by kps
Beau smiled,relieved to see her show a normal return of spirit, realizing his mistake as she gasped in outrage and struck at him. He managed to catch her wrist before she connected with his cheek. Before she could use her other hand, he'd captured it also and shoved her onto her back. For a few moments he held her pinned there, until her useless struggles ceased. A glaze of unshed tears shone in her eyes, now gray and smoldering with sullen resentment. Finally she turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"Look, I don't regret makin' love to you last night. If an apology is gonna make y'feel better about it, I won't make it. You enjoyed yourself as much as me, even if you did think I was some fool named Rodrigo!" Beau felt all of his good intentions deserting him. She made an enchanting sight with her high cheekbones stained with angry color. Her breasts, uncovered once more in the struggle, swayed with each furious breath. Again she faced him, ready to refute his version of the night's events.
"You took advantage of me! If I'd been aware of what was happening, I'd have fought you with every ounce of my strength. Your victory would have cost you at least a few scars!"
Beau ·smiled, tilting his head to one side to. study another angle of her lovely face. "It'll cost me enough as is," he replied cryptically, adding in a low tone that was hoarse with desire,
"an' I won't forget it, even without the feel of your claws, wildcat, not for a long, long time!"
Pulling her arms above her head, Beau held them easily in one large hand, his mouth coming down on hers with surprising gentleness as he kissed her once. She tensed as his fingers brushed the swell of her breast but startled a moment later when he merely drew the bed-spread up to cover her once again.
Jenny's expression showed she was dubious of this new ploy, and Beau shook his head in exasperation. "Don't ask why or how, I ain't even sure m'self, but I'm gonna see you have a chance to get out of here. Now, I ain't given you much cause to trust me, but I could just as easy take you here an' now, if I wanted to. You believe that?"
Jenny stared at him in utter confusion. Her whole body ached now that the effects of the laudanum had worn off. It was difficult for her to think, to concentrate on anything but the need to relieve the trembling and anxiety that seemed to paralyze her entire system. His look was steady enough, and what he'd said was true. She had little strength to fight off any assault. It was an effort just to keep her eyes open, and she closed them, nodding that she did, indeed, believe him.
"Good. I hope I ain't makin' a mistake by lettin' you loose. Can't say I'd much care to have my face marked up." A second later, her hands were free and Jenny's eyes fluttered open in surprise. She still found it hard to believe he meant her no harm. "That's a good girl," he added reassuringly, telling her that before the day was over, he'd see she had her chance.
"What about Isa?" He looked blank for a moment, and Jenny rushed on, hope brightening her features for the first time, "My maid-the girl who was with me ... I can't leave without her!"
Beau frowned. He was risking enough already, and he cared little about the maid's safety.
When they'd first arrived, Johnson had dragged her into one of the rooms intent on having his pleasure from the screaming woman. Beau hadn't seen her since and had almost forgotten she existed.
He could hardly tell Jennifer Bryant that her companion had been raped, now, could he? "I'll check on it," he promised. "Meanwhile, if a woman named Lil comes to see ya, I am the meanest, most low-down son-of-a … it's been your misfortune to meet! That shouldn't be too hard t'make her believe. I ain't got the reputation of goin' soft on anybody." He grinned and gently pushed a wispy curl out of her eyes before he swung his legs over the side of the bed to retrieve his clothes. The bed shifted under his weight once more as he sat to pull on his boots.
Jenny hesitated, tentatively reaching out to touch his shoulder. Her position was extremely vulnerable. In effect, if she could believe that he was telling the truth, she would owe her freedom to the man who'd taken it from her. The drug and continued isolation had combined to wear
down her pride and self-reliance. "Please," she whispered softly. "You meant it, didn't you?
You'll help us get away?" Jenny desperately needed something to hold onto, a belief that would give her the strength to last out another long day.
Beau turned to stare at her, uncomfortable with the desperation in her voice. He stood and walked to the door, pausing after he'd unlocked it and retrieved the key. "I meant it," he answered simply, and a moment later the door closed behind him.
