She dove beneath a spotted mare's belly, clutching Adam's broad hand tightly. "Hera, I want Hera."
"What?"
"I want Hera," she repeated. "She's all I have left of my papa."
Adam swore beneath his breath. He pushed horses aside, moving deeper into the herd. The animals were growing restless, shifting on their haunches and swishing their tails. They nickered softly to one another.
"Jess, for Christ's sake! What's more important? Your life or the horse?"
"I want my horse. People have taken from me too long. I want Hera," she insisted stubbornly.
"I'll come back for her once I get you to Zeus."
Jessica pulled her hand from his. "No!" she whispered harshly. "I want my papa's horse!"
"Jessica! Give me your hand!" The herd began moving as the Utes skirted it, shouting directions and diving beneath horses' bellies. Adam flailed his arms in the darkness, trying desperately to find Jessica. "Jess!"
"Which way, Adam? I'll meet you there."
He could hear her voice, but he couldn't see her. He couldn't feel her! They were caught in a sea of moving horses. His chest tightened with panic. He had had her in his arms and now she was gone. "Jess, don't be stupid," he hollered.
"Which way, Adam?" She walked farther from him, running her hands over the horses as they passed by, praying she would recognize Hera in the darkness.
"South, on the ridge. Two miles, maybe," he called desperately. The horses were breaking into a trot now, spooked by the human commotion.
Jessica ran with them, caught up in the wave of movement. It was all she could do to keep their hooves from crushing her bare feet.
Adam raised his head above the horses' backs, hoping he would catch sight of Jessica. A Ute arrow swished over his head and he ducked down again. If he called out to her, he would reveal his position to the Utes. Where the hell was she?
In desperation, Adam grasped the nearest mane and flung himself onto a warm, broad back. Here, above the horses, he hoped to get a better view. He prayed he'd spot Jessica. Several Utes swung onto horses and rode ahead of the herd, trying to pull them back before they broke into a stampede.
Adam ducked another arrow. Damn! They'd spotted him! He hung low on the horse's back, refusing to draw his pistol. If he pulled the trigger, the sound of the shot might well drive the horses into a stampede and then Jessica would be trampled.
Jessica became more frightened as the horses jostled and bumped her in an effort to move forward. She'd lost sight of Adam and the Utes were everywhere. Horses pushed past her. She shoved her shoulder into one of the horse's haunches when it stepped on her foot. If she didn't get astride one of them, she was liable to be crushed. Catching a wiry mane, she leapt onto a horse's back. She lowered herself, burying her face in the animal's neck.
The heady scent of horse flesh was all too familiar. "Hera? Hera, is that you?" She patted the horse's neck. It was Hera! Jessica could tell by her gait. She squinted in the moonlight and made out the rounded spots of the Appaloosa's lineage.
But now that she'd found Hera, where was Adam? The Utes were turning the horse herd back. If Jessica was going to make a break for the mountains in the distance, it would have to be soon. She raised up on Hera's back. There were silhouettes of men on horses everywhere. Then she saw Adam. The Utes were closing in on him.
He spotted her at the same moment. "Go!" he shouted as he drew one of his onyx-handled pistols. "Run!"
He fired as arrows whizzed through the air in response.
Jessica managed to turn Hera from the herd and direct her toward the mountains to the south. She watched over her shoulder as Adam broke from the herd, his horse in a dead run. He fired again and again. The Indians drew their rifles and shot back in rapid succession.
"Adam!" Jessica screamed as his horse veered right. "You're going the wrong way."
"Ride!" Adam shouted as he drew his second pistol. With no reins to control the horse the steed was out of control, barreling across the dark plain.
Out of the corner of her eye she saw his horse stumble. The animal went down on its front legs and rolled, screaming in a high-pitched wail. The Utes had shot the beast. Adam sprang free and ran.
Jessica lost sight of him in the darkness. She clung to Hera's back as her horse raced toward the mountains and freedom. "Adam," she sobbed. "Adam!"
