He set the utensils aside and swiftly produced a knife to cut the ropes from her wrists. Quickly, gratefully, she began to rub them to start the circulation moving through her numb fingers, painfully aware of how weak she had become.
Valdis took her chin in his hand. “You do not look good. Almost a week now, and you are puny. The other women have told me you lose your food as soon as you eat it. What am I to do with you?”
“Let me die,” she mustered enough energy to snap.
He threw back his head and laughed, the sound echoing through the cave. “No, no. You cannot die. I have many plans for us. Soon now, I will return home and declare I have found my mother’s murderer. I have almost made up my mind which of my men will take the blame. I will once more rule the valley, and you will be my mistress. I will dress you in the finest gowns, and will even take you to Paris and Spain to buy them. I will build you a hacienda to make the wealthiest women in Mexico envious.” He shook his head. “But what are we to do with you? You look terrible. Everyone would laugh at Valdis Alezparito for being taken with such a señorita as you have become. We must do something.”
She stared. “You leave me here in this damp hole with spiders and bats. I have not had a bath or a change of clothes since I got here, and the food you bring me is slop. And you talk of fine gowns and haciendas! I think you are crazy, Valdis.”
He frowned, eyes narrowing, fingers flexing. “No, I am not crazy. I am in perfect control. I have left you here to teach you a lesson. Now I am going to let you have some fresh air and a bath. The women will wash your hair. I have a lovely dress for you to wear. But first you must eat. This stew is good. I have deliberately sent slop to punish you, just as I have left you here, alone, to think of what your life will be like forever if you do not obey me.”
He dipped a spoon into the pot and extended it to her lips. She swallowed. It was good. And the water he offered was fresh and cool, not stagnant and sour.
“See?” He grinned. “Things can be better for you. You have learned how bad they can be. Now you will learn how good they can be. You will decide how you are to live your life with me. You will either be mine, to do my bidding, or I shall hand you over to my men and let them tire of you before we feed you to the buzzards. The decision is yours.”
Amber said nothing. It was not the time to provoke him. She wanted all of the stew. She wanted strength. Without it, she was totally at his mercy.
“Now,” he said when she had eaten. “I will carry you up and outside. It is a lovely day, warm, with sunshine. There is a nice place nearby where you will be bathed. Then we will talk. You will find I am not so bad as you think. One day you will love me. I know this.”
She did feel better after eating, but as he helped her to her feet and guided her out, she pretended weakness, leaning against him, hating to touch him but knowing she would have to feign sickness so as to put off the time when he would ravish her.
They climbed a narrow, winding trail, moving up and up, until at last they stepped into the bright sunshine. Amber squeezed her eyes shut at the sudden light and covered her face with her hands. Valdis’s men, lounging about, drinking, playing guitars, or cleaning their weapons, looked at her and laughed. The few women glowered at her.
Amber squinted as Valdis ordered someone to take her away and bathe her. She was thrust into the work-worn hands of a hard-looking woman. Her fleshy bosom sagged, and she was much too heavy in the hips.
To Amber, Valdis snapped, “Do as she wishes. She has little patience. Give her any trouble, and she will probably scratch your eyes out.”
Doggedly, Amber followed the woman through brush and around cactus, over sand mounds and rock formations. Then they stepped into a clearing where there was a cool, clear pool in a stream beneath a small, cascading waterfall. It did look delightful, and the angry-looking woman did not have to order Amber out of her rancid clothes. The woman tossed her a bar of lye soap, which Amber quickly rubbed over her body. She scrubbed until her skin was pink, then dove down to swim beneath the water for a moment before surfacing with strong, sure strokes. Oh, it felt good to breathe fresh air, feel the warmth of golden sunshine, and to be clean!
“See the lovely dress I have for you?”
Amber treaded water and turned. Valdis was standing on the mossy bank, holding out a gown of pale-green muslin. It was of a simple design, with long sleeves, one of which he held up. “We need, my lovely one, to hide the rope burns on your wrists.”
He sat down upon a rock, laying the dress carefully across his lap, looking quite pleased with himself.
