The Outlaws: Jess (32 page)

Lucky sent her a menacing glare. "That can be
arranged, but I'd just soon have you alive when I poke you."

"Enough talk," Jay said, tugging Meg away
from the water. "You take first watch, Lucky. Wake me at midnight
to relieve you."

"What about her?" Lucky asked, glowering at
Meg. "Aren't you afraid she'll escape?"

"Not if she's sleeping in my bedroll," Jay
said.

"Hey, that ain't fair!"

"Simmer down, Lucky, I just want to make sure
she don't escape. I told you, we'll share her when we reach the
hideout. Go on, now. Climb up that rise over yonder. You should be
able to see anyone approaching from there."

"Shit! Why do I have to take the first
watch?"

"Because I said so," Jay retorted. "Go on, do
as I say. I need to get a little shuteye before my watch."

Grumbling discontentedly, Lucky stomped off,
but not before sending a hungry look in Meg's direction.

Meg listened intently to the exchange between
the brothers and wondered how she could use the jealousy between
them to her advantage. But first she had to survive the next few
hours lying beside Jay. She trusted him no more than she trusted a
snake. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that he intended to assault
her the moment Lucky was out of sight.

Her fears were realized when Jay pulled her
over to his bedroll and pushed her down. He stood over her a
moment, then he released his trousers, peeled them down to his
ankles, and dropped down beside her. His hands unerringly found her
breasts.

"Take your filthy hands off me!" Meg hissed.
"Lucky's not going to like this."

"Lucky doesn't need to know. It's just you
and me now."

"He'll know if I scream loud enough."

He pulled a knife from his belt. "Scream and
I'll slit your throat. You're gonna die sooner or later anyway. We
may as well have a little fun before it happens."

Meg hacked up a wad of spittle and let it fly
into his face. "I'm not going to make it easy for you."

Jay swiped at the spittle running down his
cheek with the back of his hand and gave her a look that promised
dire retribution. She thought she'd written her death warrant when
he put his knife to her throat and drew a shallow crosswise slash,
just deep enough to draw blood.

"Do that again and I won't be so lenient next
time," he growled.

Pain exploded at the site of the wound. Meg
grasped her throat and felt warm blood seeping through her fingers.
But that wasn't as terrifying as watching Jay unfasten her trousers
and work them down her legs. He was kneeling at her feet, knees
spread apart, trying to pull her boots off so he could remove her
trousers when Meg reacted spontaneously. She drew her legs back and
smashed her booted feet into Jay's groin. Satisfaction ripped
through Meg as Jay let out an earth shattering howl and fell
backwards onto the ground, rolling back and forth, clutching his
wounded member.

"Bitch! Bitch! Bitch!" he shrieked. "You'll
pay for that."

He was still writhing in obvious pain when
Lucky came running up. "What happened? I heard you screaming clear
to the top of that rise."

"Ask that...bitch," Jay managed to gasp out.
"She liked to kill me. She might have ruined my balls for
good."

Moonlight provided Lucky with a pretty good
picture of what had happened. "You tried to take her," he accused.
"After you said we'd wait till we reached the hideout. Serves you
right."

"Dammit, Lucky, kill the bitch. She's a
menace."

Lucky turned mutinous as he stared at her
bloodied throat. "No. Maybe later, but I want her first. She put a
bullet in me and I want to make her suffer. I'll tie her to the
tree so we can both get some sleep. Are you all right?"

"All right! I'm dying, dammit! I probably
won't be able to sit a horse tomorrow. I'm sorry I didn't slit her
throat. Get her outta my sight."

By the time Lucky returned his attention to
Meg, she'd dragged her trousers back in place and managed to wind
her bandana around her throat. The wound wasn't serious and had
already stopped bleeding.

"Get up," Lucky said, dragging her up by the
tether that was still attached to her bound wrists. "You'd better
behave cause I don't know if I can keep Jay from killing you if ya
act up again."

Meg said nothing, deciding there were times
when silence was the better part of valor. She didn't even complain
when Lucky wound the rope around her so tightly she'd probably be
numb by morning.

