Springer, Jan - Be My Dream Tonight [The Desperadoes 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour)

by Jan Springer

  “No, I can stay here by myself,” Eve retorted. Riley could see the flare of anger in her eyes. Oh, oh, it looked like there was going to be a fight. A hell of a time for her to pick her ground.

  “Out of the question,” Kayne snapped and began to move toward the mouth of the cave.

  “Damn it, Kayne! You are not my boss! I said I will stay here without assistance. I have a rifle, and I can shoot. Do you need me to shoot your ass to remind you?” Eve snapped.

  Riley couldn’t help but grin. Looked like their hellfire cat was back, fully now, and she wasn’t going to be told what to do. Yeah, he really liked this side of Eve.

  He noticed the way Kayne’s shoulders tensed at her words. He stopped midstride and turned slowly to face her. Okay, showdown city.

  Oh yeah, Kayne looked pissed off. But so did Eve. Her hands were curled into tight fists, and if her eyes could shoot daggers, Kayne’s body would be laced with them. But then Kayne seemed to turn into one big, docile pussycat.

  “You’re hurt. You can barely see or stand, for that matter. You managed to get caught once. I don’t want that to happen again.”

  “Ouch. Thanks for your vote of confidence,” she snapped.

  “We’re wasting time here,” C.J. complained and tossed an empty sack to Riley who caught it with ease. He knew what she was wanting to do even before she said it. “You two stick and argue. Big guy and I are going back in for more gold.” C.J. headed for the mouth of the cave.

  “She called me big guy,” he said as he passed Eve with a wink. “You’ve been telling stories to her about me, haven’t you?”

  Eve cast him an angry glare that just about fizzled his erection. He always got hot and aroused when Eve got mad. But this time seemed different. This time there was no twinkle of amusement in her eyes. This time was for real. He sure did pity Kayne at the moment, and she’d chosen a hell of a time to stand her ground. He picked up his pace and hurried after C.J., who’d already disappeared into the cave.

  * * * *

  Kayne glared at her like he was some caveman who was convinced he would get his way this time. Well, he had one nasty surprise coming to him, didn’t he?

  “Well, I guess that’s settled. I’m staying here to make sure you’re okay,” he muttered.

  “No, you’re going to look for Mad. As I said earlier, I can handle standing guard on my own, Kayne.”

  Another round of anger flared in his eyes. “In case you haven’t looked at yourself in the mirror, Eve, you look like shit. You’re no good to us if you fall over and allow Wolfe and his gang to pick us off like flies.”

  “I said I’m fine.”

  He gave her an I don’t believe you look.

  Okay so she wasn’t in the best shape. But she needed to make up for the trouble she’d caused in getting caught and alerting Wolfe and his gang.

  “Oh, stop acting like an overprotective father. I’ll have none of this from here on out. Is that clear? I am my own woman. I will make decisions in my best interest, and right now my best interest is for you to go and look for Mad while I make sure no one hijacks C.J. and Riley. For all we know they could be going in the other way and are waiting in there for them.”

  To her surprise, Kayne’s features softened. She flinched as he reached up and caressed her swollen eye with his callused thumb. “Eve, baby, you’re the mother of my child. And for all I know I’ve made you pregnant again. We didn’t have condoms down by the river and—”

  Eve sighed at the soft touch of his hand. God, the man sure knew how to melt her knees and distract her from the problem on hand, didn’t he? She sighed and allowed herself to just feel the tenderness in her touch. But just for a moment and then she brushed his hand away.

  “Stop it, Kayne. Now is not the time to go all sentimental on me.”

  He tossed her a crooked grin that had her heart racing. Damn him, he was so cute and sexy even when so much danger lurked around them.

  “Go, find Mad. I’m the best shot standing here between us, and you know it. I’ll pick them off when they show up. If you hear gunshots, then feel free to come to my rescue. I promise I can handle this.”

  And truly she knew she could. With the fresh air and all this excitement about possibly getting to take out Wolfe, she was flying high on pure adrenaline.

  “We need Mad back with us to make us whole,” she whispered.

  She heard him sigh, and she knew she’d won.

