Kit felt sick with fear. When their hands were untied, they quickly picked their way past the women sprawled on the floor to the farthest corner, and sat down.
Valerie clutched Kit’s hand and whispered anxiously. “What are we going to do now? How long are we going to have to stay in this place? What’s going to happen to us? Kit, I think I’d rather die!” She stifled a sob.
Kit squeezed her hand. It was her responsibility to be the braver one, she felt, because it was her fault that Valerie was involved in this nightmare. “No,” she told her firmly, “you wouldn’t rather die. Neither would I. We’re going to keep our chins up, and no matter what happens, we’re going to keep looking for a way out of this madness. We’re going to be strong so we’ll be ready for our chance when it comes. Abjar helped us. Maybe someone else will, too.”
“If they pull out all my teeth, I’ll kill myself!”
“Nobody is going to pull your teeth out. She just said that to scare you.” Kit wished she could believe her own words.
After a while they slept, hugging each other for comfort. It was cold and damp, and they heard sounds in the shadows like rats scurrying about. Now and then someone would begin crying hysterically, and the toothless woman would administer opium, bringing silence for a while.
They assumed it was morning when some kind of gruel was poured into a wooden trough in the middle of the room. They didn’t feel like eating, after they had passed but another hellish day, their hunger drove them to fight for a place at the trough.
Several more women were brought into the chamber the next day, and one of them approached Kit and Valerie. “I heard on the streets that there are two beautiful American women to be auctioned. A crowd is gathering, demanding to see you. The slave master is helping to spread the word, for it is said you will bring high prices,” she said, appearing almost envious.
“Thank you for the information,” Kit replied dryly.
The girl gave her a strange look and backed away.
“How much longer?” Valerie wailed. “How many days are they going to keep us in this hellhole?”
“Not many,” Kit assured. “They don’t have that much room left.”
Finally, after what Kit calculated had been four days, there was a commotion as a dozen men stomped down the steps and started dragging several women back up. Some screamed in protest, other went docilely, no longer caring what happened to them. The toothless woman supervised with a big whip. Walking over to Kit and Valerie, she taunted, “You two will be the last to go. I hear that never before has such a crowd of bidders assembled at the block, because word has spread that ivory skins are to be auctioned. I am even going to be there!”
“How nice,” Kit forced a yawn, pretending unconcern.
The women shook her whip menacingly, but did not dare to mar the flesh of her most prized merchandise. “You will get what’s coming to you—that I promise.”
She walked away, and Valerie huddled yet closer to Kit, unable to hold back her tears any longer. “Please,” she wept, “please, God, get us out of this or just let me die.”
Kit felt like crying, too, but she refused to give in to tears. She ground her teeth so tightly that her jaw ached. It looked as if there was no way out for them. They were going to be taken up to the auction block and sold to the highest bidder, and there was nothing she could do about it. It seemed a lifetime ago that she had walked in freedom, confident of a happy future. And oh, how she wished she hadn’t been so stubborn, hadn’t let Anaya get the best of her. She now knew beyond all doubt that she loved Kurt. Had she only fought for him, he would have been with her that night when Galen came, and—
Kit shook her head, determined she would not spend the rest of her life mourning what might have been. Kurt had been right when he said she was spoiled, but that was a long time ago. She now knew that she was truly strong, and was determined to survive, no matter what lay in store.
Finally Kit and Valerie were the only ones left. Two men in turbans and white robes roughly yanked them to their feet, throwing them over their shoulders and carrying them up the steps. The toothless woman pranced along behind them, laughing and taunting.
The sudden glare of daylight was blinding. Blinking, they saw a horde of cheering, turbaned men reaching out to touch them. Kit saw that Valerie seemed to have gone into a trance. She was standing perfectly still, her arms at her sides, her eyes tightly closed, swaying ever so slightly from side to side.
They stood in the middle of a raised platform. The auctioneer pulled Kit’s arms up high above her head and forced her to twirl around and around, much to the delight of the prospective bidders. He announced happily that she was the diamond, the pearl, of all womanhood, a beautiful American woman of gentle birth who would be the crown jewel of any man’s harem.
A booming voice came from the crowd, demanding that she be shown naked. Kit cringed in terror. Dear God, not that, she prayed furiously. Don’t let them strip me naked in front of all these savages!
Her prayer was answered when the auctioneer declared that such a feast would be offered only to the one paying the highest price. Amid the cries of protest, he commanded that the bidding begin.
Figures were shouted loudly, but a hush fell suddenly over the crowd as someone in the back roared that he wished to make an opening bid for the women as a pair. The amount he offered, Kit realized, was so high that some of the men actually backed away from the block, not willing to match it. The auctioneer happily agreed, and the bidding quickly became frenzied. But no matter how high the offer, the first bidder raised it.
Again and again the auctioneer forced Kit to parade around the platform. He thought that Valerie was drugged, so he allowed her to stand there with her eyes closed. Kit was so furious that she didn’t even mind stomping around with her hands on her hips, withering all those hungry eyes with a glare so cold and vicious that many of the men turned away, deciding that she was a demon from hell. “Buy me!” she shouted, shaking her fists. “But always be on guard, lest I cut your throats the first chance I get!”
