Faster Than the Rest Read online

  “Please, Miguel, let me return to my life in San Francisco.” She swiveled her head away from the wall toward him when he rose from the bed and paced to the window. “Hamilton will never pay what he owes you. I’m of no value to you anymore and I’ll never provide the pleasure you seek from your women.” She knew the contempt in her voice wouldn’t fall on deaf ears, but his next words were flung at her in cold fury.

  “Make no mistake, querida. You are mine for as long as I want you,” he bellowed. “I have decided I want you again. Do you understand or must I show you?” Miguel stalked towards her, removed his belt, and now stood a mere foot away.

  “No, Miguel.” Dread filled her voice. “No demonstration is needed.”

  Miguel replaced his belt, pulled on a coat, and started for the door. “I will return for you tonight. You will be ready for me, querida. This time you will welcome me to your bed.”

  Victoria’s back stiffened. She remained on the bed, rigid, until long after Miguel had left. She couldn’t stand another time in bed with that man. He’d threatened her before but never followed through. Many nights she hadn’t slept, but lie awake, planning her escape.

  Soon. It would have to be soon.

  Chapter Three

  “Stop fussing, Tankard. You’re worse than traveling with a woman.” Jamie’s patience had been exhausted as he listened to the prisoner’s constant complaints.

  “Hell, Marshal. We’ve been travel’n with just short stops for days. I’m tired and sore. My horse needs to rest and I’m hungry. Like I told you, they ain’t goin’ nowhere. Hagan will stay there for a couple of months and rest up.” Billy was a good rider. He’d spent long days and nights in the saddle, but traveling non-stop with a throbbing, broken nose and torn-up wrist was taking its toll on him. Besides, he had no intention of going all the way to Hagan’s ranch with MacLaren. If the man had a death wish fine, but Tankard wanted no part of it.

  “No rest until we get close to the ranch. How much longer?” Jamie was worn-out, but he’d learned to survive on short catnaps and little food while doing his work as a U.S. Marshal.

  Jamie was an excellent lawman. He could locate missing people that others couldn’t find, and no one was faster with a gun. Those he tracked always underestimated his skill, and many were dead because of it. He worked well alone, preferred it most of the time, as most jobs took him through several states and territories. No, the few days of little sleep or food on this trip wasn’t what drained him. It was the hunt for this particular hostage.

  Victoria. His ex-fiancée. The woman who’d married another while he was away. The woman he’d loved since he was sixteen and she fifteen. It had been seven years. The pain was still as intense as it had been when he first learned of her betrayal. Her actions had hurt many people and impacted many more. Jamie had left Fire Mountain a few short weeks after her marriage and ultimately became a U.S. Marshal. Now, due to his skill at recovering those abducted, it fell to him to find her. Return her to her family. Her husband.

  Jamie had spent much of the past four months preparing to come face-to-face with the woman he’d never wanted to lay eyes on again. Now that his objective was only days away, however, he was filled with anticipation. He hoped Tankard could keep up the relentless pace.

  “A day or two will put us a few miles from the valley entrance,” Billy answered, even though he wasn’t certain of the distance left to travel.

  It won’t be long now, Jamie thought.

  ******

  Miguel hadn’t made good on his threat. It’d been two nights, but he hadn’t come for her. Victoria prayed this would continue, but knew it may not.

  Tonight she felt much stronger. She’d overheard Miguel tell his men he planned to visit a neighboring ranch for a celebration to honor the rancher’s recently betrothed daughter. Some of the men would go along, as well as Sofia, which was welcome news. A minimal number of men would be left to guard her and the ranch. According to Sofia’s gloating words, these fiestas could last all night, so not to expect them until morning. But the taunts meant nothing to Victoria, other than to signal her chance had come. She’d hidden food and clothing. Now she’d wait until those left behind were occupied, and then she’d initiate her escape.

  Yes, tonight would be her chance.

  ******

  “We’ll bed down here, Tankard. Get off your horse and sit by that scrub oak.” MacLaren gestured to a bush a few feet away. “Hold out your hands.” He retrieved his rope and knelt by his prisoner.

