Tip of the Spear Read online

  “I thought about it, but I didn’t want to involve local law.” A good enough excuse, and one she thought would appeal to him more than that she’d been having too much fun making them suffer. “So what did you learn about our prey in the bar?”

  “Prey?” He chuckled and shook his head. The brim of his hat shielded his gaze, but the wide smile he wore did nothing to detract from the aura of danger clinging to him like a second skin. “I like the way you think. Gregor’s no better than an animal, like Kitty told us. But we might have a problem here. There’s no local law in Morrow. Only McKenzie law. Gregor and Butch are brothers, and Butch practically owns the town. He has three dozen or more wranglers working for him on his spread.”

  “So he’ll protect Gregor?”

  “That’s a safe bet. I’d also wager word about what you did will get back to him, since the Nolans work for McKenzie. If we don’t move soon, we’re going to have a helluva time skirting trouble in this town.”

  More trouble. Just what they didn’t need.

  Chapter Seven

  “Thais, did you hear what I said?”

  The damned woman had her head in the clouds, staring off in the distance. He’d wanted to tear Cedric apart with his bare hands after hearing he’d tried to harm Thais. Worry for her had overcome his good sense. But hell, Hinto didn’t know how to deal with a woman who could fight as well as a man and looked like…that.

  He couldn’t help studying her profile. Slender yet tough, she projected an air of strength most would accept at face value. But Hinto had held her, had tasted her and stroked that dewy soft skin. He knew the vulnerability she didn’t want him to see. That the vixen liked how he made her feel.

  He hadn’t been the only one aching to climax during their recent embrace. He’d felt every hitch of her breath, every squirm and shudder she made as she writhed in his arms, wanting to get closer. Only her sheer determination to get Gregor had saved her.

  This time.

  The rational part of him was glad of it. He’d been close to taking her in the damned woods on Beast’s back. And he wanted nothing more than to savor the experience, to fuck her in a soft bed and revel in her passionate cries, to feel each and every sting from those fingernails scoring his back as he drove into her time and time again…

  “What?” she asked. “I said I heard you. Do you have a hearing problem? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to strangle her. Quite the dilemma.

  “We need to plan before we rush in and shoot Gregor.”

  “I’m not going to shoot him.”

  He frowned. “You need a gun.”

  “No. I have exactly what I need right here.” She patted her hip, where her trusty blade sat in a sheath attached to her belt.

  “What? You going to throw it at him and pray it hits before thirty McKenzie men shoot you?”

  “No. I’m going to challenge him to a fight.”

  He stared at her, not having heard right. “What?”

  “The Goddess never condones murder. A challenge, however, is an honorable way to serve Kitty’s needs. Once he’s dead, all that is in his possession will rightly belong to me.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  Beast huffed in agreement.

  “Honey, you try to challenge Gregor and you know what’ll happen? He’ll agree, cheat, and drag you back to his homestead, where any number of men will beat and torture you to hell and back. That what you want?”

  “Of course not.” The irritating woman glared at him, those green eyes as bright as the vibrant grass surrounding them. “I won’t blindly walk into a trap. I will—”

  “Enough ‘I.’ Try ‘we.’”

  She gritted her teeth, and he found some satisfaction in knowing he could aggravate her as much as she tried his patience.

  “Fine. We can lure him into a trap, where I will then challenge him.”

  “No. I’ll kill him.” Then I’m going to kill Cedric for putting his hands on you. He’s a fucking dead man walking.

  Thais said something he didn’t understand in that lilting accent of hers. “You know what? I no longer care. You want to shoot him? Fine. But his gun is mine.”

  “Right, so you can give it to Kitty. Then she’ll tell you all about Aaron Bartel and the woman with the flower painted on her cheek.”

  Thais tensed and urged her mount to move.

  Beast quivered under his body, eager to follow the pretty little mare constantly looking over her shoulder at him. Another randy male ruled by his glands.