Jenny spent the day alone, huddled miserably in the rumpled, twisted bedsheets. She hadn't eaten for two days, and the very thought of food was nauseating. She had ventured a look at the meal Mavis had brought the day before, realizing she had to keep up her strength, but sight of the cold, congealed slices of ham and fried potatoes immediately made her gag.
Alternately she felt feverish and then chilled as a cold sweat covered her entire body. Wave after wave of cramps attacked her stomach, caused by need for the same drug that was commonly prescribed by doctors to cure diarrhea. She had lost count of the number of times she'd bolted from the bed to the chamberpot.
By the afternoon, she was too weak to move. Mavis returned, and she watched dully as the maid cleaned and freshened the room, retrieved the untouched tray, and again filled the bath. The tray she had brought back from the kitchens had only a bowl of clear soup and a glass of water, and Jenny stared at her in dazed anguish, questioning the absence of the laudanum she had expected. She desperately needed it now, just to drive away the misery wracking her aching body.
"I was told not to bring it this time," Mavis explained. She frowned as tears slipped from Jenny's closed eyes, then hurried to the door and locked it before returning to the bed.
"Here, girl," Mavis whispered, drawing a dark green, rectangular bottle from her apron pocket, along with a tablespoon. Jenny's eyes fluttered open, a look of wonder lighting them as she realized the woman's intentions.
She was too weak to hold up her head, and Mavis. sat beside her, supporting her with one arm around her shoulders, while she held a spoonful of the laudanum to Jenny's lips. She only allowed her two tablespoons of the drug, but it was enough to ease the symptoms of withdrawal. "I never disobeyed orders 'fore this," Mavis commented, almost as though she were trying to convince herself she was doing the right thing. "Can't see why that woman wants you to suffer so!"
When Jenny looked more relaxed and her coloring was more normal, the maid propped pillows behind her back and insisted she swallow some of the soup. Jenny couldn't get much down, but at least her body was receiving some nourishment. She was stronger when Mavis helped her into the bath water but her limbs still shook with weakness.
Jenny thanked Mavis, refusing to test the woman's patience by questioning why she had offered to help. It felt so wonderful to wash away the salty feel of sweat from her skin that she stayed in the bath until the edges of her fingers were drawn and wrinkled with moisture.
Mavis had changed the bed while she bathed and when she was finally dry and dressed in a fresh gown of pale lilac satin, Jenny was more than grateful for the feel of clean sheets against her skin. It was surprising, she thought to herself, how many comforts she had always taken for granted. She had endured so much the past days that the clean bedding, gown, and bath had taken on the aspect of luxuries.
She was able to take a bit more of the soup before Mavis left, and almost before the maid had locked the door, her eyes had closed with the first pain-free rest in the long hours that had passed since Beau Stanner had departed.
She awakened again an hour later when the sound of the key in the door drew her attention.
Her hopes rose. Maybe Beau had come back to fulfill his promise. An older woman entered, dressed in a cheap, clinging gown that revealed too much of her ample figure.
Even before the woman reached the circle of light that the lamp cast, Jenny felt a shudder of apprehension. This must be the woman Beau had mentioned
; her name was ... Lil. He had implied that she was the person behind Jenny's abduction, the one who had hired Beau to accomplish it.
For minutes, silence reigned in the room as the woman stared down at Jenny, her bright blue eyes revealing a malignant satisfaction. Jenny clutched the covers tightly with; both hands, sensing the unspoken malice in her visitor's manner.
"It seems you're holdin' up better'n most," Lit grudgingly commented. "You must have inherited a stubborn streak from that bitchy mother of yours!"
Jenny reacted immediately to the unexpected jibe. "What do you know of my mother? She's never harmed a soul in her life!"
