“You have been a thorn in my side for the last three days, you and this stupid warped town. I’m sick of washing with cold water, drinking warm brew, and choking on dust.”
She gasped as he shook her head and tilted it back while he pressed his face even closer. She didn’t like the way he looked at her mouth.
“And I’m real tired of seeing you kiss up to that high and mighty Randall.”
Before Callie could answer, Tyler covered her mouth with his. She tried pushing him away, but he had her bent backwards and off balance. When he finally lifted his mouth, she choked on the disgusting taste and feel of his humiliating kiss. With the back of her hand, she wiped the lingering effect from her mouth while hatred boiled inside her.
Tyler snickered. “Now, you’re going to get in that hole and do exactly as I tell you.” He gave her a shove and she stumbled into the waist deep trench. With his gun trained on her, Tyler pulled a paper from his pocket and began reading.
“Okay, take a red and black connecting pad coming from the same cell and attach them to one side of the cable. Use this.” He tossed her a roll of duct tape from the box near his feet.
Still shaken by his lecherous kiss, Callie blinked at the crazy contraption before her. She had no idea what it was or what to do with it but she had to do as he said.
Reaching down, she sorted out the wires attached to the pads and bent to follow the instructions he’d read. She noticed some lettering on the buried cable and deciphered it as some sort of communications cable. Recalling how Rand had explained the process of obtaining spending money in town, she realized this must be the link between the teller machine at the bank and the main office at the way station.
A sinking feeling grabbed hold of her stomach. Tyler was trying to tap into the system. For whatever reason he and his brother sought revenge, they had obviously gone to a lot of trouble. And now she was helping them. Rand, forgive me.
She tore at the duct tape, placing a patch on each pad and pressing them onto the cable after brushing away the dirt.
“Okay, now take a red and black pad from the second cell and attach them to the other side.”
Callie struggled with the tape. Hunger, heat, and the enormity of what was happening all combined to sap what little strength she had left. A tear spilled from her eye. How badly would this hurt Rand? Was Way Out West just for his amusement or would his entire business empire, however far it extended, crumble because she couldn’t figure out how to stop this?
Would he hate her? For that matter, did he love her?
That’s really what bothered her the most. Without knowing his true identity, she’d come to love this man who’d offered her a ride on his horse, who’d treated her like a lady. The man who courted her like a gentleman.
No man had ever been so kind, so giving, so understanding. He’d taken a dark, desperate moment of her life and turned it into something beautiful. Way Out West had been a means for her to earn a living and escape, but as it turned out, she didn’t even care if she got paid. She only wanted to be with Rand.
If she got out of this mess, it wouldn’t matter to her if he were rich, poor or in between; she’d love him anyway.
“Hurry up!” Tyler yelled.
“I can’t tear the tape,” she sniffled.
“Gimme.” He grabbed the roll and tore off two pieces.
When he handed them to her and she bent to attach them to the pads, one piece folded over onto itself. She pulled to unstick it, then stopped. What if she didn’t unstick it? What if it didn’t make a good connection? Maybe the contraption wouldn’t work the way it was supposed to.
With her back to Tyler, she placed the tape on the pad, turning it under so it didn’t make a clean connection. She finished the other pad and stood up.
“Is that it?” she asked, her tone bristling with contempt.
“Yeah, I just need to adjust these dials.”
“Can I get out?”
“No. You stay where I can keep an eye on you.”
He fiddled with the dials while reading the instructions. Then he set a small receiving device on top of the box.
“I don’t get it,” she said, hoping to distract him. “What does this do?”
He snorted. “If this works right, my brother will be sitting in his living room at his computer, downloading all the personnel files and records of the employees and guests of Way Out West. He’ll have access to credit card numbers, bank accounts. You name it. He’s a genius.”
“Seems to run in the family,” she mumbled under her breath.
Tyler flipped a switch and a light went on on the machine. A low humming noise increased to a high pitch.