Amber, making sure she remained in water deep enough to hide her nakedness, called, “Why do you wish to hide the rope burns? Are you ashamed for your men to know you keep me tied?”
“My men have nothing to do with it. It is our stubborn friend, Cord Hayden, who must not see them.”
The sound of his name stunned Amber. “Cord? You have no need to fear him. He left me and the others long ago, before we returned to the Indian village.”
He shook a finger at her and chanted, childlike, “Fool me once, and shame on you. Fool me twice, and shame on me!” Laughing, he gloated, “I shall not be fooled again, señorita. I have had many scouts out watching. Gerras, who never gives up wanting your little Dolita, has watched the Indian village since we left there. He saw Hayden. I was not worried, for I knew he would have a very hard time finding this camp. But then my sister came, using a secret shortcut. She tells me she thinks maybe the bastard boy is bringing Hayden here. It seems the boy has taken to you. He must have followed Gerras and me when we brought you here, for he seems to know the way. That is what Maretta thinks, anyway.”
“Armand!” Amber whispered faintly. He had followed her. And he was bringing Cord! But, dear Lord, Valdis knew, and he was waiting. They would both be killed. She screamed, “No, Valdis, don’t kill them. I’ll do anything you ask.”
She stumbled from the water and made her way over to him, embarrassed to be fully exposed, trying to ignore the sudden look of desire that leaped into his eyes.
She gasped, “I tell you I will do anything, damn you! Don’t hurt them!”
He slapped her, knocking her down. “I grow weary of your fire. I may decide to kill you and be rid of your insolence once and for all.”
He reached down to twist her hair. “You will put on this dress. Your hair will be brushed until it shines. You will paint your lips and your cheeks, and you will smile. When your hero arrives, you will tell him how happy you are with me. You will tell him that at long last you have found a real man to love. You will make him believe you. You will tell him to go away and leave you forever. You will even describe to him how we couple, how I make you feel.” He took a deep breath, stood back, and let go of her hair. Smiling, he said, “When you do this, he will go away and plague me no more.” He looked at her, hard. “The boy will not be hurt. No one will be hurt if you cooperate.”
“What will happen to the boy?” she asked fearfully.
Valdis looked impatient. “I do not wish to keep you tied, but I want you to be obedient. The boy will remain with us, to keep you compliant.”
Armand to stay with her! She hardly dared believe it.
“Now then, we shall have no more problems, shall we?” He whacked her buttocks sharply, then squeezed. “You want the boy to be treated well, so think of that when I come to you tonight after I have gotten rid of Hayden forever. You can show me how appreciative you are of my kindness to your matador’s bastard.” Without warning, he crushed her in his arms, covering her mouth. When he released her, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, and he reached out and squeezed one nipple painfully. She cried out, and he roared, “Never do that! Never shrink from my touch or look as though you do not like me. Thank me each time I favor you with my hands, my lips, or my rod of love. Soon, you will be on your knees, begging me to take you, over and over.
“Remember, two lives will depend on how pleasant you learn to become—yours and the
child’s.”
They had ridden through the morning, and already the sun was high in the sky. Cord could see the wisdom in waiting for nightfall but did not want Amber in danger a minute longer than necessary.
When a rocky knoll came into sight, straight ahead, the boy reached up from his pony to tug at Cord’s sleeve.
“This is it?” Cord reined his horse in and looked down at the anxious black eyes. “All right, friend.” He forced a grin. “This is where we part company for a while. To be safe, you are going over there to that clump of sagebrush and hide yourself and your pony. Wait till I come back. Understand?”
The boy stared. With a sigh, Cord led him to the dense patch of brush and pointed to the ground. “Here.” He pointed to the boy. “You stay.”
Cord turned to ride away, and when the boy started to follow, he repeated his orders, harshly. This time, Armand understood.
