Tip of the Spear

by Marie Harte

  She snorted. “Typical. My people have lived for thousands of years in the heart of the jungle protected by our Great Mother.”

  “Until a man came and tempted a few of your women.” He shook his head, but his eyes teased. “See? Men are a woman’s downfall. You can’t resist us.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “You were saying about the celebration?”

  Thais sighed. “Yes, the celebration. The queen would call the tribe to a gathering, and there we would pay tribute to the Goddess by ceding to the male she delivered to us.”

  He blinked. “Come again?”

  “When we found a worthy male, the queen would select a few females from our tribe to lay with the male in order to gain a child.”

  “At the same time?” He couldn’t help being aroused.

  She flushed and scowled. “No, one at a time. The males usually had no complaints, and pregnancy resulted soon after a joining. Most males the Goddess delivered to us gave us fine girls.”

  “And the boys?” Please tell me you didn’t kill them, or God forbid, eat them.

  She gave him a strange look. “The boys were delivered into the care of their fathers’ tribes. And then they were never seen again.”

  “And you were never chosen?”

  “No.” She looked away from him. “Right before the Territory men came, my mother gave me my knife. She was proud because I’d been selected to become a guardian.”

  “Which does what?”

  The lost look in her eyes tore at him. “Guardians protect the royal line. After the Territory men left, we found our dead. My mother was the last guardian to fall. She died fighting to protect our queen and princess.”

  “I’m sorry.” Yet Thais lived. A terrible thought crossed his mind. “Thais, you said you and your sisters survived.” He paused. “Did the Territory men do something to you? Did they…hurt you?”

  “Would that they had,” she answered solemnly. “I was not there when the massacre happened. And now I pay the price.”

  “What price?”

  She gazed into his eyes and said without flinching, “The price of living each day with the memory of what should never have happened.”

  Thais didn’t want to say anything more. She might have distracted Hinto from his pain, but hers returned tenfold.

  She missed her mother, but speaking of that atrocity only made the separation between them that much worse. She’d never again feel Aliane’s forehead press against hers. Never hold her own guardian spear in her hands, one her mother would have made for her. She fingered the knife at her waist.

  “Thais—”

  “I’ll ride ahead and scout the next ridge.” She rode away before Hinto could see the tear she hadn’t been able to stop.

  Wiping it away, she tried to think of other things. But she couldn’t help wondering what life in the jungle had become.

  Of their tribe, only a dozen or so had looked well enough to survive the night she and her sisters had left. Estefina wasn’t expected to live. And perhaps that had been a blessing. With the queen, Yasmin, basking in the Great Mother’s embrace, Estefina would have found comfort there.

  Memories of the princess’ blood-smeared thighs, of the bruises and cuts on her body, lingered like a heavy cloud. The guilt Thais normally kept tight loosened, allowing her to feel the sadness all over again, as if the murders had just happened.

  After so much time, Thais should have been beyond tears. Yet she had failed the princess, the queen, again. “Bring me back my crown.”

  Thais had spent a good year making her way with Yara, Isadora, and Luiza into the Territories. Another three years had been spent scouring Temeco for the enemy while learning the language, how to ride a horse, and a myriad other details necessary to make a life in the wild and brutal land beyond the boundary.

  Her time spent in Temeco had been worth it, though. Chow Yen had been Goddess-sent. He’d taught them how to fire a gun, which Thais still didn’t like, and how to live in the Territories, to adapt to a land filled with a history as rich as that of the Amazon.

  Perhaps the most important thing he’d taught her was that each man’s actions spoke for himself. Basing her experience of Bartel and his like and equivocating it to all men was the same as hating all the Amazons because of Pilar’s perfidy. A kindly old man with a flower inked onto his cheek had taught her that.

  When pressed, Chow Yen had simply mentioned a time, years back, that he’d spent among her people. He’d actually come from a place even more foreign than the Amazon, a place called Chi-nah. It sat across massive waters, away from the chunk of land where Thais had been born.

