MB01 - Unending Devotion (38 page)

“Mister, you’re in luck,” she said loudly enough so that all the men could hear. “First, I’m going to give you a big kiss.”

“How big?” he asked.

“How big do you want?”

Her gaze didn’t leave his. Even though her voice was light and playful, there was nothing but fear and determination in her eyes.

She was good at the charade.

He forced himself to grin, to play the dangerous game. “Let’s see what you’ve got. Then I can decide if I want to fill up that pail and take you upstairs.”

The saloon erupted into coarse laughter, and a few protests from the men who’d been vying to win her.

She leaned into him, hesitated for a second, and then brought her mouth to his. Her lips pressed into his boldly.

His lips melded to hers, the taste of fear propelling them together. And when she deepened the kiss, his hand moved up her back and into the thick strands of her curls.

He had to get her out of there.

Her grip tightened as if she would never let go of him.

All he could think about was how much he cared about her—how desperately and passionately he loved this woman. He couldn’t bear to think of anyone hurting her, and he knew he could do nothing less than give up his life to save her.

The chorus of calls tapered off into a chilling silence.

Lily’s lips froze on his.

A shiver slithered up his spine.

He broke their contact and pushed his lips against her ear and whispered, “When I stand up, I want you to get behind me and stay there.”

She nodded imperceptibly.

“I love you.” The ragged whisper came out before he could stop it.

She pulled back, her eyes wide.

It was then that he saw Carr. Only fifteen feet away. A pistol aimed at his heart.

“I was waiting for you, McCormick.” His voice was soft and his smile cold. “I figured you’d end up as one of our guests tonight.”

“Last I checked this was a free country.” Connell stood slowly, setting Lily to her feet and maneuvering her behind him. “I guess I have as much right as any other man to come up here.”

Lily huddled against his back.

Connell’s hand slid to his side, to his knife.

The cocking of Carr’s pistol echoed in the deathly silent room. “Keep your hands up, McCormick.”

Connell knew he couldn’t take any chances—not yet. He lifted his hands as if to surrender.

Carr started toward him, his boots tapping in slow, calculated steps that rang hollow. He was as immaculately groomed as always, not even a hair out of place.

Lily’s fingers crawled under his shirt, skimming over the skin of his back.

For an instant, all he could think was that she’d picked a poor time to entice him with her touch. But as her fingers closed over his knife, he realized what she was doing.

She slipped the knife out of the scabbard the same way she had when he’d fought the wolves.

“I figured it was past time for you to learn a lesson or two,” he said, hoping to draw Carr’s attention away from Lily.

“And what lesson are you going to teach me?” Carr said, now only seven feet away.

Jimmy Neil trailed him, his gap-toothed smile laying claim to victory. And two bouncers flanked Carr—hopefully the ones from the outside gate and door so that the men could make it inside the Stockade quicker.

Connell glanced at the clock. Four minutes left.

Would he already be dead by the time the others stormed the place?

“For starters you need to learn that forcing young women into slavery is against the law.” Connell stood straighter. “Our country fought a war to outlaw slavery twenty years ago. And I’m sure many of the men in this room had fathers who gave their lives in that fight for freedom.”

“These women aren’t slaves.” Carr closed the distance between them and stood only a foot away, close enough for Connell to catch the stench of whiskey and cigar smoke that lingered on his breath. “They’re down here because they agreed to it, right, Lily?”

“You’re a lying piece of scum.” Her voice rang with fierceness. “You would have killed me in that closet if I hadn’t agreed to your demands.”

She started to step out from behind Connell, but he took a step sideways to block her. “Anyone who’s met Lily knows she’d never willingly step foot in your brothel,” he said to Carr, praying Lily wouldn’t do anything rash. “And I suppose now you’re going to try to convince everyone here that Frankie agreed to work for you too.”

“Of course she agreed. She came to Harrison solely for the purpose of working for me.”

“The truth is, you wouldn’t have had to lure her up here under false pretenses if she were so willing. And you most certainly wouldn’t have had to beat her to death if she’d wanted this kind of life.”

Lily gasped and her body stiffened.

