by Connie Mason
By the time Lucky returned his attention to Meg, she'd dragged her trousers back in place and managed to wind her bandana around her throat. The wound wasn't serious and had already stopped bleeding.
"Get up," Lucky said, dragging her up by the tether that was still attached to her bound wrists. "You'd better behave cause I don't know if I can keep Jay from killing you if ya act up again."
Meg said nothing, deciding there were times when silence was the better part of valor. She didn't even complain when Lucky wound the rope around her so tightly she'd probably be numb by morning.
Jess picked up the trail but had to stop when darkness made it too difficult to read the signs clearly. He thanked God for the tracking games he and his brothers played when they were children. Neither Rafe nor Sam could measure up to his skills in that department though he wasn't as capable as they were in bagging game. He supposed it was because he didn't like killing poor defenseless animals unless it was absolutely necessary for survival.
Jess hobbled his horse to graze and spread his bedroll beneath a tree. He didn't dare light a fire so he munched on dried meat and hardtack, then he stretched out and tried to sleep.
He didn't sleep. He worried. The thought of Meg in the hands of men who had reason to hate her was almost more than he could bear. She'd been with them for hours. The horror of that thought caused him untold grief. Only one truth eased his fear. Meg was resourceful, brave, and stronger in both mind and body than any woman he knew.
Jay kicked Meg awake at first light. She suppressed a satisfied smile when she saw him limping away. No matter how badly she'd hurt him, she felt no remorse. If he tried to touch her again, she'd give him another dose of her anger
This time Meg was forced to ride with Lucky, whose hands were no more gentlemanly than Jay's. Though she couldn't stop him from touching her intimately, she received some consolation from watching Jay wince as he settled in the saddle.
Meg's stomach was growling. No food had been forthcoming and she hadn't eaten since yesterday morning. But she persevered, keeping tract of the direction in which they traveled for future reference. When she was tracking outlaws for the bounty, she'd had no one but herself and her instincts to depend upon, and knew how to survive.
The outlaws skirted around bluffs covered with coarse vegetation and a few stubborn trees that had taken root in the arid ground. They kept to the flatlands, avoiding the deep gullies sculpted from the sere earth. Meg knew real fear when Lucky reined his horse behind a bluff and she saw a rough cabin nestled against a rocky incline. It was a perfect place for a hideout, she thought. No wonder the law couldn't find them. The cabin, tucked beneath an overhanging rock, was impossible to see unless one was looking for it. Adding to its attraction was the stream of water cascading down from the bluff to form a pool of clear water at the bottom. The pool could be used for bathing, if Jay and Lucky were so inclined, and drinking water could be caught before it reached the pool.
Lucky dismounted before the cabin and yanked Meg from the saddle. "Get inside," he growled, pushing her toward the door.
Meg stumbled forward. Lucky opened the door and shoved her through. A mouse scrambled for cover and a raccoon rushed past her. The inside was a filthy mess, Meg noticed as she made a quick survey of the crude cabin. At least it had windows. Two bare cots sat against opposite walls with an untidy fireplace between them. A few cooking pots hung from hooks beside the fireplace and the open cupboards nearby held cracked dishes laden with dust and several tins of food. A scarred table and four rickety chairs completed the cabin's furnishings.
"Well, what do ya think of it?" Lucky asked.
"I think you're both crazy. Jess will find me no matter where we are."
"He's a doctor, not a tracker," Lucky argued.
Meg feared Lucky was right but wasn't ready yet to sell Jess short. He had displayed talents far beyond those a doctor would ordinarily possess. Her one gnawing fear was that Jess was still angry with her for following him and didn't care what happened to her. The moment that thought was born she quickly discarded it. Jess was too kindhearted to leave her to her own devices. Besides, in her heart she truly believed that he loved her.
Jay limped into the cabin and tossed a sack down on the table. "Fix us some grub," he ordered. "Might as well make yourself useful while you can."
"Meg held out her hands. "I can't do it with my hands bound."
"I say you can," Jay barked. "Don't pull that helpless female bit on me." He rubbed his groin and winced. "I know what you're capable of."