  “You don’t need that, Marshal. I ain’t plan’n to take off,” Billy protested, but did as the marshal ordered. Jamie secured Tankard’s hands, then moved on to his feet.

  “Dammit, MacLaren. I can hardly ride and my right hand is useless, and…” The rest of his words were muted by a kerchief stuffed in his mouth.

  Jamie was through listening to the whining and constant chatter from this piece of trash. Finished, he stood, unsaddled Tankard’s horse, but left Rebel ready to ride. They were too close to Hagan’s ranch. He wouldn’t take any chances by being careless.

  Jamie walked to a rock out-cropping and worked his way through the rough-faced boulders. All he could see from this location was the start of a valley several hundred yards ahead with peaks on either side. He figured it must be the opening to Hagan’s ranch. Now he understood why Tankard had thought it impenetrable. The canyon created a fortress, while the flat land for several hundred yards out provided little cover. A lookout would be able to see for miles.

  Jamie had begun his descent off the rocks when he heard horses. It was near sunset, but he could still make out eight riders. They left the valley and turned north, away from his location, and continued around another hill until they were out of sight. From what he could see, there were six men and two women. He didn’t know what that meant, except his chance may have come sooner than anticipated. Jamie hurried back to where Billy was trying to sleep and kicked his tied ankles, removing the gag with a quick tug.

  “What d’you want?” Billy protested.

  “How many men does Hagan keep with him?”

  “I don’t know. Eight, ten.”

  That meant there were no more than three, maybe four men still in the valley. Hagan could have added more. Didn’t matter. These were still better odds than he’d expected.

  Jamie checked his rifle and extra sidearm. Both were loaded and ready. He’d take Rebel, but also knew he’d be on foot much of the way to avoid detection. Jamie would go prepared. Now all he could do was wait.

  ******

  All she could do was be patient and wait. Victoria went through her meager belongings once more. The group had left an hour ago but it still wasn’t dark. She needed the cover of night for her escape to work.

  She’d ventured outside the last two days, expressing her need for fresh air to Miguel. In truth, she wanted to gauge the distance to the valley entrance as well as the trails along the hillsides that surrounded the ranch. Although not tall, the scrub oak and occasional salt pine were dense. They’d provide good cover if she kept low. The problem would be noise. She needed a way to trek through all the underbrush without alerting the guards. Victoria turned to Miguel’s trunk and located two pair of tattered, thick socks. She’d pack her shoes and wear his socks for walking, at least until she was beyond the valley opening.

  Miguel had left two men behind. She knew from listening to Miguel’s instructions that one man would remain posted at the entrance. He was short of men, having eight total. Two more women were still in the bunkhouse, but they were keeping the second man busy from the sounds Victoria could hear wafting across the open area between the buildings. She knew José had been told to keep watch outside the house, and was grateful he neglected his duties this night. He was a mean one, the worst of Miguel’s crew. She didn’t want to run up against him during her escape.

  Miguel had been gone two hours. The sun was down, the moon a sliver in the darkened sky, and Victoria knew it was now or not at all. The back door
off the kitchen was kept locked, but she’d found the extra key Miguel had stashed when he thought she was sleeping. Slipping outside, she closed the door and moved over the uneven ground until she reached a dense cluster of bushes far to the left of the house. She hid behind them and waited as several minutes ticked by. Nothing. No one had heard or seen her leave.

  Victoria squinted as her eyes adjusted to the dark. There was a path along the backside of the scrub, perhaps an old deer path. The sight bolstered her courage.

  She continued along the animal trail, taking cautious steps, avoiding fallen limbs, while moving among the rocks. At one point she heard the door of the bunkhouse open. José yelled something in Spanish to the women. She’d learned some of their language over the last few months but couldn’t make out what he said. It didn’t matter. José took a slow turn around the area, scanned for anything unusual, then, satisfied he’d done his job, walked back inside.