  “Don’t move from this spot. The place is wired with explosives for about a twenty foot perimeter. One wrong move and it’s over. Understand?”

  “I’ll stay right here. Now get your ass moving.”

  He didn’t move. Just stared at her. She saw the conflicting emotions. Should he stay and fight her or give in and go? Frustration raced through her as she waited for him to make up his mind.

  And then he was lowering his head. When his sweet, warm mouth touched hers, she moaned as his tenderness ripped through her whole body. He sipped at her lips, leisurely, erotically, lovingly, and for a split second she wasn’t here at all. She was somewhere safe and beautiful.

  Then it was dashed as he pulled away from her. “You better be here when I get back,” he whispered, his eyes literally flashing with lust and warning.

  She could barely hear him from the blood pounding through her ears. But she did manage a nod.

  And then he was gone.

  * * * *

  An urgency unlike anything Kayne had ever experienced before slammed through him as he swiftly moved between the towering pine trees. Dawn was just breaking, and golden sunshine splashed against the treetops above him. Had it been any other time he would have stopped to admire the breathtaking beauty of the glimpses of crisp blue sky, golden rays of sunshine, and the nice way the green treetops glittered with the dew that had fallen overnight. But now everything seemed surreal. He was going against every fiber of his being in leaving Eve back there.

  Alone. Injured. And in all likelihood Wolfe and his cronies moving in on her. But he also knew he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself, and Eve wouldn’t be able to forgive herself, if they didn’t find Maddox, preferably alive, but if he was dead…Kayne cursed himself for daring to allow that thought to enter his head. Maddox was family. Okay, so what they all shared wasn’t traditional, but hell, nothing was traditional post-Catastrophe days anyway.

  Movement up ahead had him crouching for cover. Slipping behind a tree, he propped his rifle against the trunk and withdrew his pistol. It took only a minute before he spotted the shadowy figure stumble past him.

  “You looking to get your head blown off?” he said as casually as possible, despite a whole array of emotions sweeping through him at lightning speed at the sight of Maddox.

  Mad stopped in his tracks, cursed, and then chuckled.

  “Fuck, am I glad to see you, man,” Maddox said as Kayne moved in beside him, noticing right off that Mad had seen better days. Blood oozed from quite the goose egg near his right temple, and his right arm was in a sling that he’d improvised from his shirt.

  “I can tell by your face you found Eve. She all right?”

  “Wolfe beat her, but she’s holding her own,” Kayne supplied. “She’s one tough cookie.”

  “Tougher than we all thought, that’s for sure,” Maddox agreed. Pride etched his voice.

  “You all right?” Kayne asked him, although he knew the answer to that. The guy was a bit banged up, but nothing a little bit of relaxation wouldn’t fix.

  A thunderous explosion snapped through the air from about a quarter mile behind them, and Kayne instinctively crouched for cover.

  Maddox stood over him chuckling. “A little change in plans. I took the chance that you guys would stay off the trail that C.J. said Wolfe and his gang members used as we’d agreed we wouldn’t use it, so when I needed to rest, I took a bit of a detour and left them a little surprise.” Another explosion followed. This time closer.

  Holy shit!

  Mad’s grin widened. “Let me
rephrase that to two little surprises.”

  “Any more surprises I should be aware of?” Kayne asked as they both started moving again.

  “Let’s hope not.”

  Kayne relaxed, if only a little as he kept checking the perimeter. “Your shoulder. Can it be fixed? Is it broken? Or separated again?”

  “Separated. Hurts like hell. I’ll get Riley to pop it back in when we get back. He’s done it once before.”

  Kayne nodded. Yeah, toward the beginning when they first formed their gang. He remembered Mad falling off a horse when he’d first started to ride one.

  “Any sign of Wolfe back there?” Kayne asked. “Was he one of the ones that got blown up?”

  “Don’t know. I barely got clear of the entrance when the explosives were triggered. That’s how I got hurt. For all we know Wolfe is still lurking around.”

  A shiver of unease zipped through Kayne.

  “Let’s hurry up and get back to Eve. I’ve got a bad feeling about leaving her there all alone.”