The crowd grew thinner in the relentless sun. Many stood under awnings to wait and see what the final bid would be.
The man who kept raising the price had moved closer. Kit stared at him in wonder and fright. A man willing to pay so much for her body must have all sorts of perverted ideas in mind.
He was dressed completely in black, and his eyes could barely be seen through the black cloth that swathed his face. There was another man with him, also mysteriously dressed in black. So they were together, and they would probably take turns with her and Valerie, Kit thought dazedly.
“Sold!” the auctioneer shouted suddenly.
The two men in black walked over to the table beside the block where money was collected.
“Valerie!” Kit nudged her sharply with her elbow. “Come back to life, Dammit! I need you.” A desperate plan was forming in her mind.
Valerie looked at her in hopeless silence.
As the auctioneer had strutted around the platform, Kit had noticed that he carried a knife strapped to his ankle “When I tell you to, pretend to faint.” Valerie nodded, willing to try anything.
The auctioneer was at the edge of the platform, watching the men count out their money. Finally he turned and started toward them. Kit whispered, “Now!”
Valerie crumpled to the floor.
Kit screamed and dropped to her knees. Just as she had hoped, the auctioneer came running and knelt beside her. With a lightning-quick movement, Kit slipped the knife from his ankle sheath and concealed it inside her ankle band.
“Get up!” he commanded, shaking Valerie. When she did not respond, he signaled to one of his helpers. “Put her on the back of that horse over there. This one, too. The one who bought her commanded they be tied on their bellies across the horses.”
Kit clenched her teeth again. Once more she was going to be tied like a sack of potatoes, and there would be no chance to get to the knife. Still she was comforted b
y the knowledge that at least she had a weapon now.
They were tied in place and led through the streets of Tangiers once more. Kit wondered where they were going and how long it would take, all the while itching to plunge her knife into the flesh of the arrogant bastard who thought he’d bought her body and soul.
The day wore on, and then shadows began to fall. The two men leading them did not speak as they continued to plod on relentlessly.
Finally they stopped. Kit tensed. She would have one chance, and one chance only. She would stab the man who untied her, then take the other by surprise and stab him, too. What happened then, where they would run to, Kit did now know, for she had no idea where they were. But it did not matter. They would be free.
She felt her ankles being untied. Then her captor walked around to the other side of the horse to free her wrists. She got ready to drop to her feet and grab the knife from its hiding place, to cut him the instant he came back around.
Just as she was freed, strong hands suddenly caught her waist from behind. The other man was holding her! Kit knew that it was now or never. She threw herself forward, taking him by surprise. Grabbing the knife, she brought it up and around to plunge the blade into his throat…and froze!
“Dammit, Kit, you’re dangerous!”
Kurt’s hand locked around her wrist, holding it firmly as he gathered her in his arms for a kiss that seemed to last forever. She felt faint, sure that it had to be a dream. Her mind must have finally snapped in the wake of all the horror and madness.
Then she heard Valerie scream with joy and call Travis’s name. She knew that it was real—Kurt was actually holding her, and, dear God, it was wonderful!
Kurt kissed her until she was breathless, then they were both laughing at the same time as he tried to explain how it had all happened—how they had ridden like the very devil to get to Tangiers only to lose their trail until they heard of the innkeeper, Hashim. It had not taken much persuasion for him to confide that he had seen the American women, one with hair like sunshine, the other like sunrise. Finally, once they heard about the auction of two American beauties, they knew they’d found them.
“We just decided to buy you,” Kurt said matter-of-factly. “Rather than get in a fight.”
Stunned by the wonder of it all, Kit stammered, “But…but how did you happen to have so much money?”
He and Travis looked at each other and laughed. Then Kurt said, “Well, we ran into a certain Spanish outlaw who tried to buy his way out of a real bad situation, and he just happened to have sold a couple of American women.”
Epilogue
They stood together on a knoll overlooking the river in front of Kit’s ranch, beneath the protective arms of a cottonwood tree. The groom was strikingly handsome in a gray suit, and he gazed down adoringly at his bride, an ethereal vision of loveliness in white lace.
The priest heard their vows and spoke the words that declared them man and wife.
Kit and Kurt kissed each other with such passion that they drew sighs from several of those in the small crowd. Then they moved away to share a moment of intimacy before receiving congratulations and good wishes.
Jade had stood with Colt, watching in silence. She was happy for Kit, but was preoccupied with another matter.
She watched as Travis held Valerie’s hand and gazed down at her, both of them oblivious to everyone around them. Jade sighed with resignation. The time had come for her to tell the truth. She had to share her nightmare to prevent another one occurring—there was no other way.
She and Colt had been about to leave for their cruise around the world when West Point officials notified them that Travis had abruptly left the Academy. It did not take long to learn that he’d booked immediate passage for Europe; neither did it take long to learn his ultimate destination. So they had followed, arriving only the day before to learn what had happened. It would be impossible, Jade knew, to separate Valerie and Travis again. She had no choice but to tell Valerie why they could never marry, and hope that the girl would do the honorable thing and never reveal the reason.
