Diablo

by Georgina Gentry

  “That’s what I intend,” she answered.

  “But not Kruger’s wife,” he said and stuck a cigarillo in his mouth.

  “Don’t you ever light those?” She sat down on a log next to him.

  He shook his head. “The smell of tobacco can carry a long way.”

  “So can a campfire.”

  He shrugged. “Yes. I’m half Sioux, but I’m not savage enough to eat my food raw.”

  She took a deep breath. “Look, I’ve seen the way you look at me sometimes. I know you want me.”

  He didn’t smile, and the way he looked at her with those burning eyes almost made her feel naked. “Wouldn’t any man?”

  She looked away first. “I—I wouldn’t know about that.”

  “Don’t be so modest. Kruger is willing to lay everything he owns at your feet to bed you.”

  She felt her face flush. “Don’t be crude.”

  He shrugged. “Princess, you started this conversation.”

  Her throat felt dry. She licked her lips. “What—what I meant to say was, suppose I offer you first chance to bed me as the price for letting me go?”

  “Sunny,” he said, and there was a trace of a smile on his grim mouth as he threw the unlit smoke into the fire, “why should I bargain for something that I can take anytime I choose to?”

  She felt the blood rush to her face at the truth of his words. “I—I reckon so, but wouldn’t you rather I be willing?”

  He shook his head, and there was a cold, hard expression in his dark eyes. “The only women who’ve been willing were whores so drunk they’d let me bribe them while they closed their eyes until I was finished.” He looked embarrassed and ashamed at the confession.

  “But you’ve had willing women kiss you?”

  “With this face?” He snorted.

  “Oh.” She didn’t know what to say.

  He looked at her. “Sunny, have you ever been kissed?”

  She drew back. “Only a couple of times, mostly on the cheek.”

  “Then you’ve had more experience than I’ve had. Now shut up, and let’s bank the fire and go to sleep. Tomorrow’s another day.”

  She wasn’t certain why or what, but impulsively, she leaned forward to kiss him.

  He jerked away. “What the hell you think you’re doing?”

  Then she felt foolish. “Never mind.” What had she been thinking? “I—I just wondered what it would be like.”

  “You think I haven’t asked myself the same question?” Before she realized what he was doing, he leaned over and kissed her.

  For a moment, she froze in surprise, and then his arms went around her and he returned her kiss, taking it over, forcing her lips open to touch the tip of his tongue to hers. She could only gasp at his strength as he dominated her, put his tongue deep into her mouth while one of his big hands covered her breast through the thin blue print of her dress. He was breathing hard, almost as hard as she was, and, abruptly, she was unnerved by the strength and virility of the man. He tasted of salt and wood smoke and sheer maleness as he tangled one strong hand in her pale hair and kissed her deeply, thoroughly. Then he pulled back, drawing ragged breaths.

  “You little bitch,” he growled as he pulled away from her. “There. Now how far are you willing to go to seduce me?”

  She breathed hard, her breasts rising and falling as she remembered the savagery of that kiss. This was a man, a stallion of a man, and she might have awakened something in him that she would fear to unleash. But this might be her way to escape. “I’ll let you make love to me,” she whispered, “if when it’s over, you’ll let me go.”

  He swore. “Get back in that cave, you little tart, before I take you up on your offer.”

  “Aren’t you tempted?” She asked as she turned away.

  “Princess, I told you, you can’t use as a poker chip what I can take any time I want.”

  She hadn’t realized a woman could have such power over a man; at least, she sensed that she had that kind of power over this man and he was riled by it. “All right.” She crept to the back of the cave.

  Diablo stared into the fire, still breathing hard. She had affected him deeply like no woman ever had, and the little bitch knew it. She was the most beautiful woman Diablo had ever met, and now he could see why Kruger would give everything he owned to have her in his bed, to put his seed in her so she would give him strong sons. That was one more pleasure he would deny the rancher, Diablo thought with satisfaction. Maybe as he lynched Kruger, he ought to take the girl right beneath the rancher’s feet. Worse than dying would be the thought that your executioner was lying between the creamy thighs of your woman, riding her hard in ecstasy even as you watched and fell to your death at the end of a rope.

