Alec was impressed with the way that Hunter had tracked his prey. In another time, the man would have made an excellent Texas Ranger. Alec himself would have been proud to have the man at his back.
“Time is up. I’m going in.” Gabriel grabbed his gun and cocked the pistol in readiness. Time was wasting for every minute they sat here, meant one minute that Lily was in peril. If she was even still alive…Gabriel refused to allow his mind to wander down that road.
“What do you plan to do?” Alec demanded of his friend.
“I’m going to charge the brush and draw his fire.”
“That is crazy Gabe. You could easily be shot.” Mathias tried to get his comrade to see the error of his plan.
“He won’t have time to reload. The most he can get off is a couple of shots.” Gabriel explained the reasoning behind his strategy.
“A couple of shots that is all he needs to kill you Gabriel! Use your head here…We are all worried for Lily, but what good will it do her if you go and get yourself killed?” Alec grabbed the reins on Gabriel’s mount preventing him from charging without thinking.
“Gabriel is right. The bastard is on foot and injured. Not fifty feet behind him is the drop off. Now is the time to act.”
Mathias spoke of the deep dip in the terrain that lay between their ranches. Layer upon layer of rock splintered off, caving in creating a cavern. Many stray calves had lost their lives by wandering too close to the drop off. The crack of red earth was at least thirty feet wide and over three times as deep. The area was scarcely traversed by the ranch hands, because of its dangerous conditions and unstable ground. Only a mad man would try to use this ground for leverage. A fall over the side would surely kill a person.
“I will ride with you. Two targets are better than one.” Hunter offered. “I will draw his fire while you strike.”
“I’m not going to sit here twiddling my thumbs while you both go after the villain! Count me into your crazy scheme… but if anything happens to this suit I’m going to strangle the braided one here.” Thumb jerking indicating the direction in which Hunter was located, Alec offered his assistance in trapping their prey.
All the men present shot a wry glance toward the navy pin stripe garment that the mayor proudly wore. The right sleeve was already torn down the arm and the rest was completely covered in trail dust. His apparel could not get any more destroyed if it tried.
“Me? It’s your choice to ride around like some Nancy- pants female. You could have borrowed something of mine to wear. We are about the same size.” Hunter replied offended.
“Maybe I just want a reason to choke you.” Alec laughed and punched Hunter on his arm.
“What the hell did you do that for?” Hunter scowled as he punched the grinning man in return. It was painfully clear the younger man was not used to harmless male banter. They would have to work on that if the kid was going to stick around, Alec promised himself.
“Want a second one?” Alec cracked his knuckles trying not to laugh at the surprised look on the kid’s face.
“Do it again and you won’t live to regret it.” Hunter promised without any heat to the words.
“Ladies...ladies, you’re both pretty so stop your fighting. We have to focus here.” Mathias snapped at the bickering pair. He was not surprised when the two turned in unison and both made the exact same crude gesture with their hands.
“What is the plan going to be then Gabriel? Because if pretty boy and the new kid get to be involved, then so do I.” Mathias grumbled.
“Hunter and I will take lead. Mat, Alec, the two of you should try to circle behind and close in on the bastard.” Gabriel ordered his mind already set to the task at hand. “We go on three.”
The four riders quickly got into position and readied their side arms. Each man gave Gabriel a nod when they were ready for the count to begin.
“One….two...three!”
**********
At the cry of three, the gates of hell opened up for Jack Dobbins. Scrambling backward he fired wildly until his gun was out of bullets. He never once hit animal nor rider as he scuttled like a bug backwards trying to find a hidey hole away from the coming vengeance.
The hilt of the blade still fully embedded in his back caught on a rock and sliced further upwards, making the cavity in his flesh wider. Fresh blood spurted out from the putrid wound as Jack screamed from the pain.
Within seconds, the mounts were almost upon him. The enraged riders close enough to see the fury marring their faces. Dizziness hit Jack hard, his vision dimmed as his head swam in a puddle of murky waters. His body felt as if it was lit a fire. His gut clenched against bile threatening to spill.
