by Connie Mason
Without hesitation she ducked inside, propelled by the pounding footsteps behind her. Immediately she was pitched into a blackness more suffocating than anything she could imagine. It was like being thrust into the bowels of hell. Seconds later Sam and Spider pounded past. Spider held a torch, but to her immense relief neither man stopped long enough to inspect the tunnel she had ducked into. She dragged in several shallow breaths to calm her speeding heart.
She hoped they would think she had reached the entrance, and prayed they wouldn’t remember the tunnel when they failed to find her. Crouching low, Dawn forced herself to remain calm. She had no idea where this tunnel led. Fear of the unknown kept her from exploring the dark corridor.
The pounding rain hindered Shadow Walker but did not stop him. He was a relentless tracker. He followed the bandits’ tracks into the mountains, past towering trees and racing streams. When the rain began, he looked for signs other than the tracks that had washed away with the downpour. He found what he was looking for in bent twigs and disturbed bushes. And in scraps of cloth torn away from Dawn’s clothing. It was long past dark when he stopped abruptly beside a tangle of dense bushes.
The back of his neck prickled; his body was tensed as he listened. Awareness spoke to Shadow Walker, telling him that he had reached the end of his journey. Shadow Walker reined Warrior in sharply. The stallion danced sideways in the pounding rain as Shadow Walker studied the signs. At length his sharp gaze settled on the thick bushes growing out from the steep incline ahead of him.
A smile curved the hard planes of his lips as he dismounted and slipped behind the tangle of shrubs. He found the opening into the cave and entered. Nothing stirred. Shadow Walker harkened to the sounds of silence, to the forces of nature, to the wind and the rain. And he sensed evil.
Shadow Walker paused just inside the mouth of the cave, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness before continuing. He carried a rifle in one hand. His other hand hovered above the knife at his waist. Then he heard pounding footsteps and smiled grimly. Moments later a pinpoint of light appeared from the darkness of a narrow passageway. Balancing on the balls of his feet, Shadow Walker waited. Acting rashly might endanger Dawn, and he couldn’t let that happen. If they had harmed her in any way, he would make their deaths as unpleasant as possible.
Shadow Walker hugged the wall as two men burst into the outer cavern. They stopped abruptly, unaware that they weren’t alone.
“The bitch couldn’t have gotten this far,” Spider spat angrily. “She must have ducked into a side tunnel.”
“We’ll find her,” Sam growled. “When we do, she’ll wish she hadn’t run. Come on, let’s go back.”
Shadow Walker could see them clearly now, outlined by the light of the torch Spider held. He stepped out from the wall. “Stay where you are.”
The sound of another voice so unnerved the men that they froze in their tracks. “Who’s there?” Sam’s voice cracked from fear. Neither man was exceptionally brave.
“Your worst nightmare,” Cole said, stepping into the circle of light.
“Son of a bitch, a damn Injun,” Sam said, diving for his gun. His hand never reached the barrel. Cole’s knife spun away from his body, landing squarely in Sam’s heart. He was dead before he hit the ground.
“Throw down your guns,” Shadow Walker ordered as Spider stared at his dead partner.
“Don’t shoot,” Spider said as he unbuckled his gunbelt with his free hand and let it drop to the ground. He still held the torch aloft with the other. “What do ya want? I got money. I’ll split it with ya.”
“Where’s Dawn?”
“Dawn?” His eyes narrowed as he stared hard at Shadow Walker. “Who are you?” Suddenly comprehension dawned. “You’re that railroad detective! What are ya doing dressed like a damn Injun?”
“Where’s Dawn?” Shadow Walker repeated.
Spider gulped convulsively. He felt as if he were staring death in the face. Acting on pure instinct and raw fear, he tossed the torch at Shadow Walker and made a mad dash toward the cave entrance. Shadow Walker’s rifle barked just before he deftly caught the torch. Spider fell face down and lay still.
Chapter Nine
From the cloying darkness of her narrow hideaway, Dawn heard a gunshot and stiffened with panic. She could see nothing, hear nothing except the sharp echo as it ricocheted from wall to wall. For the space of a heartbeat she considered stepping into the main passageway and risking exposure, but fear immobilized her. She retreated deeper into the tunnel, hugging the wall, listening for the sound of approaching footsteps.
