Swallowing, she tried to keep from quivering, realizing she would need her wits about her if she were going to stay alive.
"Children wait here until after we're gone, then run home."
He gave her a wicked grin. "Hold out your wrists."
What in the world did he want her hands for?
"Now," he yelled and another one of the girls began to sob quietly.
"I'm all right, children," she said calmly as she held out her wrists. "While I'm gone, John is in charge. Tell Will I've gone with Mr....what is your name?"
Quickly, he bound her hands together.
"Lee," he said. "An old friend of your husband's.”
Her heart catapulted in her chest. This was the man who killed Will's brother and Al. She didn't doubt for a second that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her as well.
"Let's go," he said, shoving her toward the leaning door.
Slowly she moved through the gaping hole, alarm making her heart pound in her chest. When she reached Pecos’s side, he leaped from his chair and tackled the man, taking him to the ground where he pummeled him with his small fists.
The man's clenched hand slammed into Pecos’s head, knocking the boy out cold.
"Nooooo," she cried, trying to run back to the kid, but he shoved her hard, causing her to hit the door.
"Let's go," he said.
He pulled the door shut as well as he could and tied it with rope. "What are you doing?"
"Now those brats won't hightail it into town and tell everyone what's happened," he said. "We need a good head start."
At least they were safe inside, she told herself. But then she saw him take out a match and hold the flame against the wooden building.
"Stop, what are you doing. Those are babies, children, you can't harm them."
"Watch me. Little brats shouldn't have gotten in the way," he said. "Now they're going to burn."
Praying, she hoped the lumber wouldn't catch, but soon the side of the schoolhouse had a flame licking up the side, dancing like evil over the wood.
Terror at the sight rent a scream from her, the sound reminding her of her childhood and she filled her lungs with air, hoping someone would hear her fear. The man's fist silenced her screams as her world darkened.
Will sat around his small campfire, absolutely hating being separated from his wife, but certain this was what he needed to do. So far, no luck finding Lee, but he would keep searching, looking for him and following up on leads. Sooner or later, the man would show up somewhere and when he did, Will would end this man's reign of horror.
The wood crackled and popped sending sparks rising into the air. Nothing worse than enjoying a beautiful night under the stars alone. And yet he knew Quinlan had no business being here at his side. But as usual, Lee's timing was the worst.
The sound of a horse nearby had him glancing around and the crack of a branch sent his fingers reaching for his gun, wanting to be prepared in case Lee found him first. After all, the man wanted him dead as much as couldn't wait to kill Lee.
His gut was telling him his hideout was somewhere along the river.
"Will," a voice called and he jumped to his feet.
"Sheriff? Is that you?"
"Yes," he replied. "Don't shoot us."
What was Zenith's sheriff doing out here when his wife was expecting their baby any day. A scurry of fear trickled down his spine. Could something be wrong with Quinlan?
Sheriff Zach, Isatai, Ruby, and the newest Lipstick and Lead graduate, Dora, rode into camp. His uneasiness all but overwhelmed him. All of his friends gathered around. Why?
"What are you all doing here?"
"Looking for you," Zach said.
“Your trail was easy to track once I knew your horse. Quinlan has been taken," the chief said.
Cold icy tentacles of terror spiraled through him and he understood why he couldn't find the man he searched for. The outlaw waited for Will to leave, so he could abduct his wife.
"Do you know what happened," he asked, his voice hard, his heart breaking. The man would murder her just to torture him.
"Yes, he took Quinlan and set the school on fire with the children locked in the building," Ruby said her voice filled with fury. "My niece was inside."
"Did they all get out?" Will asked, knowing his wife would not have willingly let him harm a hair on her students. Those kids were her life.
"Only because Chief Isatai saw the smoke and arrived in time to get them out. Some of the bigger children broke the windows and started dropping the younger ones out, but the chief opened the door."