A mountain range lay straight ahead, and to his right lay thick clumps of cottonwoods and pines. It meant going out of his way, but it was his only chance to slip up secretly on the camp. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of smoke and realized it was a campfire. He had found the hideout! He kicked his horse to a full gallop and rode straight for the cover. He picked his way through the rough terrain, using the smoke as a beacon to guide him. Finally, he figured he was close enough to go on foot. Dismounting, he took his rifle, left his horse tied, and began to walk stealthily, hunched over, pausing every so often to listen for sounds.
It took an interminably long time before he saw the fire, just on the other side of a large, jagged rock, and he crawled the rest of the way on his belly. Easing his head up ever so slightly over the rock, he stared down at Valdis’s men sprawled around the fire. Some of them had camp women in their arms. They passed bottles back and forth. Some slept. Everything was peaceful, and Cord figured no one suspected he was there.
Then, heart leaping, he saw what he was looking for—Valdis. Tremors of rage rippled through him, and it was all he could do to keep from aiming his rifle and blowing the bastard to pieces. But then he saw that Valdis was pulling a woman down beside him, drawing her to him, wrapping his arms about her possessively. He kissed her passionately. The woman was Amber. And she was not struggling.
It couldn’t be. Perhaps she was drugged? Never would she go willingly to Valdis. Never. And he was not going to allow her to be violated.
He stood, a growl emanating from deep within like that of a wild animal ready to attack. All eyes below suddenly turned up to where he stood with rifle in one hand, his pistol in the other. “Let her go, Valdis!” Cord roared. “Now!”
To the others, he cried, “Don’t make a move. You may kill me, but I’ll get him first.”
Amber rolled from Valdis’s arms and propped herself against a rock. Cord strained to see her face, refusing to believe that she was smiling.
“Amber, come up here, now,” he yelled, his voice sounding hollow. Something was very wrong.
When she made no move, he cried hoarsely, “Are you able to get up, Amber?”
“Of course I am able to get up,” she called out cheerfully, and the others laughed. “Come join us, Cord. We are all good friends here now.”
He gripped the rifle. “Amber, you don’t have to be afraid. Just get up and walk up here. Valdis, you walk slowly right behind her, because you’re coming with us to make sure we aren’t followed.”
Amber got to her feet, and Valdis made no move to restrain her. “You don’t understand, Cord,” she called out, shading her eyes from the sun. “Things have changed since you left. I have come to know Valdis for the wonderful man he really is. He has made me very happy. I don’t want to go with you.”
“Amber, get up here. You don’t have to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” She laughed. “If you wanted me, Cord, you shouldn’t have left me. Did you think I would stay behind and rot in that horrible little Indian village? Valdis took me away, and now I’m a happy woman. We have peace here. We are happy.”
Valdis spoke for the first time, shouting amiably, “Come down, Hayden. Have a drink with us. You will see how happy the señorita is. Do not be a poor loser. The best man won, isn’t that so?”
Everyone laughed raucously, and Cord saw that Amber joined in too. She allowed Valdis to draw her into his arms once more.
Slowly, Cord slid backward from the rock and turned and walked away, the ringing laughter echoing behind him. He kept on walking, not allowing himself to think or feel.
Somehow, despite the roaring in his head, Cord made his way back to the boy’s hiding place. Somehow, he was not surprised to find him gone.
Gerras leaped down from a ledge high above the one on which Cord had made his stand, a triumphant grin splitting his face. “He’s gone!” he cried, waving his rifle. “And not a shot was fired. He will not be back.”
Valdis turned and pulled Amber into his arms and kissed her long and hard, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth. When at last he released her, he laughed, “It is over. Tonight I will reward my men with all the tequila they can drink. They performed well, watching your lover every step of the way, watching where he hid the bastard so they could bring him here. Go to him now. Let him know he will be by your side as long as you please me. Tonight, after I have celebrated with my men, I will come to you, and you can show your appreciation for my kindness.”
He released her, and she stumbled away, tears blinding her as she made her way back into the cave.
Cord. Her heart cried his name over and over. Cord. I had to say those lies. I had to.
She struggled to breathe past the agony in her throat…dear God, she loved him so.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Amber held little Armand’s face in her hands and whispered anxiously, “Please, please, my darling, try to understand what I am going to say to you. We have to figure a way to get out of here. I don’t know how we’re going to do it, but we’ve got to try. I can’t endure what awaits me, and I can’t bear the thought of your having to live here.”
