by Linda Ladd
"What is this West Point?"
"A military school. God, I was so stupid to ever get involved with him in the first place. I knew he had a mean streak in him from the beginning, but he never did anything bad enough to make me see through the civilized veneer he put on when I was around him. He's too damn clever for that. For some reason, he took a liking to me, and he seemed no different than anyone else at the academy. But, God, I must have been blind not to know he was playing a part. It wasn't until after the war started and we ended up in the same unit that I found out what a bastard he really was."
The planes of Stone's face went rigid, and Windsor realized he found it difficult to speak of his former relationship with Emerson Clan. "Anyway, he betrayed me, all of us, by passing information to the Rebs. Clan was from Alabama, and I would have found no dishonor in him if he had elected to join the South's fight. Instead, he was a goddamn traitor and caused dozens of my men to be killed, including friends from West Point whom both of us knew and liked."
"So you were the one who uncovered his treachery?"
"Damn right. I had the son of a bitch court-martialed and stripped him of rank myself, but we were attacked before we could hang him. We were captured by the Rebels and taken to Andersonville—that's a prison camp down in Georgia."
Stone's jaw tightened, making a angry tic jump in his cheek. "We were treated like animals there, worse than animals. Every day hundreds of men starved and died of exposure. We were crowded by the thousands in that goddamn swamp. But Clan managed to convince them he'd been a Southern spy in our ranks, so he was made a guard. You can probably figure out the rest. He made our lives a living hell. That's why I decided to escape."
He dropped into the straight-backed chair beneath the porthole. His voice went hoarse, and his face was so stricken that Windsor wanted to put her arms around him and comfort him. "He collapsed a tunnel in on us. My two best friends died, suffocated before I could dig them out. I came close to dying myself. That was the day I first swore I'd get him."
For several moments they were both silent; then Windsor crossed the cabin and straddled his lap, facing him. She laid her cheek against the top of his head while she massaged his tight shoulders. "You tremble with anger just in the telling, Stone Kincaid," she murmured. "You are dangerous to yourself and to others when you go into conflict in such a state. You will lose control if filled with such passion."
Stone's arms tightened around her, his hands seeking entry beneath the edge of her red robe, one sliding up her bare spine, the other cupping her hips close against his loins. "There's only one person on this earth who makes me tremble and lose control," he murmured, "and now she's mine."
Windsor's eyes closed as pleasure began to seep through her, melting her bones. She wrapped her arms around his head and held his face pillowed upon her breast. "But I am afraid for you," she whispered. "My heart tells me that danger awaits us in this place called Mazatlán."
"My heart tells me something else," Stone muttered thickly. "That I want you again, as much as I did the first time. God, I don't think I'll ever get my fill of you."
She felt his arousal beneath her as he deftly peeled off her silk garment and tossed it aside. His hands encircled her waist, and she gasped as he lifted her bodily and brought her carefully down upon him. Her sigh a whisper of pleasure, she braced her hands on his broad shoulders and arched her body until the silky softness of her unbound blond tresses swung down her back to brush his knees. She moaned aloud as he suddenly grabbed a handful of her hair and at the same time caught her breast between his lips, sending shock waves of desire raging through her blood.
Stone groaned himself, losing track of time and place and all thoughts of revenge, concentrating solely on Windsor—how she felt in his arms; how she was bending backward, her fingernails biting into the tensed muscles of his upper arms. Slowly, he brought her down upon him again, shutting his eyes and moving his mouth in a thorough exploration of her smooth white flesh, softer and silkier than he would ever have imagined. He treasured her body as a precious gift.
His head rolled back, a muffled sound forced from his throat as Windsor became the aggressor, taking over the cadence of their lovemaking, swaying toward him, lifting her body upward, then down, with unbelievably erotic motions, presenting her breasts for his pleasure as she brought him to the brink of fulfillment, slowly, sensuously, until Stone could stand the sweet torture no longer. He clamped her hips against his loins. He stood, their lips and bodies still joined, and carried her swiftly to the narrow bunk. He took her down with him, his breath ragged now with urgency, pleased by the contented murmurs filling his ears, pleased that she wanted him as desperately as he wanted her. He loved her, he adored her, and nothing would ever change that. Nothing could.
