“How do I protect you when I’m the threat?” Anthony banged his fist on the table.
Beneath the rising hysteria that threatened to choke her, Gianna was bewildered. This wasn’t the first time that he had been rough with her. Perhaps the session was a little more intense than what she was used to, but it wasn’t really worse than what things had been like in the beginning.
What’s changed?
A hand flew to her mouth as it occurred to her. He hasn’t forgiven me, she thought, distraught. The sole difference between then and now is the fact that because of my mistake, I’m no longer solely his.
She suddenly remembered what Drake had said to her at the general store.
When that baby is born and he’s obviously half Cherokee, half Italian and not at all Anthony, that’ll make him the laughing stock of the town. And we both know full well, a man’s reputation in the West is everything.
That was it, then. Anthony was just too much of a gentleman to reveal his true intentions. Gianna choked back a sob as she steeled herself.
“Fine,” she said bleakly. “Fine, I’ll sign the papers.”
Anthony sucked in a breath. Of relief, she thought sourly.
“I’ll get them prepared by morning,” he said, turning away from her.
“There,” she said as the tears flowed freely down her face. “So that’s done. I’ll go pack my things now.”
Anthony’s face was white as he restrained her. “Gianna, what are you talking about? It’s late. You can stay here tonight. I’ll sleep in the study.”
“No!” Gianna’s voice trembled. “I’ll find a place to stay in town tonight.”
“Are you really that ready to leave me?” Anthony asked her in a choked voice. As she looked at him, she saw the pain that she felt mirrored on his face.
“I will never be ready. But it’s easier for me to leave now, while I still have the strength to do so.”
Anthony breathed in deeply and exhaled with a sigh. “Very well then. I’ll see you back here in the morning.”
“Fine.”
Gianna left the study and barely managed to make it back into the bedroom before her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, sobbing and feeling her heart breaking.
++++++++
Anthony felt his world collapse around him as he watched Gianna’s departing form. Truth be told, he had expected more of a fight and believed that his will would have given way if she had insisted a little more.
Still, he had seen the pain that twisted her face when he pointed out that he was the source of all her physical pain in the past. Right after she had taken the time to process it, she had agreed to the divorce.
With a heavy sigh, he gathered his vest. So that was it, then. Life still had to go on. He just thought that for tonight, it’d be easier faced with some alcohol in his system.
As he passed the bedroom, he heard Gianna’s muffled sobs through the wooden door. It made his heart clench.
At least this will be the last time that I’m a source of her pain, he thought.
Squaring his shoulders, Anthony walked down the stairs away from her and towards the first evening of his new, lonely life.
++++++++
Gianna cried so much that she felt as though her body had been completely drained of tears. Looking at the baby crib in the corner, she felt a sudden surge of unreasonable anger at the child who was growing in her.
As soon as she had the thought, she quickly dismissed it, shocked that she had even entertained such a terrible notion. After all, it wasn’t the baby’s fault. It was her fault, her own damn fault …
Drake.
Fury rushed anew through her veins. He was the cause of all this. Imagine all the lives he had ruined before her, and that he would continue to ruin in the days to come. Unless she did something to put an end to that.
Gianna clung on to her rage like a lifeline as it gave her a new purpose. She was terrified of having to face the days ahead without Anthony, but at least she would have her revenge before it came to that. Getting dressed in a hurry, she threw on a shirt and jeans before leaving the room.
As she passed Anthony’s empty study, she paused. With an evil smirk, she entered and found just what she was looking for. Tucking the chastity cage into her suitcase, she set off to the saloon to exact her own form of vengeance on the guy who had ruined her life.
++++++++
The sun had set completely as Gianna entered the alley that led to Drake’s apartment. Stopping behind a corner, she unbuttoned the top of her blouse so that the top of her breasts popped out enticingly. Fluffing out her hair, she climbed the stairs, hoping that he didn’t have any company.
Before she could knock, the door flew open and Gianna found herself looking into the face that she so deplored.