Just then someone announced that champagne and wedding cake were being served on the porch, and everyone began to move in that direction. Jade waited until she saw Travis leave Valerie’s side to get her refreshments, then Jade approached her.
Valerie paled when she saw Jade.
“We must talk,” Jade said tightly.
Valerie stiffened and shook her head firmly. “No, Mrs. Coltrane, I won’t let you intimidate me again. I’ve been through hell and back, and I’ve grown up. No one is going to stand in our way now.”
“Hear me out, please.”
Valerie saw the tears in her emerald eyes and sensed her desperation. “All right,” she said quietly. “But I warn you, there’s nothing you can do to change my mind.”
Jade began to talk hurriedly and Valerie’s blue eyes seemed to grow wider and wider. When Jade had finished explaining that she could never marry Travis because he might be her half-brother, Valerie did not know whether to laugh or cry. “So that’s why you hated me?” she cried, incredulous. “Oh, Mrs. Coltrane, how I wish you had told me all of this sooner!”
Jade blinked, unnerved by her reaction. “You must never tell a soul—”
“No, no, you don’t have to worry about that,” Valerie assured her. “Bryan Stevens is not my real father!”
Jade swayed in sudden shock. “Child, don’t lie to me,” she begged hoarsely. “Please don’t lie. I know that you love my son, but it just can never be. The risk is too great!”
“No!” Valerie shook her head violently. “You’re wrong. Listen to me, please. I can’t do anything about your fear that Bryan Stevens may have fathered Travis and Kit. God knows, I hope it’s not so, but you can stop worrying about me being Travis’s half-sister, because Bryan Stevens in not my real father.”
“What are you saying?” Jade gasped.
“I never knew anything about your being involved with him. No one ever told me anything. All I knew was that a long time ago, my mother thought he was dead, and she was so heartbroken that she started drinking and hanging out in waterfront bars. She took up with men and eventually got pregnant…with me. My real father was a sailor, and quite frankly…” Valerie swallowed with difficulty. “I’m not sure she even knew which one he was. But when Bryan Stevens showed up again, he took pity on her and married her. He gave me his name and promised her he’d raise me as his own daughter, which he did. I never wanted for anything—except love, which he didn’t seem to be able to give. In fact, I might never have known the truth if he hadn’t gotten drunk one night and told me everything.”
Jade’s heart went out to Valerie, and she felt terrible to have caused her so much pain. “Valerie, can you ever forgive me?” she choked out.
“Oh, yes,” the girl fervently assured her, “and your secret will be safe with me forever.”
They hugged each other, laughing and crying at once.
Colt saw them and hurried over, and Jade quickly told him that Valerie was adopted. A great weight seemed to lift from his shoulders, as he, too, embraced Valerie and welcomed her into his family and his heart.
Travis began to run toward them, not knowing what was going on. When he heard that Jade had made peace with Valerie, his gray eyes glistened with tears of joy, and he pulled Valerie close.
Jade felt blessed relief for her son and her daughter. Their pain and misery were ending, and their lives of joy just beginning.
But what of her own?
What of the doubts she had harbored all these years?
Colt put his arm around her, and her heart warmed as always at his nearness. She loved him more with each beat of her heart, had never doubted his devotion to her.
Suddenly the years ahead loomed bright and promising. She looked at her children again. Grown though they were, they were forever children in her heart.
They were Coltranes, if not by blood then surely by spirit.
And love.
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And honor.
That was all that would ever matter.
About the Author
Patricia Hagan might be the New York Times bestselling author of 38 novels and 2500 short stories, but she can also lay claim to being among the vanguard of women writers covering NASCAR stock-car racing. The first woman granted garage passes to major speedways, she has awards in TV commentary, newspaper and magazine articles, and for several years wrote and produced a twice-weekly racing program heard on 42 radio stations in the south.
Patricia’s books have been translated into many languages, and she has made promotional trips to Europe, including England, France, Italy, Norway, Greece, Turkey, Croatia, Spain and Ireland.
Hagan’s exciting eight-book Coltrane saga, which spans from the Civil War to the Russian Revolution, has appeared on every major bestseller list and is one of the most popular series published in France, never having been out-of-print in that country in nearly 30 years.
Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Patricia grew up all across the United States due to her father’s position as a federal attorney, finally settling in Alabama where she graduated from the University of Alabama with a major in English. She now resides with her husband in south Florida where she volunteers as a Court-appointed Guardian Ad Litem for abused children.
But of all her accolades and accomplishments, Patricia most of all loves to boast of being the proud mom of a Navy SEAL.
Look for these titles by Patricia Hagan
Now Available:
The Coltrane Saga
Love and War
The Raging Hearts
Love and Glory
Love and Fury
Love and Splendor
Love and Dreams
Coming Soon:
Love and Triumph
Neither shipwreck, amnesia, kidnapping nor deception can keep these star-crossed lovers apart!
Love and Honor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 7 Page 26