Tuesday Teaser 2/6/18 Gina’s Wolf Part 3
Here in North Dakota it is still winter. In some places winter is winding down (or it is summer) but we can expect another 6-8 weeks, or more. We’ve had some nasty snowstorms in April in the past. But maybe this year will be an early spring. I love winter, and even I am getting tired of it. I hope you are a=enjoying beautiful weather wherever you are.
I mention weather because poor Gina is going to be quite cold for the next chapter. Again, this is very raw. I think I need to up the tension at the dinner party and make it a little more interesting. The point of the dinner party is to make sure you, the reader, detest Jon and Tanner. I wonder if I need to fill in any more info about the other ladies. They don’t have a big impact on the story, though, so I’m not sure. But the end of this section picks up the pace.
Chapter Two
Only her stepfather would throw a dinner party in a tent when the temperature had dropped below freezing. What’s more, he expected ladies to wear low cut dresses to the dinner. Gina wished for a thick shawl to drape over her bare shoulders. Not just because it was cold, but because that nasty old Brother Saul was leering at her cleavage. He was discreet about it, but Gina caught him at it. When she did, the old man just bared yellow teeth in a smile that made her want to vomit. Thank goodness he was seated across the table at her father’s right hand.
Her mother, as the ranking Mrs. Todd present, sat at the foot of the table with Fourth Mrs. Tod on her right and Fifth Mrs. Todd on her left. Gina sat between Jon and Tanner on her stepfather’s left. Her stepfather’s sister, Tamara, was next to Brother Saul. Gina liked Tammy. Too bad she had to sit next to the old man. The remaining seats were occupied by the ranking men of her stepfather’s army.
Dinner was served by young privates in dress uniforms. They brought in baskets of bread, with small crocks of butter, cheese, and jellies, followed by steaming tureens of soup. One of the privates served her a bowl of soup. The warmth and the scent of it was alluring. Cream of chicken. Gina stared at the creamy broth.
Tanner leaned close. “Do you like the soup?” he asked eagerly.
She took a spoonful and almost swooned at the richness of the broth. Since the forces from Omaha had destroyed the camp’s supplies a week ago, meals had been lean. The President and his family had eaten a little better than the army, but all of them had been on short rations. Todd’s men had been combing the countryside for wild game, and augmented their hunting by collecting food from the local population. At the end of winter, no one had vast quantities of food stores left, but the army of Kansas-Missouri ruthlessly confiscated what they found. Gina hated to think she was eating food stolen from people who had worked hard for it, but she was cold and hungry, so she ate.
“Do you?” Tanner said insistently.
“Yes,” she replied truthfully. In the minefield of politics and her stepfather’s insanity, it might be the only truth she told tonight.
Tanner’s grin was smug. “It’s all from our commune.”
Gina lowered her spoon. “The soup?”
Tanner’s sigh said she was an moron. “The cream, the chickens, the eggs, and butter.”
“Oh.” Gina wasn’t sure what else to say, so she went back to eating.
From her other side, Jon offered her a thick slice of bread thickly buttered. “What my idiot brother is trying to tell you,” he said smoothly, “is that the wagons we sent to Falls City to bring provisions arrived today. You don’t need to worry about being hungry.”
“That’s good to know,” she said politely.
Tanner leaned close. “The Brotherhood knows how to work the land. We never go hungry. Our women get their fair share of the food, too.”
Gina plastered an impressed expression on her face. “How very egalitarian of you,” she said gravely.
Tanner’s prominent forehead furrowed in obvious confusion. Gina hid a smirk. She hadn’t expected him to understand words with more than two syllables.
Jon shook his head at her with a condescending smile. “Men and women are not equal. Men, who have more responsibility, occupy a higher status than women. But that is not to say women are unimportant or without worth. They are honored as mothers. That is their glory.”
