Page 72 of Mountain Trial

Luc’s muffled cries reached her then. He was struggling with all his might against the handcuffs.

“Relax, man, you’re not going anywhere. Let Bull here finish his story,” Dogfish said, sitting up and slapping Luc hard enough to turn his face to the side.

“As I was saying, I believed the cripple here when he told us you were a whore, but then I saw you both walking into the police station the other day, all chummy. I started following you, and guess what I discovered? You’re a whore, but a whore of a different kind. You’re a gendarme. And a pilot at that, how’s that for luck!”

Kat’s mind turned.

How do they know this?

“Which means, you’re so much more than I thought, you’re our ticket out of here.”

“You said I could enjoy her, Bull. Let me take her now, with the cripple watching,” Dogfish whispered.

A momentary look of irritation crossed Bull’s face―then his dark gaze was clear again.

“I said you could enjoy her, but not until she’s taken us where we need to go,” said Bull. “I know how rough you like it, Dogfish, and we can’t have her bleeding all over the place.”

Some incentive to cooperate.

“I can’t help it if I have a monster cock, Bull,” Dogfish replied, laughing. He stroked the erection tenting through his pants affectionately.

“I can’t fly you anywhere,” she said. “It’s not like I keep a helicopter in the backyard.”

“I know that, sweet thing. I’ve been following you around town. But you know where to find one, don’t you?” Bull said amiably. “If you don’t, then I really won’t have any incentive to keep Dogfish off you. Maybe you’d like that?”

“Yeah, I can show her a good time―much better than the cripple here.”

Kat shook her head quickly. “No. Please. I’ll take you wherever you want to go. But he stays here, unharmed,” she said, pointing at Luc.

She ignored Luc’s muffled cries and the clinking of metal as he kept pulling on the cuffs.

“You think?” Bull asked.

“He’ll just slow us down,” she said. Luc flinched at her words. Her heart broke a little at the thought of causing him pain, but now wasn’t the time to worry about his feelings. Now was the time to make sure Luc stayed alive.

“Nah,” Bull said, and his tone made Kat realize he’d never actually considered leaving Luc behind, that he’d just been messing with her. “We’ll bring him along―to keep you in line.”

Kat looked down at her watch.

“I don’t have the key to the fleet station. I won’t be able to get in until tom―”

Bull wrapped his hand around her pony tail and pulled―hard―tearing a cry from her.

“Don’t ever―ever―lie to me again, bitch. I saw you lock the fleet station behind you only a couple days ago. I know the keys are in your pocket this very second.” He pulled even harder. Kat bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying out again. “I don’t have anything to lose, Ms. Barreau. I can give you back your boyfriend as he is, or in little pieces, and I won’t lose a moment’s sleep.”

“No,” she gasped, raising herself on tiptoes in an attempt to ease the unbearable pressure. “I have the key, I’ll do what you say.”

Finally, Bull let go. Kat fell down to her knees, her hands on her bruised scalp.

Luc redoubled his muffled yelling as Dogfish jumped out of bed and took hold of Luc’s wheelchair.

He hates being pushed.

Bull grasped the top of her arm roughly and pushed her forward into the living room.

Kat looked around, wondering what she could do.

My coat.