She kissed his cheeks and fell back to sit on the ground. Armand stared up at her, not taking his eyes from her for a moment.
Lost in her misery, Amber did not at first feel the gentle poking of Armand’s finger upon her shoulder. He poked harder, and she turned to him. She reached for the objects he held out to her as he smiled triumphantly. “Mushrooms? Why—?” Then she knew, and her grin matched his. Somehow, somewhere along the way, he had found mushrooms. If he knew as much about growing things as his people did, then they were poisonous. Poisonous mushrooms!
She gave him a quick hug. “Armand, you may have found a way for us to escape. They were cooking a stew. All I have to do is slip these into the pot, and the whole lot of them will be ill.” It was hope, and the first she’d felt since seeing Valdis at the Indian village.
She searched for and found a smooth rock and two small, jagged stones with which to pound the mushrooms.
Armand and she worked feverishly and in moments had reduced the mushrooms to a residue like soft mud. Tearing a bit of material from the petticoat beneath her dress, Amber scraped the mush into it, tying it loosely to make a small pouch, which she tucked inside her bodice.
“Now,” she breathed raggedly as they both sat back, “all I have to do is get it into the pot. I suppose I will have to wait until dark, but first, I’ll make everyone think I’m drunk.” She giggled, reaching to clasp the boy’s hand, sadness suddenly overcoming her again. “If only we could find Cord,” she said wistfully. “I’d give anything if I could tell him the truth. Maybe he hasn’t gotten far. Once we get out, we can ride hard. But I suppose that’s wishing for too much…” Her voice trailed off.
Armand tugged at her sleeve, pointing to himself, then toward the outside, nodding and grinning hopefully.
Amber stared. “Are you telling me you can take me to Cord? You can trail him?”
He nodded, eyes shining.
“You understand some of what I say, don’t you?”
she murmured in wonder. “I know it is probably only because you recognize familiar names, and you pay attention to gestures, but someday we’ll talk easily, I just know it.” Bounding to her feet, she held out her hand to him. “Come on, pardner, let’s go up there and put on a good act!”
Outside, they walked into the late afternoon sunshine. Valdis, drinking with his men, jovially called, “Ahhh, you have come to join us, querida. Now we will truly have a fiesta.”
“I brought the boy up for sunshine and fresh air,” she told him evenly, careful not to sound at all eager about Armand.
He waved an arm. “Of course. Is this not his home now, too? As long as he doesn’t cause trouble, we will have no problems. The boy may play as he wishes. Come and sit with me. Wine will make you relax. You look tense.”
Amber motioned to Armand, and he understood what was expected. Wandering off, but not far away, as Valdis’s men regarded him warily, he went about inspecting cactus flowers among the rocks, pretending to enjoy chasing a pale yellow butterfly.
Amber sat down, eyes darting quickly to the pot of stew. It was near the cave’s entrance, so evening shadows would fall there earlier than on other parts of the flat space in front of the hideout. That was in her favor. The pouch tucked in the bodice of her dress was well hidden, but she would have to duck any amorous advances Valdis might make. She hoped he would wait until night before touching her.
“Come, drink,” Valdis urged. “You are one of us now. Smile. You must look happy, or my people will not like you. They will think you consider yourself too good to drink with them.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” She made her voice tight. “If I’m to be forced to live with you animals, I might as well try to enjoy myself.” She jerked the bottle from his hand and tipped it to her lips, pretending to swallow. She feigned a short coughing spell, much to the delight of Valdis’s men. “Maybe if I get drunk, I can stand you pigs!” A cheer went up as she drank again, and this time she swallowed some, fearing they would notice if the bottle didn’t seem emptier. Then she stood up and walked around, scowling. “I hate all of you, you know that, don’t you?” She grabbed another bottle from someone else, much to the delight of Valdis, who was clapping his hands gleefully. “I hate all of you, and I always will. Bandits! Murderers! I wish to see all of you dead.”
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