“Delucca,” Drake raised his eyebrows. He gave her a quick once-over, his eyes lingering on her cleavage. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
She raised her suitcase. “Thanks to you, Anthony has thrown me out.”
“No!” Drake’s mouth quirked in a twisted grin. “And what do you expect me to do about that?”
Gianna shrugged. “As the father of my future child, I was hoping that I could stay here for the night. My train leaves in the morning and I don’t fancy sleeping at the station.”
As he hesitated, Gianna pushed on. “You owe me this much, Drake.”
Drake frowned, “I’m not so sure about that.”
Jerk.
Gianna swallowed the bile that rose in her throat. “If you let me stay,” she said as coquettishly as she could, “I’ll make it worth your while.”
She lowered her eyes meaningfully to her cleavage and deliberately undid another button, giving Drake a good glimpse of one of her nipples.
He licked his lips. “Desperate and sluttish: I could never say no to that.” Opening the door wide, he invited her in with a mocking bow.
Success.
As she sauntered in, she casually unlocked her suitcase and placed it on the sofa. She then turned to Drake, put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in for a kiss.
Drake hungrily tore at her blouse, and she saw the buttons fly as her breasts popped out. He paused for a moment to admire her, giving her nipples an appreciative pinch.
“Damn, Anthony must have the restraint of a saint to be able to throw these out of the door,” Drake jeered as he bent forward, took one of her breasts in his mouth and suckled her. Gianna fought the urge to slap him. Instead, she pushed him down on the chair and yanked his pants down. He barked a laugh.
“Man, you really are a slut.”
Remember the plan. Gianna pictured a tortured Drake in her mind before she leaned over and enclosed her lips over his semi-tumescent dick. She ran her tongue over the hardening head and licked it.
“Ohh yes,” he groaned, closing his eyes. Sensing her opportunity, she reached out to her suitcase, and surreptitiously retrieved the chastity device. Flicking it open, she released Drake from her mouth, clamped the device sharply down on his dick and turned the lock.
“What the fuck!” Drake’s eyes shot open and he gazed down at the weird contraption that encased his cock. “What is this?” he demanded.
Gianna leaned back and smiled foxily. “Just a little something to spice things up.”
She raised her hands to her breasts and squeezed her nipples, moaning deliberately. As she expected, Drake’s cock bulged at the sight of her floor show and he yowled as the spikes dug into his penis.
“Fuck! That hurts!” He yanked at the chastity case in vain while Gianna laughed mockingly. She swung the key around her finger at him and ducked away as he tried to grab it.
“Not so fast, Drake Edwards.”
She walked to the window and threw the key out. He gave a yell and tried to lunge at her, but his motions were hindered by the little needles that pierced into his cock.
“You stupid cunt,” he gasped, grabbing at the cage as he attempted to pry it off with his bare hands.
/>
“You can’t brute-force that off,” Gianna warned him. “You’d sooner break your cock.”
He gazed at her with a cold fury.
“Well,” she said. “I’m off then. Enjoy the rest of your celibate life.”
As she turned to leave, something hard hit against her head and the impact sent her stumbling forward. Looking down, she realized that Drake had thrown a vase at her.
“Take that, bitch!” Drake snarled as he staggered over to her. He reached out for a wine glass and sent it flying in her direction. Still dizzy from the impact, Gianna didn’t duck but lost her balance and fell on the ground. She tried to crawl away but Drake had caught up to her. He grabbed hold of her ankle and started to pull her towards him.
Gianna kicked wildly and managed to land a blow on his shin. As he cursed and hopped in pain, she stumbled to her feet and ran for the door.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Drake shouted and pounced at her. He roughly grabbed hold of her and slammed her head to the wall. Gianna groaned as she fell to the floor. Drake kicked at her ribs and she screamed in pain.
“Fuck you, Drake,” she gasped and curled herself up to absorb the impact as he aimed another kick at her.