Her arms clasped tightly around his back, Stone let his passion take over, and they moved together, their hearts wild with exertion until the moment they left the earth and all things real, soaring together into the bright vastness of the heavens and trembling beneath the ecstasy of their love, a love unparalleled, a love that would bind them together forever.
Following Stone's plan, once the Trinidad reached the port of Mazatlán, Windsor and Nina disembarked from the ship and boarded the freight wagon. Leaving Stone and Sun-On-Wings behind, they set off with Carlos toward the scattering of small buildings hugging the edge of a curving sand beach.
The weather was warm, and as they lurched along in the wagon filled with salt pork and bolts of velvet fabric, Windsor fanned her face. The climate of Mexico was very different from the cool, moist days she had spent in her mother's house in San Francisco. Here, even in late January, the sun beat down hotly on their heads. She wished she could take off the black shawl covering her blond hair and remove the long cotton skirt she had been forced to don over her silk trousers.
Windsor glanced back, trying to see Stone, who had remained at the docking point with Sun-On-Wings. They would follow soon, after dusk fell and the cloak of night hid their arrival. No one must see them, or their trap might be discovered. She would certainly feel better once they arrived in the town, and perhaps then Nina would be able to calm her fears.
Nina's eyes continually darted around her, searching the rutted road in every direction. She was absolutely terrified. Despite the courage she had shown thus far and her desire to avenge her parents' deaths, her fright was beginning to communicate itself to little Carlos, whose usual contented behavior was disintegrating. He cried all the way into the village.
The driver turned and spoke a few words of Spanish. Windsor had no idea what he was saying, but Nina answered him in a shaky voice.
"He said the cantina with the bell is a short way out of town," she whispered. "He asked me if we two women really want to go there alone. He said it is muy malo, a bad place."
"Don't be afraid, Nina. I'm right here with you. I know what to do. I won't let anyone hurt you."
Nina nodded, but her face was chalk-white, her mouth set in a thin, strained line. Windsor squeezed her hand. "You must trust me, Nina. I have been trained to fight. I can protect you."
"You don't know him, Windsor. You don't know what he does to people."
Windsor didn't answer, but she was beginning to understand just how evil Emerson Clan really was. Although she had never laid eyes on the man, he had played an important part in her life. He had taken Hung-pin from her, he had filled Stone Kincaid's eyes with fierce hatred, and he had turned Nina into a frightened, timid victim. He was surely a demon released by the gods, and she was determined to rid the world of him. He would die in the name of justice and honor, as well as revenge.
The cantina of the bell was very old, built of ancient adobe bleached white long ago by years of sea winds and torturous sun. The building was long and flat-roofed with tall windows opening onto narrow grilled balconies of iron. The walls were in disrepair, the plaster cracking in triangular patches along the front porch. As the driver pulled up before the doors, Windsor kept a cautious eye on th
e handful of men loitering around the front steps and guzzling beer from brown glass bottles. Nina gasped, and Windsor looked quickly at her.
"Did you see Clan?" she whispered, watching the ruffians in case one of them made a move toward them. She was not afraid; she could restrain all the men before they could lay a finger on her or Nina.
"No, but one of them rides with Clan. I've seen him. Oh, God, what if he takes me away with him now, before Stone and Sun-On-Wings get here? What if he makes me give Carlos to him?"
"I will not let that happen. Which one is he?"
"The one with the black mustache that curves down around his mouth and the brown serape around his shoulders. His name is Parker. He was with us in San Francisco."
As they climbed down from the wagon, Windsor watched the man Nina had described from the corner of her eye. He made no move to approach them, and she was relieved when he mounted a horse hitched at the rail in front of the cantina.
"Hold Carlos where he can see his face, so he will not ask to see him when he comes back for us."
