The Devil To Pay (Hennessey.) (143 page)

He smiled too as he slid to the ground. He looked at Lando and Hennessey who were watching this scene, each with their own thoughts. He said, ‘look, you three go get the gate, I’ll stay here and keep Glissando’s men at bay.’

Before either man could speak Adela in an urgent whisper said, ‘no, no, Ellis, we have to stay together.’

He smiled again, ‘you said yourself I have to rest and I can do that while I wait for them,’ his smiled turned into a grin, ‘I’m just being sensible.’

She looked at him tears in her eyes at his courage and his ability to smile at a time like this.

Suddenly they all froze as the sound of footsteps came to them. They stayed perfectly still like statues as their pursuers crept through the trees and bushes. The men came very close to their hiding place and Adela closed her eyes and gripped Leyton’s hand, he squeezed her fingers gently but firmly. Then a voice whispered, ‘this way.’ They heard footsteps moving away from them.

They all let out a breath of relief and Lando whispered, ‘I’ll go open the gate. Hennessey, you stay with them.’

‘No, I’ll go let the good sheriff in.’

Lando shook his head, ‘I’m used to the woods, I know how to stay quiet and unseen, it makes more sense that I go.’

Hennessey opened his mouth to argue but Lando held up his hand, ‘don’t argue.’

He closed his mouth again and smiled, ‘you’re the boss.’

Lando scowled at him then turned to Adela and Leyton, ‘stay down and stay quiet, I won’t be long.’ To Hennessey he said, ‘watch her.’

Hennessey nodded and Lando turned to go but Adela called quietly, ‘Mr. Lando,’ he turned back, she got to her feet and said very softly, ‘Mr. Lando,
please
take the greatest care.’

He stared into her eyes and saw the fear there, the despair, but also concern, and somehow he knew the latter was all for him now. He wanted to say something, to console her, to comfort her. He wanted to take her hand in his and tell her that he would take care of everything, take care of her. He wanted to hold her to him but he didn’t have time and he wasn’t sure that even if he had all the time in the world he would do any of those things. It was too late, too late for any of that, too late for him.

So he merely nodded, turned and left.

In silence they all watched him leave, Adela standing perfectly still her hands clasped tightly in front of her. She jumped when Hennessey touched her arm. She turned to him and he said, ‘you heard the man, stay down.’ She continued to look into his eyes for a few more seconds then turned to go and sit with Leyton, but still holding onto her arm he said gently, ‘he’ll be all right you know, if anyone can take care of themselves it’s Lando, he’s been doing it long enough.’ She didn’t know what to say to that so said nothing. He added softly but meaningfully, ‘maybe too long.’

She frowned and then pulled her arm from his hand and went and sat down next to Leyton and began to check the bandages around his stomach and chest.

Hennessey stood by the entrance to the makeshift hideout and waited occasionally casting glances over his shoulder at them. He was concerned about Leyton too, he looked like death, and he should know. If they didn’t get out of here very soon, Leyton was a dead man. He watched Adela as he had before, tending to Leyton’s wounds and once again his admiration for her knew no bounds. Most other women would have been hysterical by now, but although she was obviously scared half out of her mind her greatest concern was the injured man. Maybe seeing to someone else was keeping her mind from what was happening preventing her from going completely to pieces. But whatever it was she was dealing with it.

He thought about how she had spoken to Lando just before he had left, so gently and earnestly. He wondered about that, did she have a thing for him? He cast his mind back to when he had originally thought so when she had defended Lando to him.

And what about Lando? What did he feel? If anything. But if he knew anything about men and he did, he would have said Lando did have feelings for her, but were they just the normal feelings a man would have for a woman in trouble, a woman needing his help?

He knew from personal experience that there was little a man liked more than to be needed, to be seen as a strong, powerful, protective presence in a woman’s life. And he had seen Lando’s expression and seen his fist clench when she and Leyton had been talking and smiling at each other, there was no doubt that Lando was jealous.

But what about Leyton, how did he feel about her? And more importantly how did
she
feel about
him
? She was certainly tender towards him, but was that because they had shared a harrowing experience, because she had watched him suffer? She obviously admired Leyton, just as she had admired him once, before he proved to her what he really was. But admiration was not enough, it was not love.

So, Lando or Leyton, which would she choose? If either. If she did choose Lando she would have a fight on her hands, he would not come to her willingly, not at first anyway, as much as he might want to. He was a proud man, proud and deeply troubled. It would take a very special woman to make him forget what had happened to his wife and his part in that. But then Adela Anne Faraday was a very special woman, he should know that better than anyone.

He felt an unmistakable stab just above his ribs when he recalled their time together, when he thought of what he could have had and now never would. Yes, Lando needed her, and she needed him, but was that enough for either of them? When it would take so much more to heal all their wounds. Maybe she would go with the safe bet, with steady, dependable but courageous Leyton? Of course after everything that had happened she might be desperate to get home, to leave this country and all the horrors she’d suffered here behind her.

Suddenly he tensed as a noise came to him from near the makeshift hideout. He turned to the others and put a finger to his lips. Then he heard a dog barking in the distance, he thought they had all been killed but one of them must have survived. Damn. They would certainly lead Glissando’s men here.

As quietly as possible he walked over to the others and whispered, ‘we have to get out of here.’ They both looked uncertain and Adela frightened but he added ‘we’ll be trapped in here; they can wait us out or come in, in force. We have to go.
Now
.’

Leyton said
, ‘you go, I’ll stay and hold them off.’

Adela’s return whisper was urgent, ‘no, Ellis, we go together.’ She looked at Hennessey for conformation but he was looking at Leyton.

He took another weapon from behind his back and handed it to Leyton. Adela stared wide eyed as Leyton reached out to take it. She gripped Hennessey’s arm saying, ‘no, you can’t, I won’t let you leave him.’