Jess picked up the trail but had to stop when
darkness made it too difficult to read the signs clearly. He
thanked God for the tracking games he and his brothers played when
they were children. Neither Rafe nor Sam could measure up to his
skills in that department though he wasn't as capable as they were
in bagging game. He supposed it was because he didn't like killing
poor defenseless animals unless it was absolutely necessary for
survival.

Jess hobbled his horse to graze and spread
his bedroll beneath a tree. He didn't dare light a fire so he
munched on dried meat and hardtack, then he stretched out and tried
to sleep.

He didn't sleep. He worried. The thought of
Meg in the hands of men who had reason to hate her was almost more
than he could bear. She'd been with them for hours. The horror of
that thought caused him untold grief. Only one truth eased his
fear. Meg was resourceful, brave, and stronger in both mind and
body than any woman he knew.

Jay kicked Meg awake at first light. She
suppressed a satisfied smile when she saw him limping away. No
matter how badly she'd hurt him, she felt no remorse. If he tried
to touch her again, she'd give him another dose of her anger

This time Meg was forced to ride with Lucky,
whose hands were no more gentlemanly than Jay's. Though she
couldn't stop him from touching her intimately, she received some
consolation from watching Jay wince as he settled in the
saddle.

Meg's stomach was growling. No food had been
forthcoming and she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. But she
persevered, keeping tract of the direction in which they traveled
for future reference. When she was tracking outlaws for the bounty,
she'd had no one but herself and her instincts to depend upon, and
knew how to survive.

The outlaws skirted around bluffs covered
with coarse vegetation and a few stubborn trees that had taken root
in the arid ground. They kept to the flatlands, avoiding the deep
gullies sculpted from the sere earth. Meg knew real fear when Lucky
reined his horse behind a bluff and she saw a rough cabin nestled
against a rocky incline. It was a perfect place for a hideout, she
thought. No wonder the law couldn't find them. The cabin, tucked
beneath an overhanging rock, was impossible to see unless one was
looking for it. Adding to its attraction was the stream of water
cascading down from the bluff to form a pool of clear water at the
bottom. The pool could be used for bathing, if Jay and Lucky were
so inclined, and drinking water could be caught before it reached
the pool.

Lucky dismounted before the cabin and yanked
Meg from the saddle. "Get inside," he growled, pushing her toward
the door.

Meg stumbled forward. Lucky opened the door
and shoved her through. A mouse scrambled for cover and a raccoon
rushed past her. The inside was a filthy mess, Meg noticed as she
made a quick survey of the crude cabin. At least it had windows.
Two bare cots sat against opposite walls with an untidy fireplace
between them. A few cooking pots hung from hooks beside the
fireplace and the open cupboards nearby held cracked dishes laden
with dust and several tins of food. A scarred table and four
rickety chairs completed the cabin's furnishings.

"Well, what do ya think of it?" Lucky
asked.

"I think you're both crazy. Jess will find me
no matter where we are."

"He's a doctor, not a tracker," Lucky
argued.

Meg feared Lucky was right but wasn't ready
yet to sell Jess short. He had displayed talents far beyond those a
doctor would ordinarily possess. Her one gnawing fear was that Jess
was still angry with her for following him and didn't care what
happened to her. The moment that thought was born she quickly
discarded it. Jess was too kindhearted to leave her to her own
devices. Besides, in her heart she truly believed that he loved
her.

Jay limped into the cabin and tossed a sack
down on the table. "Fix us some grub," he ordered. "Might as well
make yourself useful while you can."

"Meg held out her hands. "I can't do it with
my hands bound."

"I say you can," Jay barked. "Don't pull that
helpless female bit on me." He rubbed his groin and winced. "I know
what you're capable of."

"I'll build up the fire," Lucky said, "and
open a tin of canned beef."

"I'm gonna take a look around outside," Jay
said, "and make sure no one followed us. It wouldn't hurt to set up
a watch for the next few nights. Not that I think anyone will find
us, but you never can tell. Better to be safe than sorry."

Meg rummaged through the sack of provision
while Lucky built a fire in the hearth. Besides several tins of
beef, there were flour, lard, potatoes, onions, bacon and beans.
Enough to last several days, if they were frugal. Fresh game would
help round out the menu and make the staples last longer if the men
were inclined to hunt. Not that she intended to stick around that
long. If she didn't escape soon she was as good as dead, and food
wouldn't matter.

