Savage Conquest (38 page)

"You wouldn't," she murmured hoarsely.

His sardonic grin sent shivers over her. Weber
thrilled to her terror and fed ravenously on it. He
sought to increase it by saying, "I can promise you'll
have a man to compare with old Reis, but I haven't
decided if it's to be me or one of my men. I'm not sure
if you're worthy of my touch. Of course, afterward,
you'll have plenty of comparisons. I'm selling you
for a pleasure slave. I don't really have the stomach to
murder you, so I'll find other ways to enjoy revenge."

He strolled around her, nudging her with his boot
when her attention seemed to stray. "I thought about
killing Reis, but I changed my mind. Death would be
too quick, too merciful. Months and years of
suffering will be much better punishment. He'll
blame himself for your sorry fate. He'll search the
world for you, but he won't find you. As for our firms, nobody will profit from them. I'm burning
them down before I start my search for Randy. Don't
look so surprised," he jested cruelly when she paled.
"That damn Union won't steal anything more from
me! After I'm rid of Luke, I plan to enjoy Miranda for
a long time."

"So, I was right to suspect you craved her more
than me. She hates you, Web. She'll kill you first,"
Amanda spat at him before she could prevent the rash
words from spilling forth.

"She won't have the strength, my sweet. No
woman can resist me for long."

"My God, you're mad," she cried.

"Mad, yes; but crazy, no," he argued between
chuckles which chilled her flesh. "I'm afraid you'll
have to pay for siding with our enemy, the Yankees."

"The war is over, Weber!" she shouted at him.

"Far from it, my sweet. When we assassinate Jeff
Davis, the South will rise in defiance and beat the
North this time. They caught us unprepared last
time but not this time. I've seen to it myself."

"Davis is a Southerner, the ex-Confederate President, you fool!" she shrieked incisively to pierce his
veil of madness.

"Then he won't mind being a martyr for his cause.
Life isn't the most important asset, unless you have
the best," he debated nonsensically, his dark eyes
rolling wildly.

Amanda was becoming frantic trying to find a way
to reach him. She tried a different approach. She
asked softly, "You mean the South will become powerful and free again? Is it truly possible, Web?
How can you do it without your money and men?
They were all arrested. Surely anyone else involved
will be too frightened to help?"

At her softened tone and curious questions, he eyed
her strangely. "Why'd you marry that damn Yankee
spy?" he snarled. "Only a whore would choose a
Yank over a Reb!"

"What was I supposed to do? You disappeared,
and everything went crazy here. You left me at their
mercy. You don't understand, Web; I had no choice.
He was blackmailing me. He threatened to kill Luke
and Randy if I didn't do as he demanded. I was
stalling until Luke could get away. Reis was having
me and Randy watched; he was even spying on the
men you had watching me! Every time you came
over, he was hiding- in the house and listening to
everything I told you. That's why I acted so crazy!
Damn you, why didn't you help me!"

When he stiffened and squatted to pay closer
attention, she continued her cunning tale. "Until I
received a letter from Randy last week, I thought he
was holding her captive somewhere. I knew why she
ran away; she left because of the way I was treating
you. She knew I was seeing Reis, but she didn't know
why. And I dared not tell her or refuse to follow his
strange orders. When I called his bluff with her letter,
he told me if I hired anyone to warn her he would
have one of his men slay her that very day-that he
knew where she was."

When she halted to catch a breath while thinking what to say next, he snarled coldly, "What kind of
lies are you feeding me?"

"Reis was gone that day I asked you to search for
her, but his men were lurking outside. I was afraid
your actions would warn them had I confided in you.
Reis told me they had orders to shoot both of us if I
betrayed him to you. I thought if I dropped some
crafty hints, you would track her down and rescue
her. But I was trying to get you to search secretly to
protect all of us. He said he was a government agent.
How could I refuse to cooperate? He told me he was
after some notorious ring of ex-Rebels who were buying and stocking arms for another war. He said they
were using your firm and mine, but he didn't talk like
he thought either of us were involved. When he said
you were the leader, I couldn't believe you were
guilty of treason. Heavens, Web, how could you do
something foolish like that?" she asked angrily.

