Captive Heart (Cartwright Gals: A Romancing the Ponderosa Spinoff Book 2)

Chapter 10

I've never been so thankful to hear a woman scream in my entire life! Brie's scream distracted Ryder long enough that I was able to kick the gun out of his hand before Shane pounced on me again. We roll back and forth a few more times when suddenly he deals me a blow that gives him the upper hand. Standing up, he reaches down and grabs me by the front of my shirt, yanking me to my feet.

In the firelight, I get a brief glance at Brie as Shane drags me over to the tree on the other side of camp. She's curled up into a little ball, her auburn hair all around her face as she sobs into her hands. A sinking, guilty feeling fills my belly as I realize what I've just stupidly done. I don't know why I thought I could knock all three out like that in the first place. It backfired horribly right at the start and now we're both probably going to end up dead thanks to my rash stupidity.

Yanking my arms above my head, Shane ties my wrists to two different branches and strings me up. Using another rope, he wraps it around the bottom of the tree trunk and my shins. He takes two steps back and looks at me as a slow, evil looking grin makes its way across his face. I wish I could slap it off, but since I can't, I just glare at him.

Suddenly chaos breaks out behind him as Brie tears across the camp in our direction. She must have thought Ryder killed me, I can hear her loud, deep sobs. Carlito steps in front of her, wraps an arm around her waist and stops her. "No, no! Let me go!"

"No, senorita," he says, almost sounding sympathetic, but not quite, "you have no reason to go this way."

"Yes, I do." I can see her pushing and shoving on his arm, trying to get free. "Candy!"

I open my mouth to answer but Shane quickly slaps his hand over it, squeezing my face so I can't yell back. If he wasn't squeezing my cheeks together, I'd bite his palm so he'd let go, but since that's not an option, I just watch Carlito hold a furious, sobbing Brie at arm's length in front of him as he tells her, "Aah, senorita your Mr. Canaday is alive but he won't be for much longer."

"He's alive?"

"Si, but by morning he'll be dead." She relaxes slightly at his beginning word but as the others register, she turns into a little ball of violent fury. Swinging and biting and scratching, she beats on Carlito until with one swift motion, he swings her over his shoulder. Screaming, she pounds and kicks him all the way over to the rock where she was tied earlier. He dumps her roughly on the ground like a discarded sack of potatoes.

The darkness makes it hard to distinguish them but I can see enough to watch Brie jump back up so fast it catches Carlito off guard. Still screaming and wailing, she goes at him again but Ryder rushes over to give him a hand and she's soon confined. Her limbs may be held in place but that ain't stopping her mouth. She screams threats and hurls curses at them with words I never thought she even knew, let alone would say out loud. This whole thing is bringing out a side of Brie that I never even knew existed.

Shane lets go of me and stomps over to Brie. After staring at her for a moment, he reaches out and slaps her across the face. I can hear the sound of skin hitting skin all the way over here. She goes silent and I've had enough "Shane, don't you touch her again!"

"If I do," he laughs at me over his shoulder, "what do you think you can do about it?"

"Untie me for five minutes and you'll find out."

"Why would I do a stupid thing like that?" He takes off his neckcloth and gags Brie with it. "Ryder, Carlito, tie her up."

Shane turns back and before he's even halfway to me, Ryder and Carlito have Brie tied and dropped back in the dirt again. The sight infuriates me so badly all I can see is red. Blinded by my fury, I don't see Shane step up right in front of me. My sight quickly clears as I feel a knife on my throat, "Canaday, you're a dead man."

"Go ahead, slit my throat." I prod, not entirely sure if he really will or not.

"No, not tonight," he puts the knife away and pulls another bandana out of his pocket. Shaking it out, he shoves it in my mouth and ties it behind my head, "tomorrow. I want you to squirm for the rest of the night."