Sweet Silken Bondage (18 page)

Judging the sun's height through the small, barred
window in his cell, Dev knew it was almost midday,
and Molly would soon be coming with the noon
meal. The sound of voices in the outer office alerted
Dev to the fact that she had arrived, and he found
he was eager just to lay eyes on her again.

Ace Denton, a tall, dark-haired, mean-looking
man whose murdering ways were legendary in California, was caged in the cell next to Dev's. He was
an ugly man with an even uglier temper, and, unlike
Dev, he was not happy about the day being half over. His trial had ended the previous afternoon,
and he'd been convicted of his crimes and sentenced
to hang. The execution was scheduled for the following morning, and as each hour passed, bringing him
closer to meeting his maker, Denton grew more and
more nervous and more and more desperate. There
was no way he was going to let them hang him! No
way...

The sound of the girl arriving with their food gave
Denton an idea. An evil glimmer shone in his eyes.
He knew it would take a daring effort to get free,
but he was prepared to pay any price to escape.
Feigning indifference to Molly's presence, he waited
until the time was right.

"Here's your lunch," Molly announced as she entered the walkway before the two jail cells.

Dev stood to greet her. "What did you bring me
this afternoon, Molly?" he asked, giving her his most
engaging smile.

"Stew" she answered coolly. She didn't want to be
drawn into conversation with him just in case Sheriff
Macauley might report it to Bertha Harvey.

"Stew's one of my favorites," Dev responded, taking the lunchpail from her. He lifted the lid to look
inside. "It smells wonderful, and it's still hot. Did
you make it yourself?"

"No," Molly replied, not looking at him as she
moved on toward Denton.

Denton was lingering against the back wall of his
cell watching her every move. He knew she was
jittery around him and realized that he'd have to
move quickly. As she held out the pail for him to
take, he stepped forward and grabbed her by the
wrist, jerking her forcefully forward.

His action was so unexpected that Molly managed
only a shriek as she lost her balance and slammed
into the iron bars. She fought Denton automatically,
but before she could break free, he turned her around and linked one strong forearm around her
neck.

"Denton! What the hell are you doing?" Dev was
rigid with fury. If he could have reached him, he
would have killed him for putting his hands on
Molly, but Denton was standing out of reach near
the far side of his cell.

Denton gave a victorious, half-crazed laugh. "This
little gal is my ticket outta here, O'Keefe! They ain't
hangin' me! Macauley! Get in here! Now!"

"Sheriff!" Molly cried out, her emerald eyes seeming huge in her pale face as fear seized her.

When her terrified gaze met Dev's for just an
instant, he knew he could let nothing happen to her.
He had to help her! But how?

The sheriff came running into the room, gun
drawn. "What the...? Denton!" He stopped in his
tracks at the sight of the ruthless outlaw holding the
young girl in such a painful grip. Ace Denton was a
cold-blooded murderer, and Macauley knew he
wouldn't hesitate to kill again.

"You just lower that gun, sheriff, or you're going
to have a dead woman on your hands," Denton
snarled, deliberately tightening his strangling hold
on Molly so that she was gasping for air.

"Don't do anything stupid, Denton."

"What have I got to lose, Macauley? You can kill
me now or you can kill me tomorrow." The murderer's eyes were wild as he taunted the lawman with
the devastating truth.

"What do you want?"

"I want out! Now, you jes' come on over here and
unlock the cell door or I swear I'll break her pretty
neck."

"Sheriff... please..." Molly whispered, terror
showing plainly on her pretty features.

Macauley knew he had no choice. He couldn't
risk Molly's life. His only hope was to somehow trap the outlaw on his way out of the jail.

"All right... all right..." The sheriff moved
toward the cell door and unlocked it. "Now, what?"

"Slide your gun down the hall toward the front
office" Denton instructed. When Macauley had done
what he was told, the outlaw spoke again, "Now,
open the door, leave the key in it and step back."