“You fucking slut. You’d better find a way to remove this from my dick or I swear that I’m going to cut your nose off your face. Huh? Acting like you’re all that. We’ll see who can still love you when you go around as the noseless cunt.”
He yanked her up by her hair and slapped her so hard across her face that she went flying. Gianna tasted blood and as she looked up at the murderous intent on his face, she felt a twinge of fear. Drake had completely lost control of himself and she had no doubt that he would inflict the worst kind of pain on her if he had the chance. She had to get out of there.
Gianna looked around the room, plotting her escape. She backed away from him and her foot touched something hard. Looking down for a second, she realized that it was the vase that he had thrown at her.
“You worthless whore,” Drake spat at her.
“Come get me,” she challenged him. “I don’t care if I die, as long as I know that you’ll spend the rest of your life suffering. Every single time you have a sexy thought, every time your dick as much as twitches, you’re going to feel inexplicable pain. Forget fucking, you’ll never even be able to jerk offagain!”
Snarling, Drake charged at her. Gianna was ready and she ignored the pain in her ribs as she bent down and grabbed the vase. Just as he descended on her, she clamped her hand on his dick and squeezed hard, pressing the spikes of the device down on him. As he yowled in pain, she lifted the vase and crashed it over his head.
She jumped over Drake’s writhing form and ran for the door.
Gianna sprinted down the stairs as quickly as her aching ribs would let her. Reaching the alley, she hurried down the empty street.
“Freeze!”
Hearing Drake’s voice, she quickened her pace.
A gunshot rang as a bullet ricocheted off the ground next to her. Skidding to a stop, Gianna’s heart filled with dread. He’s armed.
“Turn around slowly, you slut.”
Gianna turned and saw a disheveled and crazed-looking Drake standing down the alley. His smoking gun glinted in the moonlight.
“Don’t shoot,” she called out in a shaky voice.
With an evil grin, Drake pressed his thumb down on the trigger.
Chapter 14
Bang!
Gianna flew back as a searing pain exploded through the right side of her body. Blood flowed from a wound on her shoulder and she sank to her knees in pain.
Oh my God, she thought in horror. He’s actually going to kill me.
“Fucking cunt,” Drake stretched his mouth in a caricature of a smile. He walked over slowly as he reloaded the gun and placed it against her head.
“Any last words?”
Gianna shut her eyes and held on to the one thing that gave her strength while facing her impending death.
Anthony.
She braced herself for the pain.
Bang! Bang!
Gianna opened her eyes in wonder. She saw Drake fall to the ground, a gaping wound at the center of his forehead. He was dead.
“Gianna!”
“Anthony?” she said in wonder as she saw him running towards her. She slumped to the ground in relief.
“Gianna, are you alright?” Anthony braced her up and examined her shoulder in alarm. “You’ve been shot!”
“That bastard shot me,” Gianna croaked. Her strength faded as the adrenaline rush diminished and she could truly feel the brunt of her injuries.
“You,” she coughed, “you have a gun.”
“Ex-sheriff, remember? I always carry a gun.” Anthony ripped a part of his shirt off and held it to her wound.
“I’ve got to get you to a doctor.” He lifted her gently in his arms and ran.
“My tummy hurts,” she whimpered.
“Hold on, sweetheart, we’re almost there.”
“Maybe it’s a miscarriage,” Gianna’s voice lifted a little in triumph. “Then this mistake will be flushed out of me.”
“Gianna, listen to me. Nothing is going to happen to you or the baby.”
“Anthony, I can’t keep my eyes open.”
“No, sweetheart,” he looked down at her in alarm. “Don’t go to sleep. Stay with me, Gianna.”
“Anthony …” her voice trailed off as the darkness overcame her.
++++++++
“Richmond!” Anthony roared as he kicked open the door of the clinic. “Richmond, I need your help!”
“Good heavens!” Dr Beauchamp rushed into the room. “What happened to her?”
“She’s been shot.”
Raising his eyebrows, Richmond didn’t pursue the question. “Get her on the bed, quick. Matilda! I need your help.”