Too late he realized the poor timing of breaking the news of Frankie’s death to her, and he wanted to smash a mug over his head for his stupidity.

“Frankie’s dead?” Before he could stop her, she slid out from behind him. “You murdered a poor innocent girl?” Her voice grew shrill.

In that one instant, Carr grabbed her arm and captured her. He jerked her against him and held her in front of his body like a human shield.

She screamed in fury and struggled against him.

Connell lunged for her, but Carr shoved the barrel of his pistol against his heart, stopping him.

At the sight of the gun pressed into Connell, Lily froze and her face paled.

“That’s a good girl.” Carr jerked her tighter. “You do as I say. Don’t move. Don’t speak. And don’t cause me any trouble, and maybe I’ll go easy on you later when I give you your beating.”

“Let her go, Carr.” This was exactly what he’d hoped to prevent. The scoundrel had to know that with Lily as his prisoner, he’d be able to get Connell to do just about anything he wanted.

“And what other lessons do you plan on teaching me tonight, McCormick? Go on. Do your best to
reform
me.” The hard gleam in the man’s eyes told Connell exactly what he thought of Connell’s recent involvement in the Red Ribbon Society.

“I think you’re going to find that there are a lot of people in this town, and even in this saloon here tonight, who are tired of your intimidation and the way you’ve been running this town into the ground.”

“Is that so? I bet there’s not a man here who would agree with you.”

The room was silent except for a belch from a drunken shanty boy at the table next to them.

Carr’s grin widened. “See—”

“I agree with McCormick” came a man’s voice from the edge of the room.

Connell’s heart roared to life. Was Stuart inside?

“There’s a lot of us who are fed up with all your bullying,” another voice called out—a voice that sounded like Herb Nolan’s, his foreman.

“We’re sick to death of you breaking the law, Carr.” The calls came from around the room, and Connell could only pray all the men had made it into the compound and were in position.

Carr’s expression wavered, but the pistol pointed at Connell’s heart didn’t budge.

The grumbling around the room continued.

“Let Lily and Connell go,” shouted Stuart above the din, “and maybe we won’t tear your place apart right here and now.”

“You so much as lay a finger on anything in the Stockade,” Carr shouted back, “and I’ll blow a hole through McCormick’s heart faster than you can blink.”

“If you shoot him,” Stuart’s voice rang out, “you might as well count yourself a dead man.”

Once again the room turned into a silent tomb. Stuart pushed through the revelers, and some of the other men followed, pointing their guns at Carr and the bouncers who stood near him. Jimmy Neil’s grin faded and fear flashed across his face.

“You’re done, Carr,” Mr. Sturgis said. “We don’t want you in Harrison any longer.”

Carr didn’t move. “If you don’t put down your guns and walk on out of here, I’ll make sure every single one of you lives to regret the day you stepped into the Stockade.”

“Your threats don’t scare us anymore.”

“Nobody likes you, Carr.” Mr. Sturgis spoke again. “You might as well pack your bags and get out of here, ’cuz your days are numbered.”

Carr finally glanced around the circle of men who surrounded him. His clean-cut features hardened. “You all know that my business is what keeps this town alive. And it keeps the shanty boys happy and out of trouble.”

Disgust rose swiftly inside Connell. Had he really once believed the same thing as Carr? That the taverns and brothels were a necessary evil in the lumber communities?

He met Lily’s gaze and hoped she could see the remorse there.

Her eyes brimmed with a determination that sent a nervous shiver over his skin.

What was she planning to do next?

“We have evidence that you’re behind the log thefts this winter.” Herb Nolan stepped forward, his hunting knife unsheathed and pointed at Carr.

“You don’t have any evidence,” Carr snarled.

“A whole bunch of logs on the rollway down in Averill is plenty of evidence, especially because ain’t no one seen you or your men doing any cutting this winter.”

Several of the shanty boys throughout the room cussed and still others turned angry eyes upon Carr.

“After all the hard work these boys have gone through to cut and haul those logs,” continued Herb, “they don’t take kindly to anyone tampering with their profit.”

