She hurried back to her room. Dear Lord, how many hours was it till midnight? If Armand did not have a plan for getting her out immediately, then she would leave anyway, without money, taking just the clothes on her back.
Chapter Nine
But that night, after a strangely uncommunicative Cord had taken Amber safely into the forest where Armand was waiting, and had then silently retreated to the edge of the woods, Armand reacted jubilantly to Amber’s story.
“No,” he said firmly. “You must not try to leave now. There is no place for you to go, and I could not hide you for very long. This is much better, my moonstar. You see.” He grasped her shoulders. “I shall also go to Mexico City. The bullfight season takes me there, and I have relatives there who will help us. My aunt. Cord and I will help you slip away from Valdis, and you can stay with her. It is much better this way.”
Amber touched his cheek gently, hating to dampen his sudden happiness. “And then what happens? I can’t stay hidden forever. I must find a way to return to America.”
“I will take care of you,” he said sharply. “You do not need to return to America. What waits for you there? You have no family, no home.”
She was desperate to make him understand. “Armand, I care for you. But I’m not experienced in affairs of the heart. I have never been in love before. I must be sure. And I must take care of myself. I can take nothing from you.”
“I understand, Amber, but you must listen. My aunt is a religious woman. Never would she keep a mistress for me, if that is what you are thinking. No, no. You will live with her, not with me. She will give you food and shelter. We can see each other whenever we want, and we can find out if this feeling between us is real.”
Amber felt a tremor of hope. “But what about Valdis? He would search for me, and it won’t be easy to slip away from him, anyway.”
“Let Cord and me worry about Valdis. We will make all the plans, and you will be informed of all the details later. Valdis will not harm you once we get you to my aunt. You will be safe.”
He cupped her face in one hand, brushing his lips across hers. She could feel him smiling. “I make the promise to you, my moonstar. Do as I ask, and if you do not fall in love with me, then there will be no bitterness. We will still be friends. But I am not worried. I will make you love me.”
“Armand…” she began, but he quickly silenced her with a kiss. After a moment, she moved away. Now was not the time.
“I want to know about Cord,” she began. “Why is he so devoted to you, and so protective?”
With a resigned sigh, he said, “He does not like to talk about his life, but I will confide in you, for I want no secrets between us.”
Armand told of having been in Texas during the closing days of the Civil War. “My friends and I came upon a skirmish between the two armies. After the Yankees chased the Rebels away, they discovered us hiding on a ridge and thought us Rebel sympathizers and spies. We were about to be executed when Cord intervened and saved our lives. He escorted us safely to the border, and I told him he always had a home and shelter with me. A month later, just before the war ended, he came to my door.
“Something had happened to him,” he continued, “though Cord never told me exactly what it was, and I did not press him. One night, when we had both had too much tequila, his tongue loosened enough that I could put a few pieces of the puzzle together and learn that his troubles had something to do with a false accusation against him, something to do with a woman. He was very bitter and he still is.”
“But why does he remain here?” Amber wanted to know. “Why doesn’t he return to the States and straighten it out?”
“Ah, that is the true mystery,” he told her, eyebrows raised. “I also have learned that he is quite wealthy. Some of his men who rode with us to the border told me that he lost his whole family in the war. His parents were killed in the early months, caught in a crossfire between troops near their home. He had a younger brother who was declared missing after the battle at Gettysburg. His father, they said, was very rich, but Cord was heard to say that one day he hoped his brother would be found, alive, and he could have it all. Cord wants only to forget his past. So, a fortune awaits him, but something has hurt him terribly and he continues to brood.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “No doubt, Cord has done something to arouse your curiosity about him.”
She decided it was best not to comment.
“Tell me,” he asked pleasantly, “has Cord made amorous advances to you?” When she did not—could not—reply, he chuckled softly, “Sí, I can tell by your silence. But try not to be offended. You see, he thinks you are not serious about me. He thinks you are interested only because I am a well-known matador. In Mexico, young women find matadors very appealing and flirt with them. Cord has been testing you to see whether you truly care for me.”
