Angel Gone Bad

by Sabine Starr

  “I’m not feeling well.” She felt hot and cold at the same time.

  As Lucky righted her chair, he pinned her with a knowing look. “If I can be of any help, please let me know.”

  “She doesn’t need your help. I’m taking her home.” Rune put a hand around Angel’s waist.

  She felt trapped, suffocated by so much maleness directed at her. Yet she couldn’t allow them to overwhelm her or make her appear weak. She glanced around the table at the V Gang. “I’ve enjoyed meeting you. Thanks for the poker game.” She quickly scooped her winnings into her reticule, coins clicking against her derringer. She snapped shut her bag.

  “You’re coming back tomorrow night to give us a shot at winning our money back, ain’t you?” Jumpin’ Judd asked, fingertips drumming staccato beats on the tabletop.

  “We’ve got business to talk at you, too,” Baines added.

  “Till tomorrow.” Angel smiled, pulled away from Rune’s hand, and headed straight for the front doors.

  As she stepped outside, breathing a sigh of relief, Rune caught up with her. She quickly started down the boardwalk, heels clicking a fast rhythm on the weathered wood.

  “What the hell was that about?” He fell into step beside her.

  “Stuffy in there. Headache.” She quickened her pace, dodged a drunken cowboy, and kept going.

  “Lucky set you off, didn’t he?”

  “Why don’t you go back to your friends?”

  “They’re not my friends. They’re partners.”

  She almost collided with a saloon’s open door, pushed it hard out of the way, and left it swinging behind her as she continued down the boardwalk.

  “Slow down. We need to talk.”

  “Something the matter with the way I played poker?” She speeded up, wanting desperately to get away from all the noise, light, patrons, and most of all, Rune.

  He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him. “You wouldn’t have accepted Lucky’s chain and claim, would you?”

  She jerked back. “I don’t owe you any answers.”

  “Lucky’s trouble.”

  “And you’re not?”

  “Another kind of trouble. He’s different.”

  “So am I!” She bit her lower lip to keep from blurting out the truth. “Right now, all I want is some peace and quiet.” She turned her back on him and wrapped her arms around her waist to contain her own feelings of vulnerability.

  “You’re special,” Rune said, voice low and urgent. “Any fool can see it. That’s why I’ve got to protect you from other guys.”

  “But not yourself?” She threw the words at him like rocks, and then stepped off the boardwalk onto the street. A rider racing by and bellowing at the top of his lungs clipped her with his boot and knocked her backward.

  Rune caught her, picked her up, and headed across the street, dodging horses, buggies, and drunken revelers.

  On the other side, he stopped and looked down at her. “Are you hurt?” he asked, gently cradling her in his arms. “I think there’s a doctor in town.”

  “I’m okay. Just a little shook up.” She felt dazed, as much from shock as from Rune’s touch. To be held by him, to hear the concern in his voice, and yet to know it was only because he needed her for his games with the V Gang felt like a curse to her soul. She wanted to cry in anguish, but couldn’t give in to the weakness. “Please, put me down.”

  He carried her over to the entrance of an alley out of the way of passersby. Ever so slowly he let her body slide down the length of him, as if rubbing two sticks together to create friction and fire.

  Angel burned for him, feeling the hard strength of his muscles, smelling the leather and sage scent of his clothes, hearing his quick breath. But none of it could ever be for her, not after she’d burned that bridge down to the water line.

  “You’re safe now,” he said, voice husky with repressed emotion. “Manny’s is two doors down.”

  “Thank you.” Now was the time to step back, put distance between them, and reclaim her independence. But still she lingered near him, caught in their web of intrigue.

  Rune tilted up her chin with his fingertips. “You did good at the table. I’m proud of you.”

  She looked up at him with the street lamp casting a golden glow on his thick hair while the rest of him remained tantalizingly in shadow. She felt the old longing well up in her heart crossed by the equally old pain of rejection. She felt even more like crying. He wasn’t her love and could never be. And yet, how she wished she could write a romantic ending to their blighted saga.