  At least Thais had acknowledged his right to protect her, though she didn’t seem to understand his motives. How could she, when he didn’t?

  Still, Hinto had never knowingly put a woman in danger, and he wouldn’t start now.

  “This woman with the flower. What’s her name?” He didn’t think she’d answer when she spoke.

  “Pilar.”

  “She friends with Bartel?”

  “She was once.”

  Silence except for the birds, the wind, and Beast’s occasional grunt.

  “Lemme guess. Bartel and Pilar wronged you. You’re looking for revenge.”

  She stopped and faced him. “Not revenge. Justice. Revenge serves no one, not now.”

  Ah, damn. That sadness returned to her eyes. The same expression she sometimes wore when she turned quiet.

  Hinto didn’t say any more, but he wondered what she’d do when she found her justice. He’d been looking for five years for the thieving bastards who’d burned down their house and almost killed his father. Because of the lack of justice in the Territories, his father now had the lung sickness, and they’d had to rebuild everything in Shine.

  At least he still had family. At home with his father, his younger brother, Wolf, broke in horses while Mahpee helped their father farm and worked the occasional vore. Right about now they’d be helping the neighbors gather and preserve the crops for the coming winter. And once again, he wasn’t there to help.

  “Where’s your family?” he blurted, more than curious about this woman he couldn’t figure out.

  Thais glanced at him, then looked straight ahead as they plodded closer to McKenzie land. “My mother is dead.”

  A wealth of buried emotion there, and no mention of her father.

  “Mine died years ago, like I told you. My dad and brothers are home at the ranch,” Hinto volunteered.

  “Why aren’t you with them? Do all Territory men stray from their families?”

  Territory men. Was that how she saw him? As just one of the many men living out West? “I don’t know about all men. But I work bounties to help pay for things at home.”

  Her visible interest encouraged him to reveal more.

  “My father’s sick. He hasn’t been the same since… In a long time. The gold from my bounties is going to pay for a trip across the Divide”

  “Why?” She stared at him with wide eyes.

  “Because my father isn’t getting better. Rumor has it some of the medical machines still work in the East. Dad needs to go or he’ll die.”

  She frowned. “Have you no medicines here to heal him?”

  “Nothing has helped. The bullet that tore through his right lung left room for infection, and it weakened him. A lot.” He gripped the reins hard.

  After a moment, Thais spoke. “A bullet pierced his lung. Not an accident?” she ventured.

  “No.”

  “Ah, then it is also justice you seek?”

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  Thais nodded. “I understand.”

  Hinto heard the truth and nodded. “I think you do.”

  Some time later, they stopped in a cluster of trees at the base of a sloping hill. Above them on a plane cresting the valley sat the McKenzie ranch, where several men trained horses, herded cattle and sheep, and worked to tame wild dogs. Five bunk houses surrounded the main house and stable. Situated high, the ranch had a clear position to defend itself. Despite the groupings
of wood line surrounding the small valley, to reach the house, one would have to ride across flat grass, so an ambush in plain sight would never be an option.

  Two rivers crossed behind the spread, making McKenzie a wealthy man just for the water rights alone. But the amount of livestock and horses around the place made protecting his wealth a necessity.

  Using the spyglass his father had given him years ago, Hinto counted as many bodies as he could.

  “Thirty-two men.”

  “That’s all?”

  “That’s enough.” He grimaced, knowing they had to grab Gregor well away from here.

  “We need to lure Gregor into the open.”

  “Yeah. I said that before.”

  She scowled. “What do we know about him?”

  “He’s scum. He likes to fight, and he likes to fuck,” he said bluntly, hoping for a rise out of her.

  Instead, she nodded. “Good. Then I’ll dress as a whore and lure him to where you’ll be waiting. Then I—or you—can take care of him.”

  “Hell no.” His mouth dried at thoughts of Thais wearing anything DeeDee might prance around in. “Honey, you act like you’re not that fond of sex. How in the hell do you think you’re going to feel letting a shit like Gregor feel you up?”