Anger so intense he had to walk it off rode him hard like a bronc at a rodeo. Not only had Lee taken his wife, he tried to kill most of the town’s kids. No words could describe this madman's actions. Will had to control his rage or charge out of here in a blind fury risking everyone.
"Was anyone harmed?"
"All were terrified except Pecos," Dora said calmly. The woman had a cool air about her that didn't let much disturb her, yet he knew she also had a mean temper from what the rumors he heard. But maybe she had a reason to be angry.
"Pecos was injured. The children said he tried to stop him, and the man punched my son. For two days, we thought he was going to die," the Indian said. "I'm here to kill this man."
Will understood why the chief felt that way, but he would have to beat Will for a chance at the outlaw first.
"Isatai, we've had this discussion already," the sheriff said. "The plan is to take the criminal into custody and let a jury decide his fate. And believe me, when they learn he torched a schoolhouse, there's a rope and a tree just waiting for him. You don't risk children's lives."
Will clenched his fists, the urge to hit something strong within him. He was with Isatai. No judge, no jury, no hanging, just justice for the wrongs Lee committed. But he wouldn't argue with the lawman.
"Does anyone know where he took Quinlan? Or what direction?"
"The tracks were clear until we came to the Brazos and then they disappeared," Zach said.
The Brazos...he killed David along the banks of the river. Al's body had been found in Fort Worth, a little more than a day's ride from the river. Bluffs ran along one side of the bank in some areas.
"David was shot not far from Bath Bend." The locals named the curve in the river for obvious reasons.
"There are lots of places on the river for a man to hide. Somewhere close, he must have a hideout near the bluffs," the chief said, gazing at Will who nodded in agreement.
"That's where we'll start in the morning," the sheriff said.
But that wasn't what Will wanted. This outlaw would murder them all given the opportunity, and he didn't want his friends risking their lives.
"No, I'm going by myself. He took my wife. If we all go in at once, he will kill her."
Ruby, known for love of the hunt, all but growled. "Look, I didn't go off and leave my husband and babies at home not to catch the man who threatened our children. Quinlan is a great woman and none of us want to see her die. But we're all in this together. All of us want him dead."
The sheriff shook his head. "No, we will convince him to surrender."
Will ran his hand over his face. "I really appreciate what you're doing, but nothing is going to stop me from going in and rescuing Quinlan."
It didn't matter what they said, he would do this alone to keep the others safe.
"Well, if you get shot dead, what good are you to her then?" Dora asked. "Did you ever consider she'd want you to think about your safety instead of going in like a hungry lion ready to extract your revenge?"
The Indian smiled at Dora. "Let's see what tomorrow brings. Tonight, we rest. In the morning, we ride and when we locate this devil, then we will make a decision on how to stop him."
The decision was made. Will would be gone when they woke in the morning.
Dora nodded. "A good plan. Now I'm going to spread my bunk roll out here and try to get a few beauty winks in before we leave at dawn."<
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One by one, his friends laid their heads down around the campfire, but Will faked his own sleep. They would be riding out at first light, but he planned on leaving even earlier.
Chapter 10
Quinlan sat around the fire, trying to keep warm. The nights were cool, but she would never ask for a blanket. While she didn't know where they were, they had crossed a large river and even now the sound of water flowing over rocks soothed her.
Since the day he took her from the schoolhouse, she avoided all eye contact, speaking only when spoken to. Trying not to throw up when he touched her.
So far, the outlaw only lifted her on and off a horse and she hoped it remained that way. He was using her as bait and she knew that. When Will learned of him taking her, he would come for her. That thought both comforted and frightened her.
For the man would lure Will in and then kill him. After that, he would have no reason to keep her.
A tear slipped down her cheek. The idea of him killing her husband ripped her chest apart. Hadn't they suffered enough at this man's hands? First David, then Al, and then her beloved students. Had they made it out before the building became engulfed in flames? Had any of them survived?