  It took Victoria an hour to reach the opening that signaled her escape. She’d heard the men talk of it. A small cave nestled within the canyon walls. If followed it would meander through several yards of the mountain, then exit out on the other side toward a large rock formation. It dumped into the remains of a dried riverbed surrounded by dense scrub oak. The path paralleled the trail the men used when on horseback, but was hidden from view.

  Victoria stopped to rest and looked up at the hill next to the valley entrance where the sentry was posted. No sign of Luis. It was dark. He might have moved further up the mountain, too far for her to see from this location.

  This was her point of no return. She could head back now, with little chance of detection, or keep going into the more open plains where she’d almost certainly be spotted. Victoria continued on.

  Chapter Four

  Jamie made his way along the old creek bed, keeping near the trees that still held to life despite the arid conditions. Some were as high as twenty feet, but most were short and dense, providing excellent cover. He’d get as close as he felt safe, ground-tie Rebel, and continue on foot. Jamie estimated another hour to the valley entrance. After that he’d just have to take circumstances as they came.

  Billy’s description of the ranch area had been vague. The house, bunkhouse, old barn, and some fenced corrals were all laid out in a circle, with clear ground in the center. He knew the house would be the building farthest to the right as he entered, and that, he guessed, would be where the hostage was held. Hostage. It was best to think of her that way and not by her name. After all these years he still found the sound of her name painful, whether spoken out loud or a quiet thought.

  Jamie continued forward a couple hundred more yards until he came to a spot where he felt Rebel would be safe and unseen. Grabbing his rifle and extra sidearm, he scanned the area once more before continuing on foot. About fifty feet ahead he saw where the creek bed made a sharp turn and the brush on each side came together. It was a perfect place to cross over so that he could enter the valley from the right. This was going better than expected. Perhaps his luck would hold.

  ******

  Victoria continued on until the scrub oak became sparse. She considered her options. A couple hundred yards ahead stood a very dense stand of trees and brush. To reach it she’d need to cross a vast expanse of open space. It was a dark night, but Luis could still make her out if he were looking in her exact direction. She would take her chances. She replaced the two layers of socks with her shoes, steeled herself, grabbed her small bag and the hem of her skirt, and ran for the cover of the trees ahead.

  The rocks hurt her feet, even through the shoes, but she continued to charge ahead as fast has her legs would travel. She didn’t look back, but focused on her goal. She had to reach the trees. They were a hundred feet ahead when a bullet whizzed past. It hit the rocks to her right, sending up a small cloud of dust. She didn’t slow her pace. They would have to kill her. She would not go back.

  ******

  Jamie heard the gunfire and stopped. One shot, then nothing. He estimated it to be a few hundred feet ahead but realized it wasn’t aimed at him. Who are they shooting at? He kept on, escalating his pace while scanning the area. Another dense growth of trees and bushes lie just ahead. He focused on that area and continued forward, keeping low to the ground. Then he heard it. Someone or something was in front of him, making considerable noise as it moved through the scrub.

  There was something else. Riders were headed in his direction, shouting, but he couldn’t make out the words.

  He arrived at the stand of trees just as the noise ahead of him stopped. Jamie could hear labored breathing, but that was all. He took cover behind a thick oak and leveled his rifle in the direction of the sound. The shouting continued in the distance, but his focus was on the possible danger in front of him.

  ******

  The dense cloud cover made it impossible to see. Victoria stopped, took in huge gulps of air, and tried to make out the shapes a few feet away. Her heart raced as she tried to quell her panic. She needed time to think. The shouts drew closer. They knew she’d fled. The only weapon she had was a knife that had been left on a table, in plain sight. She’d stuffed it into her bag.

  Her heart rate slowed somewhat and she began to formulate a plan. The brush was thick in this area. Perhaps she could find a place to hide, wait them out. Maybe one would turn back to find Miguel. That would leave her with just one man to fight. The only people she’d ever fought were her husband and Miguel, but she was scared and desperate, and determined to never go back. At this point she knew deep in her heart that she would kill, or die, to keep her freedom.