  No. He winced. He could never be guilty of rape. That would make him no better than the men of the K Bar or his own warrior father.

  Sunny watched his back as he hunched in front of the campfire. What was he thinking about? Had he been as deeply moved by the kiss as she had? She might have sealed her fate, and the aroused gunfighter might insist on taking her virginity tonight when he crawled to the back of the cave. The thought excited her, and that shocked her. What kind of trollop was she becoming? He might look like a monster, but she sensed he was all man and could make a woman glad to be a woman and submit to him over and over again.

  Her own thoughts shocked her. She was scared and desperate, that was all. It was dark now, and Diablo still sat staring into the fire. The dog, Wolf, lay asleep near him. She looked beyond the cave mouth to where two horses grazed. Could she take one of them? She was an excellent rider, but still a little afraid of the big black stallion. She knew that Hurd had never managed to ride the fiery brute, but Diablo seemed to manage the horse easily. She looked around, trying to make plans. Diablo was wearing his pistol, and the fine rifle lay across his lap, so there was no way to get that.

  Worse yet, she had no idea exactly where she was or even if she was still in Johnson County. No matter. If she could find her way to a ranch or stagecoach station, they would know who Hurd Kruger was and help her get back to the safety and the luxury of the life the rancher intended to give her. All she had to do to live this carefree lifestyle was to submit to Hurd’s lust and let him bed her whenever his need arose.

  That thought made her shudder. So did the idea of kissing him while he ran those big rough hands under her nightgown. Somehow, she was sure his kiss wouldn’t excite her or make her come alive as the gunfighter’s had.

  Very quietly, she crawled toward the fire. Picking up a chunk of rock, she hesitated. If she missed knocking him out, there was no telling what he would do. He might kill her or beat her or even rape her on the spot. She’d always been docile and obedient, but now she had to change and take the initiative for her own safety.

  She raised the rock, watching him.

  He must have heard her breathing because he whirled away from the fire, throwing his hands up to protect himself just as she brought the rock down on his forehead. He gasped and made a slight sound as he slid to the ground and lay still.

  She felt a twinge of shame and regret. She hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but there was no other way to escape. At least he was still breathing, though a small wound bled on his dark forehead. Maybe he would be unconscious for a few hours, long enough for her to make it to safety.

  Wolf raised his head and whined.

  “No, Wolf, you stay here. He’s not dead. I’ve got to leave.” Quickly she saddled up Diablo’s blood bay horse and mounted up, wending her way down the twisting trail in the darkness. Once at the bottom of the hill, she reined in, listening. No sound from the campsite. Diablo would be in a fury when he awakened and discovered his bargaining chip was gone. She hadn’t the slightest idea where she was with clouds now scudding across the sky so that she could not see the stars. She wasn’t even sure which way to go, but she needed to put some distance between her and her unconscious kidnapper.

  Sunny picked a direction at random a
nd started off at a canter. She was afraid to ride any faster; her horse might step in a gopher hole and break a leg and then she’d be afoot in hostile country with rattlesnakes beginning to come out of their dens in the warm spring. Some said there were panthers and a few bears in this part of Wyoming. She’d never seen any, but that didn’t mean there weren’t some.

  Worse than that, there might still be a few nesters left who wouldn’t feel any kinder toward her than Diablo had. She kept riding. Somewhere she’d find a friendly cabin or cowboys out on a roundup—they’d help her, especially for the big reward she was sure Hurd was offering.

  She rode for several hours into a wild thicket of brush near a creek. Was that a campfire up ahead?

  She smelled smoke and then heard men talking. A horse raised its head and whinnied, and her horse answered.

  Now she could see the outlines of two cowboys sitting by a campfire and one of them picked up a rifle and stood up. “Who’s there? Show yourself.”

  Relief flooded over her. Hopefully it was one of Hurd’s cowhands.

  “Don’t shoot! I’m a woman!” She rode into the light of the fire and reined in. Then her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. Both men were dirty and unshaven, but they didn’t look like cowboys. “Any chance you two work for the K Bar?”