She did not know whether to be pleased or offended. If Armand was right, then Cord was to be admired for protecting his friend, while at the same time condemned for being so damned sneaky.
“Enough talk.” Armand placed a hand on the back of her neck, drawing her face close to him. “We have not much time, my moonstar. I want to hold you.” Amber shuddered with longing as his mouth claimed her hungrily.
He lowered her gently to the ground once again, his hands sliding down to pull her hard against him. She could feel the thudding rhythm of his heart, and the frenzied beat matched her own.
“Let me see all of you,” he whispered raggedly as his fingers slipped beneath her gown. “I want to lie beside you with only your skin between our souls.”
Her voice sounded feeble, even to herself. “Armand, we mustn’t. It…it isn’t right. Not yet…”
“Anything is right when two people love,” he said. “You are the loveliest creation God ever made. But I do not want to make you unhappy. Tell me you do not want me. I will still love you. I will wait until…until you are my wife.”
“I do want you,” she whispered above the rushing sound in her ears. “I want you, Armand. But it’s wrong…”
Amber struggled feebly against him, dimly aware of a dull thudding sound before Armand suddenly slumped to his side, falling away from her. A hand was clamped roughly over her face, cutting off not only her scream but her breathing as well.
In horror, she stared up into Valdis’s face, twisted in maniacal anger. She struggled for air.
“I should kill you, here and now,” he snarled, his hand pressing harder. “I saw you sneaking out with that bastard, Hayden. I thought it was he you hungered for. But I followed you, and I watched it all. You were going to give yourself to him. You, who will be my wife!”
Roughly he grasped her hair. “I would not take you on the ground like a bitch in heat. But on our wedding night, I will have my fill of you. I will make you bleed from my great manhood, over and over again. Never will I tire of you…”
Amber twisted her head sharply, causing his fingers to fall directly above her teeth. She clamped down with her teeth, tasting blood at the same time he screamed in agony and ripped his flesh from her grip.
“Damn you!” he screamed, clutching his hand and falling back upon his knees. “You will be punished. I will beat the flesh from your back, and then I will make you humble yourself before me and give me pleasure until you choke—”
Amber doubled up her fist and prayed for every ounce of strength she could muster as she drove it into his face. She felt a dull, cracking pain as she made contact with his nose. He screamed again, falling backward, and she rolled away from him, tumbling over and over, finally scrambling to her feet and searching frantically for any kind of a weapon. Mercifully, her fingers closed on a large rock.
“Put it down, Amber,” Valdis gasped, walking toward her with the determination of a stalking animal. “It is useless. You cannot escape. You think I am so foolish as to venture out without my men? They are all about you. And do not waste your breath searching for Hayden. No doubt he still sleeps from his encounter with a rock much lar
ger than the one you hold in your hand. Put down the rock and come along with me, back to your room, where you must be punished. Then we will go on to Mexico City and announce our wonderful news.”
Her breath came in gasps. Just ahead she could make out the shadowed outline of a large tree, and she dashed behind it.
Swinging around as he stumbled by, lifting her hands high above her head, she brought the rock crashing down on the back of his neck. He went to his knees, then toppled forward in the dirt.
Tears she had been too frightened to feel trickled down and she stifled her sobs with her fists as she backed away, wanting to retreat from this devil, but seeking the courage to go to Armand’s aid. And where was Cord? How badly was he hurt?
Suddenly strong hands clamped down on her shoulders, and she screamed, striking out hysterically.
“Amber! It’s Cord.” He held her tighter, shaking her till she went limp in his arms. Then he lowered her to the ground and knelt beside her. “Are you all right?”
She nodded, but the panic had not subsided, and she reached out with trembling hands to clutch him tightly. He held her against him as he told her how Valdis’s men had taken him by surprise. “I was almost knocked out, but I had enough wit left to pretend I was out. Then I got the jump on them. They’re out of the way for a while. What happened to Valdis?”