  Chow Yen—a man—had wisdom far beyond his years.

  And Thais, a chosen guardian, a perfect example of the glory of the Amazons—a woman—was a dismal failure. How ironic.

  Hinto approached and pulled up beside her. “Thais, honey, it’ll be okay. You have to let it go.”

  Hinto didn’t make her feel any better. Once, she would have disdained him because of his gender. His generosity of spirit only made her more ashamed.

  “Have you let it go? The men who burned your land and wounded your father? Have you stopped hating them?” Or yourself for letting it happen?

  “No.” He sighed. “I’ll kill the sons of bitches if I ever find ‘em. But if I spent all my time hunting them, I’d be useless to my family. You said you have sisters. Maybe you should be with them.”

  “I was with them. We split up to better search Four Corners.”

  “Oh.” He nudged Beast to follow her mare when she moved ahead of him again. “So, ah, when you find your prey, what then?”

  “Then I’ll kill them.”

  “And then what?”

  She couldn’t look that far ahead or she’d never succeed. Nothing else in her future mattered except finding that crown and the enemies who stole it.

  “One step at a time. First I’ll find Pilar and Bartel. Then I’ll take back what was stolen.”

  “And then what? Trust me, I know all about the need for vengeance. After my father was shot and Dana was killed, all I wanted was to destroy those who’d taken our lives away.”

  Dana was killed? “Why didn’t you?”

  He smiled, a self-deprecating expression that surprised her with its warmth. “Cooler heads prevailed. My father wouldn’t let me. It took all of us to keep Mahpee in check. Stubborn idiot almost killed himself in his grief.” The shadows in his bright blue eyes made her forget her troubles, for just a moment. “Years later, we’re still a family. Still working for a future where we can all find happiness.”

  “But I’m taking you from your duty,” she argued, not wanting him to make the same mistake she’d once made. “You should continue to find your bounties and make what gold you need to help your father.”

  “I’ve been working so hard for so long, frankly, I can use this short time off to recover. Besides, the seeds you gave me might help him.” He glanced away and tightened his grip on the reins. “To be honest, there’s no certainty they’ll be able to heal him out East.” He sighed, sounding frustrated. “That’s if we make it alive across the Divide. And if I can get us enough gold to pay for the trip. It’s going to take everything we have to find passage for Dad.”

  “You need gold. So why not simply take what you need from those who can afford it, like so many others have done?” Not that she agreed with the notion, but she’d heard of a few recent gangs stealing from the railroads. They worked between towns where no law ruled, so not much could be done to stop them.

  “Trust me, I thought about it,” he muttered and rubbed gently at his thigh. “But my father would kill me. Hell, my mother would probably rise from the dead and haunt my sorry ass.” His bleak humor eased some of her sadness.

  “Ah, a forbidding mother. I know that well.” She shook her head in remembrance. “On that last night, my mother caught me trying to sneak away to be with my friends. I thought she’d yell at me or force me to pay tribute with t
he others. No less than I deserved. But she only reprimanded me for getting caught, then told me to have fun.”

  “Sounds like my mom.”

  “She wanted to come with me. She didn’t like the Territory men. I had a bad feeling too, but I left to get away from them.”

  “So you think if you and your friends were there you could have stopped the ugliness from happening?”

  Remembering all the carnage, she didn’t think so.

  Hinto nodded. “Yeah, you’d probably be dead right alongside them all. Hey, look at it this way. If you’d been there, you probably wouldn’t be here working to find your enemies and whatever else they took from you. That’s what I tell myself. I couldn’t stop what happened to my family, but I can help them now.”

  The wisdom in his words reminded her, oddly enough, of Chow Yen.

  “Thais?” He cupped her chin and ran his thumb over her cheek. “You okay?”

  “Yes.” At this moment, she was. She continued to glance at him as they rode, baffled, intrigued, and strangely comforted.

  ***

  Gregor kept an eye on the Flower Gang, still laughing over his discovery. Brian Sampson. That asshole had a piece of his brother’s version of a wet dream. Too funny. Not that Brian was a bad guy. He liked whoring and gambling as much as the next man. But he didn’t move a muscle unless his dickhead brother told him to.