  “You didn’t hear the whispers as you left. I named you wrong. You’re not Angel the Ace. They’re calling you the Black Widow. Your reputation will spread far and wide. By morning, you’ll have more takers than you can shake a stick at.”

  “Is that what you want?”

  “Hell, no.” He cradled her face in both his large hands. “Here’s what I want.” He pressed a soft kiss to her lips.

  She shivered with a need born out of desperation. She returned his kiss, heat for heat. She felt as if her whole world was spiraling down to this one moment, this one man. When he slipped past her lips to delve into her mouth, she moaned, half in ecstasy and half in sorrow.

  As if a dam had burst, all the old emotions came flooding back, only stronger than ever. She felt dampness on her cheeks. Embarrassingly enough, she realized she was crying even as he kissed her.

  Rune raised his head. “What’s this?” He gently stroked away the dampness on her face with his fingertips, and then kissed away the last of her tears. “I must be losing my touch if I’m causing women to cry when I kiss them.”

  Angel couldn’t help but smile, feeling his tenderness like a dagger to her heart. She could handle his hate, his hurtful actions, but this Rune could so easily dissolve all her defenses that she should fear him most of all.

  “You’re tired,” he said, nodding as if agreeing with himself. “I’m taking you to Manny’s. Get some sleep in your loft. I’ll sleep with my horse below. In the morning it’ll all look better.”

  When he twined their fingers together, she glanced up at his face. He smiled, then moved forward, tugging her with him. As they walked down the boardwalk like lovers, she felt as if her heart would break.

  Chapter Twelve

  Rune had lied. It didn’t look better in the morning. It looked worse. The day had started out okay, but that was before he’d gotten a bath and a shave. When he’d returned to Manny’s, he’d seen Lucky holding Angel’s hand or giving her something. The stand-in for Loki, or Coyote, had whispered in her ear. She’d watched with a puzzled or surprised expression as Lucky had mounted his buckskin horse and ridden toward the Red River.

  Rune felt like catching up with Lucky and throwing him in the river. But he had to be smart. He had too much on the line to get tangled up in side trips. He tamped down his temper, hard. It wouldn’t do to lash out at Angel, but he’d find out what the hell was going on.

  When he walked up to her, Angel looked like Crystabelle, not Angelica or the Black Widow. It was a relief. He’d met Angel first and preferred her, not the flamboyant personas. Besides that, he figured it’d be easier to deal with the real woman. Then again, from the frown on her face, maybe he was wrong.

  She squared her shoulders and raised her chin. “That kiss last night?”

  He nodded, not about to take a chance on a right or wrong answer.

  “No more. It was a mistake. There’s nothing between us.”

  Anger flooded back, swamping him. “Get this through your pretty head. I’m in charge here and I call the shots. If I say kiss, you kiss.”

  “Get this through your thick skull. I’ll only go so far with your childish game.”

  “Childish?” He closed the gap between them, grabbed her upper arms, and shook her till her sorrel hair fell free in a soft cloud to her waist. Distracted the hell out of him. What was he mad about? All he wanted to do was strip her down to her unmentionables and use her
hair like a rope to bind her to him. From there, he’d taste her all over. Maybe first he’d buy some sweet, thick cream to lick off her smooth skin. Honey, too. Now that he thought about it, blackberry jam. If he went down that road, the possibilities were endless.

  “Yes, I said childish!” She shoved against his chest and stepped back.

  Caught by surprise, he simply looked at her, letting his hands hang loose by his sides. Had he been kidding himself? Yeah, he still wanted her in his bed to slake his endless hunger. She owed him. He deserved it. But did he want more? Had he come back to find that old way she looked at him, as if he was the most magnificent man in the world? Had he thought that look would always be there, something as pure as gold that could never tarnish? He felt sick to his stomach at the idea that deep down he wanted her love back.

  It was turning out to be the day from hell. And Lucky, straight from Hel’s frozen realm, had started the avalanche.

  “Rune?” Angel asked.

  He shook his head, hating his own thoughts. “I saw Lucky with you. What did he want?”