“We make sure our women are given everything they need,” Tanner put in. “Even rebellious women have food and clothes after they learn how to behave. You’ll find that out next month when you come to Falls City.”
A month. Only a month of freedom before she would have to marry these smug men who thought a women’s worth was measured only by her children? Too bad there wasn’t anything hard in the soup. Gina longed to crunch down on something. She only bent her head and stared at her empty bowl. It was a subservient position the President approved of. It had the advantage of hiding her face.
“There,” said her stepfather heartily. “You will be taken good care of in Falls City. I did right to reward our allies. When those thugs from Omaha snuck into my camp and burned my supplies, they thought we would retreat in ignominious haste. But thanks to good Brother Saul and his Brotherhood, we have plenty of food to last some time. Omaha will regret attacking me.”
Gina almost looked up, but remembered in time to keep her head down. Reminding him that those thugs had also taken his women captive and forced him to agree to a nonaggression pact would be stupid. She chewed bread vigorously.
With another smirk, Tanner pinched her upper arm. His smile was scary. “You don’t want to marry into the Brotherhood, do you?” When she didn’t answer he pinched her harder. “Do you?”
She swallowed bread. “It was unexpected,” she said carefully.
“Maybe you want to run away and marry that Native werewolf.”
Colby. For a moment, she saw him in her mind’s eye, tall and broad shouldered, black hair gleaming in the sun, a stubbornly set expression on his face when he told her she belonged to him. She shrugged indifferently and buttered another slice of bread. “I barely knew him and didn’t like him.”
Tanner’s fingers reached for her arm again, ready to pinch. Her stepfather’s voice stopped him. Tanner might not have recognized that very pleasant tone, but Gina did. She froze, keeping her head bent.
“Young Tanner, my daughter has displeased me, but she is my daughter, and I expect you to treat her with the respect she deserves. Do we understand each other?”
Tanner sat back. “Yes, sir.”
Gina noted the surly tone. She was sure that as soon as they were away from her stepfather’s reach, she would be a mass of bruises. Her future as the wife of multiple misogynistic men turned her stomach. Eating the rest of the dinner seemed impossible, but she forced herself to chew and swallow the roasted venison, the creamed corn, and the dried apple pie. She would need her strength to get through whatever would come next.
After the meal, the ladies were excused so the men could put their heads together and lay their plans. Gina would have loved to linger and listen, but her mother firmly ushered her out. At least she didn’t have to put up with Tanner and Jon anymore. AS the cluster of women approached the harem tent, she turned from the other women.
“Georgina?” her mother said sternly.
“I need to use the facilities,” she said airily.
One of the guards flanking the door flap halted her. “Beg pardon, Miss Todd,” he said diffidently. “The president has instructed us to escort you wherever you want to go.”
“I’m just going to the latrine.”
“Yes, Miss. I will escort you.” Even in the starlight she could see the blush that rose to his cheeks. “You’ll need to leave your wrap here, please.”
“But it’s cold.”
The blush darkened. “Yes, Miss. President’s orders.”
I won’t be likely to run away without something to keep me warm, she thought sarcastically. “Alright. Mom, will you take my shawl?”
Her mother took the wrap with a frown. “You have a chamber pot in the tent,” she began.
“I need some fresh air.”
It really was cold. Gina hurried over the icy ground to the row of tents erected over the latrines. She wanted to escape. In fact, after dinner with Jon and Tanner, she was determined to escape. But running off with a guard hanging on her heels and without provisions or even a coat was impossible. And this young private –Carson? Carleton?—would be in big trouble if she ran away when he was guarding her. She would just be married off to a repulsive commune of misogynists; he would be executed.
She left him waiting a few respectful yards from the latrine tent and did her business as quickly as she could. When she came out of the tent she didn’t see him standing where she had left him. She glanced around, confused. On her second glance she focused on the ground, looking for tracks to show where he had gone, and that’s when she found him.