  “Better not let her hear you say that. I have a feeling our little Eve has grown up since she’s been gone. She isn’t going to be taking any more shit from us.”

  Kayne nodded. Maddox was definitely right, especially since Kayne himself had just gotten his head bit off by her because he’d wanted to hang around and protect her. Yep, their Eve had definitely grown from a frightened woman to a self-assured chick, who was as stubborn as the rest of the Durango Gang. It looked like if they got out of this mess alive, it was going to be one hell of a ride living in Trader Jack’s cabin. Kayne grinned. A hell of a ride he was really looking forward to.

  * * * *

  “That’s all we can take this go-around,” C.J. said as she hoisted her packsack onto her back and started toward the corridor that would lead them out the back way.

  “Hang on, cutie. I can carry a few more. I’m strong,” Riley murmured as he hoisted a couple more gold bars into his sack.

  “Don’t call me cutie, asshole. Now come on. I said it’s time to go.”

  Riley couldn’t help but bristle at her angry tone. Sexy chick or not, he did not like to be called an asshole. He was about to dress her down with a few heavy curse words when he reined in his anger. He could tell she’d gone through hell with Wolfe. While outlining her strategy of getting in and out of the cave and how to carry out this operation, he’d noticed the pink scars lacing her face, neck, and hands. Wolfe had done that to her. Obviously by her angry attitude he’d done more than physically abuse her.

  “Hey, what happened to my nickname, big guy? I like it better than asshole,” he joked, trying to loosen her up a bit.

  But she just glared at him and the anger flashed like lightning in her eyes. “I said we go. Now.”

  Okay, Riley. Don’t get too pissed at her.

  “So, what’s your problem?” he asked, realizing instantly when the words snapped out of his mouth that he shouldn’t have asked. It was common sense that she wouldn’t like being here. Obviously it brought back bad memories.

  “You’re my fucking problem. You’re holding us up. Now come on. Get the lead out,” she snapped.

  It was then he noticed the thin sheen of sweat lacing her forehead and the grim set to her otherwise lusciously plump lips.

  Okay, he got it. Definitely bad memories for her here. A renewed admiration swept through him for her. Obviously she had plenty of demons she needed to deal with about this place and with the Wolfe Gang, yet she’d come here to help Eve anyway.

  Huh, she wasn’t such a bitch after all. Okay, so she was a bitch, but a sexy one at that.

  * * * *

  With her heart in her throat Eve kept a bead on the single figure that had suddenly appeared a few seconds earlier about thirty feet right in front of her. In the increasing rays of dawn, she could make out the figure of a thin woman. She wore camouflage, and she was crouched low, her rifle pointed directly at the mouth of the cave as she moved toward it.

  Shit! She needed to take her out before C.J. and Riley came out. She needed to do it now. But she’d never killed anyone before and her hands were shaking like a leaf.

  Good Lord! This was not the time to turn all wimpy. Especially after being so firm with Kayne earlier, insisting she could take care of things here by herself. God, what had she been thinking? This was an actual person she was aiming at and not a target.

  Shoot her! Her mind screamed at her.

  Cold sweat slipped into her good eye, blinding her. She cursed softly and dug the sweat out, blinking rapidly to clear her sight.

  Pull the friggin’ trigger, Eve. Nice and slow. Pull the fucking trigger. Her finger didn’t move.

  Shit! This was one hell of a time to realize she had issues with killing someone.

  She’ll kill C.J. and Riley, a voice warned.

  Oh God, please forgive me.

  A thunderous explosion flashed orange right in front of her, and the woman she’d been aiming at crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

  Oh God. Oh God.

  She licked her suddenly very dry lips and kept the shaking rifle upon the figure. Just in case she got up. Just in case.

  * * * *

  From his perch on a nearby cliff, Wolfe eyed the woman whose hands shook like crazy while she aimed at the lifeless figure lying in front of the back entrance to his cave.

  It was Eve. The Durango Gang’s slut. Obviously someone had come to her rescue and released her from his lair. It wouldn’t happen a third time, he thought, as he carefully made his way across the rocky incline above her.