"I can't do this with my hands tied," Meg
insisted. "Untie me. Do you think I'd be dumb enough to try
anything with you and Jay keeping close watch on me? I'm only a
woman."

Lucky slanted her a scathing look. "Like
hell! You ain't like no female I've ever known. You'd be dead now
if I wasn't hankering for a piece of you. You shot me, lady. I
nearly died. You gotta pay, and killing ya is too painless. If I
wanted ya dead I'd have let Jay finish ya off when ya hurt
him."

"Very well," Meg said, brazening it out.
"Then cook your own dinner. She plopped down in one of the rickety
chairs and glared mutinously at him.

Lucky let loose an angry growl and slapped
Meg. Her head snapped back and her eyes watered, but she refused to
cry.

"That felt damn good," Lucky said. "By the
time I finish with you, you're gonna be damn sorry you shot Lucky
Calder.

Meg didn't doubt it for an instant. She also
had an ace up her sleeve if she could get to it. She still had her
small pistol concealed in her clothing. She hadn't given it up when
the passengers had tossed their weapons on the ground at Jay's
request. It was hidden inside her vest pocket. But she needed her
hands free to get to it.

"Get your ass outta that chair and fix our
grub," Lucky demanded, "unless ya want more where that came
from."

Meg decided not to rile Lucky further. She
needed strength for the night to come, and being slapped around now
was likely to weaken her. Rising stiffly, she emptied the tin of
meat into a frying pan and set in over the fire. Then she chopped
potatoes and onions without pealing them, dumping them into the pan
with the meat. She mixed biscuit batter while the hash cooked.
Though her hands were bound at the wrists, she found she could
still use her fingers to hold a mixing spoon and chop
vegetables.

"Something smells good," Jay said sniffing
the air as he limped back into the cabin. "At least the bitch is
good for something."

"She's good for a lot of things," Lucky
hinted slyly. "If she's alive after I finish with her tonight,
she's all yours."

Jay bit out an oath. "I ain't gonna touch the
bitch. Kill her after you finish with her. If I were you I'd wring
her neck, it's not as messy as a bullet. Is the grub ready?"

Meg found a rag and removed the hot frying
pan and biscuits from the fire, banging them on the plank table in
front of the men. Jay got out a couple of chipped plates and dented
spoons and set them on the table.

"Don't I get to eat?" Meg asked with a
bravado she was far from feeling.

"Dead women don't need food," Jay said around
his mouthful of biscuit.

Lucky frowned. "I want her strong enough to
fight me. It ain't no fun poking a spiritless woman. She can have
what's left."

What was left hardly filled the empty place
in Meg's stomach, but it helped. She took her time, keeping a wary
eye on the outlaws as she ate.

"I'll do the dishes," Meg said, hoping to
delay the inevitable.

Lucky leered at her. "Leave them."

Meg stared at him. Her time was up and she
still wasn't ready to accept her fate. She'd never be prepared for
rape, and God only knew what other atrocities Lucky had planned for
her.

"I'll take first watch," Jay said, rising. "A
word of advice. Protect your balls and keep your weapon outta her
reach. I'll build up the fire so you can see what she's doing."

"Don't worry, Jay, no puny woman is gonna get
the best of me."

Jay threw two thick logs on the fire. "Call
out if you need me, I'll be just outside."

"I ain't gonna need no one," Lucky muttered
after Jay left the cabin. His beady gaze settled on Meg. "I want
you naked."

"You and who else is going to take off my
clothes?" Meg dared. "My wrists are tied, or have you
forgotten?"

"They're gonna stay tied, lady. And so are
your legs as soon as I get these damn trousers off you. Ladies are
supposed to wear skirts," he complained.

Lucky must have decided he needed his weapon
to control Meg, for he pulled out his gun and aimed it at her
middle. "Don't move, I'm gonna unbuckle your belt and open your
fly."

With one hand Lucky unbuckled Meg's belt and
pulled it free. Then he unfastened her fly, cursing when the
buttons offered resistance. He crowed in satisfaction when her fly
finally gaped open, revealing a creamy slice of midriff. Leering at
her exposed flesh, he shoved her toward the cot. She stumbled, then
sprawled on her back across the unyielding surface. Then Lucky
dropped his gun on the floor and fell on top of her.