They were the four horsemen of the apocalypse from his Mama’s bible, Jack’s feverish mind shouted in warning. The two in the lead frightened him the most. Their human skin melted off as their faces dissolved into demon form. Dark hoods appeared to cloak their figures. Flames shot from their eyes and mouths as a roar like no sound on earth exploded from their skeletal jaws. Their horses became completely engulfed by the flames of hell. Their whinnies shrieked through the air chilling him.
Jack could hear the trumpets sounding in the back of his mind. He would pray, but Jack knew he was beyond prayer now. Hell was coming for him. He knew that he was in the shadows of the valley of death now. If he was going to make it, he needed a solid place to take cover.
The land had turned dark, making it nearly impossible to find the shelter he sought. Stumbling blindly backwards, Jack fought for footing against the crumbling terrain. The loss of blood caused Jack’s legs to buckle beneath him trapping him further.
The two riders in the rear broke off and formed a wide half circle around the rocky foundation that Jack knelt upon. Jack was unable to get to his feet to run, as mind numbing weakness set into his limbs. He was almost frozen with fear as the leader of the group pointed one skeletal finger in his direction as if to signal the other demons to grab him.
“Surrender, Dobbins.” The guttural voice of the lead horseman called out to him. Sparks shot off the rider’s spurs as he directed his fiery mount closer.
“Stay away from me!” Jack cried. Frantically he began crawling crab style backwards. His head shot back and forth desperately as he tried to keep an eye on the four creatures from hell that surrounded him.
His vision clouded once again as macabre figures began to form beside the riders. Some crouched as if ready to pounce; some crawled on all fours like possessed dogs. Slithering on their bellies the bloody figures stalked toward Jack. Some skeletal, some bloated with rotted flesh. All wore the same expressions on what was left of their twisted faces. Justice, they sought justice from Jack’s soul.
“Nooo!” Jack sobbed like an infant, terrified of what was before him.
Maggots formed the eyes of the closest figure. Naked with decaying skin, the corpse stood before him. Bone jutted from a torn abdomen. The wraith was a female, small and petite. Her long hair lay in tangles against a crooked head that was nearly falling off, as a gaping hole made up the majority of her neck. A neck that he remembered slicing himself, only after he had raped the child that she once was. It was the little Indian girl he was sure of it.
“Jack” The harsh voice came pooling out from the wraith’s grey, slackened jaw. “It’s time.”
“Leave me alone!” The screech coming for him only amused the monster. Her hideous lips twisted into a gruesome smile. Decayed teeth showed through the black opening of what were once her lips.
Staggering toward him further, she prompted the other specters beside her forward with a wave of swollen blackened hands. Their bloodcurdling inhuman howls forced Jack to release his bowels. He felt the wet mess that he had made of his pants, but pushed the thought away. His only instinct was to survive.
Eerie childish laughter emanated from behind the Indian girl’s presence. A sprite like child darted to and fro, dancing around the corpses that gathered. The ribbon in her curls bouncing merrily. Her tiny fig
ure beautifully attired in a flowing, lacy white dress. An angel sent to save him; Jack thought and smiled at the dark haired vision. A warm safe feeling flowed through him. Using the strength he had left in his arm Jack tried to get the angel’s attention. At the slightest movement, her body froze in midair and focused sharply onto him.
“Jackie!” She giggled and shot forward.
Too late Jack realized he knew that dress too well. He had once held the child under water by the sash that had graced the back of it. He had kept her under, until she had finally stopped kicking and fighting him. Until her little mouth had gaped open turning blue, her eyes glazed and unfocused. The breath gone from her little body
“Marianna?” Jack shook his head in confusion trying to clear his mind.
The closer she came; he noticed how colorless she was. Her skin peeled from her temple in grisly sheets exposing her skull. Her eyes twin pools of blood. The little angel his baby sister once was, now gone. The only thing left behind was a frightening phantom.
“Jackie… I’m hungry.” Marianna’s pale lip pouted her tiny hand stretched outward.
“What do you mean?” Jack could not wrap his mind around the sight of her.