  Not like Gregor. Gregor helped Butch when Butch asked, not ordered. He’d never kowtow to that freak, and Butch knew it. Someday, when he’d lulled Butch into trusting him enough to tell him where he’d buried Momma’s treasure, he’d shoot the motherfucker in the face. Not the back of the head, but right between his eyes.

  Bad enough Butch had spent his life kissing Momma’s ass. But what he’d done, to see a McKenzie in a place like that… Not much sickened Gregor, but Butch had done the unthinkable.

  It still shamed Gregor to think about what he’d seen. Just one time, seared into his brain for eternity.

  Once a month Butch would disappeared from the ranch for a day. No one knew where, and everyone knew better than to ask. Since their parent’s death fifteen years ago crossing the Divide, Butch McKenzie held control over the McKenzie fortune.

  Cold, deliberate, cruel. He ruled with an iron fist, and for a time Gregor had loved him without reservation. Until he’d learned the truth.

  Big brother Butchie needed a firm hand. A very firm, very feminine hand. He needed it so much he’d screamed, cried and begged to feel that hand beating his ass, his cock, and his torso until he’d come all over the place. And then he’d begged for it again.

  Watching the horrific scene had destroyed whatever respect Gregor had for Butch. In an attempt to erase the truth, he’d killed the woman who thought she could control a McKenzie. His efforts hadn’t done more than throw Butch into a rage. In that respect, he was Edward McKenzie’s son.

  Butch had beaten the shit out of Gregor, so badly he’d almost died. Out of embarrassment or anger, Butch had never said. Gregor had never spoken of what he’d seen, and Butch pretended his near-death experience had never happened.

  The shock of his older brother’s weakness still made him ill. Shit, their father probably turned over in his grave every time Butch asked for another beating. God knew where he found his pleasure now. Gregor didn’t ask, didn’t want to know.

  A man wasn’t a man unless he could control a woman. Good for nothing but pussy, son, and don’t you forget it. Hadn’t he heard his father say that, time and time again? Granted, Daddy had always left Momma well enough alone. But Momma’s poison had kept everyone but Butch out of her life. He’d never understood why Daddy hadn’t upped and killed the bitch, but his father had warned him to leave well enough alone. Secretly scared of her anyway, Gregor had agreed without complaint.

  Besides, ignoring Patsy McKenzie had been easy. She hated everyone except her precious Butch. Edward McKenzie left his older son to his wife but took Gregor under his wing.

  They’d lived in a big house in the East. Gregor had watched his father tame the help. Edward raped the maids, serving girls, whores and even refined ladies who thought too much of themselves. He’d beat them into submission, and the utter rapture in his expression when he found release had urged Gregor to seek the same.

  Gregor had learned everything worth knowing from his dearly missed father.

  One thing Daddy had done for Butch, he’d given him the balls to carry off his charade. The ranch hands feared Butch, as did the townsfolk. Hell, everyone thought Butch was a tough ass. Little did they know…

  Gregor understood Butch far better than Butch knew. His older brother wanted the Flower Gang because a woman led them. Same reason he’d been so interested in that slut who had knifed Freddy.

  A real man would have broken her in half after fucking the disrespect out of her. But not Butch. Oh, he pretended to appreciate Gregor’s handle on women, even liked to watch, or so he said. But he didn’t use the whores the way a real man did. He let Gregor fuck them, then Butch killed them.

  He’d never appreciate Pilar the way a real man would. Hell, she was as tall as a man, but those tits had been mouthwatering, even hidden behind that denim shirt. He could imagine shoving between them, unloading all over her face, or maybe gagging her on his cock. He’d take her over and over again until she begged for mercy. Then he’d tie her up and make her fuck one of the maids. Maybe Celia.