  “I won’t actually service him.” She gave him a disgusted huff. “I’ll simply wear the clothing to divide him from his friends. When we’re in private, we can—”

  “What if he doesn’t want privacy? What if he likes an audience? What if he pushes a chain?”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Hinto smiled, but there was no joy in teaching her about the darker side of sex. “Some men like to be watched. Others like violence, to cause pain. From what I’ve heard, he likes both. The more depraved, the better. A chain, Thais, is when man after man lines up to shove inside a woman. A chain of willing dicks to fill her up.”

  She licked her lips. “Oh.” A pregnant pause. “Then you’ll have to make sure he doesn’t want to share.”

  “How the hell will I do that?” Angered she was still considering using herself as bait, Hinto had to force himself to calm down. He had no claim to this woman, no rights, as she’d said before. And to be fair, she’d lived without him for… “How old are you, anyway?”

  She blinked at the change in subject. “Ah, I have lived to see twenty-two years.”

  “And in those twenty-two years, you’ve learned how to fight, how to best men?” he asked, stroking the bruise below his eye.

  “Yes.”

  Hinto forced himself to consider the plan. Were it not for Thais’ involvement, it had merit. A whore could distract Gregor. They’d have to work him just right, but Hinto could find a way to put Gregor’s companions out of commission for as long as they’d need to take care of him.

  “You see, don’t you? Gregor is a man with a man’s weaknesses. I say this not to insult you, but to make you think.”

  “I get it,” he mumbled, wishing she didn’t make sense.

  “I’m not like the women you know, Hinto. I’ve been raised since birth to be a warrior. I can handle a knife, a spear, a bow. I can fight hand to hand. Probably better than most men.”

  She didn’t sound boastful, but confident.

  “Tell you what. Let’s scope the place. Come up with a plan. You show me you can do what you say, and I’ll consider your idea. Not,” he emphasized to forestall her comment, “because I don’t believe you can’t take me down. But Thais, the risk here, it’s not right. No woman should ever learn intimacy through a man like Gregor. And we both know you haven’t been touched yet.” Not nearly enough.

  She flushed but didn’t argue the point. “Fine. Make this plan. Then tonight, I’ll show you what you don’t seem to understand. I’m not like Tilda and Daisy. I’m not a Territory woman.”

  “No, you’re an Amazon,” he said softly. “Now shut up and keep watch.”

  He chuckled at the glare she shot him and actually considered using the violent female’s plan.

  Several hours later he’d changed his mind. While they’d kept an eye on the McKenzie ranch, he and Thais had witnessed several instances of abuse. Wranglers beating a horse, each other, and one surprising instance of rough sex in the middle of the damned corral that had made Hinto cringe with revulsion. He’d described a “chain” to Thais, never imagining she’d see one. A half dozen of McKenzie’s ranch hands had taken their turns on one of the whores, messing her in an ugly fashion. Blood and sex. Not a nice combination. Though the whore had seemed to like it well enough, the wrongness of it all put a bad taste in his mouth.

  He knew the scene had unnerved Thais, but she had refused to look away. While he respected her inner strength, he couldn’t help feeling as if her innocence had taken a stiff beating. But far be it from Thais to admit to any discomfort.

  Now, as they made camp several miles from Morrow, she continued to argue her point. “Gregor won’t have an opportunity to harm me. Watch as I demonstrate the Wushu.”

  “The what?”

  “What Chow Yen taught us, in addition to the skills I learned at home.”

  He had no idea what she was talking about, but if it helped her deal with that scene at the ranch, he’d agree to just about anything.

  “Now stand here. Yes, pretend to attack me.”

  In the fading glow of the setting sun, her expressions shone one minute and were shadowed the next. She’d removed her vest and hat, her hair swinging in a long, dark brown braid. A weapon that could be used against her, though he wouldn’t dare suggest she cut it, for fear she might.

  “Come on, Hinto. Do it.”