"I'll build up the fire," Lucky said, "and open a tin of canned beef."
"I'm gonna take a look around outside," Jay said, "and make sure no one followed us. It wouldn't hurt to set up a watch for the next few nights. Not that I think anyone will find us, but you never can tell. Better to be safe than sorry."
Meg rummaged through the sack of provision while Lucky built a fire in the hearth. Besides several tins of beef, there were flour, lard, potatoes, onions, bacon and beans. Enough to last several days, if they were frugal. Fresh game would help round out the menu and make the staples last longer if the men were inclined to hunt. Not that she intended to stick around that long. If she didn't escape soon she was as good as dead, and food wouldn't matter.
"I can't do this with my hands tied," Meg insisted. "Untie me. Do you think I'd be dumb enough to try anything with you and Jay keeping close watch on me? I'm only a woman."
Lucky slanted her a scathing look. "Like hell! You ain't like no female I've ever known. You'd be dead now if I wasn't hankering for a piece of you. You shot me, lady. I nearly died. You gotta pay, and killing ya is too painless. If I wanted ya dead I'd have let Jay finish ya off when ya hurt him."
"Very well," Meg said, brazening it out. "Then cook your own dinner. She plopped down in one of the rickety chairs and glared mutinously at him.
Lucky let loose an angry growl and slapped Meg. Her head snapped back and her eyes watered, but she refused to cry.
"That felt damn good," Lucky said. "By the time I finish with you, you're gonna be damn sorry you shot Lucky Calder.
Meg didn't doubt it for an instant. She also had an ace up her sleeve if she could get to it. She still had her small pistol concealed in her clothing. She hadn't given it up when the passengers had tossed their weapons on the ground at Jay's request. It was hidden inside her vest pocket. But she needed her hands free to get to it.
"Get your ass outta that chair and fix our grub," Lucky demanded, "unless ya want more where that came from."
Meg decided not to rile Lucky further. She needed strength for the night to come, and being slapped around now was likely to weaken her. Rising stiffly, she emptied the tin of meat into a frying pan and set in over the fire. Then she chopped potatoes and onions without pealing them, dumping them into the pan with the meat. She mixed biscuit batter while the hash cooked. Though her hands were bound at the wrists, she found she could still use her fingers to hold a mixing spoon and chop vegetables.
"Something smells good," Jay said sniffing the air as he limped back into the cabin. "At least the bitch is good for something."
"She's good for a lot of things," Lucky hinted slyly. "If she's alive after I finish with her tonight, she's all yours."
Jay bit out an oath. "I ain't gonna touch the bitch. Kill her after you finish with her. If I were you I'd wring her neck, it's not as messy as a bullet. Is the grub ready?"
Meg found a rag and removed the hot frying pan and biscuits from the fire, banging them on the plank table in front of the men. Jay got out a couple of chipped plates and dented spoons and set them on the table.
"Don't I get to eat?" Meg asked with a bravado she was far from feeling.
"Dead women don't need food," Jay said around his mouthful of biscuit.
Lucky frowned. "I want her strong enough to fight me. It ain't no fun poking a spiritless woman. She can have what's left."
What was left hardly filled the empty place in Meg's stomach, bu
t it helped. She took her time, keeping a wary eye on the outlaws as she ate.
"I'll do the dishes," Meg said, hoping to delay the inevitable.
Lucky leered at her. "Leave them."
Meg stared at him. Her time was up and she still wasn't ready to accept her fate. She'd never be prepared for rape, and God only knew what other atrocities Lucky had planned for her.
"I'll take first watch," Jay said, rising. "A word of advice. Protect your balls and keep your weapon outta her reach. I'll build up the fire so you can see what she's doing."
"Don't worry, Jay, no puny woman is gonna get the best of me."
Jay threw two thick logs on the fire. "Call out if you need me, I'll be just outside."
"I ain't gonna need no one," Lucky muttered after Jay left the cabin. His beady gaze settled on Meg. "I want you naked."
"You and who else is going to take off my clothes?" Meg dared. "My wrists are tied, or have you forgotten?"