  “He’s different, but I like him.”

  “All the gals do.”

  “He said he had business in Indian Territory.”

  “Guess he went to see a man about a horse.”

  “He won’t be at the poker table tonight.”

  “What did he give you?”

  She flushed, obviously embarrassed, and looked down. She held a chamois drawstring bag with red, black, and white beads worked in a spider design. “Cards.”

  “That’s a fancy Indian bag.”

  She stroked long fingers across the design. “Pretty, isn’t it?”

  “You accepted a gift from him?” He was fighting not only anger but a sense that Lucky had somehow one-upped him in a bid for Angel’s regard.

  “No.” She shook her head. “He said these cards were mine. He’d only been holding them for me.”

  “That doesn’t make sense.”

  “Maybe it does, in a way.”

  “Have you ever seen that bag before?”

  “No.”

  “There. It can’t be yours and he couldn’t have been holding it for you.”

  “That is what one would think, isn’t it?”

  “What else could you think?”

  “This and that.” She shrugged. “He could be right.”

  Rune realized he wasn’t going to get any sense out of her. Lucky had clouded her mind. “Fact is, he gave you a gift and you accepted it. Do you think that’s wise?”

  “No, I don’t.” She appeared sad and resigned. “But I had no choice. These cards are meant for me.” She reached up and patted his cheek. “That’s the truth.”

  He covered her hand with his own, pressing her smooth warm flesh against the sensitivity of his freshly shaved skin. “Lucky is a troublemaker. Forget him. Forget his gift. You can leave it here at Manny’s when we move on.”

  She pulled her hand away, shaking her head. She clasped the deerskin bag with both hands and held it over her heart. “I ran away from myself once. I won’t do it again.”

  If Rune never saw Lucky again, it’d be too soon. The man left a trail of disaster in his wake. This time Rune would have to clean it up if he had any hope of reaching his own goals. “Okay. You’ve got a new deck of playing cards in a pretty bag.”

  “They’re special cards,” Angel said. “My cards.”

  “Fine. They’re better than most. I’ll get you something pretty and special, too.”

  Angel chuckled. “That’ll solve everything, won’t it?”

  “No.” Rune grinned, feeling better now that he’d gotten her to laugh. “But a big breakfast of steak and potatoes, a pot of coffee, and a slice of apple pie will solve a lot. I hear Mama Lou’s is the best in town.”

  “If you’re buying, I’m eating.”

  “Mama Lou’s!” Manny called, striding out of the dimness of the stable. “If you’re buying there, I’m eating, too.”

  “Did you hear everything we’ve been talking about?” Rune didn’t want his business bandied about.

  “I’ve been mucking out stalls. Fact is, my ears hear food but not much else.” Manny grinned, and then spit a stream of tobacco on the ground.

  “Wait a minute,” Angel said, glancing down at her clothes. “I can’t go like this. I’ve got to wear my widow’s weeds.”

  “You have five minutes to change,” Manny said. “I’m powerful hungry.”

  Angel turned toward the ladder that led up to the hayloft. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Leave off the corset,” Rune called. “You want plenty of room for good cooking.”

  “Reminds me of Lady.” Manny glanced at Rune. “All woman. If a man is to win a gal like that, he’s got to treat her right.”

  “The question is,” Rune said, “what’s right?”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Angel felt as if breakfast had been long ago, although it had only been that morning. She’d laughed and talked with Rune and Manny, enjoying good food and interesting conversation. Now dusk had settled over the Bend and its residents had started their nightly shenanigans.

  She carried her new cards next to her derringer in her reticule. Lucky had called them a Spider Grandmother deck. She assumed that was due to the spider motif on the chamois bag, but he could have other reasons. Perhaps she would find out in time. For the moment, she didn’t let it concern her. She felt almost at peace, or as if she had simply accepted her fate. Later, she’d probably struggle again, but for now she let herself float along as if on an incoming tide.

  As Rune escorted her down the boardwalk toward the Red River Saloon, he appeared more subdued, too. Maybe with Lucky out of town, he’d eased his vigilance. At least Rune wasn’t pushing, pulling, or prodding her at the moment..