By no means had her life been perfect. Yet her time with Will had been idyllic and the man was kind and good and if anyone could save them, Will could.
After dealing with her father as a child, she felt nothing but terror at the sight of men. Will had been patient letting her learn he was not like her father. He'd been gentle and slowly she fell in love with him.
At the orphanage, she didn't want her life to change. Maybe Madam Wigg was right. Maybe she needed to leave the school to become a stronger, better person, and the man she loved helped her become a competent woman.
If they lived through this, she would ask Dora to teach her to shoot a gun. Maybe not like her friends, the Lipstick and Lead girls, but at least enough to protect the children she taught.
"You want some water?" the man asked.
"No, thank you," she said her head down on her knees as she tried to avoid looking at him.
"It's been two days and you're not eating or drinking. We could be together for a while. At least until that husband of yours learns you've been taken. Don't worry, he'll come and when he does, I have some traps laid out for him."
The man laughed and Quinlan closed her eyes, saying a fervent prayer for Will's safekeeping. She loved him with all her heart. Losing him to this idiot's bullet was enough to make her want to grab the man's gun and shoot him herself.
The more she thought of ambushing him, the more desperate she became as she ran different scenarios through her head. Each time trying to come up with a way to warn Will, but nothing came to mind. And Lee didn't let her go far alone, even standing right outside the bushes while she went to the bathroom.
"Yes, sir, I'm going to enjoy shooting your husband. Then I'm going to gut him and hang him from a tree so the buzzards can feast on him."
The outlaw was evil and played sick games to get to her. Maybe learning how to block out horrible sounds years ago from her father’s tirades would once again come in handy. Just like when she was a child, in her head, she dove into her favorite book and immersed herself in the story, her mind reading to herself.
After a few minutes, she noticed that Lee had given up tormenting her and she relaxed, and for the first time in days, she fell asleep beside the fire and dreamed of Will. As they walked to church, a little boy held their hands as they swung him in the air between them, laughing.
In the dream, she turned to him and said the words she'd yet to say, “I love you.”
Will snuck out of camp long before daylight and headed east toward the Brazos river. When Lee killed David, they were camping along the river, only a half-day ride from Zenith. The gang of thieves had obviously been on the move heading south away from the town and closer to the big city.
His gut instinct was telling him somewhere between here and Bath Bend he would find Lee. The man would be on the lookout and Will needed the element of surprise on his side. Most people stayed on the lower side of the river, because the other side had steep bluffs.
Maybe it would be to his advantage to be on the side of peaks. That way, he would be higher and would see where Lee was hiding. And what if the man's hideout was amongst the cliffs?
As the sun rose, Will had already reached the river and kept his mare in the water for as far as possible, until the water level rose to his horse's thighs. When he found a trail leading along the higher bankside, he urged his horse forward up the rocky slope.
Time was getting away from him, and soon, he either had to find her or make camp for the night. Late in the afternoon, his friends appeared on the side of the river. While they rode in the same direction, they were on the opposite bank.
Right before dark, he smelled a fire. After tying his mare in a rock enclave, he began to walk the perimeter stepping as lightly as he could.
The last rays slid beneath the horizon when he saw a rope not quite hidden under the leaves. One wrong tread and he would have been hanging upside down with his ankle in a snare.
Quickly he took out his knife and cut the cord. In the darkness, it would be difficult to see any more of those traps, yet the woman he loved was near.
Suddenly a hand covered his mouth and his heart leaped into his chest, beating uncontrollably. He'd been caught.
Turning, Chief Isatai held his fingers to his lips and he whispered. "Man and woman are beyond those rocks. The others are going to come at him from each side."
Will shook his head. "He'll kill her. Let me go in and then you guys cover me. We'll give everyone a few moments and after I find them, everyone rush him," he said, still not sure that would work.
Where Lee was camped, there were three sides of sheer rock. They would need to fire from above or the main entrance.
