Scars of the Heart (11 page)

What would she do? She had no money, no sense, no one to help her. There was no way out of Destiny, and Destiny was in no way a place for a girl like Carl.

Pacing the small room, Kade reasoned with himself.
What do I care? She’s not my responsibility. She’s most likely a full-grown woman who can look out for herself. Besides, if she’s fool enough to run off in the middle of the night, she deserves what she gets.

He stopped his pacing and stared at the undershirt he’d given her. “Damn! Damn that woman’s tender white hide.”

Kade stormed down the stairs and surprised Ruby as she pulled the parlor doors shut. “Did you see the wo—, uh, boy I rode in with? He’s not in his room. It’s a bit late for him to be roamin’ the streets, and—”

Ruby placed a hand on his forearm. “You’re right to worry. Destiny’s dark streets are no place for an unprotected young lady.”

Studying her expression, Kade realized she wasn’t just guessing as Clive had tried to do. She knew. Ruby knew Carl was a woman.
Damn!
How come everybody knew but him?

“It’ll be our little secret, sugar. And, no, I don’t know where she is. Let me check with the girls, see if they heard or saw anything.”

With a rustle of petticoats, she turned and left. Kade strode to the hotel doors and peered out. All was quiet. Not even a cat on the prowl roamed the dusty roadway.

Ruby joined him on the plank walk. “Mae saw her shinny down the trellis about an hour ago. Didn’t pay her much mind, though, being busy with a customer and all. Thought she headed toward the livery.”

Placing her fists on her rounded hips, she continued. “If that’s the case, you’d best be trackin’ her. Fletcher and ol’ Buck sometimes take a bottle to the loft, when they don’t get a turn with the girls. And they’re a mean pair, they are. If they were to find out her secret—”

Her last words died on the breeze. Kade’s long legs had carried him halfway up the street in the direction Ruby indicated. He told himself to turn around, that he didn’t care what happened to Carl. But some part of him wouldn’t let himself do that, and that part propelled him forward faster. Deep within, he knew that the mysterious little Carl had entangled herself in his life, and he’d never forgive himself if anything happened to her.

Carly turned toward the loft door slowly. Two barrel-chested men stood framed in the silvery light. One of them chuckled. The other threw an empty bottle to the floor. Simultaneously they started toward her.

Panic seized her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t believe she’d been so very close to freedom—and now this.

“Well, Fletcher, did you make a wish on a fallin’ star, or am I seein’ things?”

The pair lumbered closer. Their heavy steps shook the boards below Carly’s feet—or was she the one shaking? She willed her legs to move. Her throat seemed to close, depriving her of fresh air.

“Maybe we’re both seein’ things, Buck. Maybe she is a vision. Maybe she ain’t. I do aim to find out.”

His fat lips spread to a toothless grin. He chuckled. The sound echoed from the rafters and rolled through Carly’s stomach. Revulsion motivated her to flee. Her gaze darted from the men to the ladder; then she bolted.

But they were too close. One dived at her with an animal-like growl. His beefy hand closed around her ankle as he landed with a thud on the loft floor. Falling, she reached for the top of the ladder. Air whooshed from her lungs. Her chin struck hard wood. Light exploded behind her eyelids.

A heavy cloud enveloped Carly’s head. Lightning bolts shot from her jaw to her temples. Someone pulled at her leg, and her hand raked free from the splintered railing. Like a rag doll, she was flopped over onto her back. The action started a new wave of pain and nausea.

“Bring her to the light, Buck. Let’s have us a good look.”

Carly tried to raise her head off the uneven planks as they dragged her closer to the loft door. She fought the dark ring threatening to choke out consciousness. The men squatted down beside her, each firmly holding an ankle.

“Oooh-weee! Will you take a gander at her?”

“Where’d she come from, Fletcher?”

“Maybe she’s with that stranger.”

“Then what’s she doin’ in the loft, all alone?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Don’t really matter. She’s young and purty. And here.”

The man reached for Carly. She swung at him with a balled fist. During his moment of surprise, she twisted and turned, breaking free of their hold. Scrambling to her hands and knees, she crawled toward the ladder. She reached for the top rung, only to grasp a handful of hay as she was pulled backward once more.

