“Fire.” The whisper so faint, barely a breath, was a great relief when it came some time later from her sweet lips.
“Fire that’s right…what else do you remember Mel?” Soothing the hair from her eyes, he searched their depths for any signs of recognition. The instant she blinked, her eyes focusing on his features, Gabriel wanted to shout for joy.
“That’s right baby come back to me.” He encouraged her.
“Lily is gone Gabe!” Melody gasped as memory flashed in her confused mind.
“Gone where sweetheart? Where did she go?”
“He has her Gabe. We have to save Lily!”
“Who has Lily?” Gabe could barely make out what she was saying as panic caused her to shake uncontrollably. Taking her in his arms he rocked her like a child trying to calm her tremors.
“That man from the stage coach. Jack Dobbins!”
“Dobbins?” Hunter inhaled sharply. He neared closer to the bed to question Melody. “Are you sure that it was Dobbins?” Hunter’s heartbeat accelerated.
“I don’t understand sweetheart. Why would this man attack you and take Lily? I’ve never even met the man.” Gabriel questioned her, confused by the turn of events.
“I don’t know! I just know that I saw him take her.” Melody cried.
“I know why.” Hunter somberly informed the couple. It was time that part of the truth of his presence in town, came to light. “That devil’s spawn has a fixation on children.”
“How do you know this?” Gabriel asked the ashen faced man. “How do you know this animal?”
“He killed my little sister.”
“If you dig a grave for others, you may fall into it yourself”
An Irish saying.
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
“Wake up you little bitch!” Jack snapped at the thin child lying so helpless and still, on the floor of the shack that he had been using to hide out in.
Her cheeks were so pale and heavy with bluish black tinged bruises dotting along her throat and forehead. Though her light blue dress was torn from one delicate shoulder and quite filthy, Jack decided when his game was over he would keep it as a souvenir. He usually liked to keep a little reminder of the good times he’d had. A ribbon here a stocking there. Small things he kept for his trophies. The dress would be a perfect addition to his vast collection.
Anger poured like waves from within him, as he tended the painful wound that he now suffered. Blood that had soaked the bandage through and dripped to the dirt floor in rivers, now slowly dried. After the brat had sunk her sharp little teeth into the tender flesh of his hand ripping skin and tearing meat, he’d actually felt a moment of panic. He never should have untied her, nor released her from her gag. For a moment the little bitch had gotten the better of him. Because of that she would pay Jack assured her, laughing at the fear that crossed her little features. No one got the upper hand on Jack. He would not stand for it.
The girl did not realize that Jack had picked her specially. She did not seem to understand how much time and effort that he had gone through to get to her. After he had gone to all that trouble to cut those fences, then hide out to snatch the little peach and drag her here, not to mention setting the fire. She did not respect him as a man. She did not tremble at his power. Instead of begging and crying as he wanted her to, the little shrew had gone wild on him. Kicking, biting and even scratching him.
It wasn’t his fault that he had been forced to knock her out too soon. It wasn’t his fault that he had a bit of a temper. She had driven him to it. He was the master and she had better learn to submit to him for the short time that he would keep her alive. Last night he had dug the hole in which he would throw her, much like a broken toy when this was over. In his mind all was ready.
Now because of her, Jack was forced to wait on the little witch to wake before he could gain his pleasure from her young body. Sure he could have taken her already while she was out, but the fun was in watching those he hunted struggle and cry. The joy in watching as the realization hit, that he was the one who controlled their fate. This one, he was determined was going to feel much more pain than any of the others. For that he needed her to open her eyes.
It had been over two hours now since he had slammed her head repeatedly against the thick wooden beam securing the wall to knock her out, and now time was running out for him. Two hours in which to fantasize about all of the many delightful things he would do to make the child cry and scream out. His body demanded to satisfy itself. The dark part of his soul needed to feed and clawed at his mind pushing him onward toward his release.
