Harris Channing (29 page)

Unfastening the sledge, he
carefully led it down the incline and to where the Shallcross family lay exposed
to the elements. Just the sight of them sent a cold shiver across his flesh.
Yet his desire to rip Reg's heart from his chest was overpowered by the
compassion for these people who once loved and cared for the woman who had
saved his life. He swallowed hard. His salvation had cost them their lives.

Reaching them, he dragged Bobbie's
father to the sledge, securing him first. "I'll see to her, Mr.
Shallcross." Damnation, but he'd rather be asking him for his daughter's
hand. He could only imagine how little regard the man would have had for him,
had he seen him just a few weeks ago. "She saved me. You raised a
wonderful girl."

Next, he laid Mrs. Shallcross atop
her husband. Her face so much like Roberta's that he felt the burn of tears. He
stared for what seemed ages before he finally pulled himself free. With a shake
of his head and a heartfelt sigh, he secured a rope about her.

Then, he came to the boy. The
upturned nose, the smattering of freckles on his unnaturally toned skin had
bile surging upward. Rushing away, he relieved the pressure and emptied the
contents of his stomach by the trunk of a nearby tree.

Water ran from his eyes, blurring
the scenery around him but as a dark shadow shifted through the haze, he pulled
his gun. Adrenaline poured through his veins and had him ready for battle. The
damned wolves would not sneak up on him again.

Lifting his free arm, he wiped his
eyes on his sleeve just as the beast came into focus. But instead of firing, he
slipped his finger off the trigger.

"Thank god," he nearly
shouted with glee. The last thing Bobbie needed was another loss. "Alfred,
get your furry ass over here."

The dog was skittish as he made his
way toward David. It was as if the animal recognized the evil of this place.
Going to his knee, he lifted his hand toward Alfred.

"Come on. It's all right.
We'll take good care of them."

When the dog finally came to David,
he pressed the top of his head against his thigh. "Been a long night,
huh?" Burying his fingers in Alfred's scruff, the dog moaned with obvious
pleasure. "C'mon. Let's finish up here and get home." He smiled down
at the beast. "I just hope she'll be as happy to see me as she will be to
see you."

Standing, David turned back toward
the sledge and the unpleasant business at hand. As he did the distant pop of
gunfire sent a chill down his spine.

***

Bobbie pulled the pistol from her
pocket and cursed herself for her lack of restraint. What was the matter with
her? Screaming? Was she a complete moron? She slid back, hoping to make it the
back of the house before Reg saw her, but she couldn’t move fast enough. Her
joints seemed frozen as if they were rusted metal in need of oil.

As Reg turned the corner, she
trained the pistol on him and he stopped, his hands raised in surrender, his
revolver dangling from his fingertips.

"Drop that gun," she
shouted, her voice echoing across the mountain that jutted up behind them.

He obeyed, the revolver
disappearing in the knee deep snow. She stared at him, the hate blazing through
her soul. She should bind him. Beat him. Shoot him between his cold blue eyes.
But she did nothing, for the questions that raced through her mind demanded an
explanation. She had to know exactly why he had done it.

"You killed my family,"
she said, her voice trembling with her fear and anger.

"I know," he replied, his
mouth curved into a frown. "I was scared, Bobbie. That's all. I didn't
know what else to do."

His excuses lacked not only logic
but conviction. "You expect me to believe that killing everyone in my
world came down to not knowing what to do?" Dear Lord, but her finger
itched to pull the trigger. Why couldn’t she do it? She had killed a wolf and
God knew that beast was far more innocent than the one that stood before her.

"The boy saw me. He ran to
find your folks, to tell them I was robbing them."

He began to lower his hands and she
jabbed the gun forward. "You keep them up or I'll empty the chamber into
your black heart."

Lifting his arms high, he raised
his chin with an arrogance that she found appalling. He should be on his knees
begging for not only her, but for God's forgiveness. She looked into his eyes
and saw no sorrow there. No regret. Just the cold stare of a predator.

