Jake lit another lantern that sat on the table and led them back out of the house to the church. Genny was quiet, too quiet, and Lee knew she was worrying about Sophie. He didn’t blame her because when he wasn’t marveling over the fact he’d have a wife in ten minutes, Lee was worrying about the brat too.
That mother of Genny’s was hiding behind a pretty face and fancy clothes. He couldn’t imagine growing up with a mother who had been a rich man’s plaything, a woman who apparently only kept her daughter to control the rich man. His own mother had had a good heart even if she’d smothered him. Camille was a monster, or maybe a dragon they needed to slay.
Although he didn’t plan on killing the woman, he wasn’t above it if it meant protecting Genny and Sophie. The very thought of losing one of them would be enough to make him do anything he needed to.
He hadn’t spent much time wondering what his wedding would be like. That’s something young women did, not a war veteran who’d lost all his dreams long ago. Yet when they walked into the church, he was awash in the memories of the weddings he had attended, including Jake’s and Zeke’s.
The flowers in the ladies’ hair, the smiling grooms, the neighbors, the celebration and the pure joy flowing through everyone. He’d been happy for them, but at the same time he’d been envious. An ache had settled in his chest when he’d watched his brother and his friend marry the women they loved.
Now looking toward the front of the church illuminated by only the lantern, he realized he’d be standing up marrying the woman he loved.
A lump grew in his throat and he coughed to cover his embarrassment. His friends might tell him there was nothing to be embarrassed about, but that didn’t make a lick of difference. He was feeling things he hadn’t felt for a very long time. He’d been swimming in dark emotions and now the brightness of Genny shone into the shadows of his heart.
Lee and Genny walked slowly toward the front, each of them quiet, perhaps lost in thought. Her hand tightened in his as they reached the pulpit. She looked up at him, her eyes glittering in the lamplight. Her hair was like a frizzy halo around her, the curls long since escaped from the bun she’d twisted that morning.
“A midnight wedding.” She shook her head. “A story to tell our grandchildren.”
Lee nodded, his throat still too tight to speak. Gabby pulled Genny to the side and started to fuss with the bride’s hair.
“Let’s see if we can fix this a bit.” Gabby towered over the smaller woman, but there was so much emotion in the air, and Gabby was so gentle, they seemed to be more like sisters than friends.
Jake put a hand on his shoulder. “This is a big surprise.”
“Truer words were never spoken.” Lee watched Genny as she prepared for their wedding. He wanted to give her something more, but he didn’t even have a wedding band, for God’s sake.
“Zeke gave me something for you.” Jake pulled a small cloth from his shirt pocket. “He said it was too small for Naomi, but that Genny was tiny enough it might work.”
Jake unfolded the light-colored cloth to reveal a gold band. Lee’s heart pounded at the sight of the ring—the marriage was that much more real to him. He picked up the ring with fingers that trembled only a bit. It winked in the meager light, and Lee realized exactly where his brother had gotten the ring.
“It was my mother’s. I didn’t know he had it.” Lee remembered saying goodbye to their mother before the war. It was the last time they’d seen her; sometime during the years they were away, she’d died. Lee hadn’t even told her he loved her or given her a kiss goodbye. He’d been such an ass for so long, he was surprised Genny could see beneath the layers of shit built up around him.
He’d hated his mother’s smothering, her constant fussing, and did all he could to put as much space between them as possible. Now she was gone and the only thing left of her was the cool band in his palm. She must have given Zeke things he could sell if they’d needed money. Even from heaven, she was reaching down to take care of Lee, her baby boy. He tucked the ring into his pocket, warmed by the idea of having a piece of her love.
The door to the church opened and Gregory came in, lantern in one hand, Bible in the other and preacher’s collar firmly around his neck. He smiled at them as he walked toward the pulpit.
“I’m sorry to have taken so long. I wanted to wash the sleep off my face.” The minister set the lantern on the pulpit and turned to face them. “Are you ready?”