She wanted to turn back, but she didn't. She knew there was a good chance he was already dead. No man could outrun a horse. But what if they'd captured him? Adam had said it was worse for a man to be captured by a band of renegades than to be shot and killed by them. She knew she had to go back, but first she'd find Zeus. Surely Adam's rifle was in his saddlebags.
In the distance Jessica could hear the sharp shouts of braves and the voice of Crooked Nose. It was obvious he was enraged that they'd let her slip away in the commotion. Clouds had drifted across the sky so that the moon was shaded. It was too dark for her to see anything.
Jessica let Hera slow to a walk once she was certain none of the Utes were following her. She rode up the ridge letting Hera lead the way to Zeus. The horses nickered softly to each other. When Jessica reached Zeus, she dismounted. Sure enough, Adam's rifle was strapped to Adam's saddle along with Shiner's old Henry. Adam must have found it on the creek bank.
Jessica reached into the leather bags for ammunition, hoping to also find some clothing to cover her near-nakedness. She had to go back to camp to see what had happened to Adam. She had a gun and ammunition, now all she needed was a plan.
At dawn, Jessica watched Crooked Nose's camp through a spyglass she'd found in Adam's saddlebag. She studied the horse herd and counted the braves. There was one missing; Adam must have killed one. Immediately, she made out Crooked Nose as he strutted to and fro shaking his fist angrily.
Some twenty yards from the smoldering campfire Jessica saw three Utes standing in a circle looking at something on the ground. She caught Hera's reins and led her forward so that she could get a better look. Zeus followed on a lead line.
The next time Jessica looked through the spyglass she swore softly. It was Adam they were gathered around. He was tied, spread-eagle, to the ground, but she was filled with relief, just knowing he was alive. The Ute with the red-scalp belt tossed something at Adam and Adam flinched.
Jessica crouched on the ground, thinking. If Adam couldn't get into the camp and get her out, there was no way she could succeed in rescuing him. But she couldn't leave him to be tortured, to die in the hot, unrelenting sun.
With a sigh, she mounted. She'd go to Crooked Nose and she'd bargain with him. What else could she do? Adam had risked his life to save her. She owed him the same.
A sound of alarm went up within minutes as Jessica approached the renegade camp. A Ute was sent out. It was the baldheaded brave who wore the cavalry cap. He seemed surprised to see her. She rode past, ignoring him. She headed straight for the camp and for Crooked Nose.
When she entered the circle of braves, she rode straight up to the Kiowa leader. She wanted to run to Adam, but she refused to give in to her emotions. She had to deal with Crooked Nose on his level if there was any chance in hell she was going to get herself and Adam out of here alive.
Crooked Nose watched Jessica dismount, giving special attention to her long, bare legs. She still wore the sleeveless leather sheath he had given her the night before.
He took an easy stance, his hands tucked behind his back. "You return, my warrior. I thought I had lost you."
"I come to bargain." She stepped up to him, letting Hera's reins slip from her fingers.
He lifted a bushy black eyebrow. "Bargain?"
"You know, a deal." She adjusted her black felt hat, thankful for the wide brim that shielded her face from the hot sun. "You give me something. I give you something in return."
"You want Sern?" he asked with amusement. "He must be a stallion. It seems unfair, I've not given you a ride yet. Perhaps you should compare before you choose."
She ignored
his gibe. "You stole from him. He's done nothing to you. Why do you hold him?"
He shrugged. "My men, they grew bored."
Jessica caught Hera's reins. "I have two horses here. There're none finer. You give me Sern, I'll give you the horses."
Crooked Nose wandered over and stroked Hera's neck, then Zeus'. "Of course, one of these was mine already."
"You stole my horse. I offer her to you honestly. These two Appaloosas are worth more than that entire herd of workhorses and Indian ponies."
Crooked Nose scratched Hera's ear thoughtfully. "You rode into my camp after you were free. Why?"
"For Adam."
"He is your husband?"
"No. My partner. I told you. We're looking for Larry Caine."
The Kiowa lifted his head to study Jessica's sunburned face. "I wish I had a man so loyal, so brave."
Her green eyes searched his for some flicker of humanity. "He would have done the same for me. He did."