The gallant young private was a crumpled shape dark against the moonlit snow. A black shadow spilled over the snow around his head. She rushed forward. A large, dark animal sprung out of nowhere to block her path. It was a dog. No, it was a wolf. A wolf? The huge head was level with her waist. Fangs gleamed ivory in a gaping maw. Gina froze, not even breathing. There were dark streaks on the teeth. Blood? Gina finally remembered to breathe.
Her scream died in her throat. The top of the broad head had no fur, only a raw place were blood had clotted. She had seen only one wolf up close in her life. She swallowed a shuddering breath.
“Colby?” she whispered.
Tuesday Teaser 1/30/18 Gina’s Wolf Part 2
Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. There has been a lot of flu and bad colds going around here. I have been immune in January, but I just got home from supper with a friend who says she is coming down with something. Glad to see her and spend time with her, but I was careful to not touch my hands to my face, and I was quick to wash my hands as soon as I got home. I already had the flu, thank you. LOL
Here is the second half of Chapter One. As last time, this is raw. What you get in these Tuesday Teasers is the fast draft. In this first draft I tend to I dump info in blocks so I have it down. I go in later and break it up so the readers gets little bits here and there. But as I said, this is the raw version. Hope you can enjoy it anyway. 🙂
Oh, and isn’t her mom the best? *cough* I keep trying to make her a more sympathetic character, but it isn’t working!
An hour later, Gina dug her fingernails into the thin mattress on her cot. “I can’t marry him—them,” she said in a furious whisper to her mother. “I can’t.”
“You can,” her mom countered. “And you must.”
Gina scowled at the tarp floor. Of course her mother would take his side. It probably wouldn’t change anything, but Gina tried to convince her. “Do you know how the men in Falls City treat their women? You can’t really call them wives. A man takes a number and when his number comes up, he gets to sleep with one of the women. The women have no choice. Is that what you want for me?”
“Of course not.” Her mom laid a hand on her forearm. “I wanted you to marry Stanton Ellis.”
Gian recoiled. “He’s a monster.” All too aware that the walls, being only canvas, didn’t keep sound from carrying, she lowered her voice. “Do you know what he does to stray dogs and cats? Torturing them is his hobby.” She shuddered, memories of coming across the remains of his hobby making her stomach turn. “I couldn’t marry him.”
“So you put everyone, including yourself, in danger by running away.” Her mother’s lips tightened. “I am very disappointed in you. The major wouldn’t have treated you badly. Your father wouldn’t allow it. If you had stayed in Kansas City instead of running away last summer, you would have been married and living close to me. Any friends you made in Omaha would be safe now. Instead, because your selfish willfulness forced your father to come looking for you, they will never live in peace again. That is on your head.”
Her mom stood up and went to the door flap. “Think about that, Georgina Anne. Your engagement supper will be served in one hour. Wear your nicest dress and don’t be late.”
Gina buried her face in the pillow until she heard the curtain that served as he door rustle closed. Her mother was right. Every person in the city of Omaha and the state of Nebraska were in danger because she had come to Omaha when she ran away last summer. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Or maybe she had, she admitted painfully, but cared more for her own freedom anybody else. Running away from Kansas City had been the bravest thing she’d ever done. Only now did she wonder if was also the stupidest.
But President Todd would have come to Omaha eventually. It was too prosperous a region for him to have ignored for long. She had only sped up the inevitable. She let out a long, trembling breath. She hated him with every fiber of her being.
Nine years ago, when she was eleven years old, her father died. Less than a month later her mother had married Gerald Todd. Mr. Todd, as he been called then, already had a wife. Since there were far more men than women, women did sometimes marry more than one man. Gina thought that was disgusting, but if everyone was happy, it wasn’t any her business. But she had never of a man with more than one wife. A few years later her stepfather became the mayor of Kansas City. Most men would have been satisfied to be mayor, but Gerald Todd wanted to rule the world. And he wanted sons to follow in his footsteps. His first wife had no children. His second wife, her mother, had become pregnant several times but no child had been born alive. He married a third wife and took over all of Missouri. That wife never conceived. A couple of years ago, he expanded his power into parts of Kansas, where he found and married Shelley Parker. He pushed into Illinois and married his fifth wife, Suzanne Dent. None of his wives had delivered a living baby, but Shelley, the fifth Mrs. Todd, had recently discovered she was pregnant.