Jack knew if the blaze didn’t kill the bitch of a sister, she could regain consciousness and get help. If that happened, it was going to ruin all of his well laid plans. He couldn’t have that. Jack’s patience was worn thin now. He was tired of waiting.
“Get up girl.” He demanded again, roughly nudging her back with the tip of his shoe. Groggily the child began to stir and Jack felt smug satisfaction as fear swiftly reflected within her eyes.
“That’s a good girl.” He encouraged her.
Sliding his uninjured hand into his pocket Jack withdrew the blade he had hidden there. Small though deathly sharp, it would do the job that Jack intended for it to do. When that time came, it would do it splendidly. He could almost feel how buttery soft her skin would feel as he slid his knife into her. Excitement dark and malevolent coursed through Jack.
Lily was suspended between nightmare and reality as terror invaded and nearly crippled her. Unsure as to why the demon had abducted her, her mind still too young to comprehend the extent of his evil. Instinct told Lily that if she did not get away, she was going to die inside the hovel in which she now stood. Slowly she pushed the fear aside as she rose painfully to her feet. Her knees, scraped and bloody burned like they were on fire. Hot tears built behind her eyes threatening to overspill. She willed them back as she done so many times in her short life.
Lily wanted nothing more than to fall to the ground and weep for her family, but she knew she couldn’t. She had to stay strong. The horror of watching the man beat Melody replayed in her mind. She had been unable to stop him or even cry out because he had gagged her. Lily prayed that her sister was still alive with all of her might. It hurt her to think of never seeing Melody or the boys again. She had come to imagine Gabriel as her father and Mel as her mother. She had finally started to feel safe and accepted. She would not let this monster take that from her, easily. She would fight.
“Go over and sit on the cot.” Jack demanded pointing at the rickety makeshift bed placed in the dirty corner of the shack. A coil of rope rested upon the floor next to it. A Filthy gray blanket spread loosely across the cot. Defiantly shaking her head no, Lily stood her ground.
“I said go!” A sharp slap across her already bruised cheek caused her to stumble backward into the wall in which she had been supporting herself. Catching the wall Lily kept from falling to the ground once again. Pain shot up her right arm as she held on wrenching it backwards.
“Do not make me angry child. You will suffer for it. I promise you. Go do as you’re told.” Grabbing a fistful of her hair in a painful grip, he forced Lily over to the bed himself. Flinging her to lie upon it, he smiled in satisfaction. Just as he thought, she was as weak as all of the others and no match for him. Jack was pleased to finally begin his games.
“You are such a pretty little thing. You look so fresh and sweet. Do you know why I chose you girl?” When Lily just stared in horrified silence he shrugged and continued on as if they were conversing about the weather.
“I had a sister once. Dark haired and bratty, Marianna was always getting me into trouble. She was such an annoyance. I wanted to hurt her badly but I knew I would get caught.” Jack slowly stalked to the cot while he continued his grim tale, striping his shirt off as he did so. His torso was pale and thin.
“Papa had given her a doll once. One that he had brought back from one of his business trips to Boston. Do yo
u know what he brought me?” Silence again from the child angered him further. Sliding his belt from the loops that held it, Jack slowly unbuttoned his pants. Lily was frightened by the strange bulge that rested in his smallclothes.
His clothing falling to rest around his boots, Lily could see faded scars on his arms and chest. Coming closer to her prone figure he leaned in, his arms resting on either side of her head trapping her. Jack’s body was not yet touching hers, to Lily’s great relief.
“Nothing! That’s what. Not a damn thing. Marianna’s doll was porcelain with blond hair and big green eyes. Sweet and delicate, just as you are. When I saw you I knew I had to break you, just as I broke Marianna’s doll. Smashed it to bits I did. Got beat nearly unconscious for it, but it was worth every lick from Papa’s belt.” He chuckled at the memory.
“Don’t worry; I got Marianna good in the end. The folk’s always thought she drowned in the creek by accident. Fools, they always loved her best. She was five.”