Crooked Nose scowled. "Then you are both fools."
"You just said I was brave." She gave him the barest smile. She could tell she had him thinking by the expression on his mottled face.
The Kiowa gave a wave of his hand. "Come, sit. Eat with me and we will bargain."
"I want to see Adam first."
The Ute braves that had stood silently around them shouted in protest.
"What? You think I'm going to cut him free, our horses are going to sprout wings and we're going to fly away?" She directed her comment to Crooked Nose.
He nodded thoughtfully. "It would not surprise me. Yes, you may see him, but only for a moment." He barked a command and the Utes backed off. A brave wearing Adam's hat and boots stood stone-still for a moment, then stepped out of her way.
Jessica grabbed her canteen off Hera's saddle and went to Adam. He was tied to the ground with leather thongs and wooden stakes so that his arms and legs were spread. His feet were bare, his torn clothes splotched with blood. His face had been cut with a whip. There were thin raised welts across both cheeks. She knelt beside him. "Adam," she said softly, refusing to let her voice break.
"Jess?" He opened his eyes, licking his parched lips.
She let some water from her canteen trickle into his mouth. "I don't know what you're doing out here in the sun without your hat," she teased.
He laughed and then flinched.
"What?" She slid her hand gently on his chest glancing over his body. There were no serious wounds, she quickly surmised.
"Ribs. Cracked, I think." He opened his eyes again. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you got away."
"I did. I came back for you, partner." She gave him another drink. "And I don't mind saying, I'm damned annoyed with you, Mister Deputy Marshal. I've got a man to track. If you keep slowing me down, I'm going to leave you behind."
He laughed at her joke. He knew how desperate their situation was. He knew she knew. "Oh, Christ, Jess," he said finally. "Is this bad luck or what? I feel like we never had a chance, you and I."
"Well, maybe it's time we gave ourselves a chance, huh?" She leaned over him and kissed him softly on the mouth.
Adam stared up into her liquid-green eyes. "I never really apologized for what happened at the creek. I didn't mean to scare you off like that."
"Look, you're not dying yet, so save your confessions." She gave him one last sip of water and then screwed the lid on the canteen. "I got to go now."
"Go where? What's going on?"
"Crooked Nose and I are going to have ourselves a little powwow. See if we can strike a bargain."
"A bargain? You'd be safer bargaining with the devil himself."
"I thought we'd exchange your life for . . . I don't know, those fancy snake-skin boots of yours that I hate so much."
He wiggled his toes. "Where are my boots? I'd hate to lose them. An old man made them for me down on the Mexican border."
"Last time I saw them there was some Ute walking around in them."
He laughed again, then flinched.
"Your ribs. I'm sorry," she whispered.
"I guess it's too late for me to tell you you shouldn't have come back."
She stroked his stubbled cheek. "Mmmhmmm."
One of the Utes standing a few feet from her grunted and waved her away. Crooked Nose was calling her.
"I've got to go," she told him. She brushed her lips against his one last time and then stood, slinging her canteen over her shoulder. "Just be patient."
Jessica walked past the Ute braves, around the campfire, and up the slight bluff to where Crooked Nose's tent still stood. He sat in front of his tent, his arms crossed, waiting for her.
She sat where he indicated—across from him. He handed her a slice of venison off his plate. She gave a nod of thanks and bit into the savory meat, suddenly realizing how hungry she was.
They ate in silence, washing the meal down with water. Finally Crooked Nose spoke. "So it's a bargain you want?"
"Yes. My horses for Adam's life."
He shook his head. "It's not enough."
"Everything in our saddlebags. Just leave us with one rifle."
He picked his teeth with his finger, extracting a piece of meat. "Still not enough." He ate the sliver.
"Adam's got money in the East." She'd heard it, but she didn't know if it was true. At this point she was willing to offer anything.
"A man can only carry so much money."
Jessica pushed back a lock of her sable hair behind her ear. "If you kill him you'll have the law down your back. He's an important man to the Union Pacific railroad."
"I hear they'd like to see him hang for Caine's doin's. Him being a half-breed."