"I know plenty, Miss High 'n' Mighty," Lil sneered, pleased that her taunt had gotten a reaction. "You think she's some kind of lady, sweet and perfect, with never a bad word about anybody. Mariah's got the born nature of a whore, and she passed it on to you. You still think you haven't-think again, little lady. You weren't so prissy last night with Stanner. He only had to touch you t'get you moanin' and beggin' for more! You'll take to your new life, like a duck t'water."
Anger replaced Jenny's stunned disbelief. "You obviously can't wait to reveal your nasty little plans. Just what do you think my mother did to you to make you seek such a revenge?" She could think of no possible reason why this overblown harridan should hate her mother so.
"She took Jared away from me, that's what! He was mine 'til that green-eyed minx batted her lashes at him, puttin' on airs like she was some kind of innocent baby who needed protection. She'll pay for it now, though, 'cause I got somebody she cares for!"
"I don't believe you," Jenny interrupted. "My father has more taste than to have ever seen anything in you! And if it's true, I can see why he didn't hesitate in choosing my mother." She stared at Lil, unable to understand how the woman could hold a grudge for what must have been at least twenty years. "You're crazy ... I can see that now. Any sane person would have forgotten a disappointing love affair by now."
Lil laughed, an ugly sound that had nothing to do with amusement. "We'll see who's crazy when you're lyin' flat on your pretty back in a Denver crib, tryin' to take on enough men to pay for your drug habit. Bill Evers always gets his money's worth out of his whores. You don't take in enough to keep him happy, and you'll be screamin' and poundin' the walls when he cuts off your opium!" She smiled, her eyes narrowed in evil satisfaction at the dawning horror on Jenny's face.
"Jared and Mariah won't find you," she taunted, enjoying her ability to break down the girl's spirit by dashing any hopes she may have held. "I hear that sometimes Evers ships girls down south to Mexico." She turned, hands on her hips as she strolled back and forth with a wicked, suggestive grin. "Down south, they get a girl who's too uppity, they know how to deal with her. I don't suppose you know anything about whips?"
Lil paused beside the bed, leaning close to Jenny's white, stricken face to emphasize the threat. "They got some that don't make marks and some that'll, leave long, white scars to mark the skin."
Jenny stared at her in shock, unable to comprehend or believe that Lil could be so inhuman as to follow through with the plans she'd revealed. She'd done nothing to harm this woman, and certainly her mother hadn't been at fault if Papa had chosen her instead of this horrible, faded witch.
"If it's revenge against my mother you want, she won't even be aware of any degradation I'm forced to feel." She thought she'd discovered a flaw in the woman's plans that might make her abandon them. "My parents will grieve if I'm missing but if, as you said, they'll never find me, they'll be spared the anguish of knowing the worst of your vengeance!" It was little enough comfort, but at least she had the satisfaction of reducing this woman's triumph.
"Besides, even now the authorities are searching for me and my father's friend, the man who was supposed to meet me in Langdon ... he won't stop until-"
"He traced you here," Lil interrupted, nothing in her manner indicating she had anything to worry about. Her expression was smugly content as she added, "We've already seen to Mr.
Cantrell, and the authorities will soon tire of searching when they find you've totally disappeared."
Jenny closed her eyes, wishing she could blot out the hateful voice. So now Dev Cantrell had been drawn in to Lil's vengeful plans, another victim whose life was forfeit merely because he'd tried to help her. Poor Isabella, Jenny could not bring herself to mention her maid's name. The woman might have the pleasure of telling her that the quiet little Spanish woman was dead.
"As for Jared and Mariah," Lil went on, relishing the opportunity to dash Jenny's every remaining hope. "I'll see to it t-hat they receive a letter, detailing the sordid life their darling daughter was forced to accept. I can see Mariah's face now, full of pain and misery when she thinks of you and the countless men you'll be servicing!
"I'll leave you alone now. You'Il have ample time to dwell on your future before Mavis brings you a dose of laudanum tonight. By then you should be scraping your fingernails against the walls for relief!" Lil turned and sauntered to the door, swinging her wide hips confidently, sure of her complete and utter vanquishment of the captive girl's spirit.