Jack scooted further backwards trying to evade Marianna’s grasp as she crept near to him. Her fingers drawn into tiny hook shaped claws. The talons elongated and dripped sulfur. The smell rose up to meet Jack’s nose.
“I’m hungry.” Marianna repeated angrily.
“What can I do?” Jack sobbed. Never in his life had he been more terrified.
“Feed me!” With a merciless screech she launched herself at Jack sinking her teeth into his neck. Ripping and tearing feasting on his flesh. Trying to dislodge her, Jack fell screaming backward. Tumbling he went, taking them both over the edge of the rocky divide that he had unwittingly backed his body up against.
“A friend’s eye is a good mirror”
An Irish saying
CHAPTER THIRTY TWO
“Jesus! Drop him, it’s the only way.” Holding onto the ankles of the man dangling precariously over the edge of the rocky drop off, Hunter ordered the stubborn fool.
“No. We need him to tell us where Lily is…I can’t let him go.” Alec denied as he hung onto the shrieking, mad thing by his armpits. Jack’s struggling and kicking, making it hard for Alec to maintain his grip.
When he had spotted Jack closing in on the edge of the drop off, Alec had to think fast. Diving off of the back of his horse, he had grasped the crazed man before he could completely tumble backwards to his death. Unfortunately Jack’s weight had pulled Alec’s body down along with him. Luckily for Alec, Hunter had clued into his movements and had joined the pair in enough time to catch him by his ankles, saving Alec from joining Jack into his fall to death.
The ground now cut into the tender portion of Hunter’s belly, abrading the skin. He gritted his teeth against the pain as his previous injuries let themselves be felt, once again adding to Hunter’s discomfort.
“Hunter is right. Drop him so we can help pull you back up.” Lying upon his belly holding onto the hem of Alec’s trousers, Mathias ordered. His gaze shot over Hunter’s back to land on Gabriel, whom at the moment was doing to exact same thing on the other side of the kid. Each man drawing upon all their strength to keep from being pulled over the edge as well. The sun was nearly set and soon it would be too dark to see.
The torment he read in Gabriel’s eyes filled Mathias with sorrow, but it was not going to make it any easier if Gabriel lost his best friend in the process. Nodding toward Gabriel, Mathias prompted him to speak the words necessary for Alec to save himself.
“Let go. We can’t hold on much longer.” The hoarse words fell from Gabriel’s lips as he ducked his head. Tears burned the backs of his eyes. Emotion clogged his throat nearly choking him. Caught between wanting desperately to find out from the pig what he had done with his child, and wanting to save his friend from certain death. Gabe chose the only way he could. “If you don’t, I’m going to kick your ass Alec.”
“No! I’ve got him. Just pull me up as close to the rim as you can, and kid… don’t ruin my boots. You got that?” Alec could feel his hands slipping from the killer’s body. Tightening his grip Alec prayed that the kid could hold their combined weight a little bit longer.
“Stop wiggling. You have time enough to dance at the end of a rope, once you tell my friend up there what you have done with the little girl.” Alec knew that even as he ordered the man to cease his movements, that he was too far gone to understand what Alec was telling him.
The smell emanating from the man, a combination of tinny blood and the stink of human shit, made Alec want to vomit all over the man he held.
The sharp sound of fabric beginning to rip stilled the air. Even the crazed fiend clasped in his grasp, seemed to freeze as his energy was now gone.
“Your damn pant leg is splitting Alec!” Mathias warned.
“You got to do it now Alec. Do it. Now…drop him!” Hunter practically screamed.
“Kid, if I die you get my suits do you hear me? You need to learn to dress a bit better. Not that I have many left after this...but they are yours!” Alec called out, trying to use humor to calm the younger man.
“I won’t let you die! I’ve waited a long time to meet you, and you are going to live damn you. She will kill me if I drop you, so listen to what we are telling you.”
Shifting backward a bit on his belly, Hunter strained his muscles painfully as he tried in vain to pull the dangling pair back up the rocky overhang. The action only caused the material to split slightly in his clasp.