Shadow Walker stared at the two dead bodies dispassionately. Two brutal deaths might have bothered Cole Webster but they didn’t faze Shadow Walker. It was astonishing how effortlessly he had reverted to his Indian ways after nearly four years of living in White society.
Holding the torch high to light his path, Shadow Walker stepped over the bodies and proceeded down the long, winding passageway. His one consuming fear was that he was too late to save Dawn. He failed to notice the side tunnel and passed by without giving it a second glance, entering the central cavern a few minutes later. A fire still burned in the firepit. Shadow Walker was stunned at the cozy setup the outlaws had maintained. He spied the saddlebags immediately and knelt to inspect the contents. Glittering gold coins spilled out of the cloth bags. He shoved the coins back inside and resealed the flap. Then he moved deeper into the cavern, discovering the spring and horses. Dawn was nowhere to be found.
Desperation rode Shadow Walker. Close inspection of the cavern failed to reveal a single clue to Dawn’s whereabouts. He recalled hearing the outlaws mention that Dawn had escaped, and they were looking for her. He knew she hadn’t left the cave, for he would have seen her. There was but one option available to her. Dawn had to be hiding somewhere within the dank reaches of the cave.
Turning on his heel, he retraced his steps, this time taking time to inspect both walls of the passageway. He stopped abruptly before a gap in the wall, noting the existence of another tunnel. Intuition told him that was where he would find Dawn. He called her name, hoping she would recognize his voice.
Huddled just inside the entrance of the tunnel, Dawn caught a glimpse of moccasins and bare legs. Indians! The thought of being found by hostile Indians terrified her nearly as much as being held by outlaws.
She saw a flickering light coming toward her and feared she had been discovered. She retreated deeper into the tunnel. The unmistakable sound of mice and other burrowing animals brought her to an abrupt halt. But the advancing light and unknown danger spurred her on. Then she heard someone call her name and froze. The voice was neither Spider’s nor Sam’s. It couldn’t be the Indian calling out to her, she decided, shaking her head to clear it of nonsensical thoughts. She knew no Indians and none knew her. Catching her breath, she retreated deeper into the tunnel.
Shadow Walker called Dawn’s name again. He could hear her harsh breathing, sense her fright, and wished to put a stop to her heedless flight. Suddenly he heard her scream, and his heart pounded out of control. He sprinted forward, eating up the distance between them. When he held the torch up, his heart nearly catapulted out of his mouth.
Dawn clung to the lip of a crevice with the numb ends of her fingertips. The ground had fallen away beneath her and she had stepped off into thin air. She had reached out wildly, grasping a rocky ledge and clinging to it. But she was slipping fast, and would soon plummet to her death. She closed her eyes a brief moment to pray, and when she opened them he was standing before her.
His massive legs, bare to his breechclout, tensed powerfully as he set the torch down and knelt to grasp her arms. He pulled her up slowly, effortlessly, swinging her around to safety and clasping her against the hard wall of his chest.
Seeing nothing but the war paint smeared across his face, the eagle feather in his hair, Dawn struggled in his arms, trying to escape this new menace.
“Dawn, stop it! It’s Cole. I’m not going to hurt you.�
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“No! Don’t touch me!”
He gave her a little shake. “Calm down. Look at me. It’s Cole.”
Dawn’s blue eyes widened in disbelief as Cole picked up the torch and raised it so she could see his face. “Cole …” She recognized his burnished hair first. Then his eyes, gleaming like emeralds in the darkness. “Oh, my God. I thought you were … How did you find me?” She peered cautiously around him. “What happened to Sam and Spider?”
“They’ll never hurt you again. I’ll explain everything when we get back to the central cavern.” Holding the torch aloft, Cole led her back along the tunnel to the main passageway, and from there to the central cavern, toward the dull glow of ashes in the firepit. “Sit down while I stir up the fire.”