“I hit him with a rock.” Her breathing was becoming more even, for she felt protected in his arms. Then it all came rushing back, and she cried, “Armand! You must see to Armand! He may be hurt badly.”
Cord removed his arms and released her gently, standing. “Just lie quietly, Amber,” he ordered. “I’ll take care of him.”
He turned, but froze abruptly as he found himself facing Valdis…and Valdis’s gun, glinting in the shadows.
“It is tempting to shoot you and the cocky little matador, but I do not wish the scandal upon me,” Valdis snarled. “It might”—he tilted his head to one side and taunted—”put a blemish upon my wedding, which I intend to be the biggest event all of Mexico has ever seen.”
Cord did not flinch. “Let me take Armand—and her, too, Valdis. She’s not going to marry you and she doesn’t want to stay here. You’re only making a lot of trouble for a lot of people.”
Valdis grinned. “I will make a lot of graves if you do not obey me.” Motioning with the gun, he snapped, “Do as I say. Take him and leave. Do not come back.”
Cord looked at Amber uncertainly, and she sobbed, “Don’t leave me, Cord. Take me with you.”
“I’m afraid I’m outnumbered right now.” A muscle rippled along the line of his jaw as he looked at Valdis with pure, cold hatred. How easy it would be, he thought, to choke the life from his miserable body. “Don’t worry,” he told her. “He’s not going to hurt you. He can’t afford to. Just go along with him for now. We’ll get you out of this. Right now, I’ve got to see to Armand.”
Pointing an unwavering finger at Valdis, Cord said, “If you hurt her in any way, Valdis, so help me, I’ll kill you.”
Valdis laughed, though he silently admitted to some degree of timorousness over the murderous gleam in his foe’s eyes. “Go, gringo, before I change my mind and shoot you.”
Cord made his way to Armand, not looking back even when Amber began to sob. He found Armand breathing but unconscious, and he hoisted him over his shoulder to carry him home.
Yes, by God, Cord thought to himself, a day of reckoning was coming for Valdis, and it was going to come soon.
Sometime later, when Armand was awake and Cord had explained, Armand declared, “We will not go after him now. There is no need to make bloodshed. Valdis is taking her to Mexico City, and there, at one of the parties, we will take her away to my aunt’s, where she will be safe.”
Cord took a deep breath. Damn it, this was not the way he wanted it. Venom flowed in him. He was ready to strike. “Are you sure this is the way you want it?” he asked quietly.
Armand nodded. “It is the only way. I do not believe he will do anything so violent as to ravish her, for he wants to marry her, and Valdis is proud. He must have a virgin. And he will not beat her, because he will not want to mar her beauty. No, we can only wait until we get to Mexico City.”
Cord reached for a bottle of tequila and poured them both a drink. “It’s your war, amigo. I’m just a soldier in your army.” He took a long swallow, and the liquid burned his throat and slid on down to sizzle in his stomach. It helped quell the fury that was becoming a part of him.
Amber struggled wildly against the ropes that bound her wrists to the posts of the bed. Her ankles were tied tightly together, the rope cutting into her flesh as it held her legs taut upon the mattress. A gag was stuffed in her mouth, stifling her screams.
Valdis stood at the foot of the bed, a pleased expression on his face. He had changed clothes since bringing her back to the ranch, and wore a dressing gown of gold velvet, trimmed in black cording and opened to the waist to reveal a thick mat of dark hair. His arms were folded across his chest, and he stood wide-legged, staring down at her naked body.
“Exquisite,” he murmured huskily. “We must be married as soon as arrangements can be made for such a lavish occasion. I cannot wait much longer to possess you, my beauty.”
He leaned over to dance his fingers up and down her thighs. “Like fine silk from Paris. How I will love touching you all over with my tongue…as you will love touching me.”
Slowly, she realized what he was saying. He wasn’t going to take her, not as long as they weren’t married. But his eyes roamed over her as though she already belonged to him, and she shuddered beneath that voracious gaze just as she knew she would shudder beneath his hands. Cord! her mind cried. Armand!