“Damn Hunter, I didn’t know you cared. I’m both flattered and uncomfortable with your feelings kid. Besides, Serena will probably thank you if you drop me.” Alec replied misunderstanding Hunter’s fervent pledge.
“Shut up for a minute smart ass and let me think.” Gabe ordered his imperiled friend.
“Not rushing you or anything…but can you please think faster.” Alec sharply called out as the seam of the pant leg Gabriel was holding tore further.
“I killed her! I killed her….why won’t she stay dead?” Jack sobbed.
“Who did you kill you bastard? Tell me now or I won’t think twice. I will drop your ass.”
Alec tried to shake the truth out of the man, but the blood rushing to his head made the task impossible.
“I didn’t mean to kill her. Not at first, but she fought me.” Jack screamed, his eyes wild. “She made me do it.”
“Lily.” Gabriel sucked in a pained breath, his face blanched.
Once again Dobbins was back to screeching and flailing violently. He was mindlessly fighting the shaky hold that Alec had onto him, impervious to the danger that he faced.
“Fuck! The bastard bit me!” Alec bellowed furiously.
In that instant, the final seam gave way. Forcing the men to scramble to catch a firm hold onto anywhere they could reach. Alec’s grip failed him. Jack’s thrashing form became too difficult to restrain and slipped from his grasp.
“Nooooo!” Alec roared in disbelief as Jack Dobbins plummeted to the rocky ground below, his screams forever silent.
“Forget him and concentrate on staying completely still.” Gabriel ordered starkly.
The wind howled fiercely. A summer storm was brewing. They needed to succeed in lifting Alec soon before the rain came and it became too slippery and they lost their friend as well.
“Brace yourself Alec. This may hurt a bit.” Gabriel called down to him before turning to the men on either side of him and ordering. “On three, pull up guys.”
“What? What is going to hurt?” Alec yelled up to his friend.
“Your pride.”
In the end, it was easier dragging Alec to safety without the added weight of the dead man lying at the bottom of the gorge, than it was to explain to the approaching riders why their Mayor sat nearly bare assed on the rocky hillside. The damage to Alec’s suit and to his ego was immense, but he let that a
ll pettiness go, as he took in the haggard man seated on the ground next him.
Gabriel looked as though he had been trampled in a stampede. His gut kicked reaction to Dobbins’ murder confession tore at Alec’s heart.
“Hey, he could have been bullshitting us. Lily could still be alive.” Nudging his friend, Alec gained his feet. He ignored the catcalls and whistles as the men surrounding the area took in his muscled buttock through the split in the seat of his trousers. He refused to give an explanation as to why he was not wearing any drawers underneath his attire. Contrary to his plea for the safety of his boots, one somehow had slipped off and fell over the side, leaving him to limp as rocks dug into the bottom of his right foot. Alec prayed it landed square on top of the groin of the body below.
“I’ve got to get back to Melody. She needs to hear this from me.” Gabriel stood, shook off the well- meaning hands that came from all around him, and mounted his horse.
“Hey, Gabriel” One of the men from the group last to arrive called out. “What should we do with his body?”
“You can let him rot where he lays, for all I care.” With that Gabriel took off for home.
His insides burned like fire. There was no easy way to tell his wife that the little girl they loved was gone forever. Gabriel did not even hold out hope that they would find her body, with as much blood that had covered the shack.
Gabriel now faced one of his biggest fears. He knew deep down Melody would never forgive him. Hell, it would be a miracle if she didn’t lose their baby after hearing the news. Silently he prayed that if god would just keep their baby safe, then he would help Mel pack and settle herself and the baby somewhere safe away from him. For he was sure, that Melody would hate him now. He had failed to keep his family safe and that is what happened when you failed. You lost everything you loved, and Gabriel loved his wife.
Gabriel had come to the conclusion that his heart was completely hers, when he had thought that he had lost her in the fire. He could not even imagine his life without Melody. He should have told her how he felt before, but now it was too late. She wouldn’t want him anymore. He was certain of it.
A Bargain Bride (Brides of Liberty, Texas) Page 17