  Excited about the prospect, he warned himself not to spoil it. He’d bring good news back to Butch and try his damnedest to pretend his brother’s perversions didn’t disgust him. Don’t worry, Daddy. I won’t let Momma’s boy win. In the end, only a real McKenzie will rule Morrow. And if my luck holds, maybe pretty little Celia will be carrying before the year is out.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hinto sat and massaged his leg. He watched Thais filet two silver long-tails with an expertise that bespoke practice. She didn’t look up and hummed as she worked, easily ignoring him as she’d done for the better part of the week.

  His face no longer pained him. The brief glimpse he’d caught of himself earlier in the river showed the bruises almost gone. The injury to his leg was taking longer to heal. Still, he could put weight on it without passing out, a vast improvement in the six days since they’d left the cave.

  He frowned as she continued to concentrate on the task at hand. Had she been annoyed or waspish when dealing with him, he would have enjoyed baiting her. But after that last talk they’d had, when she’d confided in him, she now treated him like a true friend. She smiled and spoke of the beauty of the mountains, of the trees and their colorful leaves, of the goddamn weather. They shelved discussions of a more personal nature. But anything having to do with the Territories interested her.

  At least conversation filled the days. The nights just about killed him. When they camped near a river, she’d excuse herself to bathe, reminding him all too clearly of how she’d looked, streaming wet, the first time he’d seen her naked. During the nights while he tossed and turned, unable to forget the feel and taste of her, she slept like a newborn.

  Wanting to relieve his aching lust, he’d thought about seducing her. And then she’d turn that innocent face toward him, pleasure for the simplest things making her eyes sparkle like emeralds. To his surprise, he found that he wanted her happy more than he wanted her sexually.

  Which made no fucking sense.

  He stifled a groan and stood.

  “Hinto?” Again, that trusting look in her eyes when she studied him.

  “I’ll be back,” he muttered and turned away. He limped to the small creek flowing through the heavily wooded terrain.

  What the hell am I doing with Thais?

  A question he continued to ask himself as they drew closer to home.

  He needed to find a cure for his father. She needed to find justice.

  Gregor’s bounty would reward some of the time he’d spent helping her, but he could make a helluva lot more if he headed south to bag Chatrell. The ou
tlaw had made powerful enemies of several wealthy farmers and ranch owners along the Temeco border. But instead of following the promise of Chatrell’s rich reward, Hinto struggled to heal from McKenzie’s attack. Butch and Gregor were more of a pain in the ass than he would have thought possible.

  His eyes narrowed as he considered the possibility that Kitty had known about Butch all along, and that’s why she’d really sent him to help Thais. Not to handle Gregor, but to handle Butch while Thais did what she’d promised.

  Annoyed all over again, he took care of his needs and sought the water to clean up before their evening meal. One thing his father had been keen on during their growing years—cleanliness.

  Though dirt was a part of life when rearing wild horses, vores, and livestock, the value of sanitation hadn’t been lost on Dan Dakota. Hinto’s father claimed that it prevented disease and infection, and the local doctors agreed. Except for his lung sickness, he’d spent a surprisingly healthy life in Shine.

  Feeling the need to be clean himself, Hinto tugged off his shirt. He shivered in the breeze. The cold intensified the further north they headed. They’d need a bigger fire tonight, and he planned to gather more wood after cleaning the day’s grime from his body.

  Easing his boots off proved easier than removing his pants. After several moments he emerged victorious but weakened. Limping into the creek, he eased onto his back and let the shallow stream wash over his entire body. The cooling water soothed the heat of his wound, and he untied the cloth protecting it.

  Thais had done a damned good job patching him up. Just one more reason to leave the woman alone. He knew she didn’t want male companionship, not the way he wanted her. If she really was an Amazon—and he’d come to believe that the case—she’d never settle down with him anyway. Not that I want her to, he hastily reminded himself. When she did have sex, it would be to procreate.

  “Hell.” He lifted his head to see the evidence of his desire pointing up at the sky. The idea of planting a baby in Thais made him hard every time. And that led to other fantasies…all of which would never happen, not as long as he liked the frustrating woman.