A tear of sorrow for a child she never knew, slid down Lily’s cheek falling to splash on his hand. The feel of its sweet moisture upon his skin momentarily distracted Jack. He lifted the hand to his mouth and placed his lips to the salty spot to taste it. The beauty of a child’s tear sent a rush of warmth throughout his entire being. Closing his eyes to savor the moment, Jack was unprepared for Lily’s attack.
Kneeing him as hard as she could in an area where Michael and Mathew had taught her to, Lily scrambled away and off the bed. While he fell screaming to the spot that she had been lying, Lily acted fast. Grabbing the sharp knife that fell from his hand she plunged deep it into the center of his back. Blood spurted over her small hands as she tried to stop him from grasping the torn hem of her dress.
His scream of agony filled the shack as she staggered away from his writhing figure. Bile rose from her belly, very nearly forcing her to vomit but Lily persevered and resisted it. Not waiting to give the monster a chance to regain his feet, Lily rushed to the wooded slated door and scraped her hands pulling the wooden bar from its position. Daylight nearly blinded her as the door swung open.
Lily could hear his frantic thrashing on the bed as Jack tried to get back up, his pants twisted around his ankles tripping him further. Relief coursed through Lily as she ran through the doorway and toward freedom.
“When faith is misplaced, the path becomes lost”
An Irish saying
CHAPTER THIRTY
“The sun is going to be set soon. Why haven’t they found her yet? It’s getting dark!” Melody wailed in distress. “I need to get up and start looking for her myself.”
She ached terribly from head to toe but the physical pain was nothing compared to the mental anguish she was experiencing inside. The child, that she had once helped her mother birth and now left to care for, was missing and it was all her fault. If only she had kept Lily by her side today. If only she had done more to protect her baby sister none of this would have happened.
“Your husband has an entire posse mounted and out there looking for her. There isn’t but a few hands left on the ranch and Even the Mayor is out looking. I’ve sent men from my own ranch out to look. There is nothing you can do but wait honey.”
Soothing the weeping lady in her arms Winnie tried to keep Melody from rising from the bed.
“You need to focus on staying in that bed and regaining your strength. You will need it for the little baby that Pops told me you were expecting.”
Raising a glass of cool water to the younger woman’s lips, Winnie forced her to drink. “You could have knocked me over with a feather, when I first arrived. I’ve never seen that man so shocked in my life!” Winnie continued on, though she knew Melody was paying little attention to her. So lost in fear was the young woman. “It will be good to have a little baby around here again.”
The older woman was also very frightened for Lily, but she knew couldn’t allow that to show. For right now Melody was fragile and could snap at any moment. Over an hour ago Fergus had ridden out to her ranch and brought Winnie back to help nurse Melody. Since even Doctor Fisher was on his way to join up with the posse to help find the girl. The sweet child had been missing since early afternoon and it was almost a quarter after seven in the evening now.
Winnie knew it was not a good sign that the only thing they had found was fresh blood smears in the abandoned line shack. Most folks had forgotten that the structure lay empty. Overgrown by weeds, it sat between the Lucky ‘M’ and the Sinclair ranch. It was the perfect hide out for the snake who had stolen their precious little one.
Luckily, Hunter White-Wolf had forced himself into the posse and joined the search. Not all of the towns’ folk had been willing to accept the man into their midst’s, but the need to find the little girl overrode their fear and in some cases prejudices. Gabriel was grateful to have as many as men as possible and had enlisted him into his own group of trusted men. According to Mathew whom arrived home for a quick report, it was Hunter who’d used his excellent tracking abilities to locate the shack.
“I can’t just lay here while anything could be happening to Lily! That man is sick… I am telling you, I felt it when Lily and I ran across him on our trip out here Winnie.”
“You will have to be strong for her Melody. To do that, you need your own strength. Trust that the child will be found safe and sound.” Winnie encouraged her.