“She’s a feisty one, Buck. Yer gonna hafta hold her.”

Rough hands rolled Carly to her back again. She summoned every ounce of remaining strength. Ignoring the painful throb in her head, she lashed out with arms and legs. Her fists and feet connected time and again, but the men were so much stronger. In less than a minute, they had her ankles pinned to the floor and her wrists clasped above her head.

The one called Fletcher drooled over her. Buck grinned stupidly from her feet. She drew in short, ragged breaths, mentally groping for a feasible plan of escape.

“Now, now, little lady. No need to carry on so. You just might enjoy this as much as I’m a gonna.” Fletcher chuckled deeply and reached for her shirt.

With a jerk, he sent buttons flying in every direction. Carly squeezed her eyes closed. With all her might, she prayed for a miracle.

A shrill scream ripped the still night air. Kade froze. He’d been making his way up the street, stopping occasionally to check dark passageways and hiding places. His blood ran cold as his gaze settled on the large building that loomed near the edge of town.

The door banged loudly when he threw it open. He scanned the dim interior. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. Someone had left a lantern burning—stupid but not ominous. The horses tittered a bit, but Kade likely spooked them busting in the way he did.

“Carl? You in here?” Kade wondered if he’d misjudged the direction of the scream. Just as he considered checking outside, he noticed some dirt and hay sift through the loft boards overhead and drift slowly downward.

“Carl?” With two quick strides, he leaped halfway up the ladder. The sight that met him at the top sent his chilled blood to boiling.

Two of the large men he’d seen earlier in the saloon pinned Carl to the rough wooden floor. One covered her mouth with a beefy palm. Her shirt lay open, exposing creamy white flesh. Her britches had been shoved down around her hips. Though both men held her, she fought with the strength of a puma. Neither assailant looked up, so intent were they on their task.

Kade charged. Lowering a shoulder, he slammed into the chest of the brute who continued to tug at Carl’s pants. Both men flew backward and landed near the loft door. They rolled a few times, then stood, each refusing to relinquish his grip on the other. Kade landed a mighty right punch to the man’s chin, lifting him off his feet. No sooner had he done so than he received a blow to the chest from his opponent’s partner. Kade staggered back. He saw Carl scramble to her feet, clutching her torn shirt to her chest. She stared at him with pale eyes.

“Kade!”

But he didn’t have time to respond. His attacker charged again, swinging ineffectively as Kade ducked, spun, and tripped the brute with an outstretched leg.

The first man had found his footing and lumbered toward Kade with wild red eyes. Grabbing the bully’s shoulders, Kade dropped to his back, flipping the giant over his head. He hit the edge of the loft, then toppled to the ground below.

Kade righted himself. A meaty fist caught him square on the jaw.

The men scuffled, rolling from one end of the loft to the other. Each received as many blows as he dealt. Kade lost track of the girl until he heard her scream from the level below. With fistfuls of his opponent’s hair, the cowboy brought the bully’s face down to meet his knee, then shoved him to the side. He hurried to the ladder, searching the ground for Carl.

Kade spotted her near the stalls. She clawed at the drunken brute as he held her by her honey-blonde hair. He grappled with the reins of a chestnut horse, obviously intent on leaving with his prize in tow. The spooked animal reared and whinnied, adding to the man’s frustration.

Kade started down the steps. A roar from above drew his attention. Leaping from the loft, the ruffian caught Kade with a forearm. Both men tumbled to the dusty floor below.

Carl screamed again. Her aggressor cursed. Kade struggled to his feet and chanced a quick look in their direction. With a nervous whinny, the horse bolted from its stall. It knocked the angry man to the ground, and the girl scrambled free.

As Kade turned back, he just had time to duck. His opponent swung an ax handle as if he were trying to fell a mighty oak. Kade rolled across the hay-strewn ground as the man brought the sharp blade down again and again.

Darting through the wheels of the broken wagon, Kade stood on the other side, willing Carl to run. She searched the livery for him and screamed as the ax came crashing down to splinter the brittle wood of the wagon bed. With a gut-wrenching groan, he lifted the heavy buckboard. It creaked loudly, then tipped and fell, pinning the ruffian beneath.

