

“Where the hell have you been? Did you hear that gunshot? Was that you? You go off and leave me tied up, alone without the benefit of a weapon?”

There was a coldness about his face that was disturbing this morning. His emerald gaze fell on her and his brows rose in a mocking glance.

“Good morning, Miss Mary Sunshine. How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice all fake cheery. “Was the hotel bedding up to your standards?”

If her hands hadn’t been tied, she would have shown him exactly how she was feeling, and it wasn’t pretty. Her hair was hanging down, her hands ached, and she’d slept very little. She missed her bed. “I can’t feel my hands. They’re numb.”

“Let me untie you. Then you go and do whatever it is women do first thing in the morning. As long as you’re nice. No tricks.”

She snorted as he stepped over to her and helped her to stand. Then he began untying the ropes that held her wrists. “Don’t go far. There were riders out on the road this morning.”

“My sisters?” she asked hopefully.

“No, the Harris gang,” he said quietly, his voice more serious than the moment before. “They’re some mean hombres.”

“How do you know them?” she asked.

He sighed, the sound heavy in the stillness of the dawn. “God, woman, you are full of questions. Just do what I say.”

The outlaw was certainly not a bright and early kind of guy. He was a grump of the worst sort this morning. But she wasn’t going to let that trouble her. She didn’t care what kind of mood he was in. She needed an explanation of how he knew the outlaws, and she wanted to go home. Preferably with him tied up and riding behind her.

“I want answers.”

“And I want gold. Hope you get what you want.”

Aargh
, he was the most infuriating man she’d ever met. Even more than that worthless man specimen she’d worked for as a waitress. Were all men a pain?

He finished untying the ropes. Needles tingled as the blood flowed slowly back into her wrists and her fingers. She moved her shoulders as she clenched and unclenched her hands. When she thought she had enough feeling back in them, she swung her fist at his head. He caught it in mid-air.

“What are you doing? I said no tricks. Do you want me to tie you back up?” he asked, his brow drawn together in a frown.

“Trying to pay you back for tying me up and then leaving me alone. You scared me and I don’t scare easily,” she said, stepping to within inches of him, staring into his gaze.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a curl. “Well, I didn’t think you wanted to go to the bushes with me, but next time I’ll be sure to take you. As for tying you up, I like sleeping without worrying that you’re going to hornswaggle me while I rest. Now, are you going to behave yourself and go do your business or do I need to go with you? I’d be happy to help.”

“Just let me go,” she said, knowing she sounded as dejected as she felt.

Annabelle was worn out. What had she been thinking to follow this outlaw out of town, instead of going home and telling her sisters they were missing a bounty? But oh no, she’d thought this would be so simple she’d be home before suppertime with the money to pay off the bank loan.

Now her sisters would be worried sick and furious when they learned the truth. And Annabelle would gladly sit at home and watch the chickens scratch in the dirt, where she belonged. Not sleeping out in the country, going hungry, and riding until the muscles in her buttocks screamed enough.

“Go do your business,” he said softly and gave her a little push on the back.

But most of all, she was scared of Beau Samuel. While he seemed a nice enough man, he was a criminal—a thief who’d robbed a bank and obviously had no wish to die of throat trouble by hanging from a tree.

She turned and glared at him. “Paws off, mister.”

“Then go do what you’re told.”

“No one tells me what to do,” she said defiantly. Right now, she just wanted to irritate him as much as she felt frustrated by her own silly mistake.

“We’re breaking camp in less than five minutes. You can either go to the bushes or you can hold it all day. I don’t care. Your choice.” He turned and started to pack his saddlebags.

She frowned, suddenly realizing he intended for her to go with him. Last night, he’d said he would leave her tied up where her sisters would find her. What had changed and why? “I’m not going with you.”

This morning he seemed tense, unlike yesterday. For a moment, he didn’t say anything but continued to roll up the bedroll. He kicked dirt over the fire and tried to erase signs of their camp. She watched him, studying his actions.

“You don’t want the Harris gang to find you?” she asked.

“You’ve got four minutes before I put you on your horse and we roll out of here.”

“I’m not going with you,” she said again, her voice rising. He was going to make her go with him to keep his location a secret. What had she gotten herself into? She just wanted to go home.

“Sugar, I tried to get you to not follow me. Now, I have no choice, but to take you with me.”

“No. I’m not going.”

He looked up at her from tightening the cinch on his saddle. “I’m not leaving you here alone, with the Harris gang searching for me. Not unless you want to be the center of their attention, and I don’t think you really do. But then again, Miss Sassy Mouth, you may enjoy the attentions of more than one cowboy at once. Maybe you like being treated like a whore.”

Her mouth dropped open at the realization of what he was telling her. Her breath froze in her lungs as her eyes widened. She licked her lips rapidly and swallowed. “Just let me ride back to Zenith. I know the way.”

She was less than a day’s ride away from home. She could be home by suppertime, tell her sisters what they needed to know about Beau, and once again take up her role as head bookkeeper, farmer, and chicken wrangler.

His expression was one of sympathy and that frustrated her even more. Because she knew, he would force her to go with him.

“Again, that gang is going to be circling back. A woman alone on the trail would be like Christmas and the fourth of July arrived on the same day for them. And from the looks of what they did to that feller across the clearing, you’d be pushing up daisies when they were done with you.”

She stammered, her pulse racing as realization smacked her in the gut. “That shot…that shot this morning was them killing a man?”

His face tightened, his mouth drawing into a frown as his eyes darkened and something painful lingered for a moment in his gaze.

“Yes, you’ve got two minutes before we leave. When we find a farmhouse, I’ll leave you behind with a farmer and his wife, but don’t go riding off alone. A pretty woman like yourself would be like candy to starving men.”

He’d called her pretty. She swallowed and knew she had no choice. Her adventure would continue. “I’ll be quick.”

“Good girl. As soon as you’re done, we ride.”

Annabelle found her a bush and quickly finished her business. Of all the stupid things she’d ever done in her life, leaving town without her sisters was the biggest mistake she’d made. And now she was riding off with an outlaw to escape more outlaws and hoping Meg and Ruby were on their way to rescue her. Hoping her beloved sisters didn’t run into the Harris gang.