She turned and looked at him.She seemed to flinch at the expression in his face, but her back straightened and her chin lifted as she met his gaze straight-on.“Have the others gone?”
It was clear that she hoped they had not.That bothered him for some reason, and his eyes narrowed as he studied her.Either she had lied about being Randall’s daughter, or shewasRandall’s daughter.Either way, he wouldn’t trust her farther than he could toss her.
Rafe chose to ignore her inquiry and made one of his own.“What’s your name?”
She didn’t answer.He was getting accustomed to her silence.Hell, he understood it.How many times had he used silence as a tool, especially when he knew insults or curses would only result in punishment?She learned a hell of a lot faster than he had.“All right, I’ll call you Joe,” he finally said.
She searched his face, and he knew she was looking for a flash of humor.There was none.
“I’ve got to call you something,” he said, surprised at himself for explaining anything to her.
“Shea,” she said finally.
“Shea Randall?”
She fell silent once more.
“Let’s try something else,” he said.“Where did you come from?”
She searched her mind for reasons not to tell him and could find none, except she didn’t want to cooperate with him.She didn’t want to give him that satisfaction.So she turned away and went to the door, looking out, hoping to see the other two men, but there was only an empty clearing, and she knew she was alone with this … outlaw.
“It won’t work,” he said from behind her.“I’ll find out everything.”
She whirled around, the anger she had been trying to cage threatening to spill over.She didn’t want that to happen.She couldn’t let that happen.She suspected he would enjoy it, that he was trying to provoke it.
“Why are you keeping me here?”
“Not for your charm,” he said.“So rest easy in that regard.Ten years of prison or not, I’m not desperate enough to take Randall’s get.Or his leavings, whichever you are.”He uttered the last sentence in a taunting low voice.
She hated his mockery, the contempt he didn’t bother to hide.It was the last insult she was going to tolerate.Despite her vow that she would pretend obedience, she found her left hand starting to swing, only to be caught in a viselike grip.
“So the lady does have a temper,” he observed.“What else does she have?Tell me, Miss Randall.”
“Let me go,” she demanded, looking down at his fingers on her wrist.
He laughed bitterly but loosened his hold.“You should know the bite of iron, Miss Shea.Cold.Hard.Cutting.My hand can’t come close to that feel.”
“I would prefer it to you,” she spit at him.
“Obey me, or you’ll have the opportunity to find out,” he retorted.
She felt the blood drain from her face.“You wouldn’t?”
“I’ll do whatever I must to finish what I’ve started.”
“And what’s that?”
“Your father, or whatever he is to you, has a certain debt to pay.”
“Because he testified against you?”
“Oh, that’s only one of the reasons,” Rafe said.
“He was just doing his duty.”
“Was he?”
His cold green eyes suddenly blazed, and she felt the heat from his anger.There was something else in those eyes.Something very frightening.She stepped away.“What are you planning?”