Mrs. Beauchamp rushed in, dressed in her night robe. “What is it, Rich? Mister Davies? Oh my gosh, what happened to Gianna?”
“Matilda, I need you to get my tools ready for me. She’s been shot.”
“Shot!”
“Yes, I need ether and iodine, and some clean bandages.”
“I’ll get them.”
“Anthony,” Richmond stopped him as he tried to follow them into the operating room. “I need you to wait out here.”
“Like hell I will.”
“Anthony,” Richmond’s voice was firm. “You’ll be a lot more help to her if you don’t get in my way.” His tone softened at the sight of Anthony’s lost expression. “She’ll be in good hands.”
Anthony nodded. “Please save her.”
“I’ll do my best.”
++++++++
Anthony paced around the waiting room of the clinic for what seemed like hours.
Oh, Gianna, no.
He had just been leaving the saloon when he heard a gunshot from the alley behind. As he turned around to investigate it, he had heard a second gunshot and a scream from a voice that sounded horribly familiar.
Anthony had never felt such fear in his heart as he saw the gun aimed at Gianna’s head. For a horrible moment, he thought that he might actually lose her. Even now, there was still a chance that she might slip away from him. She had been covered in so much blood.
Please, don’t leave me, Gianna.
“Anthony!”
Matilda and Richmond exited from the room. He looked frantically around them.
“How is she?”
“Anthony, relax,” Richmond said as he placed his hands on his shoulders. “She’s alright. She lost a lot of blood, but I’ve got her stabilized. It’s fortunate that it was a clean shot. The bullet went right through her. I’ve stitched her up and she’s resting now.”
“Thank God,” Anthony sunk down on a chair. “And the baby? She said that her tummy was hurting.”
“The baby’s fine, Mister Davies,” Mrs. Beauchamp said soothingly. “Gianna has a couple of bruised ribs and some bruises on her tummy, but other than
that, she’s fine.”
“What happened, Anthony? Who did this to her?” Richmond asked, with a grave expression on his face as he sat down next to Anthony.
“It was Drake Edwards. He attacked her.”
Mrs. Beauchamp gasped.
“And what happened to him? Where is he now?” Richmond continued.
Anthony hesitated and looked Richmond right in the eye.
“I shot him. He’s dead.”
Heaving a sigh, Richmond said, “I see.”
“He was going to shoot Gianna. I had to do something.”
Richmond held up his hands. “Hey, I understand. I won’t say anything to anyone, but for your safety, you know you can’t stay here. He had some dangerous friends who might trace his death back to you.”
Anthony nodded. “I’ve thought about that. I plan to go to Markleeville and stay with Annie for a bit, just to lay low for a while.”
“That’s a good plan.”
“Of course, I’ll have to leave the hotel and the horses to someone. I was hoping that you could take over the hotel for me, Matilda.”
Mrs. Beauchamp gasped. “Mister Davies, that hotel is your home.”
Anthony smiled, “My home is wherever Gianna is. Don’t worry, Matilda. I can’t think of a better person to hand the hotel over to.”
“What will you do for money?” Richmond asked.
“I have some savings in the bank. I’ll have someone in town wire the money to me when things have died down.”
“That’s a good plan. You can stay with us here until Gianna’s fit enough to travel.”
“Thank you, Rich, Matilda.”
Rising, Richmond nodded at Anthony. “Alright, you should go check in on Gianna. She’s still under, but she should be waking up soon.”
++++++++
Gianna thrashed. She was being chased down the street: Drake was right behind her, shouting out her name. “You won’t get away, Gianna!” he called, laughing maniacally. “I’m going to get to you, and I’m going to kill you. You and everyone you’ve ever loved.”
“No, no,” she gasped. As she turned the corner, she skidded to a halt. Coming at her from every direction were countless Drakes, each with a bullet wound on their forehead. Their skin was white, and their dead eyes rolled upwards as they advanced upon her. “Gianna,” they laughed. “We’re going to kill you, Gianna.”
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