“Okay, here we go.” He hit a button and waited. Frowning at the instrument panel, he looked back at the instruction sheet. “This dial is supposed to move. What the...?”
Like an amateur engineer, the moron banged the delicate machine. Still nothing happened. “Did you do everything the way I said?” He looked from the paper to the cable connections, then jumped in the hole to get a closer look.
Callie held her breath. If he saw the folded tape, she was dead. She backed to the farthest corner of the ditch, ready to make a run for it, though she knew she’d never get away.
“Aha,” he announced. “This tape isn’t connected right. It got—“ He suddenly stopped and turned to look at her cowering in the corner. “You did this on purpose, didn’t you?”
“No! Did what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She had her hands on the banking behind her, ready to use it for leverage if she had to jump out.
“You really think I’m stupid don’t you? I’m not as smart as my brother, but I’m smart enough to know when I’ve been had.” He stepped over the cable and approached her with his gun drawn. “And I’ve had about as much as I’m gonna take from you.”
Callie saw the blackness in his eyes and knew that he meant it. She thought about screaming but what difference would it make? No one would hear. If he was going to kill her, she might just as well close her eyes and accept it. If she were lucky, it’d be quick and painless. She could think of a lot worse deaths than that.
She saw Tyler’s arm rise to take aim at her head. Closing her eyes, she prayed for it to be over. But the only thing she could see in her mind was Rand, his handsome face smiling, his black mustache turning up. Yes. She would meet her death thinking of the man she loved.
The sound of pounding horse hooves broke her concentration and apparently distracted Tyler. Endless seconds passed. The sound grew louder. Unable to resist, she finally opened her eyes to see Tyler squinting against the sun, watching the advance of the horse and rider.
Then the expression on his face changed to a cynical smirk. He seemed pleased to see the rider. Callie’s heart sank when, in slow motion, Tyler turned the gun away from her and aimed it in the direction of the rider. Her gaze followed the gun until it settled on Rand atop his big black stallion.
Or was it Rand? Gone was the black suit and hat. Gone was the black mustache. She wondered for a moment if he were only a figment of her imagination. But as she stared hard at the figure bent against the wind, she knew it in her heart. There was no mistaking that build, those wide shoulders, the strong arms. As he got closer, she noticed the determination in his dark eyes, eyes that had drawn her in with their desire.
Now they held something different. Fear. Hate.
Before she could cry out to him, Callie froze at the sound of Tyler cocking the hammer. A scream caught in her throat as she watched his finger gently squeeze the trigger. She’d feared for her own life before, now she feared even more for Rand’s.
She couldn’t let him die while she just stood there doing nothing. Adrenaline flowed. Blood rushed in her ears. With all her strength, she threw herself against Tyler. “No-o-o!”
The gun went off as they both fell against the banking. But even worse was the heavy thud she heard in the distance as the stallion whinnied and ran off. Callie lifted her head from be
hind Tyler to see Rand on the ground holding his knee and scrambling to get behind a boulder. Tyler shot again, hitting the rock as Rand, dragging his leg, disappeared behind it.
Crazed with the thrill of the hunt, Tyler yelled, “Come on out you coward! Let me see that perfect face of yours so I can put a bullet between your eyes.”
When he didn’t answer, Callie thought the worst. What if he couldn’t move? What if he was dead? It was all her fault. He’d come to save her and she hadn’t been able to stop Tyler.
Suddenly, Tyler turned and grabbed her by the hair again. He dragged her up with him and held the gun to her head.
“Hey, Randall! Maybe you would rather I put a bullet in your girlfriend’s head. It’d be a shame to mess up this pretty face, though. How much are you willing to gamble now?”
Rand poked his head over the top of the boulder. His gun, too, slowly appeared, ready to shoot.
“Tyler, you no-good low-life, if you hurt one hair on her head, I swear I’ll tear you apart with my bare hands.”
Tyler laughed. “Whoa, that’s real scary talk coming from a stiff-shirt, sit-behind-the-desk executive like yourself. You’re starting to believe this tough western stuff aren’t you?”