Again the lawman did as he was told. Slowly,
Denton manipulated himself and Molly toward the
open door. It was difficult for him to keep a hold on
her, but he managed. When he moved out of the
cell, he yanked her tightly against his chest.

"Now, get inside, sheriff," he ordered coldly, enjoying the feeling of power that was surging through
him.

Dev watched helplessly as Macauley did as he was
told. He was growing more and more angry as he
watched the killer maneuver the lawman, and his
grip tightened unconsciously on the pail of hot stew
he still held. When Denton slammed the cell door
shut behind the sheriff and locked it, taking the key,
Dev knew he was the only one left to save Molly.

"You're free now, Denton, let the girl go."

"No way, Macauley"

"What are you going to do with her?" the sheriff
was asking, worriedly.

"I ain't decided yet. But she'll sure be good company wherever I go," he replied, moving down the
hall and dragging her along with him. Denton's big
mistake was not considering Dev to be a threat. He
was so intent on getting away that he started past
Dev's cell without thinking.

The only weapon Dev had was the stew, and he
knew he had to use it. When Denton moved by, he
hurled the pail of hot stew at him. It crashed into
the bars near his face and sprayed hot, steaming
food all over him. Denton screamed in astonished
confusion and pain, and Molly took advantage of the moment to break free.

"The gun, Molly! Get the gun!" Dev shouted,
hoping she had enough presence of mind to react
quickly.

"Sheriff! Here!" Molly needed no encouragement.
She made a mad grab for the gun just as Denton
started to recover. She slid the weapon down the hall
floor toward Macauley, and he stretched through the
bars trying desperately to reach it.

To their horror, Dev was the one who grabbed it.
For an instant, time hung suspended. Molly and the
sheriff watched in horrified fascination as Dev came
up firing.

Denton had been momentarily blinded by the
stew, but he recovered quickly and dove for the gun
just as Dev pulled the trigger. The bullet struck him
squarely, killing him instantly. When he fell dead, an
uneasy silence reigned in the jailhouse.

Sheriff Macauley honestly thought O'Keefe was as
cold-blooded as Denton. Unmoving, he waited with
sickening certainty for Dev to turn the gun on him
next. When he didn't, the sheriff was stunned.

"Molly..." Dev said her name in a low, nonthreatening voice. He could see the fear in her eyes,
and he wanted to erase that fear forever. He wanted
to show her the kind of man he really was.

"Don't hurt her, O'Keefe..." Macauley pleaded,
afraid for Molly.

"Molly, get the cell key off Denton and come
here," he urged.

Molly was deeply shaken by all that had happened, and her emotions were in turmoil. Devlin
had shot and killed the other outlaw. He had saved
her from a fate worse than death, but now he
controlled the gun. Did that mean he wanted the
same thing that Denton had? Was he intent on
escaping? Would he try to take her with him, too?

The moment was a tense one, for Molly realized she had no choice. She couldn't risk angering him.
She had to do what he said. Mechanically, she
moved to the dead outlaw and got the key. Molly
hesitantly approached Dev, fully expecting him to
demand that she release him from his cell.

Dev knew both Molly and the sheriff believed him
to be a savage murderer, and it was important to
him that he prove to them both that they were
wrong. As she crossed the few steps that separated
them, Dev's eyes sought and held Molly's.

"Are you all right?" Dev asked softly when she
drew near.

"Yes." She was so nervous that her reply was little
more than a whisper.

"I'm glad." His response drew a surprised look
from Molly, and as she stopped directly before him,
he reversed his grip on the gun and handed it to her
through the bars. "Here, give this to the sheriff after
you let him out."

Molly blinked in bewilderment as she stared down
at the revolver in her hand. Devlin O'Keefe could
have escaped. He could have shot the sheriff and
made a run for it, yet he hadn't. He had given her
the gun and told her to free the sheriff. It lightened
her spirits enormously to find that her instincts had
been right about him all along. He wasn't the terrible, amoral killer everyone else thought him to be.
Slowly a wide, bright smile lit her face.