Lee’s gaze snapped to Genny’s and when she smiled, he knew they were doing the right thing. This was what God had in mind all along. He just had to find his way through the darkness to her light.
“Ready.” Lee held out his hand and Genny took it. Her palm was warm and small, fitting snugly inside his. Even if traditionally the bride stood on the left, she settled on the right so they could remain holding hands.
When they turned to face the minister, all doubt and fear were gone. The ceremony was short and before Lee realized they’d started, Jake was nudging him.
“The ring, Lee.”
“What? Oh, the ring.” He let go of her hand and fumbled in his pocket.
“You have a ring?” Genny sounded as surprised as he’d been when Jake had shown it to Lee.
“You have a ring?” the minister repeated. “That’s wonderful.”
As Lee slid the ring onto Genny’s finger, everything he thought was missing from the wedding suddenly was clear to him. Joy suffused him as the ring fit perfectly onto her slender finger. She looked up at him with a sheen of tears in her eyes.
Love had finally found its way into Lee Blackwood’s dark heart.
Chapter Ten
It was dark as pitch, but Gideon wanted it that way. He stood near the kitchen table, as silent as a single breath.
Someone was in the mill.
He’d been drinking coffee in the dark when the first noises began. Small, scratching sounds near the door had him on his feet, pistol in each hand. Then came a shuffling, likely shoes on the dirt on the wooden floor.
Zeke hadn’t come back yet, so Gideon was alone to defend Sophie, Naomi, Cindy Cooley and Gabby’s invalid father, Sam. Not very good odds, but luckily they were all upstairs sleeping. He could focus better without any distractions.
He hoped the rest of them made it back from the church soon, but in the meantime, he had to focus on the noises. Whoever it was crept closer to the kitchen and the stairs which gave access to the second floor. Gideon had to stop them no matter what and he knew it.
It had been years since he’d been on a battlefield but the truth was, once a soldier, always a soldier. His hands tightened on the grips as the shuffling grew nearer. Gideon breathed in slow and shallow, even as his heart beat a steady tattoo.
A movement in front of him startled him, a shadow even darker than that which surrounded him. Gideon strained to see where it moved, but he lost it in the room. If the stranger got upstairs, Gid would have failed at his task to protect his family and that was simply unacceptable.
He considered his options within seconds. The stairs were to his right, the most vulnerable spot in the room. Once he moved the shadow would know he was there and he’d lose his advantage. However, since he had no idea where the stranger was, he had to do something.
Being a leader meant making hard decisions, ones that put him and others in danger, sometimes mortal danger. In this instance, he really didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t a hero, he was simply doing what he was meant to do.
Gideon let out a rebel yell and ran toward the stairs.
As they walked back to the mill, Genny felt dazed. She’d finally gotten married, her first real wedding, and it had taken place by lantern light at midnight in a small, quiet church. It was an odd ceremony, to be sure, but nevertheless, it had been the one thing in her life, aside from Sophie, that felt absolutely right.
She held Lee’s hand, the ring heavy on her finger. Genny had never had jewelry so it felt odd to have something so permanent. She wanted to ask him whe
re he’d gotten the ring, but was afraid to. Perhaps it was meant for another woman before the war, before he’d lost his arm. She really didn’t want to know, but later on, after the situation with her mother was over, she might ask.
Lee stopped and tugged on her hand. “The mill is dark.”
Gabby and Jake stopped beside them. All four studied the side of the building, searching for some sign of life. Genny’s stomach flipped when she realized Lee was right. The mill was completely dark, without a flicker of light anywhere. It could mean everyone was asleep, which she knew was not likely. Zeke and Gideon were watching over Sophie for her.
Fear roared through her at the threat to her daughter. She knew Camille had ulterior motives for her visit—dark motives that could only bode ill for everyone. Genny started running for the mill, her heart in her throat. She heard Lee curse then the sound of footsteps running behind her. It didn’t matter that he was the man and the protector. Nothing mattered but her little girl.