  “We did as gunfighters runnin’ the farmers out.” The tallest grinned and stood up, his red hair shining in the firelight as he walked toward her. His big spurs jangled loudly. “Almost everyone’s gone back to Texas except us.”

  She had a feeling of unease as she tried to decide what to do. Her instinct told her she should clear out of here. “I—I’ve been kidnapped. If you’ll take me to Hurd Kruger, I—”

  The big man grabbed her bridle with freckled hands, and her horse neighed and stamped uneasily. “Come on down, honey, and join us.”

  She saw the lust in his eyes too late and tried to slash him across the face with her reins, but he cursed and hung onto her bridle. “You little bitch! I’ll make you pay for that.”

  She tried to gallop away, slashing at him, but he hung onto her bridle. “Hell, Pug, ain’t you gonna help me?”

  “I’m comin’, Buck.” The smaller one ran toward her as she fought to get away, her horse dancing in circles as the bigger man hung onto her bridle. And then he reached to yank her from her horse. “Look here, Pug, we got a purty lady, just what we been wantin’.”

  She bit and clawed as Buck pulled her from her horse.

  “Gawd, Buck, that’s the girl the big reward is up for.” Pug’s greasy brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and some of his front teeth were missing. The fire reflected off the silver studs on his leather vest.

  “Hell, I know that, Pug.” He twisted her arms behind her so that she screamed in pain, “But we can sample her a little and then turn her over to that rich bastard. He won’t know the difference, and she won’t tell, will you, sweetie?”

  “Let me go! Hurd Kruger will kill you for this!” She clawed and screamed and bit.

  Buck held her close as she fought him. He smelled of dirt and whiskey. “Yes sir, Pug, the lady will be too ashamed to tell him she’s used goods, won’t you, sweetie? Now stop fightin’, and let’s get this over with if you want to get home to your rich rancher!”

  Chapter 12

  Diablo slowly opened his eyes, his head beating like a war drum. His vision blurred, but finally the image of the dog registered on his consciousness. He felt the warm, wet tongue licking his face and heard Wolf’s whining. He reached up and touched his head, brought his fingers down to stare at the sticky liquid on the tips. Even in the darkness, he realized it was blood.

  Damn that girl. He sat up slowly, his head aching. He remembered then what had happened. He had been careless, thinking her too docile and afraid to attack him. Maybe she had more grit to her than he had thought.

  How long had she been gone, and how long had he been unconscious? He wasn’t certain, because it was still dark. He staggered to his feet and looked toward the horses. The bay was gone. Maybe she could find her way back to Kruger or at least to someone who would take her to the ranch for the reward. Of course she might run into trouble, a beauty like that out alone on the prairie at night.

  Hell, she deserved it. He told himself he wasn’t really worried that she might be in danger. Then he swore at himself for being a damned fool because he knew he lied.

  The sky now turned cloudy and troubled, the way it often looked back in Texas when a bad storm was brewing. He ignored the headache and saddled Onyx, then made sure he had his rifle and whistled to Wolf. He started out to track her. If she escaped, he had no way to lure Kruger out to a place where he could be easily ambushed.

  With the sky so troubled with building thunderclouds, he wasn’t certain he could find directions, but then, she couldn’t either. And it was too dark to track her. Then he had an idea. “Wolf, find her for me. You can follow the scent.”

  The dog whined and put his nose to the ground, sniffing and running in a circle. Then he took off at a run, Diablo and his great horse following him through the darkness.

  In the meantime, Sunny fought Buck as he dragged her to a blanket by the fire. What had she gotten herself into? Out of the frying pan and into the fire. “Look,” she tried to pull away, “Kruger will pay a big reward to get me back. With that much, you can buy half the girls in Wyoming and plenty of whiskey besides.”

  The dirty one with the missing teeth and the ponytail laughed. “No deal. Now sweetie, we’re gonna have some fun, and then we’ll return you. You ain’t gonna tell that rich rancher we done took a little sample. Kruger wouldn’t like the idea of takin’ two saddle tramps’ leavin’s. He’s too proud.”