"My heart is not black,"
he muttered. "It is broken. Stealing was the only way to get anything in this
damnable place." He clenched his jaw, his gaze moving up and down her
body. "I needed it to pay debts back home. I tried mining, but the last
bit of silver anywhere near my claim was found by that drunken bastard."

"So, you killed Sarah out of
jealousy?"

"She chose him. He neglected
her, hurt her and she still chose him!" His face turned crimson. "And
the baby she carried could have been mine. I couldn't have the child raised by
another man. It belonged to me."

"People don't belong to other
people," she growled. "And you did not have any rights to what
belonged to my family." Her ire surged to nearly uncontrollable levels.
"You killed them for things. Not even very valuable things." She
pulled back the trigger, contemplating just where to aim. Head or heart?

"The moment I saw your picture
in the locket, I regretted killing them.
 
You're so beautiful. That's why I gave it to Henderson." His
countenance shifted from condescending to sincere. But she had seen too much,
learned too much to be even the slightest bit moved. "That's why I brought
your family to the barn. I wanted you to have peace of mind and perhaps offer
me a bit of gratitude."

Disbelief washed through her.
"Gratitude? You killed them."

He narrowed his eyes. "You
weren't supposed to know that. And I swore it was the last time I'd harm
another human being."

She gasped. "You're a liar,
for you only just killed Henry." She clenched her jaw so tight her teeth
ached. "You learned nothing from past deeds. You're a monster and will
always be a monster."

She let go of the hammer yet there
was no spark, no recoil, just the sickening click of impotence. Dropping the
gun, she reached into her other pocket to pull out the pistol David had
provided, her eyes never leaving Reg.

Like a rabid hare, he sprang toward
her just as she pulled the weapon free. With an ease that defied his bulk, he
threw himself at her, knocking her back until she collided heavily against the
frozen earth. Sparks danced on the periphery of her vision as consciousness
threatened to give way to darkness.

"Right where I want you,"
he whispered in her ear. He slid his hand down her arm, and took the pistol.
"When you stole that, I guess I forgot to mention that sometimes it
sticks."

Chills of revulsion rippled through
her, aiding in her fight to stay awake. "Get off me!" she shouted.

He laughed, grinding his hips
against her, his cock hard atop her thigh. "I wonder, will you be as tight
as the lovely Sarah?"

She struggled beneath him, wanting
nothing more than to scratch his eyes out. "You're disgusting."

"Tell me, Bobbie, are you
still a virgin? For the first taste of the fruit is by far the sweetest."

With a surge of strength, she
pulled her arm free. Balling up her fist, her knuckles collided forcefully
against his ear. The action caught him off guard and he tilted to the side
giving her just enough room to slip out from beneath him.

"You little bitch."

She pushed back, her boots skidding
in the snow and making retreat difficult. He reached for her, missing her ankle
as she struggled to her feet. Wasting no time to retort, she ran toward the
back of the house, her only escape route, a narrow path. But should she go up
or down the mountain?

"You'll be lost if you go
either way, Bobbie," he called to her. She glanced back. He was getting
closer, his rage-filled face almost unrecognizable.

Veering left, she moved up the
mountain, praying her instincts were right. Praying that she hadn’t chosen a
dead end and wishing with each step she took that she would survive this. That
she would live to see David.

Reg scrambled up behind her, his
long legs coming up on her with a speed that had her pressing her own limbs to
the limit. Up, up, up she went. The trees became fewer and fewer, the higher
she climbed. The mountain side rising sharply as the path narrowed.

Her eyes watered from the wind, her
cheeks all but numb with the cold. Still she trudged upward. But it was a
battle she was losing, for he was closer still, only inches from her.

With her heart thundering from
terror and exertion, she let out a cry of frustration. She had come to the end
of the path. Through frantic eyes, she spun around, facing him and she knew.
Deep down in her soul, she knew he was going to kill her.

"Why not just shoot me and get
it over with!" she shrieked, for there was nowhere to go but straight up.

"Because," he said with a
menacing grin. "I want to use you to get to Henderson." He raised the
pistol. "And I want to fuck you."