“Sophie!” Her daughter’s name was torn from her throat as she ran faster than she’d ever done, faster than the wind, faster than the frantic beating of her heart.
Almost in response to her shout, a howl came from within the dark building.
“Jesus fucking Christ, that’s Gideon!” Lee was suddenly beside her, giving her an extra boost to run the last hundred yards.
A gunshot echoed in the night, followed by a scream. Lee passed her and slammed into the mill, rolling into a crouch as he did. Jake shoved her aside and went inside after Lee using the same method. Genny stumbled up the steps, Gabby close on her heels.
“Wait, Genny!” She grabbed her ankle. “Let them do what they do best. If you go in there, you might get hurt instead of whoever needs to be.”
Genny tried to shake off her new friend’s grip. “I can’t stay out here. That’s my daughter in there.” Her voice ended on a sob as she struggled with the panic that clawed its way up her spine. “Please, Gabby, let me go.”
Gabby was bigger and stronger and she kept a firm grip on Genny’s leg, no matter how much she struggled. Another howl resonated into the darkness, along with sounds of a struggle, grunts and more cursing from at least three different voices. Genny’s tears streamed down her face as she called Sophie’s name, absolute terror mixing with fury in her soul.
“You need to shut up.” Zeke appeared on the steps next to her, his face a mask of stone and fury. “Your caterwauling is going to get them killed. Don’t distract a man when he’s in battle, Mrs. Blackwood, or you’ll get your new husband killed.” He took her arm and held on firmly. “They’re fighting for their lives in there. Do you understand me?”
Genny managed to nod although she was almost as frightened for Lee now as she was for Sophie. She never even considered the men’s lives were in danger. How had things become such a mess?
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so scared.”
Zeke loosened his grip. “So am I, but if I go in there now they’re liable to shoot me. I have to sit out here and listen to them, knowing my entire family is in there with their lives on the line. If something happens to you two, Lee and Jake will never forgive me.”
Beneath the hard mask of his expression, Genny saw the fear and love Zeke obviously didn’t express often. He was the most aloof of the Devils she’d met and marveled that Naomi was able to chip away at the ice covering him. Zeke cared deeply, perhaps so deeply others couldn’t see how much.
“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I didn’t know what my mother would—”
He cut her off. “Your mother’s actions are not yours. Lee loves you and that means you’re family too. We take care of our own.”
With that, Genny sat beside her new brother-in-law, confused and scared out of her wits as she listened to her husband fight for his life and her daughter’s safety.
Lee knew exactly where Jake was, but the two figures rolling around on the floor included Gideon. He couldn’t tell which one was Gid and couldn’t see an opening to break them apart. Jake crouched near the steps, hissing up at whoever was there to stay upstairs.
He had to do something and fast. Someone might have been wounded by the shot he’d heard. All the cold nights, the fear, the taste of battle, came rushing back at him. Lee knew what he had to do. He stood up, let loose the rebel yell he’d perfected and jumped into the fray.
He recognized Gideon’s form in the darkness. A dark form had his cousin by the neck, choking the life from him. Lee punched the stranger in the kidneys, but the man didn’t let loose. Sweet fury controlled him as he used his fingers like claws on the man’s face, aiming for his eyes. Teeth cut into his hands and Lee cursed loudly.
“Fucking bastard!” He let the man’s arm go, slid around behind him and yanked the man’s slick hair as hard as he could. Lee felt the hair rend from the scalp and the warmth of blood seep onto his hand. He kicked at an elbow, then he heard rather than felt Gideon cough as he rolled to the side.
Thank God he’d gotten free. Lee twisted the head of hair, but it was so greasy it slipped right through his fingers. A knee came down on his balls and pain exploded through him. He fought the urge to vomit as the stranger continued to kick him. Lee made a blind grab for the man’s foot but only grazed his pant leg.
Lee couldn’t get a breath in to say anything so he was surprised when the attack stopped. Heavy breathing filled the dark room along with the sound of something dripping.
