“You are willing to owe the devil?”
“I am,” Esteban said without hesitation.
“You plan to put an end to Pacquito?”
“I do and he deserves it.”
“Are you playing God, Esteban?”
Esteban caught the vehemence in his tone and shook his head. “God had no use for me and I have none for him.”
“Then why does Pacquito deserve to die?”
“Because he was the reason the old woman Lequita took her life.”
“Lequita took her life?”
Esteban shivered from the stone cold tone of his voice. “She did.”
“Why?”
“Pacquito threatened that he would beat her again if I ever attempted to leave. She knew I would never let that happen. She had been so very good to me since the first day of my capture. I do not think I would have survived the ordeal if it hadn’t been for her kindness and love. I would not see her beaten again because of me. I planned to wait until her death to leave.” Esteban paused a moment before recalling the heartbreaking memory. “She was familiar with every plant, shrub, and tree in the area. She knew what could be eaten and what never should be touched. One day she ate berries she knew would kill her, though would give her time to speak with me first.”
“She spoke with you?” the devil said and then demanded, “What did she say to you?”
“She told me it was her time to go. She was too tired to live any longer and that I wasn’t to blame myself.”
“That was all?”
“No, her last words were, ‘Tell the devil I love him and to forgive me and not to forget his promise.’”
Esteban jumped back as did the short, stocky man when the devil let loose with a terrifying roar. The short man shuddered and Esteban felt his blood run cold. They both stood still, not moving a muscle or saying a word, waiting for the devil to calm down and speak.
After several silent minutes, the devil said with a growl, “You remained with her until she died?”
“Lequita died in my arms.”
“You will kill, Pacquito.”
It was not a question or a statement. It sounded more like a demand. And since the devil wanted Pacquito dead, Esteban wondered if perhaps it would be more a favor to the devil and it would negate owing him anything.
“You seem to want him dead as well. Will it then be a favor I do for you and owe you nothing?”
“You owe me more than you know, and I will extract payment when the time comes.”
A chill ran through Esteban again, the devil’s voice ominous in his promise. He did not like, at all, owing this man. He feared the payment might be too high, but he could think of no other way.
“Then I will be on my way and see this done,” Esteban said wanting away from the devil. “Where can I find Pacquito?”
The devil turned and nodded to the short man who proceeded to give Esteban the directions.
Once finished Esteban turned to leave when the devil called out to him and he reluctantly turned around.
“I had my men take your wife to his camp. She waits there for you.”
Esteban clenched his fists, his fury mounting. If Rosa had been in Pacquito’s camp since last night there was no telling what he had done to her. He shut his eyes against images that rushed into his head to torment him. He wanted to lash out at the devil, but instead he did what he never expected to do... he prayed for his wife’s safety.
Before Esteban turned to go, he took a step forward and the short man blocked his path to the devil. With his fists clenched at his sides he stared straight at the black shrouded figure. “Know this and know it well. Devil or not, if anything has happened to my wife, I will hunt you down and kill you.”
Chapter Thirty-six
The sun had been up for several hours and Rosa grew worried, not that her husband had yet to show up, but with the tension growing in the camp. Pacquito had been talking to his men in whispers since after sunrise and it seemed obvious to her, and she hoped to Jared and his men, that Pacquito was planning something.
She had noticed the whispering after returning from the nearby stream where she had gotten a chance to refresh herself. Her reflection in the water had startled her. Her jaw was bruised and swollen as was the corner of her eye. And her hair was a wild mane of tangles. She had quickly washed her face, and then had combed her hair with her fingers, getting the knots and tangles out as best as she could and hurriedly braided it. She hadn’t wanted to greet Esteban looking a sight. It would make him think she had suffered worse than she had, and he didn’t need to be worried about her. It was Pacquito he needed to focus on.
Now, however, she wondered if Pacquito had a change of plans. It certainly would seem that way with all the whispering and maneuvering his men were doing. So when the attack came, she shouldn’t have been surprised. But she was, though only for a moment.
The melee gave her a chance to escape. She didn’t stop to think, she ran; darting around fighting men, falling over wounded ones and ducking when she heard a shot ring out. She didn’t stop to look behind her, she kept going. The edge of the camp and the safety of the trees were only a few feet away. She would make it. She would be free and when she was she would keep running.
She was almost there, another step or two and...
She was yanked back by her braid, swung around, and tossed to the ground. She grasped for air, the breath having been knocked out of her from the fall and tears stung her eyes from her braid having been yanked so hard. Her first thought was to urge herself to get to her feet, but her breath had yet to fully return to her.
It was too late anyway, a body suddenly straddled her and the sharp slap to her face startled the breath from her again. She felt and tasted blood pooling in the corner of her mouth.
“You’re not getting away from me that fast,” Pacquito said and leaned down to roughly press his lips against hers.
Unable to breathe, instinct had her raking her nails done his cheek. He jerked back away from her cursing and slapped her again, her head snapping to the side.
“You’ll pay for that,” he growled, “many times over.”