  This time there wouldn’t be Lane coming to her rescue. That son of a bitch had been taken care of effectively by one of his assassins. And one day when he got his hands on C.J. again, he’d be torturing her just like he used to.

  Wolfe grinned as he scrambled along the rocks, keeping his eye on his prey below. Yeah, he’d like torturing this one when he got his hands on her. He enjoyed a woman’s screams. The sounds were like music, turning into a sexual hum as they drifted through his bloodstream. This woman was an emotional, defiant creature, just as C.J. had been in the beginning. He liked his women that way. Feisty and emotional and pregnant. And he’d get this one pregnant fast, just as he’d done with C.J.

  * * * *

  Eve didn’t see Wolfe until he was right on top of her. And she meant that quite literally. He came out of nowhere, his heavy body knocking into her and sending her flying off her feet right into a nearby tree. The shock of hitting the solid trunk just about knocked her senseless, snapping the air right out of her lungs, leaving her gasping for breath.

  But this time, she refused to let go of her rifle when he yanked on it. Instinctively she knew it would be a fight to the death for her this time around. There was no way she would let Wolfe put his hands on her again.

  He grinned at her, his yellow teeth flashing as he continued to violently yank on the barrel.

  “Now I’ve got you. And I’ll have my gang pick off your lovers one by one. Then you’ll be mine. Forever.” He growled.

  Horror raced through her system, and Eve didn’t think twice about his threat to her men and to C.J. There was no way she would let them be hurt. No way.

  As Wolfe yanked even harder, Eve instinctively pulled the trigger, the sound an explosion to her ears.

  Wolfe cursed. His eyes went wide with shock, and his mouth gaped open. Eve blinked with disbelief as blood blossomed like a fist-sized red flower across his chest. A dribble of red appeared at the side of his lips.

  Oh God.

  She’d shot him. Good God, she’d shot him! Sickness clawed through her stomach as his eyes glazed over and he stared at her in disbelief.

  “You…fuck…ing…bitch…” he managed to gasp. To her horror he fell right down in front of her, his eyes open and unseeing.

  It didn’t take Eve a second to crawl away. She needed to keep guard. To protect the others. God, help her, but she wouldn’t screw up and let any of them get hurt because of her.

&nb
sp; It felt like an eternity as she stayed in the area, her rifle clutched in her hand, her back against a rock wall as her gaze swung from the mouth of the cave to the trees where Kayne had vanished into earlier to the area above her where Wolfe had jumped down from.

  While she stood guard, her heart hammered insanely against her chest and cold perspiration flushed her face.

  Her gut was knotted with nausea as she waited and watched. She couldn’t look at the dead body lying prone in front of the cave entrance, nor could she look at Wolfe’s lifeless figure. She swore if she did either, she just may start screaming and never stop.

  A lot good she would be to everyone if she lost it. She’d killed someone. Yeah, he’d been a slime bag and done horrible things to C.J., but killing someone just didn’t sit well at all with her. Would she ever get over this sick feeling?

  Finally, movement flashed inside the cave, and Eve breathed a sigh of relief when she spied C.J. peeking out. C.J. stiffened when she saw the woman’s body, and Eve’s gut twisted in an agonizing wrenching feeling when her friend disappeared back into the cave again.

  Eve wanted to call out and tell her it was all clear. Truth was, though, she didn’t know how many others were still lurking around. So, she remained quiet and waited. Finally C.J. and Riley burst out of the cave, crouched low and their rifles ready. Moments later they rushed into camp, both looking very relieved to see Eve. At that same moment, Kayne and Maddox arrived, and Eve had never felt better having all the people she loved here in one piece.

  When everyone saw that Wolfe was dead, they all crowded around her, hugging her and congratulating her on a job well done. Trouble was she didn’t feel proud for killing someone. She felt battered and bruised and tired. All she wanted to do was go back to Trader Jack’s cabin and stay there surrounded by the people she loved. She just wished to go home.

  Chapter Ten

  Eve’s wish came true a week later. There had been no more interruptions by any of Wolfe’s surviving gang members, that is, if there had been any.