  She treasured this momentary peace, this lull in tensions, because she feared it would be shattered when they joined the Verdigris Gang.

  As they arrived at the saloon, Rune hesitated, looking down at her. “Whatever they suggest, I need you to cooperate. It may not be your cup of tea, or mine, but if it gets me towards my goal, I’ll go with it. And so will you.”

  “I’m not doing something illegal.”

  “Most likely, it’s highly illegal.”

  “But Rune—”

  “You know I’m holding all the cards. Life as you know it in Bonham is in my hands.”

  All her well-being disappeared in a flash. She felt a sickening sensation in the pit of her stomach and wrapped an arm around her middle. “All I can promise is that I’ll reserve judgment.”

  “I’m not bluffing.” He edged closer. “The V Gang needs to know that you’ll do what I say. That we’re all in this together.”

  “I can’t agree to something before I even know what it is.”

  “You’re part of the V Gang now. It’s not a republic. You don’t get a vote or a choice.”

  “But that’s so un-American, at least for men.”

  “Look, let’s hear them out, nod in agreement, and then discuss it later.”

  “I can do that, but it doesn’t mean I’ll follow through.”

  “We’ll see.”

  Rune pushed open the swinging doors and she preceded him inside. Noise slowly dissipated as the players noticed the Black Widow stood in their midst. Soon guys were calling out for her to join them.

  Angel stood still for a moment, trying to get her bearings, and then wrapped this new persona around her. She smiled, looking around the room, and then pointed toward the Verdigris Gang sitting at their table near the front doors. Groans of disappointment from the players followed her gesture. She shrugged, allowing Rune to guide her toward the V Gang.

  When he pulled out a chair, she sat down and took a deep breath to slow her racing heart. Rune sat next to her, and oddly enough, she felt comforted by his presence.

  “Welcome back, Miss Angel, or the Black Widow.” Baines tossed her a sensual smile with a knowing look in his smoky eyes. “You made histo
ry last night.”

  “That’s what I hear.” She returned his smile, but felt wary.

  “Let’s get down to business,” Hackett said. “Time’s a wastin’.”

  “Here’s the deal.” Baines looked around the table. “I’m gonna shuffle cards and pass them out. But pay them no nevermind.” He grinned. “We’re not playing poker. We’re planning a robbery.”

  “Caps the climax.” Jumpin’ Judd chuckled, beating the tabletop with his fingertips.

  “What’ve you got in mind?” Rune asked.

  “We ain’t cashing in six-shooters.” Baines shuffled the deck and then glanced around the table.

  “No banks then?” Rune squeezed Angel’s hand.

  She realized he was letting her know that Baines meant robbing a bank. She squeezed back to let him know she’d caught the reference.

  “Chickenfeed,” Hackett said.

  Baines nodded in agreement as he quickly passed out cards. “What do you say to a big hit?”

  “Big enough to set us up for life?” Rune asked.

  “Depends how high on the hog you wanna live,” Jumpin’ Judd said.

  “Pretty damn high.” Rune grinned as he sorted his cards.

  Baines chuckled. “My kind of guy.”

  “Just what do you have in mind?” Angel asked, unable to stand the suspense of not knowing where these outlaws might be planning to drag her.

  “Train,” Hackett said.

  “Government gold shipments.” Baines stared hard at Rune. “How does that sound?”

  “Sounds tricky. We got enough hombres?”

  “Count in Lucky.” Baines tossed down a card. “Don’t want to split too many ways.”

  “But that means the federals would come after us.” Angel tried to keep the horror from her voice. She could just imagine facing her brother across a courtroom. She’d probably die of shame.

  “Not as bad as Texas Rangers,” Jumpin’ Judd said. “We’ll disappear into Indian Territory and nobody’ll be the wiser.”

  “What about Indian Lighthorsemen?” Angel asked, trying to think of some way to stop this disaster in the making.

  “Can’t touch us.” Hackett chuckled, shaking his head. “Ain’t them the berries?”