He got off her and grabbed her arm, pinching it painfully as he forced her to her feet. His hand left her arm and wrapped quickly around her braid, then yanked it back.
“I’m not going to kill your husband yet,” he said, planting his cheek forcefully against hers. “I’m going to enjoy you for a while, and then I’ll return him to you well used. He won’t want to touch you, but he will be bent on killing me. And an angry man is a foolish one, who makes foolish mistakes. Esteban will be easy to kill then.”
Rosa almost got sick at the thought of having to endure Pacquito’s touch. She prayed that Esteban would get to her before that could happen.
Pacquito dragged her to a horse and two of his men helped get her on it, Pacquito climbing on behind her
“Finish here, then you know where to join me,” he ordered.
“Let us go with you,” one man pleaded. “We may not be outnumbered, but the devil’s men are beating us.”
“All the more reason you are to stay and fight,” Pacquito ordered. “Let no one follow me.”
“We will die,” the man said.
“I don’t care.” Pacquito laughed and rode off.
Panic rose in Rosa. She couldn’t let him get too far away with her. Her husband no doubt would track them and find her, but it was what would happen until he did find her that worried her. She had to do something, especially before they reached open range where the horse could quicken his gait.
She had only one option open to her, and she had to be quick about it before Pacquito could stop her. She didn’t wait to think about it... she threw herself from the horse, Pacquito caught in her swift momentum going with her.
~~~
Esteban came upon the fight. He scanned the area for his wife and when he didn’t spot her or Pacquito, he cut a swath through the fighting to reach Jared. He kicked the man in the
head that Jared was fighting, sending him sprawling to the ground.
“My wife?” he demanded.
“Pacquito just took her.” Jared pointed past the two of them. “In that direction. On one horse. We’ll finish here and be right behind you.”
Esteban turned and with a few forceful kicks and solid punches, he made it through the melee. It didn’t take him long to find the horse’s tracks. They were deep since two people sat the horse.
He concentrated on the tracks, if he didn’t, his anger would consume him and that would not help him reach his wife. He knew what Pacquito intended and if he didn’t reach him before he retreated to one of his many hiding places, it would be difficult to find him. Esteban had no doubt he would eventually find him, but it was what would happened to Rosa if he failed to reach her now.
The thought sent a bolt of anger shooting through him and he almost roared with fury. He would not let her suffer a worse hell than he had been through. He had seen Pacquito do horrible things to women. Some were never right in the mind after he got through with them and some took their lives rather than suffer his cruelty. He would not let his wife suffer such a fate.
He followed the trail, his eyes and thoughts steady on it. He would find them and he would put an end to Pacquito’s reign of terror.
~~~
Rosa hit the ground hard along with Pacquito. They rolled a few feet, Rosa scrambling to her feet before Pacquito could. She scanned the area quickly, hoping to spy anything she could use as a weapon. She grabbed a large rock and threw it at him as he stumbled to his feet. It hit him in the head and he stumbled again.
He swiped at the wound and his eyes glared with fury when he saw blood on his hand. “Another thing you’ll pay for.”
He rushed toward her and she threw another rock she had scooped up, hitting him in the neck.
It stopped him in his tracks and he gagged for a moment, his hand at his throat. Then his hands went to his belt, the one that held his pants, not the one that held his sheathed knives, opening it, and pulling it from around his waist. “That’s it. Now you will pay.”
Rocks were no longer a viable option and running would get her only so far before he caught her. What other choice did she have? She stared at Pacquito, her eyes widening, and then she went down on her knees, bending her head, and grasping her hands together. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Please don’t hurt me,” she pleaded.
“Too late,” he grinned and brought the belt down on her shoulder. “You will learn to obey my every word.”
She cried out, and he brought the belt down on her again. Her cry was louder this time, the blow harder and she realized that he was like the Curros. He took pleasure from causing pain. And she had learned that the more she had pleaded with Roberto or Lola to stop, the more they would swing the strap or their hands.
She gathered her courage and cried out for him to stop, she begged, promising she would do anything for him to stop. Her frantic pleas worked him into a frenzy and he brought the belt down on her back again. She cried out, pleading with him again and again as she grabbed onto his leg.
“Undo my pants and take me into your mouth, and I might stop,” he ordered, though brought the belt down again on her.
She fumbled with his pants, continuing to beg him.
“Do it or I’ll beat you until you bleed and still force you to take me in your mouth,” he screamed.
He was beyond reasoning and the bulge in his pants confirmed that he was beyond hard. She shut her eyes for a moment and prayed that she had enough strength to do what she must. Then she reached for it.
~~~
Esteban heard his wife’s terrifying screams and he dismounted his horse, knowing he’d reach her faster on foot. He jumped over rocks, swerved around trees, ducked beneath branches and stopped in shock when he came upon the scene.
His wife was on her knees in front of Pacquito, her face in his crotch and he was about to bring his belt down on her back. Esteban raced toward him.
Pacquito’s eyes turned wide with shock when he spotted him, at least that’s what Esteban thought, and then he saw his wife scramble to her feet and back away from Pacquito. The man stared at her, his eyes turning wider, his face paling, and blood dripping from his groin.