Leyton put his hand on hers
, ‘Adela, please, just go with him. I’ll be okay. Just please go.’

She shook her head as tears ran down her face. He said, ‘you have to get out of here, you have to live to tell them about Glissando and what he does here, what he does to people, like your friend, Desi.’ When she still would not be convinced he smiled a soft smile, ‘it’s been a real pleasure knowing you, Adela. We’ll see each other again, you’ll see. Now go.’ He looked at Hennessey, ‘get her outta here, Hennessey.’

Before she could speak or react Hennessey grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet. The next thing she knew they were out of the hiding place and making their way through the woods. She pulled at her arm gripped in his hand but he held on tightly. She scratched at his hand and beat her fist on his back but he did not stop walking until they were in a sort of clearing.

He drew her to a halt and growled
, ‘stop will you, just stop. Do you think Leyton would want you to be trapped in there with him?’

‘We should have all left together, we shouldn’t have left him,
you
shouldn’t have left him. You’ve killed him. But that means nothing to you does it, you’re a murderer.’

He was getting impatient now, ‘call me what you like, but it was
his
decision and it was the right one. If you can’t see that then Leyton just sacrificed his life for nothing.’

She became still and stared at him her eyes brimming with tears. He said gently, ‘we have to get you to safety; don’t let Leyton have died in vain.’

Just then shots came to them from the direction of the hideout. She wrenched herself free of him and began to run back the way they had come but he was too quick for her he grabbed her around the waist and half dragged, half carried her through the woods.

He was relieved to see that even though she was beside herself with grief and anger she did not make a sound as they ran, even in her pain she was sensible.

They crossed a small shallow stream, Hennessey intending to throw the dogs off their trail and had just made it to the periphery of the trees when they heard more gunshots, this time coming from the direction of the gate house which they could just make out through the trees. Hennessey recognised the sound of a rifle. Lando.

Hennessey turned to Adela intending to tell her to wait here while he checked on Lando when two men appeared from behind some trees directly in front of them with weapons raised, one pointing at Hennessey the other at Adela.

Hennessey reacted very quickly and shoved Adela forcefully aside. She hit the ground as Hennessey opened fire. One man went down with a bullet in his forehead. The other man was only wounded and one of his bullets had caught Hennessey in his left arm; he dropped his weapon as the pain shot through his arm causing his fingers to turn numb. He immediately bent to retrieve it just as Adela screamed out, ‘
Sterling
,
look
out
.’ He looked up to see the other man his gun pointing directly at Hennessey’s head.

Hennessey dived for his weapon but he knew it would be too late and waited for the pain or the blackness or both.

But suddenly there was another shot that sounded like a cannon on the still night air and the man fell sideways, blood spattering the trees and grass as he fell.

Hennessey grabbed his gun and turned but froze as Lando came striding towards them.

He looked down at Adela who was gripping her shoulder and asked, ‘you all right?’

She nodded even though she looked anything but all right. He reached down and helped her up. Then he looked at Hennessey who was just getting to his feet never taking his eyes from Lando. He said, ‘that was some mighty nice shooting, Mr. Lando. Thanks’

Indeed it was, it was dark and the man had been only partially visible with numerous obstacles between he and Lando’s rifle.

‘Now we’re even,’ Lando replied.

Hennessey smiled and Lando noticed Hennessey’s arm, ‘you’re hit.’

Henn
essey followed his gaze, ‘just a nick.’ It might have been just a nick but it hurt like hell.

Lando looked around
, ‘where’s Leyton?’

Hennessey looked at Adela who bowed her head. He said, ‘he stayed behind to keep Glissando’s men busy while we got away. We heard shots from that direction.’

Lando stared at him for a moment then looked at Adela whose shoulders were now shaking. He wanted more than anything to put his arm around her and comfort her but what comfort was there for her right now? And anyway, they had no time for regrets or commiserations they would keep for later.

His tone was brisk,
‘I opened the gate, I think we should get outta here and wait for the sheriff in the relative safety of the street.’

Hennessey nodded and
Lando took Adela’s arm, ‘come on, lady, we have to go.’

Still in shock and sorrow she let him lead her away and walked like an automaton between the two men.

They reached the gatehouse without encountering any trouble and were making their way towards the gate, when Adela cried out as she was suddenly and roughly hauled backwards by her hair into Glissando’s arms.

CHAPTER 45.

       Both Hennessey and Lando turned simultaneously, both pointing their weapons at Glissando and both thinking, where the hell had he come from?

Glissando was smiling, or rather sneering as he held the long gold handled knife against Adela’s throat. “Well met by moonlight, gentlemen,” he misquoted, ‘and lady of course.’ As he said this he pushed the knife into Adela’s neck causing a small trickle of blood to run down her throat and onto her blouse. She winced but would not give him the satisfaction of crying out.

Glissando said, ‘she’s a brave one isn’t she? But I can feel her trembling,’ he moved his free hand to her left breast, ‘and feel the erratic beating of her heart.’ Adela twisted and turned but could not free herself from his hold.

Hennessey could feel Lando tense next to him and said, ‘if she dies you die too, Glissando, you know that don’t you? Either by my Glock or Lando’s rifle, one or the other. Hey, I’ll tell you what, let the woman go and you get to choose which weapon you prefer to end your lousy, wasted, scummy life.’

Glissando’s smirk vanished and he pulled Adela’s head back by her hair and pushed the blade against her skin. This time it was more than a trickle of blood which oozed out of her neck as it snaked a trail between her breasts. She whimpered and Lando instinctively moved forward but Glissando warned, ‘one more step, Mr. Lando and she’s going to need a whole blood bank to save her.’