"You said you'd be willing to bargain." She studied the face she'd come to hate. "What is it you want?"
"You . . ."
She looked away, a lump rising in her throat. How much did Adam mean to her? "You mean, I come to you willingly and you let Adam go?"
"You give yourself to me?" the Kiowa questioned softly.
She met his gaze, her lip turning up in disgust. "I don't know if I could bear it."
He laughed and toyed with the hilt of the knife he wore in his belt. "What's say we make a wager?"
"A wager? What do you mean?"
"I told you, my dogs grow restless. They'll soon be fighting among themselves if I don't scrape up some entertainment."
"What are you talking about?" The casual sound in his voice frightened Jessica. There was something razor-edged about it.
"A wager. Sern wins. He gets you. Sern loses. I get you. Sern loses his life."
"What does Adam have to win?"
Crooked Nose stared out over the open plain. "It is an ancient challenge, met by only the bravest, the strongest, the most honorable . . . the most foolish."
"Adam could win. I know he could." She rose up on her knees. "Tell me, what is the challenge?"
His black-eyed gaze fell on hers. On his face was a wicked smile. "It is called"—he inhaled, his grin widening—"Trial by Fire and Beast."
Chapter Fifteen
"Oh, shit!"
Irritated, Jessica knocked her hat off her head. The narrow ribbon caught and it swung down her back. "What?" She stared down at Adam, who was still tied to the ground. "What?"
He took a deep breath. The heat was unbearable. Jessica's naivety, her stupidity, was beyond belief. He spoke slowly, emphasizing each word. "Do you know what Trial by Fire and Beast is?"
She dropped a hand on her hip. He was making her angrier by the second. How dare he speak to her in that patronizing tone! She was risking her own life trying to rescue him. She didn't have to come back! She was safe on that mountain ridge! "No. I don't know what Trial by Fire and Beast is, but the options were pretty limited, buster." She looked out across the Snake River Plain that loomed to the north. "I was trying to save your miserable life. The negotiations were pretty one-sided."
"Jessica, no one agrees to something without knowing what it is! I'd told you the
re'd be no dealing with a man like Crooked Nose!"
She kicked the stake that secured his left foot to the ground. "I was trying to help! Was I supposed to just let you die?"
He stared up at her, moistening his parched lips. "Why don't you just go ahead and shoot me now?"
"What?"
"Jess, there are easy ways to die and then there are hard ways to die." His black eyes met hers. "Trial by Fire and Beast is the hard way to go."
"So you're not even going to try?" she shouted angrily. "Because if you're not, I think I'll just walk on out of here now. I've got an outlaw to track and then I've got an apple orchard to start. I haven't got time for—" Her voice broke and she turned away, ashamed of her tears. She was so damned angry with Adam. She had tried! This was their only chance!
The Ute wearing Adam's hat and boots brushed past Jessica and leaned over Adam. Adam glared unflinchingly when he whipped out a jagged-bladed knife. The Ute sliced the ties that bound their captive to the ground and walked off without a word.
Jessica dropped to her knees and Adam tried to sit up. "They're freeing you!"
"Not hardly. It's all in preparation for tonight's entertainment." Adam ran a hand through his dusty hair, fighting the dizziness that churned in his head.
"Entertainment?"
He laughed. "Me, honey. I'm the entertainment." He cradled his head in his hands. This was all so ludicrous. If he'd just left Jessica behind in Loco, none of this ever would have happened. He'd have Caine by now. His name would be clear. He wouldn't be in love with an aggravating, irritating, naive woman with lips of honey. He wouldn't be in jeopardy of losing his life for the benefit of a band of renegades' amusement.
"What do you have to do?"
He shook his head. "Listen. There's not a lot of time. I need to prepare myself. I'm going to tell you what I need and then you're to go to Crooked Nose."
"What if he doesn't agree?"
"He'll agree. It's the competitor's right." Adam took her hand. "Then I want you to go, Jess. Ride out. Walk if you have to."
"I'm not going without you," she stalled. She didn't want to tell Adam the terms of the agreement. She didn't want him to know what he meant to her.
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