AllFreeNovel
Share Us
For a moment, I rock on my feet, dizzy from the images of them restraining her and taking her against her will. In that moment, a fist slams into my stomach, waking me up immediately. The pain and the audacity of my opponent focuses me. Something tender inside me also shatters for Olivia. I don’t have time to think about it as rage overtakes me, bubbling up through me like an erupting volcano.
I swing and don’t stop until my fists sting from tearing open on his face. We’re both bloody messes, except he’s unconscious, and I’m fixing my eyes on the next guy like a rabid animal hungry for blood. He runs toward me, and I scoop him up by his shirt, flinging him into a tree. The other three men swear and when I turn to look at them, they’re huddling together. Two of them stand in the back, nudging the third one forward. He decides to be brave, rushing toward me. I’m huffing and puffing, breathing heavily, more from the adrenaline than fatigue.
When he attempts his first shot, I sidestep him, grabbing his arm and breaking it before kicking him in the spine. He howls in pain, falling to the ground. He tries to stand but he’s unable to. The other two men mutter something to each other before charging at me. They seem to think two against one gives them better odds. It allows them to get a few punches in. This boosts their confidence, but I have a thing about people who are too cocky.
Getting low and charging forward, I scoop one of the men up by his legs. Using his body as a weapon, I swing it into his friend who tumbles down. The sheer force of the contact knocks the man I’m holding unconscious. The other guy whips out a knife, and I shake off the tension in my body.
“That’s against the rules,” I say.
“Yeah, well, I haven’t survived this long playing by the rules,” he spits.
I nod and frown. “See, I can respect that,” I say. “But well, if you’re changing the rules, so am I,” I say, stopping dead and staring at him. He raises his hand to strike me, and I smile. “Shoot him,” I command. He only has about a second to register shock before his brain is being blasted from his head. Groaning now from the pain and fatigue making it known in my body, I bend over with my hands on my knees. “Whew! Do any of you happen to have any water I can have?”
“Aye,” Lucian says, jumping from his horse and rushing over to me with a canteen. “That was pretty impressive, mate,” he says.
“Well, thanks.” I groan, straightening. I’m trying to hide the fact I’m getting too old for this. I don’t want Lucian or any of the other men to think I’m getting weak. Still, I trust they wouldn’t use it against me, yet. They rely on me for their hefty wages.
As I quench my thirst, I hear groaning coming from behind me. Retrieving my gun, I spin around, nonchalantly shooting the rest of the men. When I get to the last one, a shaky cry erupts, and I glance toward the sound to see Olivia shaking. Her eyes are wide, and tears stream down her face. Unreasonable agony rips through me. There’s still time for me to curse myself for it later.
“You can let her go,” I instruct the two men holding her.
She doesn’t attempt to run. I think it’s obvious to her that she wouldn’t get far. But her mind doesn’t even seem to process the idea of escape as her trembling hands cover her mouth. My hand shakes as I point the pistol at the other man. I almost want to spare her the sight, but she’s seen so much already. What’s one more?
“It makes sense to kill them, Olivia.” I shrug. “I can’t very well let them escape, can I? Not after what transpired here. It’s only logical.” Why am I explaining myself to her? Seeking to soothe her?
When I pull the trigger, killing the other man, I wince this time. I wince for her pain. But I can’t say I regret killing him or any of the other men. Not after what I imagine they might have done to her. With those cocksuckers out of the way, I rush toward her. She backs away. It’s only normal, but it bristles me.
Still, she’s mine to touch, and I bring my hand to her face. Up close, I can see the welts on her cheek, and I groan at the way the daft maggot men marred her perfect skin. She gasps and shudders when I move my bleeding knuckles up to her face, brushing them across her skin. I should stop. All my men are witnessing this. They’ll think me a fool, but her hollowed eyes hold me in their trance. They widen at me, and I can’t help but display tenderness. Her tremorous breaths warm my knuckles and something in her eyes shift, though she stands as if wary of me still, pulling ever so slightly away. But that horror from earlier, it’s faded and in its place is shock, confusion, and… hope?
I pull my hand away, dropping it to my side. No, this is dangerous territory. She’s my prisoner. I need to remember that. My property. Nothing else. There’s still the matter of knowing whether she planned to meet up with her father, whether she plotted with him to run from his responsibilities, and whether she tricked me into thinking she was kind and selfless. I should be dangling her by her neck, demanding information from her. But sard it, today has been a long day, for all of us. And as much as it kills me to admit, I can’t imagine causing her any more distress tonight.
Bloody hell. With some rest, I’ll be set right again. For now, I can’t be asked to overthink things. Turning to my men, I wave at the dead bodies. “Gather them. I don’t want anyone riding through the forest to discover them and ask questions. Cover their blood and brain matter with dirt and leaves,” I say coldly, aware of Olivia’s sharp intake of breath. I ignore her. She and my men need not forget who I am.
“There are two more bodies back at the house,” I inform the men. “Burn them together.”
The men I can see, nod. “Aye,” the others respond.
Turning back toward Olivia, I grab hold of her arm. She winces and before I can stop myself, I loosen my hold. She must be bruised there too. Damn it. Why do I care? Feeling ridiculous, I take care not to hurt her as I pull her forward.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks. I take note of the fact she isn’t pulling away. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad sign.
I pause to give her a warning look not to argue. “You’re riding with me,” I say.
She swallows, and her chest heaves, but she doesn’t say anything as we walk toward my horse. If she thinks I’m ever letting her out of my sight again, she has another guess coming. She bites her lip when her palm presses into mine on the mount. I can tell she’s trying to fight the pain. The wounds scratch against my palm, and I overflow with such rage, I could kill the cocksuckers again.
Huffing, I climb up after her, placing her behind me. “Well, go ahead. Wrap your arms around me; you’ll fall off if you don’t,” I grunt.
Her arms move slowly around my waist, and I hiss, groaning as she keeps from touching me. I roll my eyes. “You’ll have to hold on tighter than that if you want to stand a fighting chance,” I say.
“This is comfortable enough for me, thanks,” she responds.
Her response shocks and relieves me. At least, after everything she’s witnessed today, she still has her spirit.
“Okay.” I shrug. “Suit yourself,” I say, nudging Midnight forward. She slips immediately when he gallops, and she swears before tightening her hold. I smile at the victory and squirm at the warmth.
Chapter Twenty
Olivia