Kade ran to the other end of the livery, where the girl once again fought a giant. The man held her snugly against his chest, protecting himself from his opponent with her frail form. Her gaze beseeched Kade, but he stopped as the bully yanked the lantern from a nearby peg.

“I’ll burn her. I swear I’ll crack her over the head with this here lamp.” He backed toward the door, dragging her with him.

“Now, we’s just gonna leave, me and the girl. If you want to save this purty face, then you back off, mister. I don’t want no trouble. We was just funnin’. No reason to get all riled. If’n she was yourn, you shoulda kept better stock of her.”

Carl whimpered, staring at Kade with eyes he’d grown to know so well. Pale-green orbs shimmered behind pools of tears. Her attacker continued to wave the lantern within inches of her face. Kade matched him step for step, keeping the same distance between them as the man backed away.

A horse reared in a nearby berth. The thug looked its direction. Kade sprang. He aimed for the side of the man’s chest that Carl didn’t cover. All three of them hit the hard earth with a bone-jarring thud.

The attack sent the lantern flying. It crashed into a support post. Instantly hungry flames consumed the surrounding straw.

Kade struggled with his opponent, rolling into a stall and grappling beneath a horse’s hooves. The animal pitched frantically. Finally knocking the top plank from its perch, the horse leaped the remaining barriers and bolted from the burning barn.

The man had Kade by the throat, squeezing until muscles bulged in his arms and neck. Kade pushed against his chest, struggling for breath and consciousness. Working a knee upward, he shoved with all his might, throwing the brute to his back. Kade sucked at the air. Carl stood nearby. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Get the black!” he ordered as he lunged for the fallen man.

Red-orange flames devoured the dry grass, scaling the walls and licking the rafters. Timbers creaked and groaned. Only two horses remained. Both whinnied and danced nervously within their stalls. The grapplers were showered with bits of burning debris as it flew around the barn. Thickening smoke choked them and stung their eyes.

Kade backed the man into a corner. He pummeled him with thunderous blows to the head and face. Through the roar of the hungry blaze, Carl called his name. Two more punches, and the fight was over. Kade’s opponent slumped to the floor, chin lolling against his chest.

Protecting his eyes with a forearm, Kade peered through the black smoke. The girl struggled to maintain a flimsy grip on the stallion’s halter. The horse reared and bucked, shaking his head in terror. She had managed to get him out of the stall but was in danger of losing him or being severely injured.

Lifting the unconscious man to his shoulders, Kade made his way to where Carl battled the black. He ripped the lead rope from her grasp and wrapped it tightly about his arm, ordering her to free the other horse.

“Get out of here!” he yelled. She turned and started for the door. Something cracked and whistled overhead. They looked up to see a flaming crossbeam plummeting toward them. Carl lurched back against Kade’s chest as the burning timber struck the ground. Red-hot sparks flew in every direction. They covered their faces against the intense heat.

“We have to jump it. There’s no other way out.” He nodded toward the door. She stared at him, eyes wide in a pale, soot-streaked face. Then, suddenly, she turned, took a deep breath, and leaped across the growing blaze.

Kade hesitated only a moment, hoisting his heavy burden higher on his shoulders. With a glance back at the white-eyed stallion, he tightened his grip on the lead strap and followed Carl through the flames and smoke. They stumbled from the inferno to the cool night air.

The girl collapsed under a nearby tree, coughing and gasping for breath. Kade lumbered to her side, depositing his burden and tying off the black.

“You okay?” She nodded, and he turned to face a swarm of townsmen. Several carried torches; others brought buckets.

Questions fired rapidly from the approaching crowd. Kade addressed only one.

“Anyone left inside?”

“One man.” Fresh air seared his throat and lungs. “At the back. Under a wagon.” He turned to gaze into the blazing building. “Better go around. You can’t get through this way.”

Several men ran to the rear of the livery. Kade tried to follow but was surrounded by the curious and concerned. He could see above their heads that Ruby had stopped near Carl. The barkeep wrapped a knitted shawl about the girl’s shoulders and helped her to her feet. Kade assured the townsfolk he was fine, ignoring questions about the fire’s origin. A knowing look passed between him and Ruby.

The crowd left Kade as the unconscious man was carried to safety and laid near his companion.