Dawn dropped to her knees on a blanket, watching Cole as she tried to reconcile his appearance with that of the Cole Webster she knew. She hardly recognized him wearing Indian garb, his face painted in garish colors. She was quick to admit that he made an impressive sight. “Do you have an Indian name?”
“I am known as Shadow Walker among the People. It feels good to become Shadow Walker again. While I was pursuing the outlaws I almost forgot I was White.” He finished with the fire and settled down beside her. “Are you cold?” he asked when he felt her shiver against him.
“I don’t know what I am. I can’t stop shaking. Are you sure we have nothing to fear from Sam or Spider?”
“They’re both dead.” His voice held a brittle edge. She could tell he felt little remorse over the deaths.
“You killed them?”
“Yes. We’ll take them to Pueblo tomorrow and turn over the gold to the local sheriff. He’ll see that the gold gets to its rightful destination. It will take a few days to clean up the tracks and get the trains running again. We might have to spend several nights in town.”
“Do we have to stay here tonight?”
“It’s a gully washer out there. At least we’re safe and dry in here.”
Being alone with Cole in this isolated place was daunting. Dawn licked her lips, searching for words. “Are you hungry?”
He gave her a heart-stopping smile. “Starving. Those two scoundrels had a sweet setup here. Is there something you could fix without going to too much trouble?”
“There’s coffee in the pot next to the fire. I can heat some beans and fry more bacon.” She started to rise.
Suddenly Cole noticed her gaping bodice, and its significance hit him hard. He grasped her hand and pulled her back down. “Wait. Did those bastards hurt you?” His words were tautly spoken from a mouth that had turned grim.
“No. They filled their bellies first. Then, when they tried to … hurt me, I escaped. Thank God you were able to track them, for I don’t know what I would have done had they found me.”
Cole didn’t even want to think about their filthy hands on Dawn’s golden flesh. “I’m sorry, Dawn, I should have protected you better.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” She rose abruptly. “I’ll fix something for you to eat.”
After the remnants of the hasty meal were set aside, Cole went to fetch a bucket of water. When he returned, Dawn was stretched out on a blanket, staring into the dancing flames.
“You should get some sleep. It’s been a grueling day.” He moved off to fix his own bed.
Dawn jerked upright, reaching out to him. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere, love.”
“Lie next to me.”
Cole gave her a hard look, then moved his blanket next to hers. “Are you sure?”
“I need you beside me tonight. I can’t recall when I’ve ever felt so alone or been so frightened.” In all her life no one had cared about her. Cole made her feel safe and protected.
Cole lay down beside her and drew her into his arms, pulling the blanket up over them. Heaving a ragged sigh, Dawn melted against him.
“It’s been rough, hasn’t it, love? Now you understand why I wanted to see you safely settled. I wanted a better life for you, and I think Running Elk’s people will help you find it.”
Dawn didn’t want to hear about Running Elk. Not with Cole holding her, making her feel safe and wanted. “I shouldn’t be depending on you like this.”
“I don’t mind. Just as long as you don’t make a habit of it.” He’d meant it as a joke, but Dawn took his words literally. She stiffened and pulled away.
“I’ll try to remember that.”
He cursed his insensitivity and tried to bring her back into his arms. He succeeded, but it wasn’t the same. There was a wariness about her now that hadn’t been there before.
“I’m sorry, love, but you know there can be nothing permanent between us. I care for you, but it wouldn’t be fair to burden you with a man still obsessed with his dead wife.”
“Have I asked for more?”
“You’ve asked for nothing. I wish …” His sentence fell off. He had no idea what he wished. Unless it was to kiss Dawn. He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. One kiss and then he’d stop.
He tightened his grip on her shoulders, lowered his head and kissed her. Gently, softly, on her slightly parted lips. He hardened instantly and knew he wouldn’t be satisfied with just one kiss. He wanted to be inside her to feel her tighten around him. He wanted to watch her eyes widen as he pushed deeper and deeper. He wanted to take her with his fingers, with his mouth, and hear her cry out. His grip on her tightened, and he felt her quicken against him.