“You don’t understand Winnie. Lily and I argued today. I had lost my temper with her and even went as far as threatening to paddle her bottom. I can’t let those be the last things I said to her. She will never forgive me.” Melody sobbed her heart breaking.
“Oh my darling girl, welcome to motherhood!” Winnie clucked.
**********
Jack crouched stiffly behind the blood covered boulder, cursing the day he had laid eyes on the heathen child. The grip he had on his gun slacking a bit from exhaustion as his hand began to shake. The torn skin covering his back felt like someone had poured scalding oil upon it. Without the ability to reach the blade, Jack had been unable to remove it. With each step he had made, the pain worsened. The blade felt as if it sank deeper and deeper into him. The near agony of the wound served as a reminder that he had to keep going until he caught the brat. He needed to finish this and skip town as quickly as possible.
A thundering sound of hoof beats had echoed over the land when the riders had come. The ground violently shaking as it was torn asunder by the relentless men. Jack knew without a doubt that his trail had been followed and that these men were in hot pursuit of him. By now, he had figured that the little nest he had made for himself had been discovered and thoroughly searched. It was a lucky break that he had found these boulders to hide behind but he knew that his cover was blown. He feared that the men had spotted him before he had gotten that first shot off.
The useless horse he had stolen from that fat man that he had killed was lost to him now. The damn thing had bolted when he had been too preoccupied fighting to get the girl into the shack, to tie it up. Now without a ready mount, Jack was at a deadly disadvantage. His only choice had been to try to kill one of the riders and take theirs. Failing that, Jack had hoped the gunfire would force the other men to take shelter so that he could get a bit of a head start away from his trackers.
It was unfortunate that he had not been able to strike any of the horsemen with that second shot. Jack was now down to barely any bullets left and no idea what the men were plotting.
“Death cannot be turned away easily
When it comes to the door”
An Irish warning
CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
The first gun shot that had rung out startled the horse on which Gabriel was riding. Shadow stumbled, but with determination Gabriel remained mounted and regained control of the animal. The second blast coming from somewhere to the left of him, nearly grazed Gabriel before he and the rest of the men could find shelter behind a thick cluster of trees. They now knew that the scum they hunted was armed and nearby.
Hiding like the coward he was, behind a grouping of boulders. The thick brush had wildly overgrown providing safety from exposure, making capture all the more difficult.
The posse Gabriel had hastily gathered split themselves into small groups in order to cover the most ground. Hunter, Alec and Mathias had joined Gabriel and he was thankful for the back up once they had found the shack. The men had kept him from going insane as he had knelt by the cot covered in blood. Shaking and sickened by what he feared had occurred in the hell hole. Frightening thoughts of finding the little girl raped and possibly dead brought Gabriel to his knees.
Practically dragging Gabriel from the hateful place, Hunter followed the steady signs of blood. Scouting the territory until that first shot rang out, notifying the men that they had finally found their quarry.
“Dobbins got nowhere else to go. We’ve got him cornered.” Hunter confirmed from his position. “He is injured, and by the looks of the amount of blood he is losing, it’s a pretty deep wound.”
Satisfied that he would soon seek justice for the crimes that Dobbins committed against his family, Hunter allowed himself a moment to relish in the feeling.
The unfortunate fact that he had not been able to flush the vile fiend out, before he hurt another, wore heavily on Hunter’s mind. The many years of tracking the twisted viper, always arriving too late to catch him only to have to follow the trail of children’s bodies ate at Hunter. His damaged soul had seen too many atrocities in life to ever feel clean again.
“Good job kid.” The friendly clap on his back from the Mayor startled Hunter and surprised the hell out of Gabriel as well. Apparently the animosity that the two shared was dissipating a bit.
“It wasn’t hard tracking the pig. I just hope he doesn’t bleed to death before we can find out where he stashed the little one.” Hunter shrugged off the praise, embarrassed at the way he warmed inside from it.
A Bargain Bride (Brides of Liberty, Texas) Page 16