She shut her mind to everything, closing her eyes to Valdis’s probing gaze and the sight of her own pale, helpless body.
Chapter Ten
The ride from the Alezparito ranch to Mexico City took an entire day and part of the night, and Amber, miserable, had thought it would never end. Now, despite her wretched state, she stared about at her hotel room in awe. This was the most opulent decor she had ever seen. The walls were done in a peach, white, and green paper with designs of flowers and blossoms and green vines. The deep-green damask draperies hid French doors that opened onto a portico overlooking a quaint courtyard and bubbling fountain below. It was all feminine and soft. The high, curving headboard of the bed was covered and tufted with a rich white satin. The bedspread of matching satin had a delicate lace coverlet.
Amber wanted only to slip between the smooth satin sheets and sleep, but a tray was brought, and she found herself devouring the tasty dish of chicken cooked in a thick wine sauce. Afterward, she opened the door to her room and found a strange man standing outside. “Señorita,” he had said with a nod, lips thinly smiling beneath his bushy mustache, “I am afraid you may not go out.”
She slammed the door in his smirking face. A guard! Of course, Valdis had posted a guard.
Sleep came, and Amber slipped away deeply until Dolita came in to open the draperies and flood the room with light. “What time is it?” Amber cried. “I feel like I’ve slept for hours.”
“Sí, you have.” Dolita placed a tray on the little table beside her bed. “It is afternoon. Everyone else is just lying down for their siesta, and you are just waking from last night. I brought you chocolate and biscuits. After you eat, I will bring your bath. It will take a long time to do your hair, and then it is not so very long until fiesta time.”
Amber stared at the food. Despite her misery, she loved the Mexican drink, made from the shavings of a bar of white chocolate and cooked in sweet milk. “Have you seen Valdis today?” she asked. “Or Maretta or Allegra?”
Dolita was kneeling before a trunk, working with the latches. “Sí,” she said over her shoulder. “Señorita Maretta has been up since dawn, preparing for tonight. You should see her room. She has thrown all her gowns about and wants to wear none of them. A dressmaker has been called to bring her som
ething new and very elegant.”
“What is so special about tonight’s party? Valdis has boasted that we had been invited to a party every night for the entire week we are here.”
“The fiesta tonight is being given by General Jesu de la Prierda. He is very important, so not everyone is invited—just those who also are important.”
Amber picked up a biscuit, thinking how pleased Valdis probably was. “I am worried about Allegra. She didn’t look well enough to make the trip.”
Dolita sighed. “I know. I worry too. She did not speak one word during all the long hours. She kept her head bowed and her eyes closed, but I know she did not sleep. Now and then I would see a tear run down her cheek. She is so unhappy. She is, no doubt, remembering a happy time when she came here…when she and your father married and spent their honeymoon in Mexico City.”
Amber swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away. “Surely, there will be a special place in hell for Valdis.”
Dolita nodded. Then she forced a smile. “Just keep thinking about Señor Mendosa. He will get you away. Perhaps it will be tonight.”
“I don’t know when it will be, Dolita.” Amber pushed the tray aside. “I just pray it is soon.”
Amber struggled for patience as Dolita put the finishing touches to her hair, sweeping the long silver curls up from her neck and then twisting them around to cascade to her shoulders. It had taken Dolita over an hour, and when at last she finished, Amber stood to look in the gilt-edged mirror which hung on the wall.
“Oh, bella, bella,” Dolita cried as she backed away to survey Amber fully. “Señorita, never have I seen such a vision. You will make all the men swoon and fall at your feet.”
Amber stared at her reflection. The dress was of purple satin, with black-trimmed ruffles cascading down the skirt. The bodice was covered with sparkling glass beads and cut low, molding her voluptuous breasts and barely covering her nipples. A long lavender lace mantilla was held atop her head with a silver comb, and the colors of her costume complemented her own silvery tresses.
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