She turned her back to him and
attempted to climb up the rocky incline. But her fingers slipped and she could
find no solid footing. Down, she could roll down…couldn’t she? Going to the
edge of the path, she cast her gaze upon the precipitous slope, heavy with
sharp, protruding rock. Rock that could bruise, skewer, maim or kill. She had
to make a decision…had to now, for he was a breath away.

She felt his presence and froze.
Tears sprang to her eyes and fell unchecked at he set the cold barrel of the
pistol to her neck. Tugging hard to her hair, he jerked her head up and forced
her to look at the mountain range beyond. With sharp fingers, he changed his
grip to her arm and held it so tight that pain shot through to her fingertips
despite the heaviness of her winter coat.

"Enjoy the view," he spat
as she gazed forward, practically blind to the peaks that reached heavenward.
"For this time tomorrow you'll be hidden away with your family. No light
will ever touch your eyes again."

She struggled against him,
desperate for freedom. Yes, she'd roll to her death if it came to that, but he
would not use her to harm David. Twisting in his grip, she shoved at him with
her free arm, but he was as immovable as the mountain.

Spinning her around, he pressed her
back hard against his body, the pistol to her head. "You are coming home
with me. You are going to have dinner at my table and lie contentedly in my
bed." His words hissed in her ears and she stilled. "And maybe if
you're a good little girl I'll keep you alive long enough to say goodbye to
David. If not, I'll see that he finds you splayed upon the floor."

She wanted to scream, to cry out,
but she didn't know what to say. The options were enraging him further or
sobbing and she'd be damned if she allowed him to witness the latter.

"Now, walk to the house. Do
not make another stupid move or I will put a bullet in the back of your
head."

Dread flared through her as she
took her first tentative steps down the path but at the sound of Alfred's bark
she stopped. Reg too, skittered to a halt. "That god damned beast,"
he muttered, his tone dripping with loathing. "If I get the chance, I'll
kill it."

As the dog raced around the bend
below, she heard the sickening click of a bullet entering the chamber. Reg's
arm extended over her shoulder to fire on the dog. With his attention fixed
upon Alfred, she seized the moment to grab hold of his elbow and push the
weapon upward. The gun fired, the sound so loud that her ears hummed. But she
didn’t let go of his arm. No, she clung to it as if her life depended on it.
Because, she realized, it did.

***

"Damnation," David
cursed. What the hell was going on? Was Reg trying to start a blasted
avalanche? That was two shots fired in less than a fifteen minute time frame.
Whatever was going on, it wasn't good.

Alfred had disappeared up the
mountain beyond Crocker's cabin, and a sickening fear flared to life in the pit
of David's stomach. For some inexplicable reason, his worry turned toward
Bobbie.

Dismounting Ned, he followed the
dog's tracks upward and with dread saw not only the large, heavy imprint of a
man's boot, but the smaller, lighter indention of a woman's. His anxiety
increased and with determination, he raced up the mountainside. At yet another
gun blast and the sound of Bobbie's sharp cry, he realized that she was close.
Perhaps just beyond the next bend. He slowed his pace but his mind raced. His
instincts told him to speed into the fray with guns blazing, but logic and his
soldier's mind had him slowing. It did no good to charge up like the cavalry.

"Alfred!" Bobbie yelled,
the dog's bark suddenly echoed through the air and continued as if sounding an
alarm. An alarm fierce with a hatred David understood only too well. Taking
advantage of the dog's distraction, he hid behind a stony outcropping and
peered at the scene before him. His stomach plummeted.

Bobbie struggled with Crocker for
control of the gun, Alfred bounded around the pair jumping and lunging as if he
were looking for the perfect opportunity to strike.

With his adrenaline pulsing through
him, David knew that charging forward was the only thing to do. If he waited
too long, Reg would gain full advantage for despite her health, youth and
strength, Bobbie was no match for the man.

Springing forward, David angled his
body to collide with Reg's. Upon impact the threesome fell backward, Bobbie and
David using Crocker's body as a cushion. The sound of air escaping the
villain's lungs as they landed was like music to David's ears.

Bobbie jumped to her feet and
surged toward Alfred, calming him until his barks quieted to a low, threatening
growl.