"I fear you're right," the chief said. "I'll make certain he doesn't escape. This man is not going to survive tonight."
Will smiled. Frankly, he hoped all of them but Lee made it out alive. That was his concern.
Night shrouded the land when Will nodded to the chief. The time had come.
Walking softly, he approached the outlaw's fire. With his gun in his hand, he walked into the circle of light. "Lee,” he called, not seeing the man. Quinlan was tied up sitting by the fire, a rag stuffed in her mouth, her eyes trying to desperately warn him of something.
A stick of dynamite lay less than a yard away. The wick was burning, mere seconds before the thing exploded, killing them both. Stomping on the wick, he kicked dirt over the flame to extinguish it.
Still no Lee.
"Lee, I know you're here," he walked over to Quinlan hoping that maybe he could untie her before he hunted for his nemesis.
Stepping up to Quinlan, fear raced through him as he placed his Colt back in the holster and began undoing the knots on her wrists. At the next to last one, she started trying to talk through the rag in her mouth. Instinctively he knew, whirling around he glanced up. Lee stood with a gun in his hand pointed at his wife.
"Quinlan has done nothing to you. If you let Quinlan go, you can have me. I'll not put up a fight," Will said, wanting to somehow move in front of his woman. Knowing Lee had deliberately set this up so he would be behind her, unable to stop a bullet from reaching her.
The man shook his head at him. "Oh, Will, don't you get it, the fight is half the fun. We've been playing this cat and mouse game for nearly ten years and if it ends, who is going to chase me? Who is going to let their friends come after me while they sit at home with their wife? Oh no, just because you marry doesn't mean you get out of this revenge game we have going."
The man laughed. "In fact, let's up the ante."
Lee raised his Colt and Will shoved Quinlan with all his might trying to protect her. But Lee anticipated the movement, aiming his gun in her direction and firing.
Will screamed with fury as Lee turned his weapon on him, laughing. Before
the man could fire his fatal shot, four rounds of gunfire tore into Lee. Along with Will's own Colt that blasted the man in the heart.
Shock radiated from the dark, evil eyes as his mouth dropped open as he sagged to his knees, then fell to his back. After ten years, Lee Carver lay twitching on the ground.
"Game over," Will spat at the man as he rushed to his wife's side. But Quinlan didn't move.
The bastard’s bullet had hit his beautiful wife in the right shoulder, knocking her out.
"Quin, noooooo," he cried.
Quinlan dreamed of her mother's sweet smile and laughter. Her mom hugged her daughter to her, but Quinlan wasn't a child, she was a woman. "Oh, my daughter," she said. "I'm so happy for you. A loving man is waiting for you. You have so much to live for, you need to go back. Someday I'll see you again, but I'm so proud of the woman you have become."
She kissed her on the cheek and sadness overwhelmed Quinlan. Reaching out, she touched her mother's cheek, but all she felt were her own tears.
Her body ached and she slowly opened her eyes wondering what happened and then she remembered. With a gasp, she glanced around and noticed she was in their bedroom with the sun peeking through the curtains.
Slumped in a chair beside the bed, Will slept. The man she loved with all her heart and soul. The man she wanted to spend the rest of her days with, bear his children, and love him with every breath, sat sleeping beside her, watching over her. Clearly she remembered how he had been willing to give up his life for hers. Yet they both almost died because of that evil man.
Needing to hear his voice, she reached out and touched his hand and his eyes flew open. "You're awake."
It took all her strength to give him a weak smile.
“Oh my God, I didn't know if you would come back to me. I've been so afraid you wouldn't live," he said, falling to his knees beside the bed, hovering over her. "Blaming myself for leaving you."
"No, you had no choice. But what about the children?" she asked, remembering, fearing what he would tell her.
"Chief Isatai saved them. They are all fine, including Pecos," he said.
Lipstick and Lead Series: The Complete Box Set With a Bonus Book Page 139