Nina pulled down the blanket and lifted Carlos, and Parker took a good look at him as he walked his horse past the two women. As they climbed the steps to the front door, Parker urged his horse into a gallop, headed toward the hills looming behind the beachfront.
"He's going to report to Clan," Windsor told Nina. "Come, we need to get ready. Stone Kincaid and Sun-On-Wings will come soon."
Inside, an old woman led them through a cool dim hallway where a blind man sat in a rickety wooden chair. While Nina spoke to him in her own tongue, Windsor examined the way the house was designed, just in case their plan should go awry. A moment later, they climbed the steps and entered a dingy room facing the rear yard.
While Nina locked the door, Windsor retrieved a small candle from her pocket, lit it, then hurried to the tall louvered doors that led onto the iron balcony. She set the candle on the rail, then peered down through the dusky light. The back of the cantina was dusty and unkempt, with much refuse littering the ground. There was a stable, and a chicken house with dozens of hens scratching and clucking inside a makeshift wire fence. There was no sign of Stone Kincaid or Sun-On-Wings.
"Do you see them? Have they come yet?" Nina asked anxiously.
"No, but they'll see the candle now and come for Carlos, just as we planned."
"Oh, por Dios, what if they do not? What if Clan has seen and killed them? He'll kill me for bringing you here!"
Nina's voice grew shrill enough to warn Windsor that the girl was close to hysteria. She went to her at once, gently placing her hand over Nina's mouth.
"Shh, Nina, you cannot do this. What if someone hears you? You have to be brave, for Carlos's sake."
Struggling to control her fears, Nina sat down on the bed, but her eyes remained riveted on the open doors of the balcony. Windsor sat quietly on a bench beside the interior door, where she could intercept intruders and watch the window for Stone. She was afraid Nina would not be able to go through with the eventual meeting with Clan. Even now the poor girl looked ready to collapse.
Outside, the night had darkened to black. When a sound came from the balcony, Windsor rose to her feet, then relaxed when she saw Stone's face appear over the iron rail. With one agile motion, he swung over the top and into the room. Sun-On-Wings followed without a sound.
"Did everything go all right?" Stone whispered to Windsor.
"Yes, but Nina is very afraid. She thought you weren't coming."
Stone knelt beside Nina. "We've been with you the whole time, Nina, watching and waiting. If Clan had made a move, we would have shot him down. You have to remember that. You can't appear too nervous, or Clan will suspect something. Do you think he'll come here himself?"
Nina shook her head. "No, he'll wait somewhere safe while he sends someone for me. Now that he's wanted by the Nacionales in Mexico, he's very careful."
"All right, then we'll have to follow you to wherever he's holed up. And don't worry. We'll be right behind you all the time."
Nina nodded, but her chest heaved heavily from her agitated breathing. "Hurry, por favor. Take Carlos out of here, before they come for him."
Sun-On-Wings went down on one knee beside her. He removed the cradleboard from where it hung on his back. "Sun-On-Wings take little man. Nina no need worry."
Nina looked disconsolate at the prospect of sending her son away, but she settled the squirming infant on his back upon the board. Hurriedly, she strapped him in, then raised anguished eyes to the Indian. "Take good care of him, Sun-On-Wings. And you must promise me that you won't let Clan get him. Never let him have him, no matter what. Promise me."
"No worry, Nina. Sun-On-Wings swear to great Wah-Kon-Dah to take good care of little man."
"Gracias, Sun-On-Wings. He should sleep for a while now, but if he should cry, just put your face close to his and hum a little song. He likes that. He always quiets down when I sing to him."
Sun-On-Wings nodded, and Nina helped him arrange the cradleboard upon his back. Stone put his arm around the girl. "We won't let anything happen to him, so try not to worry. As long as he's with us, Clan won't get his hands on him."
Windsor was still standing guard by the window, and Stone paused beside her. "Are you sure you can get Jun-li to lie still?"
"Jun-li always obeys me."