"They're gonna stay tied, lady. And so are your legs as soon as I get these damn trousers off you. Ladies are supposed to wear skirts," he complained.
Lucky must have decided he needed his weapon to control Meg, for he pulled out his gun and aimed it at her middle. "Don't move, I'm gonna unbuckle your belt and open your fly."
With one hand Lucky unbuckled Meg's belt and pulled it free. Then he unfastened her fly, cursing when the buttons offered resistance. He crowed in satisfaction when her fly finally gaped open, revealing a creamy slice of midriff. Leering at her exposed flesh, he shoved her toward the cot. She stumbled, then sprawled on her back across the unyielding surface. Then Lucky dropped his gun on the floor and fell on top of her.
The air left Meg's lungs and her mind went blank. This couldn't be happening to her again. Though it had been five years since Arlo had brutally raped her, she'd never forgotten how dirty and ashamed his attacks made her feel. She wanted to die. To crawl inside her self, to escape to another realm while Lucky practiced his obscenities on her.
Then, in some far corner of her mind she realized she was no longer a helpless sixteen year old, that there were things she could do, survival instincts she had honed over the years.
Meg nearly gagged when Lucky kissed her, thrusting his tongue down her throat. His hands were everywhere, but mostly they were trying to remove her trousers. She bit down hard on his tongue, his howl of pain meager comfort as he retaliated with an open-handed blow to her cheek.
"Stop that! You ain't gonna kick me in the balls and you ain't gonna get my gun."
He unbuttoned her vest, then her shirt, clamping a hard hand around her breast. She lurched beneath him when he bit down on her nipple.
Lucky grinned up at her. "Like that did ya? Thought ya might."
Meg shook her head from side to side in vigorous denial.
"I'm gonna lift up a bit so's I can pull off your trousers. Don't try anything funny. I still have the upper hand. One hard clip to the jaw and you're out like a light." He sat on her legs and worked his fingers beneath her waistband.
Meg considered his words, an idea forming in her head. It was tricky at best, but what did she have to lose? Her bound wrists and bent arms were pressed against her chest. While Lucky was occupied with her clothing, she threaded her fingers together, palms together, making a tight fist and a potential lethal weapon. She glanced up at Lucky and saw that his head was tucked down. She had to get him to lift his head.
"Lucky, wait, let me help you."
He raised his head and glared at her. "I don't need your help. You ain't gonna do to me what ya did to Jay."
"No, I'm not," Meg agreed as she gritted her teeth and slammed Lucky in the throat with her doubled fists.
Lucky made a gurgling sound deep in his throat and his eyes rolled up in his head as he clutched his neck and fell off the narrow cot. Meg leaped from the cot, her eyes blazing pure malice as her bound hands scrabbled for the pistol in her vest pocket. She managed to pull it free but it slipped from her fingers, landing at her feet.
Lucky was still on the ground, eyes bugged out, making strangling noises inside his throat. She saw him reach for his weapon and kicked it away. Lucky's mouth worked wordlessly as he tried to crawl toward it.
"Bitch," he choked out, his garbled words barely understandable. "I'll...kill...you."
"Not if I can help it," Meg hissed as she bent to retrieve her pistol. "Don't move."
"Jay. Jay will...take care...of you."
"Go ahead and call him," Meg challenged.
Lucky opened his mouth and glared murderously at her when no sound emerged. He could hardly form coherent words, much less call for help. Meg concentrated on escaping before Lucky's wits returned along with his voice. She edged toward the door, holding Lucky at bay with her pistol. She heard the door latch rattle and whipped her head around as Jay burst through the door.
"I thought I heard..." His gaze found Lucky, who was writhing on the floor, grasping his throat and making unintelligible sounds. "What the hell is going on here?"
Meg whirled away from Lucky, bringing the pistol around with her. "Drop your gunbelt."
"What did you do to Lucky?"
"Nothing he won't recover from. Drop your guns, I said. I'm not afraid to use this gun."
"I'll never live this down," Jay bit out. "How could one puny woman do this much damage? You won't get away with it, you know. This time I ain't gonna let Lucky talk me outta killing you."
