The Outlaw Read Free Page A

on his face when he turned toward
her would have scared her on a normal day but after what she’d been
through since noon, it didn’t faze her much. He was angry, that was
a given, and the taunts from his friends only made it worse.
     
    He came at her again, knocking her foot away
when she tried to kick him and backhanded her for her trouble. Her
face exploded with heat from the brutal hit. When he grabbed her by
the hair, slinging her head back into the tree, her vision blurred,
her knees went weak, and her body slumped as pain shot through her
head. His heated words were harsh next to her ear as he told her
what he was going to do to her and she fought the dizzying need to
close her eyes and slip into oblivion. He was pulling her skirts up
when the laughter she heard in the background stopped. A small
clicking sound in front of her forced her eyes open. The noise had
come from a gun, its barrel lying against Virgil’s temple.
     
    “Let her go.”
     
    Virgil stilled, his watery eyes fixed on
hers. When he smiled, Sarah saw his rotten teeth and looked away,
up at the man she’d tried to shoot at the bank. Their leader, the
blue-eyed man she knew she’d never forget.
     
    Colt, they had called him, glanced at her
briefly; his eyes held a lethal calmness that caused a shiver to
dance over her limbs.
     
    Fixing his gaze back on Virgil, he took a
step closer and pushed the barrel of the gun harder into the side
of his head. “I won’t ask you again, Virgil. Unless you want your
brains splattered across this pretty ladies face, then I suggest
you let her go.”
     

Chapter Two
     
     
    Keeping the gun still was nearly impossible;
Colt’s rage was so intense. Riding into camp to hear laughter, to
see the girl from the bank tied to a tree and Virgil’s filthy hands
on her had caused something inside him to snap. He’d wanted to
shoot the bastard on the spot. The only reason he hadn’t was he was
afraid he’d hit the girl.
     
    Looking into her terrified face and seeing
blood on her lip, along with a red handprint on her cheek, he knew
Virgil wouldn’t live to see morning. He’d make sure of that.
     
    Virgil was slow to move but finally let go of
her, backing away. Colt took a step in front of her, his gaze
landing on the others scattered amongst the rocks. No one seemed
inclined to dispute him. “Get ready to head out. The longer we stay
here the more likely the chances of them finding us.”
     
    Wade stepped away from the rocks, spitting
out a wad of tobacco before wiping his mouth with the back of one
hand. “What took you so long to get back?”
     
    Something in his eyes told Colt to tread
carefully. “Had a few men follow me when I left town. I didn’t
think leading them here was a wise choice but correct me if I was
wrong.”
     
    The others mumbled something he couldn’t hear
before they all stood and walked to their horses. Virgil flashed a
scathing look toward him, and the girl at his back, before doing
the same. When they were occupied seeing to their mounts, Colt
turned around.
     
    She didn’t look as daring as she did back in
town. She looked frightened, now. Upon entering the bank, he’d done
the same thing he always did. Count heads and locate the idiot who
would try to be the hero. He’d never slapped that title on a woman
before but the moment she pulled that shotgun out from under the
counter, pointed it at him and fired, his heart had lodged in his
throat. She’d missed, thank God. She had guts, he’d give her that.
She didn’t look as if she could handle a gun but shooting at him a
second time proved him wrong. Luckily for him, she couldn’t hit the
broad side of a barn.
     
    When the smoke cleared and he saw her
standing there, barrel of the gun pointed at his head, some twisted
part inside him had wanted her. Wanted to see if she was as feisty
in bed as she was out of it. Something told him she was regardless
of her slight frame.
     
    His gaze roamed over her now that he