"All right, then, we'll be outside watching. We'll intercept you before they can take you inside Clan's camp." He lowered his voice. "But if something should happen, and we don't make our move, you'll have to take care of the man guarding you and get Nina out. And don't wait too long to do it. I don't want either of you inside his hideout alone. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"I mean it, Windsor. Clan's too dangerous. Once you find out where he is, find a way to escape from your guard. Then we'll take over. You just get Nina back to the ship, where you'll both be safe."
"I understand."
Stone stared down at her, continuing to hesitate. "Are you sure you want to do this? A lot of things could go wrong."
"Every task can be accomplished by a man of resolution."
"Is there anything you don't have a saying for?"
Windsor's lips curved mischievously. "Wait until the Yellow River becomes clear, and how old will you be?"
Stone gave a low laugh. "Is that your way of telling me to get going?"
"Parker will come soon. All will be lost if he finds you here."
"Remember, no heroics. Don't try to take him on by yourself, understand?"
"Yes. Please go."
Reluctantly, Stone motioned Sun-On-Wings to precede him. When the Osage was safely on the ground with the baby, he swung his leg over the rail. Windsor stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"You must be careful, too. Do not let your anger rule your head. Tonight you will be free of Emerson Clan. You will sleep peacefully in my arms with no terrible dreams of revenge to haunt you."
"If you'll remember, I rarely sleep at all when you're in my arms." Stone smiled, cupping the back of her neck to draw her closer. His lips explored hers gently, and when she made as if to pull away, he prevented it, savoring their kiss for a moment longer.
"Don't worry about me, worry about yourself," he ordered, then he was gone.
Windsor watched the two men melt into the night before she went to the bed and opened her bamboo case. Happy to be free again, Jun-li jumped onto her shoulder, and she affectionately stroked his soft black fur.
"Much depends on you this night, my clever little friend. You must lie very still inside the blanket and not make a single sound. Do you understand?"
The capuchin cocked his head, but his intelligent brown eyes were much more interested in the handful of almonds Windsor had retrieved from her bag to feed to him.
19
The man named Parker came around eight o'clock the following morning. When he knocked on the door and called Nina's name, Windsor took a firm grip on Nina's shoulders.
"Don't be afraid. I will pr
otect you if anything should happen. Don't say anything unless he asks you a question."
Nina nodded, but she looked terrified. Windsor drew in a lungful of cleansing air, then opened the door. Clan's henchman stood in the hall. He was alone, but he carried a rifle in one hand, and two ammunition bandoliers crisscrossed his chest.
"Clan sent me for his woman," he said in a low voice.
"Please enter," Windsor answered.
Nina stood up at once, nervously twisting her fingers together.
"Where's the kid?"
Nina stared mutely at him, so Windsor was quick to reply. "He is asleep. He has been very sick, and we must not awaken him, or he will start crying again."
"What's wrong with him?" he asked, glancing suspiciously around the room.
"It is a disease called measles."
"Hell, ain't that catchin'?"
"Yes, so you must be very careful not to get too close, or you will be infected."
"I don't know if Clan'll want to bring a sick kid into camp. Maybe you better wait here and let me tell 'im."
"He is his son, is he not? He will wish to see him."
The burly man stroked his thick mustachio, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at Windsor. "Just who the hell are you, anyways? Clan didn't mention no other woman comin' with Nina."
"I am the baby's nurse."
The man took a moment to contemplate her story. Afraid he would refuse to let her accompany Nina, Windsor looked up at him, making her words sound anxious.
"We must go now, while the baby sleeps." She turned to Nina. "I'll carry Carlos for you, Nina, so you can rest."
Quickly she crossed the room to where her bamboo case lay behind the bed. She opened the case, stroked Jun-li soothingly, then wrapped the capuchin inside Carlos's blue blanket. She whispered in Chinese for the monkey to stay still, then laid him in the bamboo case. She covered his face and lifted the suitcase, hoping her story about the baby's illness would keep Parker from getting too close.