Esteban saw the knife in his wife’s hand and watched as she lunged again at a startled Pacquito and drove the knife into his heart, her words ringing clear.
“For my husband, you bastard.”
She stepped back, leaving Pacquito to stare at the knife protruding from his heart. He yanked the knife out, blood pouring from the wound, and his mouth fell open as if about to speak, and then he fell over face first to the ground.
Esteban rushed to his wife’s side, throwing his arms around her.
Pain rushed through her back, but she didn’t care. She wanted him to hold her and never let her go. She buried her face against his chest for a moment, taking in his scent, feeling his warmth, and then she looked up at him. “I’m so glad you’re here and you are never to leave my side again,” she scolded.
Esteban touched her cheek gently. Seeing her injured face he wished he could kill Pacquito again and again and again for what he had done to her. “I will be by your side so much you will grow tired of me.”
“Never, Esteban, never will I grow tired of being with you. I love you so very much.”
He brushed his lips over hers. “I should have been here sooner for you. You should have never suffered such a beating. Seeing him bring that strap down on you—”
“No, no,” she interrupted. “It was my plan for him to do just that so I could get close enough to grab one of his knives and stab him before he realized it. He reminded me of the Curros. They enjoyed beating someone who begged them to stop. That’s why I begged him. I knew it would work him into a frenzy and give me time to grab the knife. And I did and now he’s dead and you’re free, Esteban, you’re finally free of him.”
Esteban hadn’t even given that thought. He’d been too concerned for his wife to think of anything else. But she was right.
“You freed me. Good God, Rosa, you are courageous,” he said with pride in his petite wife and hugged her tight, though loosened his grip when he heard her wince.
She wanted to tell him that the pain didn’t matter, she preferred his arms around her, when suddenly a chill ran through her and she shivered. “I’m cold,” she said finding it odd to be chilled on such a warm day.
Esteban saw how she had suddenly paled and realized that her ordeal was taking its toll. He reluctantly took a step away from her. “Listen to me, Caro, I want to hug you tight and chase away your pain, damn if I could only take away your pain, but your injuries won’t let me. I must see how bad your wounds are and get you warm. Do you understand?”
She shook her head at first, and then she nodded, and then without warning tears began running down her cheeks.
Esteban cupped her face gently in his hands. “Cry, scream, do whatever will make you feel better. Whatever you need to do to release the pain of what you’ve been through.”
She didn’t get a chance to do anything. They both turned to the sound of horses as Jared and his men rode into the clearing. Jared was the only one to dismount. He walked past them and kicked Pacquito’s body, then with a hard shove of his boot he turned him over.
“It is done, this is good,” Jared said. “We will take his body.” He motioned to his men and two carted the body to Pacquito’s horse and draped him over the saddle. He nodded to Esteban. “You don’t know what a lucky man you are,” Jared said with a shake of his head. “You owe Diablo, you will hear from him.”
With that he and his men left.
Rosa turned to Esteban, her shivering having grown worse. “I want to go home.”
“You’re in no shape to travel on a horse, especially for several hours and that’s how long it will take us to reach the hacienda. I’ll build a fire and get you warm and you can rest. We’ll return home at sunrise.”
Rosa laid
a trembling hand on Esteban’s chest. “Please, Esteban, I want to go home. I want to sleep in your arms in our bed tonight and know we are safe.”
He had to agree with her. He wanted to go home... their home, their bed. Besides, he didn’t know if any of Pacquito’s men survived the fight and if any would care enough to retaliate. He truly doubted it, but he couldn’t take the chance. He would have to keep watch and that would prove difficult when his wife needed tending.
He took her hand. “This will not be an easy ride for you.”
She squeezed his hand. “I will be with you and that is all that matters.”
A single tear trickled down her cheek and he kissed it away, “I’ll take you home.”
He whistled for his horse and the animal appeared. Then as gently as he could he lifted his wife onto the saddle. She whimpered, but otherwise made no other sound. Tears running down her cheek told him that she was suffering more than she intended to let him know. He took the rolled blanket from behind his saddle, mounted his horse, and then draped the blanket around her.
“Get yourself comfortable against me and if you feel you cannot go on, let me know.”
She nodded and eased herself against him, winced and switched position. It took a few attempts until she finally settled in reasonable, at least he hoped it was, comfort against him.
“All set,” she said and he could see that she was already fighting against the pain.
He wanted to curse the heavens, but instead he sent a prayer for a swift and painless journey. After all, this time God had heard him and answered his prayer. His wife was safe in his arms.
Chapter Thirty-seven
“What are you doing on that ladder?” Esteban demanded.
Rosa peered down from under the branches of the orange tree and smiled. “It has been two weeks; bruises, aches, pains are all gone. I feel fine.”
“And you look beautiful,” he said pleased to see how well and fast his wife had healed. But then between him, his mother, and Dolores, Rosa had been well tended. When they had arrived home that night two weeks ago everyone was happy and relieved to see them and eager to see to Rosa’s care.
Renegade Love (Rancheros) Page 29