“Whoever you are…” Gideon’s raw voice came from his left, “…we’ll kill you before you get your hands on the girl. Your choice is to leave now or leave in a pine box.”
There was no response, but Lee heard a swooshing noise and a groan of pain that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“Shoot him.” The voice sounded like Gideon, but it was unlike anything he’d ever heard. Whatever happened, Gid was most definitely not okay.
A flash and boom of a gun was the only warning that Gideon’s command had been heard. The shot came from the stairs, which meant it was Jake. Someone fell to the floor with an audible thump to Lee’s right. He felt a measure of satisfaction that Jake had gotten the lousy son of a bitch.
“Light, we need light,” Jake shouted.
Lee tried to stand but found he could only get to his knees since his hand was still cupping the throbbing stones between his legs.
Lantern light filled the room and Lee glanced around to see the man who’d come into the mill with Camille, Willard his name was, lying sightless on the floor, a pool of blood beneath him. Damn, they’d been right all along about her. She’d sent her male whore to steal the granddaughter she’d never even seen before that day. The woman was more devious than any person he’d ever met.
“Gid, oh my God, Gid.” Jake knelt next to Gideon. Blood coated their captain’s light blue shirt. “That bastard stabbed him.”
Lee crawled over, the coppery tang of blood growing stronger as he got to Gideon’s supine form. Jake pulled off his shirt and pressed it into Gideon’s chest. Tears of rage filled the redhead’s eyes.
Gideon’s blue eyes were a haze of pain and confusion. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth and his throat was a mass of reddened skin where he’d been choked. What had Lee brought upon his family? While he was out getting married and thinking happy thoughts, an intruder had tried to kill the people he loved.
“We need the doc, Lee,” Jake shouted at him. “Dammit, get up and do something.”
No matter the pain from the groin kick, Lee got to his feet and ran out the door. He saw Zeke crouched with Genny and Gabby near the stairs, but he didn’t stop.
“Doc,” was all he managed to get out.
Every second Gideon’s life was ticking away. There was no time to waste.
Gabby was the first to go into the house yelling Jake’s name. Genny stared after Lee. He’d had blood on his hands and shirt, and a look of pure desperation on his face. He must be going to Doctor Barham’s house, which meant someone inside was hurt.
Zeke was the next into the mill, leaving Genny to drag herself up. Her fear had become self-loathing over what had happened. She’d spent most of her life believing she had been a mistake, a person who was never meant to be. Giving birth to Sophie, finding love with Lee, had pulled her from the depths of human excrement.
Now she was right back in there, knowing she was responsible for whatever had happened inside that mill. She’d caused pain and suffering for Lee’s family because her mother was evil incarnate. Genny could ask why over and over, but no answer would ever come. Life had not been too kind to the illegitimate piece of white trash pretending to be an everyday farm wife. Why would it change now?
When she screwed up her courage to go into the mill, the smell of blood hit her first. Her gorge rose, as did the vivid memory of standing over Allen’s body in the alley. She swallowed down the bile that threatened and looked around at the destruction.
The tables and chairs were either knocked over or broken. Gabby was on her knees at Gideon’s head while Jake and Zeke were like bookends beside him. Gabby had helped the doctor with nursing over the years and thank God she had. Naomi was tearing sheets and handing them to Gabby to stem the bleeding in Gideon’s chest.
Jake’s wife looked up. “Genny, get some water boiling.”
Genny ran to the stove, grateful for something to do. As she stoked up the fire, she noticed another body lay on the floor near the stairs. It was Willard, Camille’s newest toy. Genny trembled with the absolute certainty that her presence may have caused Gideon’s death.
“Don’t faint on me now, Genevieve,” Zeke barked. “I told you this wasn’t your fault. Now get your ass moving and boil water so Gabby can save his life.”
Genny nodded, too scrambled to do anything else. She watched as Zeke and Jake picked Gideon off the floor and onto a blanket Naomi had put on the table. Gideon groaned in pain and a sob burst from somewhere to Genny’s left.
Lee: Devils on Horseback, Book 4 Page 16