  She had to outwit them; they didn’t look too smart. She stopped fighting and forced herself to smile with lips frozen in fear. “Well, maybe it will be fun. Why don’t we all have a drink first?”

  “Now you’re talkin,’” the shorter man said and reached for a half-empty bottle.

  “You’re bein’ smart, sweetie.” Red-haired Buck relaxed his grip. “You can’t escape, so you might as well relax. Who knows? You might even like it.”

  The two men cackled like crazed hyenas, and she forced herself to keep smiling while she tried to think what to do next. Could she get them both drunk and grab their guns? If nothing else, she could delay this. The sky looked like it might be about to break open in a downpour soon. All she could do was hope she’d get a bit of luck.

  They all took a drink, passing the bottle around. She pretended to sip it. Finally Buck seemed to notice. “Hey, Pug, I think the bitch is just stallin’ us.”

  “Oh no,” she said, “let’s just have another drink, okay?”

  “Naw, you’ve stalled us long enough.” Buck wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and lurched toward her, his big spurs jingling.

  She tried to elude him, but he grabbed her. She kicked and bit, but he caught hold of the bodice of the blue calico and yanked. The fabric tore, exposing her breasts as she fought to cover her modesty.

  But now Pug, the shorter one, was on her, pulling at her skirt. She kicked him hard in the face, and he stumbled backward, cursing. Buck reached up to grab her shoulder, and she turned her head and sank her teeth into his freckled arm.

  “God! You little whore! You ain’t gonna get away with that!”

  However, she was already on her feet and running into the darkness, holding her torn dress to her slender body. Her horse grazed past the two thugs on the other side of the fire, and there was no way she could get to it. Faint thunder echoed through the night. Maybe she could hide, and they’d lose her in the darkness.

  Sunny crouched down behind a bush, her breath coming in raw gasps. If they couldn’t see her, they could surely hear her. Now she regretted her rash escape from the half-breed. At least he had treated her like a lady, more interested in his revenge than her body.

  Silence. She held her breath, listening to the sounds of the two men cursing and walk
ing through the brush. With the spurs and pistols, they jangled like tin cans tied together.

  “You see anything of her?”

  “I think she went off down that ravine there.”

  Huddling behind the bush, she prayed. Even if she managed to elude them all night, come morning, they would find her. If she could only reach her horse . . . but it was on the other side of her assailants.

  Minutes seemed to turn into hours. Her breath slowed, and she finally quit gasping for air. Maybe she still had a chance to escape. Maybe—

  “Gotcha !”

  She screamed even as Pug leapt out from behind her and pounced on her like a ragged tomcat on a trembling mouse. “You little bitch, you’ll pay for all this trouble!”

  She tried to kick and bite, but he was so much bigger than she was. He grabbed her up and slung her over his shoulder, carried her to the fire. “Come on, Buck, I got her!”

  Buck sounded like a pile of tin cans striding over to grab her.

  Pug snarled as he wiped the blood from his lip and slouched toward the fire. “After she kicked me in the face, she’s gonna pay for that. She knocked some more of my teeth out. Lady, you ain’t ever been rode like I’m gonna ride you!”

  Even as she struggled, Buck threw her down on the blanket by the fire. “God, look at them tits!”

  She cowered against the blanket, trying to cover her body with her arms. Her hair hung loose and fell down around her slim shoulders. “Please,” she begged. “Please! Kruger will only pay you if I’m returned unharmed!”

  Buck guffawed and spat to one side. “We ain’t gonna harm you, sweetie—we’re just gonna love on you a couple of hours before we take you back. We just want a little sample of what that rich sonovabitch is gonna get.”

  He reached down and caught the front of her dress she was holding against her breasts and pulled it out of her small hands. “Gawd, you ever see such pale skin, Pug? She’s purty in the firelight, ain’t she?”

  “You know it!” Pug’s face was dark with lust as he advanced on her, wiping blood from his mouth where she’d kicked some teeth out.