Carr’s hard expression flickered for just an instant, but it was enough for Connell to see that the man knew his days in Harrison were numbered.

“We don’t need you, Carr.” Stuart’s gun was leveled on Carr. “We never have. In fact, this town will finally have a chance to prosper once you leave. We’ll have law and order and maybe we’ll get some decent families wanting to come here to live.”

Carr took a step back.

The pressure of the steel pistol in Connell’s chest fell away. Before he could take a breath of relief, Carr swung the gun around and pressed it into Lily’s temple.

“No!” Connell started toward Carr.

“Don’t take a step closer or I’ll kill her.”

Chapter
29

T
he cold metal jabbed into Lily’s head with a pressure that would have given her a headache if she hadn’t been so angry.

She’d had enough of Carr. He’d not only stolen the life and love out of Daisy, but he’d murdered Frankie.

Picturing the frail, sweet Frankie taking blow after blow from Carr’s brass knuckles only managed to stir her anger all the more. The poor girl would have been terrified and in torturous agony.

“Don’t any of you try to follow me,” Carr said, dragging Lily backward toward the steps. “Or she’s dead.”

Maggie stood in the stairwell, the dark shadows hiding her. Even so, Lily could see the glint in the woman’s eyes, the one that said she’d warned her not to try anything and now was going to pay for lying.

Panic raced through Lily. If Maggie got hold of her again, she wouldn’t let her go. She’d haul her back to that dark closet and lock her in there for good. She’d be as good as dead too.

Oh, God,
her heart cried. She’d tried to trust Him throughout the awful evening. Could she
keep
trusting that He’d work out His plans for her?

She glanced across the room to Connell, to the haggard fear that crisscrossed his face. He’d come to save her. He’d risked his life for her. Again.

But he’d done everything he could. Was anything more possible?

As if sensing her question, he slipped his hand underneath his shirt. His fingers came back empty. His gaze darted to her hand, to his knife.

She clutched it, wishing she could toss it across the room to him.

First fear, then desperation flashed over his features. He glanced around as if looking for something he could use to stop Carr from taking her away. His focus landed on the sharp blade of the knife his foreman had drawn.

Connell nodded at the boss and then at the knife, indicating that the man should toss it to him. The foreman lifted his brow. And Lily was sure he was thinking the same thing she was—how could he toss Connell the knife without being seen and putting Lily in more jeopardy?

“You’re all big fools for interfering with my business,” Carr called. His arm around her waist was as tight as a chain.

She fought against his hold, but he only jammed the pistol until the pressure made her dizzy with pain.

The knife burned in her hand, turning her palm sweaty. Did she dare use it?

She curled her fingers around the handle.

Carr neared the bottom step. And Maggie’s eyes above the scarf mocked her, almost as if she were smiling in anticipation of the torture she would lay upon Lily when she got her hands on her.

“No!” Lily yelled. With a burst of strength borne of all the anger, pain, and fear rolling deep in her heart, she raised the knife and swung it backward, making contact with Carr’s upper leg.

He gave a scream of agony and fell away from her, releasing his hold. The gun slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor.

She started to fling herself toward Connell, but fingers gripped the back of her dress and yanked her backward. She found herself falling against Jimmy.

In that instant of confusion, she saw the foreman slide his knife across the floor to Connell. He swooped it up.

Lily strained to duck, to give Connell a target. And before Jimmy could move, Connell flung the weapon. It flew through the air with a speed that would have frightened Lily had she not seen Connell throw a knife before. The sharp tip sliced into Jimmy and embedded into his shoulder.

Jimmy shouted a string of curses and grabbed the smooth handle of the knife that had gone deep into his flesh. He shoved Lily away as if she were completely to blame for his pain.

She stumbled forward, scrambling across the distance toward Connell, her heart thudding with the need to reach him.

He was already halfway across the room. She launched herself into his arms, desperate for his help and strength.

“Lily,” he breathed as he swept her up, lifted her into his arms, and cradled her against his chest. The warmth and power of his hold enveloped her, and she buried her face into him, needing to block out Carr and everything that had happened.