When the befuddled Weber did not respond, she
wearily continued. "If I didn't obey his orders or if
I warned you, he said I would be arrested as your
accomplice. Me-Amanda Lawrence-arrested and
imprisoned for treason! Do you have any idea how
female prisoners are treated inside those stone walls?
I do; Reis vividly described it. I was so confused and
frightened, I didn't know what to do. He told me
everything would be over in two weeks. But everything went crazy. He said you would be arrested and
hung for treason, that he possessed positive proof. I
couldn't understand why he forced me to marry him
then kept it a secret. During the raid on your meeting that night, he explained why. He was using your
fiancee to punish you, to gain something for what
you took from him. He wanted your woman and a
wealthy position and business, in exchange for that
family and ranch you boasted of destroying. Like you
just did, he threatened to take whatever pleased him;
if I resisted or defied him, he vowed to find a way to
implicate me in your traitorous schemes. I didn't
want to go to prison, Web. When you escaped, he was
furious. When I told him it served him right for all
he'd done to me, he said you would kill me when you
came back because you would never believe me
innocent of helping him trap you. Look what you've
done to me, to my life. How can you say you loved me
after hurting me so much? Oh, Weber, are you really
going to kill me?"

Weber watched the fragile creature as she focused
those innocent and entreating eyes on him. He
listened to her pitiful voice and he was consumed by
confusion. "Surely you don't expect me to believe all
this?" he debated, his eyes exhibiting his doubts.
"You tricked me, woman. You nearly got me killed.
You lied to me," he declared, opening the door for
some valid charges from her.

"I tricked you? I nearly got you killed? I lied to
you?" she sneered, stressing his ridiculous accusations. "Reis showed me the books and letters he
confiscated from the firms as evidence. He was
boasting about how much he owned now, compliments of his wife and you. You lied to me about
the firm, Weber! You lied about the townhouse and Morning Star! I wasn't going broke; I'm a wealthy
woman. Or I was until that spiteful Yankee took
control of everything! You were using me, duping
me all along! It was a cruel game to steal all I owned.
Oh, he enjoyed showing me how you had been
deceiving me. Now you accuse me of betrayal? What
a stupid, blind fool I was. I thought you were my
gallant knight, saving me from all of life's dragons,
when all along, you were the fire from their nostrils;
you were the enemy trying to consume me. You were
even spying on me! Why? You know what's so ironic
and tragic? You didn't have to trick me at all. If not
for your crimes bringing that Yankee here to ruin
both our lives, we would be married now and our
mutual firm would be thriving. And Randy would be
safe at home. She's in Dakota with Luke," she added
desperately to win his trust. "All this time she's been
safe. If only she or Luke had told me ..."

Weber was staggered by her vast knowledge and
accusations. She seemed to know everything and she
was blaming him for this defeat and danger. She had
seen the evidence, so he could not deny it. She
appeared bitter and angry, vulnerable and sad. He
had planned to kill them both and burn the
businesses, then vanish. Did it change things if she
were innocent? It was too late to correct his mistakes,
too late for Reis's death to alter his dire situation.

In a way, his revenge on Reis could still take place.
Reis wanted Amanda and her lucrative firm and
holdings. He could make certain Reis gained
nothing and he could burn the townhouse and the plantation. Once again, all the Yankee would have
would be a scorched parcel of dirt and charred trees.
The kink in his plans was Amanda. Reis had been
using her like he had. It would not matter to Reis if
he killed or sold the haughty bitch. In fact, as her
husband, Reis would gain everything without
having to endure Amanda. It irked Weber to realize
his plans were being usurped by his enemy. Even
with a few fires here and there, Reis would win.

"You never loved me, did you, Web?" she asked
somberly, as if that realization pained her deeply.

"I wanted you because you were wealthy and
beautiful-and because you were desired by so many
men," he replied calmly. He went on to confess his
lust for Miranda and what had happened between
them.