"By the way," she said, pausing at the door with a sly, backwards glance. "If you should ever chance to see your mother again, something that hardly .seems likely, give her a message for me. Tell her the debt she owed me is settled. And Jennifer ... tell her you met your grandmother. I'd love to hear her explain that one!"
Lil's insane, bubbling laughter echoed long after the sound of the key locking the door. Jenny lay back in an aftermath of shock. The whole world was mad-s-or was it just that she looked at it through a haze of doubt and distortion? That woman couldn't be her grandmother; Mariah had told her that her mother had died before Jenny was born! And if she was, what kind of mother was she to want to destroy her daughter's happiness and her granddaughter's life?
Stripped of any illusions that she would ever return to the sane, normal life she'd lived before, Jenny lay there, her dazed mind grasping at the slim hope that Beau Stanner would foil Lil's plans and free her. The effects of the reduced dosage of laudanum were wearing off and she realized Lil-had spoken the truth, at least when she said Jenny would be screaming for relief before Mavis returned again.
Five
As Beau Stanner unlocked the storeroom door and bent to place the lantern he carried on the floor, the last conscious thought he had was that he was proud of himself for following through with a plan to help Jenny Bryant. Then, as something that felt like a two-by-four slammed against the back of his neck, he slumped to the floor, out cold.
Dev smiled, slipping the matched pair of Peacemakers from the man's holster and tucking them in his belt. Damn if it didn't feel good to finally get one of these sons-of-bitches, he thought, and used the toe of his boot to roll the body over before he closed the door.
Dragging Lil's man in to the corner, he left him slumped against the wall. By the looks of him, he'd be unconscious for a while yet, and Dev didn't plan to stick around long enough for him to be any trouble.
At the door, he extinguished the lantern and opened the door just a crack, checking the hall for any companions the man might have had with him. Nobody. So far, so good-his luck was beginning to turn now. If it held, he'd have Jenny out of this hellhole within a half-hour. The Peacemakers, fancy, short-barreled models with the trigger guard filed away, felt very reassuring against his belly and luckily the little Spanish girl was out of the way.
When he'd finally gotten through to her and persuaded her to pull the knife from his boot, he was free in a matter of minutes. The only thing he could think of was to have her wait in the back alley, while he went looking for her mistress. There was no way to give her directions to the sheriff's office, and, besides, even if she'd been able to find it, there was a good chance the same two-timing deputy was on duty-the one who'd bashed him on the head in Lil's office. She'd only just gotten out the window and down the side balcony steps when Dev had heard the rattle of the key in the door.
&
nbsp; Keeping his hand near one of the guns, he moved quickly down the hall and paused by Lil's office door. By' the light that had steadily grown stronger through the storeroom window, he judged it was close to six in the morning. Everyone would be asleep, something that could work in his favor if he was able to surprise her. Then again, it could be a hazard-the loud, raucous noises of the saloon at full capacity would have covered the sounds of a scuffle.
Some instinct made Dev turn aside and check the two rooms opposite each other, just before the office ended the hallway. If he were Lil, he'd have kept Jennifer Bryant in one of them, keeping the kidnapped girl close on the slight chance that even if she somehow escaped, she wouldn't get far without notice.
Both doors were unlocked, both rooms were empty ... that wasn't too unusual, especially at this hour. Most of the girls working here lived at a rundown white house Lit owned at the north edge of town and used these rooms only for "business." He was about to close the door on the right-hand side when he noted an odd, strangely familiar smell, and investigating further, found an uncapped bottle on the nightstand.
There was no label on the dark green, rectangular container, but he picked it up, held it to his nose, and recognized the odor. A lot of old ladies, prim and proper ones, too, bought this stuff by the case. Generally it was labeled a "Tonic" that supposedly cured everything from arthritis to warts, but the ladies favored it for their nerves. Its main ingredient was an opium derivative called laudanum. The bottle was nearly empty.