Dev was waiting to see what her reaction would
be to his gesture, and when she glanced up at him,
he knew that he'd accomplished his goal. There in
her beautiful green-eyed gaze was all the respect and
admiration he'd hoped one day to see. His heart
sang at the thought, and he found himself smiling
back at her.

A shiver of some unnamed emotion raced through
Molly as her eyes met Dev's. Startled by the unexpected strength of the feelings, she tore her gaze from his and rushed off to release the sheriff from
Denton's cell.

Macauley was shocked by what had happened,
and he breathed an immense sigh of relief at the
turn of events. He brought the blanket off the cot
with him as he emerged from the cell, and he threw
it over the dead man. That done, he put a comforting arm about Molly's shoulders and started to guide
her from the scene of the carnage. He stopped
before where Dev stood in his cell.

"O'Keefe, that was a mighty decent thing you just
did. You saved Molly's life, and we owe you a debt
of gratitude for it," he said, self-consciously.

"You don't owe me anything, Macauley. I told
you, I'm no murderer," was all Dev replied as he
looked him straight in the eye. He knew there was
no point in saying anything more.

Macauley studied him for a long moment, wondering if he possibly could have made a mistake in
arresting the bounty hunter for Santana's death.
Only when he remembered the damning evidence
he'd found at the scene of the crime, did he turn
away from DeVs unblinking scrutiny.

When the sheriff started to usher Molly away, she
balked, turning back to Dev. "Mr. O'Keefe?"

He looked up. "My name is Dev, Molly."

"Dev..." She met his gaze openly without hesitation. No longer was she afraid, for she now knew
just what kind of man Devlin O'Keefe really was.
"Thank you."

It was much later that night, long after the carnage had been cleared away that Sheriff Macauley
appeared before Dev's cell.

"O'Keefe."

"Sheriff?" Dev sat up quickly and immediately
thought something was wrong, for the lawman's ex pression was very troubled. "What is it?"

"You still claim you're innocent, but if that's so,
how do you explain the evidence I found at Santana's ranch?" He studied his prisoner as he spoke.

It thrilled Dev to think that he might be considering changing his mind about his guilt, and he knew
he had to be totally honest with him now.

"I can't explain how the medallions got there,
sheriff. I wish I could. None of this makes sense. All
I know is, I was never at Santana's ranch, and I
didn't kill him."

"Is there anybody around who'd want you out of
the way for a while or maybe just plain want you
dead? How about your partner?"

"Clay?" Dev was shocked by his suggestion. "No,
not Clay, and not anybody else I can think of."

Macauley looked even more troubled after hearing
his answer. That afternoon had changed his way of
thinking about this young man, and he felt obligated
to delve more deeply into the facts as he knew them.

"I see. Well, think on it. If you come up with any
ideas, let me know. I'm not adverse to following up
on leads, if you think they might mean something."

"I will," Dev promised, but he doubted that he'd
think of anything new. He'd already spent endless
hours going over what had happened and had
turned up nothing. He hoped Clay was having much
better luck than he was.

The Randolph party was in full swing. Beautifully
gowned women and elegantly dressed men mingled
together in the brightly lit ballroom, enjoying the
music and partaking of the sumptuous array of food
and drink.

In a corner of the room, surrounded by a halfdozen, very handsome, would-be suitors, Reina was
in her glory. It had been so long since she'd been
able to really enjoy herself that she was exulting in
being the center of attention once again.

As Reina sat, drinking champagne and holding
court of sorts, she found herself wondering why
she'd been so worried about coming here tonight
with the Delacroixs. It seemed foolish to her now
that just a few hours ago she'd been so consumed
by fear of discovery that she'd almost refused to
attend. Luckily, good-natured, level-headed Emilie
had managed to calm her and convince her that
everything would be fine. Reina was glad now that
she'd listened to her friend, and she realized that
her worries had been nothing more than her overactive imagination running away with her.