  He gave a half-hearted jab at her arm to quiet her nagging. Seconds later, he landed flat on his back.

  “Too easy. You need to really attack me,” she ordered, staring down at him. She didn’t smile, but he could tell she wanted to.

  Getting to his feet, he decided to try to be more difficult. He feinted left and went right…and landed on his back again.

  “Better, but you’re still not there.” This time she grinned.

  Muttering under his breath about annoying females, he tried to take her out at the knees. But instead of bringing her down, she blocked his attack with a raised foot and countered with a high kick to his chest that knocked him back a step.

  “You see? I’m not that easy to beat. Like the other males I’ve known, you underestimate my capabilities. So predictable.” She shook her head, as if pitying him.

  Pleased she could hold her own, he laughed. “Honey, you are just one surprise after another, aren’t you?”

  She looked wary. “Yes, I am.”

  “Let’s make it best out of three.”

  “You mean four.”

  “And you can count. Pretty and smart. The total package.”

  Frowning, she opened her mouth to retort and oomphed when he knocked her to the ground. Letting the full fall of his weight settle onto her, he pressed his advantage. Ripping the leather string from the bottom of her braid, he untangled the strands, spreading a wave of coffee colored silk over the ground.

  “Beautiful, but I said that already, didn’t I?” he murmured.

  “Hinto, get off me.” Thais squirmed under him and sucked in a breath. She felt the tell-tale hardness suggesting his desire. That he returned what she felt only made it that much more difficult to resist him.

  Hinto didn’t help. Always finding reasons to touch her destroyed the shields she constantly built to keep him at a distance.

  “You’re an annoying bully. You think you can tell me what to do all the time.” She huffed, trying to press her knee between his legs. The stubborn male rebuffed her attempts.

  “Now, now. You have to show me how you’ll take care of Gregor from the ground. Batting those green eyes at him won’t help. If he’s anything like me, that’ll only make him harder.” Hinto pressed into her mound, his erection more than telling, but arousing. “And you definitely don’t want to let him feel that silken hair.” He tang
led his fingers in it and tugged. “It’ll let him control you, like taking the reins of a vore,” he said with a smirk.

  Enraged, she bucked under him. “You’re comparing me to Beast?” The arrogant ass!

  “You’re both wild, beautiful and strong. And you both need to be ridden hard to temper your nature to go astray,” he whispered before leaning closer to nip at her earlobe.

  When his tongue rimmed the shell of her ear before thrusting inside, she lost all rational thought and succumbed to sensation.

  “D-dammit. Move… away…”

  “No, no, honey. Not now. Not until we sate this hunger. I can’t think around you,” he groaned and dropped kisses down her neck. “You’re a distraction, just when I need to be thinking clearly.”

  She found some satisfaction that she bothered him as much as he bothered her. But she had no intention of letting him fill her right up. “No, I can’t. This isn’t… I cannot have a child.” Not yet, not until I’ve done what I came to the Territories to do.

  “Hell, Thais. We don’t have to make babies. There are ways around that,” he murmured, buried his nose in the crook of her shoulder and inhaled. “You always smell like flowers. So sweet and sultry. So sexy.”

  Desperate to shift him off her, she ran her hands through his hair, thinking to pull him away. But the minute her fingers slid through the thick black strands, she curled her fingers to hold onto him. What had he said about not having to make babies?

  He groaned and kissed his way up her neck to her cheek. “So what will you do to Gregor? Will you hold him close, try to find a way to disarm him?”

  His large body hummed with desire. She could feel it. No, no, no. This is the real danger you have to face tonight. Think, Thais!

  “Stop. I don’t want this. I won’t beg,” she rasped, remembering what he’d said after their last encounter. The next time my mouth is on that sweet little pussy of yours, I’m not gonna shoot my seed anywhere but deep inside you. And you’ll be begging me for it, honey. I can promise you that.

  “How about if I beg?” he said on a breath. “I want you, too damned much.” He didn’t sound happy about it, and his attitude tempered her panic.