"You mean she left because of you, not Reis?" she
shrieked as if surprised by that statement. "I was only
using that jealousy argument to stall your proposal. I
never suspected you actually wanted her. I honestly
thought I was hurting you, insulting you. You tried
to attack her in our home! You tried to force her to
marry you in my place! She despises you. My God,
Web..."

Suddenly Amanda jerked her head toward him.
She seemed to brighten with a new thought. "Reis
knew! Randy must have told him and Luke. Of
course-that's why they helped her get away. That's
why she wouldn't confide in me. You tried to ravish
her, so naturally she turned to chivalrous Reis! Reis
probably told him you were the one blackmailing and threatening me. They were all three in on that
plot. How could Luke and Randy side with him?"
she wailed. "Don't tell me he's in love with her, too. I
wonder if Reis is planning to get rid of me before she
comes home! That devil! I hate them alll There's no
telling what that Yankee said to them. You don't
think Reis convinced them I was working with you,
that I'm a traitor? Merciful heavens, Randy doesn't
know it was Reis making me so jittery and secretive,
not you. Your lust tossed her right into Reis's lap and
plansl"

Weber did not realize Amanda was filling his head
with doubts and suspicions, hoping to drive a wedge
between his madness and his desire for vengeance. If
she could persuade him she was on his side, that she
also wanted revenge ... If only she could disarm
him ... If she could entice him to trust her, to untie
her...

Amanda sensed he was wavering as he gave this
matter new study. She murmured, "My own sister
and cousin ... How could they do such evil to me? Is
there no one I can trust? Am I so terrible that everyone
hates me? If only Mama and Papa were here-they
wouldn't let this happen to me." She began to cry.

Her last statement reminded Weber of what he had
done to Joe and Marie. Their missing bodies did not
matter now, for all was lost. Just before cruelly
breaking her heart by disclosing that final secret, he
changed his mind. "You do have a way of bringing
out the worst in people," he informed her sullenly.

"Besides everything else, must I take the blame for the wickedness and greed of others?" she scoffed
tearfully. "That isn't fair." One last and desperate
plan to save her beloved entered her mind. "There is
one way to spite them, Web," she hinted.

"How, Miss Lawrence?" he sneered sarcastically,
yet his curiosity was piqued. She looked so tantalizing, all tied up like that. She probably still
wanted him, the foolish tart.

"How could a jury convict you without evidence?"
she asked. When he perked up with interest, she went
on, "Why not force Reis to steal it for you? If you
destroy it, they can't touch you legally."

"How do I accomplish such a feat?" he scoffed,
eying the soft swell of her breasts.

Amanda tried to ignore the dreadful reason for the
flush on Weber's face, the passion glaze over his dark
eyes, his harsh breathing. As consternation flooded
her, she pretended to think of a plan. "I doubt using
me as bait would work. He doesn't care what
happens to me. He would probably thank you for
removing me for him. And you can't threaten to burn
down all he owns; he would merely place guards
around the buildings. Besides, with my money under
his control, he can rebuild everything with no
problem. Luke and Randy are out of your reach, so
you can't use ... That's it!" she squealed. "Randy!
That's how to get to him. Sweet Randy will lure him
into our trap."

"What?" he growled in befuddlement. "She's in
Dakota."

"You know how much we favor each other. What if we use soot or something to darken my hair?
Perhaps use a blindfold to hide my blue eyes. If he
glanced at me at a distance in the shadows, he would
think you had Randy captive. He would steal the
evidence to save her. You could dress one of your men
to pass as Luke. If you keep us in dim light and at a
distance, with mouths gagged, he would be fooled. I
can hire a lawyer to prove he blackmailed me, then
I'll be free of this repulsive marriage. We'll make
certain we obey every American law and give them no
new evidence or suspicions for a new case; agreed?
After he lowers his guard, you can get rid of the
beast."

"And just how did I capture Randy and Luke?" he
queried.

"You've been missing for weeks, Web. You've had
time to locate them and bring them back as
prisoners," she snapped in frustration, as if irritated
by his lack of intelligence.

"And what if he asks to see you?" he added, finding
another inconsistency.