  Victoria opened her bag, retrieved the knife, and started forward into the dense growth. In less than a minute she came to a small opening. She’d need to be quick to avoid detection. She stepped forward, knife in hand.

  ******

  Jamie heard it again, this time much closer. Heavy gasps accompanied by breaking twigs. Whatever it was, it moved straight toward him, just beyond the small open space ahead. Heavy cloud cover obscured the moon. It was almost pitch black. He waited. No sense moving when he had good cover and his rifle aimed straight at the noise. He’d dispatch it, deal with the riders from the valley, and continue ahead to retrieve the hostage.

  ******

  Victoria surged forward just as the clouds parted. Moonlight washed over her. She stood exposed in the clearing. A rifle cocked and she froze.

  “Don’t move.” Jamie spoke just loud enough for the figure in front of him to hear. He could make out the form of a woman, but she faced away from him. It was still too dark to see her features. Then the clouds broke free and she turned towards him.

  Jamie’s hands clenched tight on the rifle. He couldn’t get a breath as he stared into the eyes of the only woman he’d ever loved, the woman he would have given anything and everything to have, the woman who’d betrayed him. She was stooped, as if in pain. He braced himself against the emotions that swept over him and stepped forward, never lowering his weapon.

  Victoria gasped as she stared down the barrel of the rifle aimed at her heart. Her eyes moved up to the face of the man holding the gun. The eyes, the stance, the hair peeking below the hat tickled at her memory. There was something familiar about this man, but she had yet to place him. She lifted the hand holding the knife, but he mistook it as a challenge.

  “I wouldn’t, Torie,” Jamie said in a deceptively casual voice as he continued to walk towards her. “You know how accurate I can be.”

  Victoria stood rooted in place. Only one person had ever called her Torie. The man lowered his rifle just a few inches and her breath caught. My God, it can’t be. Not here, not now. The boy she’d loved in her youth, the man she still loved, was now a threatening presence standing in front of her. Her heart pounded in her chest. Jamie MacLaren.

  After all these years he still took her breath away. Even with his rifle pointed at her, his expression inscrutable, he was still the most attractive man she’d ever seen. His dark whiskey-brown hair
was a little long, and in the sunlight she knew there would be streaks of deep copper. He had a slight beard, as if he hadn’t shaved in several days. She couldn’t tell if his eyes were still a beautiful soft gray with deep steel colored rings, but she’d wager they were. Eyes that turned almost black when he was angry. His words began to penetrate her straying thoughts and she lowered the knife to her side.

  “Drop it, Torie,” he commanded.

  “No, Jamie, I won’t.” The words were steady but strained.

  The sound of her voice after seven years cut straight through him. “So you do recognize me. I wondered if you would.” Jamie responded just as the shouts of men were heard nearby. He could hear them dismount and move in their direction.

  “Get over here. Now.” Giving orders and being obeyed were natural to him, but Victoria stood frozen in place. “Victoria, move over to me so I can protect you.” His calm confidence pulled Victoria from her trance. She stepped next to him. Years of working to free hostages kicked in and he lowered his voice even more. “Good girl, now get behind me.” This time she responded instantly.

  Both slipped behind the shelter of the oak. Jamie used one hand to apply pressure to Victoria’s shoulder as he indicated for her to crouch behind him, low to the ground. He placed a finger to his lips as a signal for her to stay silent. His gut clenched as he watched her shudder, but she did as he instructed.

  Two men crashed through the bushes, neither expecting to see a man with a rifle leveled at them.

  “Stop right there, gentlemen. Not a foot more or I’ll have you on the ground before you can spit.” Jamie inched around the tree for a better angle.

  “Ah, señor, we mean you no harm. We are chasing a woman. She belongs to our friend. He owns a ranch nearby. She is only his whore but we are afraid she has become lost.” Victoria recognized José’s voice and winced at his description of her. He was a liar and a cold-blooded killer. He wouldn’t hesitate to add Jamie to the list of men who had died at his hand.