Meg pulled back the hammer. Jay blanched, looked at his hapless brother for help, then released his gunbelt. It fell to the floor. Meg kicked it out of reach.
"Your hands are still bound. How did ya do it?"
"I'm smarter than either of you. Get over there with your brother."
"Sure," Jay said amiably, "but you ain't gonna leave this room alive. There are two of us and one of you." A crafty expression flitted across his face. "I don't know why I'm standing here arguing with you. One weak woman ain't gonna bring the Calder brothers down."
The words scarcely left his mouth when he launched himself at Meg. Meg pulled the trigger but the shot went wild, lodging in the hapless Lucky. He let out a strangled gasp and collapsed, making a slow, downward spiral. Then Meg's head hit the floor and her thought process shut down. Jay cast but a quick glance at Lucky's lifeless form and began screaming invectives at Meg. Before Meg regained her wits, Jay scrabbled for his gun and brought it to Meg's head.
"Say your prayers, bitch."
Meg closed her eyes and waited for death. She'd given it her best shot and lost. She regretted leaving this life without settling things between her and Jess; they'd had so little time together. She would have liked to look into his face and tell him she loved him one last time.
She heard the metallic click of a gun hammer and prayed for a quick death. She had no wish to linger, to suffer excruciating agony before death finally claimed her.
The loud report of the gun jarred her. She waited for pain and felt none. She wondered why death felt no different than life as she waited for the dark specter to appear.
"Meg. Open your eyes, sweetheart."
Meg was stunned to hear the voice of a loved one in the afterlife. But Jess's beloved voice was clear as a bell, as if he were in the room with her.
"Come on, love, open your eyes. No one is going to hurt you ever again."
Meg's eyes opened slowly, unable to comprehend why she was still alive. God must truly love her.
"Jay... Lucky..."
"Forget those two, they won't be bothering anyone again."
Jess helped her to sit up. She spied Jay lying nearby in a pool of blood and shuddered. Then she launched herself into Jess's arms, burying her head in his neck. "Is he dead?"
"Yes. Did you kill Lucky?"
"Yes, but not purposely. Jay lunged at me and the gun fired. The bullet went wild, lodging Lucky's head."
"Good riddance. You'll have quite a reward coming for those two. I knew you were resourceful but I think you topped yourself this time."
&
nbsp; She held out her hands to him. "Untie me."
Jess's shock was palpable as he cut through her bindings with the blade he carried in his boot. "How in the hell did you get the drop on them with your hands bound?"
"Can we go outside," Meg asked shakily. "I don't want to stay in the same room with them."
She tried to stand, felt her knees wobble, and was grateful for Jess's support. "I can't believe you tracked us here. How many more surprises do you have up your sleeve, Jess Gentry?"
"Remind me to tell you about my tracking skills sometime," Jess said. "Let's get you out into the air first, you look pale as death."
"I thought I was dead," Meg whispered.
Jess walked Meg over to a fallen log and sat down, pulling her into his lap. He began to tremble, aware that he nearly hadn't arrived in time. His arms tightened around her.
Jess's glance slid over Meg's beloved features, his expression murderous when he saw the bruises on her face and her gaping shirt. "What did the bastards do to you? Oh, God, Meg, forgive me. I hoped I'd arrive in time to save you from this."
Meg eased his fear immediately. "I'm fine, Jess. A few bruises that will heal, nothing more." Her face hardened. "Though it wasn't for their lack of trying."
"Do you feel like telling me about it?"
Meg began to talk, revealing how she had all but crippled Jay with a well-aimed boot heel, and rendered Lucky immobile with a chop to the throat. "But in the end it hadn't mattered," she said bitterly. "Jay managed to get the drop on me and would have killed me if you hadn't shown up when you did."
Meg's awe inspiring tale left Jess nearly speechless. "You did all that with your hands bound?" he asked, his chest swelling with pride. His Meg was one helluva woman. "As soon as I settle things in Dodge I'm going to have to marry you to keep you out of trouble."
Meg's head jerked up. "What did you say?"
"I said I intended to marry you after the charges are dropped against the Gentry brothers."
