He merely laughed. Cupping her breast with a thick-fingered hand, he twisted cruelly, sending a shaft of pain slicing through her.“Puta,”he growled. “Now you will whore for me.”
Carly started to struggle, so frightened she felt dizzy, desperate to gain her freedom, but a rustling sound caught her attention and both of them went stock still.
“Let the woman go.” Ramon de la Guerra stood no more than five feet away, long legs splayed, his face a cold mask of rage. His flat black hat rode low over his forehead, but still she could see the fury blazing in his midnight eyes. His jaw clamped so hard a muscle bunched in his lean, hard cheek.
Villegas quit fondling her breast. “So… it is you who has come for the girl. I did not think you would.” He chuckled crudely. “But she is a fiery piece, no?”
“I said to let her go.”
Villegas released her and Carly sank into the dirt at his feet.
“Move away from him, Cara,” Ramon said softly. “He will not hurt you again.”
She muffled a sob and tried to stand, but her trembling legs would not hold her up. She tried again, forced her unsteady limbs to move and crawled through the dust away from the big, burly Mexican. Her hands shook and her chest heaved. Fear tore at her insides, making it hard to breathe. Fear for herself. Fear for Ramon.
“I will kill you,jefe.And then I will take the girl.” Villegas grinned. Two gaping holes showed where his eyeteeth should have been. “I will pleasure myself in every way I know how, then I will sell her to Ernesto. His cantina is the fanciest whorehouse in Nogales.”
Ramon’s control seemed to snap. Muscles bunched in his neck and shoulders as he leapt toward Villegas, grabbing him by the throat and knocking him into the dirt. The bandit broke free, but Ramon spun toward him, throwing his fist in a hard, fast punch that slammed the muscular man to the ground, his head crashing down against the hard-packed earth. Another blow followed, then another, and another.
Villegas’s face was bloody, his nose flowing red down to his chin. He grabbed Ramon’s shirt and rolled over, forcing his heavy weight atop him.
Ramon took several hard blows before he could free himself, then he was back on top, back in control and raining one vicious blow after another down on Villegas’s thick head. The fight was almost over when Carly saw the Mexican reach for the knife that had slid out of his boot.
“Ramon!” She screamed the warning just in time. He caught the bandit’s knife hand, they struggled, and for a moment, Carly feared the heavier man might win. She raced across the clearing and grabbed the heavy length of iron, then turned just in time to see Ramon sink the thin blade deep into Villegas’s massive chest.
The man’s big arms slowly fell away but his eyes no longer moved, just stared sightlessly toward the sky, his mouth gaping open like a dark, bloody hole. Ramon dropped the knife and came up off him, then turned to see Carly gripping the candlestick high above her shoulders, staring at Villegas and still prepared to swing.
“You can put down your weapon,chica,” he said softly. “The man is dead. He cannot hurt you now.”
She fingered the metal, finally let go, and the heavy iron slipped from her hands, landing with a thud in the powdery dust at her feet. Tears filled her eyes and began to slide down her cheeks. She saw Ramon’s grim features, saw his graceful stridesas he came toward her, then she was crushed against his solid chest.
“Do not cry,” he whispered. “Ramon is here now.”
She only sobbed harder. “I’m not crying,” she said. “I never cry.”
His long fingers sifted through her hair, cradling her head against his shoulder. “It is all right,querida.There are times we all need to cry.” His hand stroked her back, soothing her gently. He whispered soft, encouraging words, but she could barely hear them. Still, they sounded sweet, his voice so gentle, so achingly beautiful. She had heard such soft sweet words before. Somewhere… she wished she could recall.
She glanced up at him through tear-damp lashes, and noticed for the first time that his eyes were not just brown, but ringed with flecks of gold.
“Please, Ramon,” she whispered brokenly, “please don’t be angry. I had to do it. I had to.”
“It is not your fault that Villegas—” He held her away from him, his dark eyes fixed on her face. “You went with him willingly? You were trying to escape?”
A moment of unease slid through her. He hadn’t known she was running away. Dear God, what would he do? “I-I had to go. I… please… try to understand.”
He pulled her back against him, circled her tightly in his arms. “I understand, Cara. I see that this is one more thing for which I am to blame.” He gently tilted her head back, his slim dark fingers lightly touching the bruise on her cheek. Then he kissed her. A feather soft kiss that said how sorry he was and for some strange reason made her want to cry again.
Then he was lifting her into his arms and striding off toward the trees where he had tied his horse.
“I was so frightened,” she said, nestling her head against his shoulder. Beneath her cheek, hard muscle bunched with each of his long-legged strides. “If you hadn’t come when you did—”
Ramon flashed one of his beautiful smiles. “I saw how frightened you were,chica.You hit him so hard, you almost took off his head.” He carried her to the place beneath a thick-leafed sycamore near where his stallion grazed, set her gently on her feet. “We will find a place to camp for the night. In the morning we will go home.”
Carly fought a fresh rush of tears. She hated the thought of returning to Llano Mirada. But if it hadn’t been for Ramon, her fate would have been far worse. She glanced up at the tall, handsome Spaniard. He was more man than she had ever known, stronger, braver, more beautiful. And gentle. She never would have believed he could be so gentle. The notion made something squeeze inside her heart.
“You are feeling better?”
“Yes,” she said, but still he held her and neither of them moved. He stood so close she could see his heartbeat throbbing beside a muscle at the base of his throat. Her fingers pressed lightly against his chest, which rose and fell with his breathing.