He raised his head and stared at her. Her eyes were pleading and softly misted with emotion. She made a tiny sound in her throat that he understood, and he kissed her again. When he ended the kiss and attempted to pull away, she held him fast.
“No, don’t stop. Keep on kissing me.”
“I shouldn’t, it’s—”
“… what I want. I need you tonight. I need to feel that I’m alive. To forget what Sam and Spider wanted to do to me.”
How could he resist? His member was hard and distended and pressing against her thigh. He wanted her; he wanted to erase all the ugly memories of the past hours from her mind.
Cole rose above her, carefully pushing aside the torn edges of her bodice until her magnificent breasts were exposed. They gleamed a dull gold in the firelight, and Cole lowered his head to take a dusky nipple in his mouth.
Throbbing pleasure ebbed and flowed over her as his mouth caressed and suckled her, filling her with hot anticipation. She felt warm dampness pool between her legs and was shaken by the depth of emotions whirling through her.
Words were unnecessary as she helped him strip away her clothing. Then he laid her back against the blanket as he quickly peeled off his own clothing. He pressed their naked bodies together, moaning from the sheer pleasure of hot flesh meeting hot flesh. He kissed her again and again, and when Dawn was nearly dizzy, his mouth left hers for other, more intimate places.
With greedy laps of his tongue and tiny, teasing bites, he lavished excruciating attention upon the generous mounds of her breasts. Dawn arched beneath him, begging him without words to come inside her, to finish this endless torture.
“I know what you want, love,” Cole whispered against the sweet tip of her breast. “And it will come, but not yet. There is so much more I want to show you and do to you.”
Very gently he slid a finger inside her. Her warmth tightened around him and he fought to control his sharp response. He closed his eyes, inserted a second finger and delved deeper. He was shaking all over from forced restraint. Then he pulled his fingers out very slowly and thrust them into her again. She cried out, her hips lifting off the blanket.
“Please!”
“Shush.” His hot breath against her breasts made her tremble and quake with unbelievable feelings.
Then he moved slowly down her body, allowing his fingers to open her as his mouth found her. Dawn went rigid with shock. When Billy had tried to do these things to her, she had fought and accepted a beating rather than acquiesce to his s
ick needs. With Cole she felt wild elation, not revulsion. He was kissing and caressing a part of her that was private and personal, a part she had denied Billy Cobb, and it felt incredibly satisfying.
His hands slid beneath her, lifting her to his mouth. “Sweet,” he murmured, and his heated breath against her most intimate place sent her into a rush of pleasure.
“This … isn’t right,” Dawn said between spasms of burgeoning rapture.
“It is if we want it to be.”
Embarrassment rendered her mute as Cole plied his tongue diligently, exploring her, suckling her. She knew she was hot and wet where his mouth worked its magic on her, but he didn’t seem to mind. Then coherent thought fled as her body became an instrument through which Cole gave her pleasure. She moaned and arched her back. Her legs trembled, her body shook.
“That’s it, love,” he whispered. “Press yourself against my mouth. You’re almost there. I can feel your legs tensing, your muscles tightening.” His tongue darted in and out of her. “Do you like that? Yes, I can tell you do.” Her muffled scream told him she adored it.
Realizing she was close to the edge, he slipped his fingers inside her while using his tongue to lave the hard little nub nestled amid her moist folds. It was too much for Dawn. She fragmented, crying out again and again as her blood thickened and incredible feelings pounded through her. Cole’s infinite patience had cost him dearly. His control was all but shattered.
“I’m going to come inside you now,” he said in a husky voice Dawn hardly recognized.
Still reeling from pleasure, Dawn felt herself stretch and fill as Cole pushed himself inside her.
“You’re so tight,” he groaned as he fit himself snugly within her. With little effort he could have climaxed immediately, but he wanted to bring Dawn once again to shuddering rapture, this time while buried deep inside her.
Again and again he thrust into her, until she was panting and pounding his shoulders with her fists. He kept up the grueling pace, letting the pressure build, lifting her high, forcing her legs up and her thighs wider. Dawn matched his rhythm, thrashing wildly beneath him, her little cries and gasps urging him to greater heights.