“Try me,” Rand provoked, taking aim through the gun site.
Tyler pulled Callie closer. “Nah. I’d rather try your girlfriend.” His fingers lifted some strands of hair, letting them fall delicately. “This sure is beautiful hair, Randall.”
Somewhere inside Callie something snapped. He’d taken the liberty of manhandling her. He’d insulted her. He’d forced her to do things against her will. But she was not going to be treated like some kind of merchandise any more. She’d had enough of that from enough men in her life.
She took a breath, gathered her strength and shoved upward against his arm that held the gun. As soon as his hand went up, she heard a loud bang and the splintering sound of a bullet hitting its target. Tyler fell to his knees, yelping in pain, his bloody hand held out in front of him.
She scrambled from the ditch and retrieved the lost gun, turning it on Tyler.
He choked out a mocking laugh. “You can’t even ride a horse. You expect me to believe you know how to shoot a gun?”
Hatred pumped rapidly through her veins. This venomous man had abused her verbally and physically for the last time.
“No, but I can have fun learning. And you’ll be my target practice.” She raised the gun with two shaking hands. The slick piece of steel weighed heavy in her sweaty palms.
“Callie! No!” Rand’s voice called in the distance. “Callie, listen to me. He’s not worth it.”
Tears blurred her vision, but she didn’t take her eyes off Tyler. “No, he’s not worth it,” she yelled. “That’s why I’ll be doing society a favor by getting rid of him.”
“Callie, please. Look at me. I came here to get you because I love you. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life loving you from the other side of a jail cell.”
A sickening sound gurgled in Tyler’s throat. “How touching,” he remarked and spat on the ground.
“Shut up!” she shouted.
Her thoughts became jumbled. Killing Tyler would quell her thirst for revenge, but Rand’s desperate words rang true. What good would it do to kill him and lose her freedom? And Rand loved her! He’d said it. Up till now, she’d only hoped it could be true. Despite his changed appearance, could this be the real Rand? The one that she would love no matter what?
“I need you, Callie. Please drop the gun and come here.” Rand’s voice strained with emotion. And pain. “I need you.”
She finally turned to look at Rand. He’d crawled out from behind the rock, his gun still aimed at Tyler. He’d shot the creep in the hand, and Callie knew he’d shoot again if Tyler made a move. She felt safe. What’s more, she felt loved.
She lowered the gun and ran to Rand. The lines of his face were etched with pain. His knee was torn and covered in blood. A lump stuck in her throat. He’d been shot, and here he was being the strong one, trying to calm her down.
“Oh, Rand.” Dropping the gun, she clutched his head to her chest as she knelt beside him. “What have I done?”
“You didn’t do anything, sweetheart. This was my fault. I never should have left you.” He gasped for breath. “Take my shirt and tie it tightly above the knee to slow the blood.”
She quickly removed his vest and brushed her hand across the tin star. “When did you become a deputy?”
“When the Sheriff was nowhere to be found.” He winced as he tried to sit up higher.
She took his shirt off and hastened to wrap it above the wound, pulling the sleeves with all her strength. “Okay, can you make it to the horse?”
“No, I can’t. You’ll have to go by yourself.”
She looked at the horse and fear tightened her chest.
“It’s the only way, Callie. I can’t wait for you to walk it. I’ve lost a lot of blood, I don’t know how long I’ll stay conscious. As for him—“
Callie looked toward Tyler who tried to lift himself out of the ditch with one hand. Rand aimed the gun and shot, knocking the hat off Tyler’s head. He ducked back down in the ditch.
“You wait, Randall. You’ll get yours!”
Rand looked at Callie, his eyes glowing with promise. Softly, he said, “I certainly hope so.”
She smiled back, touching his clean-shaven face with her hand. Little beads of perspiration dotted his pained face and his eyes became glossy. At that moment, she knew she’d do anything for this man. Even ride a horse.
“Okay, I’ll go. Will you be okay here?”
“Do I have a choice?”
Grimacing at his knee, she shook her head. “I guess not.”
“We need to do something about him though,” he motioned weakly with the gun toward the ditch. “In case I do pass out.”
Looking around, Callie thought for a minute. “Wait. I got it.” She picked up the gun and started toward Tyler while calling back to Rand. “Cover me.”
She chuckled to herself. This western stuff is catchy.
When she reached Tyler she kicked the roll of duct tape into the ditch and aimed the gun at him. “Okay, scumbag. Wrap that around your ankles.”
“In your ear,” he grumbled, holding his wounded hand.
She cocked the hammer and pointed the gun at his feet. “Do as I say or you won’t have to worry about having feet anymore.”
Something in his contorted face told her he believed her. “How can I wrap them? My hand is injured.”
She stood her ground. “You’re an industrious kind of fellow. You figure it out.”
Grumbling his dissent and groaning an occasional “Ow,” Tyler proceeded to wrap the tape as ordered.
“Okay, now hand me the tape and lift up your hands. Both of them.” When he did, Callie tightly wrapped his wrists.
“You wait, you little wildcat, you haven’t seen the last—“
Tearing a big piece of tape off the roll, she slapped it on his moving mouth. “No, but I’ve heard the last of you.”
Callie turned away and tossed the tape on the ground where it landed near the machine Tyler had been setting up. She stepped over and gave the box of metal a swift, hard kick. Pieces flew everywhere. Tyler’s muffled objections fell on deaf ears as she strutted away, smiling with satisfaction.
Kneeling beside Rand, she wiped his perspiring forehead. His eyes were half closed and he felt very warm. She helped prop him against the rock and adjusted his hat to protect him from the sun. Gently, she leaned over and kissed his dry lips.
He raised his eyelids with obvious effort. “Callie, I have to tell you about me, about Way Out West. I—“
“Shhh,” she soothed. “I know all about it.”
“But I couldn’t tell you. I had to be sure—“
She pressed her mouth on his again, then ran her finger along the naked upper lip. “It’s okay. We’ll talk about it later. I have to go get help now.”
&nb
sp; Nodding, he sighed heavily and slumped against the rock. “I love you, Callie.”
“I love you, too.”
* * *
Callie rode in the ambulance with Rand to the nearest hospital ten miles away. He’d lost so much blood, she feared he might not make it, though the paramedics assured her over and over he’d be fine.
As she waited outside of the surgery ward, she tried to sit, but her bottom was too sore from the hard horse ride into town. She’d never actually made it into town. She’d more or less veered the horse toward Abe’s blacksmith shop and waited for the horse to come to a stop at the trough.
Abe had dispatched one of his waiting customers to go find the Sheriff and wire for medical help while he hitched up his wagon and hustled Callie onto the seat near him. Bless him for having a wagon. The big man had lifted an unconscious Rand onto a bed of straw in the back and pillowed his head with blankets before heading out for the road.
They’d reached the road just as the Sheriff arrived and instructed him where he could find Tyler. Abe then directed his creaky old wagon down the road and came to the way station just as the ambulance eased through the gate. Rand had regained consciousness only once during the ride and Callie had held his hand tightly. “Rand, hold on. Don’t leave me now.”
He’d attempted a weary smile. “I won’t. Not when it took me so long to find you.”
That was the last time she’d heard his sweet words. Now, as she faced the heavy doors that kept her from seeing him, she desperately wanted to hear his deep, melodic voice again. She wanted to hold his hands, kiss his lips. He’d become a part of her and she couldn’t imagine living without him.
The doors swung open and a surgeon came out. “He’s doing fine. We removed the bullet and a lot of bone fragments, but I don’t anticipate any long-term disability.”
Callie sighed with relief. “Can I see him?”
“I’m afraid he’ll be out for some time. I’ll have the recovery nurse summon you when he wakes. Why don’t you take care of yourself now.” His eyes skimmed her dirty nightgown and messy hair. “I’m sure you’ll want to look your best for him.”
Way Out West Page 14