That was why they were still camped here outside Omaha. Todd didn’t want to have his precious unborn son face any risk. Traveling in March in a badly sprung truck lumbering over prairie that went from frozen earth to mud and back again would present some risk.
Then again, Todd was probably trying to provoke some response from Omaha that he could use as an excuse to attack them. So far he was keeping to the terms of the peace treaty Omaha had negotiated at the prisoner exchange, but that would last only as long as he wanted it to.
She rolled over on her back and put her arm over her eyes. Yeah, her mom was right. Her selfishness would cause her newly made friends in Omaha lots of trouble. People like Lachlan and Ceara McRoberts. When she had escaped from Kansas City – no easy thing, considering that everyone in the city knew who she was and that she wasn’t allowed to leave – she had disguised herself as a boy and hopped on a riverboat going north. When she disembarked in Omaha, she was tired, hungry and scared. Ceara has found her and given her a job in the coffee shop she owned with her husband. They had given her an attic room in their house to live in, a place at their table, and a small wage. Those were all good things, she was grateful for them, but the most important thing they gave her was a new life. No one in Omaha knew she was, so no one was frightened of her. No one hated her. No one tried to get close to her in order to curry favor with her stepfather. For seven months she’d had a good life. Now, her future didn’t look nearly so good.
Gina dressed for supper.
Tuesday Teaser 1/16/18
Tomorrow Strong Hearts comes out!!! I am going to post one last teaser from Brutus and Denise’s story.
Then next week I’ll begin giving you little tidbits from Gina and Colby’s story.
Young woman embracing man with naked muscular torso
Although I don’t think contemporary romance will ever be my favorite to write, I have to say I loved Brutus. He’s so big and mean looking, but he really does have a tender heart. At least for Denise, the heroine. I had a hard time deciding which pic to choose for the cover. I finally picked the one where they are embracing front to front. But I’m including the other one so you can see how gorgeous Brutus’s chest is 🙂
These two are like real people. That is, they are good people, but they are human, and they have flaws. I hope you’ll give them a try. 🙂
Chapter Three
“Hey, Wolfe, it’s me.” Brutus squeezed the phone between his ear and shoulder while he dumped a scoop of dry food in Rowdy’s bowl. The dog looked at him like he was only minutes away from starvation. “There ya go. Good boy.”
“What?” said Wolfe.
“Not you. I was talking to the dog.” He dropped the plastic scoop into the trashcan he used to store Rowdy’s food and flipped the lid shut. “Hey, look, I was in Billie’s tonight and—”
Wolfe cut him off with a groan. “You got drunk and had another fight?”
“Oh, for … No! All I had was a cup of coffee, and I was there for only thirty minutes.”
He should have stayed longer, taken the opportunity to talk some more with Denise, but he had been so elated when she agreed to meet him at the game he hadn’t trusted himself to make sense during a conversation. Which reminded him of why he’d called his buddy.
“Look, I ran into that girl. Her name is Denise. The game was on at Billie’s, and it turns out she’s a big Rangers fan. So I asked her out to the game on Saturday.”
There was a moment of silence on the phone. “The game we’re going to on Saturday?”
“Uh, yeah. Could I buy your ticket from you?”
“I don’t know. I was looking forward to seeing the game.”
Brutus’s heart fell. “Aw, c’mon, Wolfe. The season is almost over, and there’s no way the Rangers can pull up enough to make the playoffs. Culver is pitching. It’s not like you’d be missing anything.”
A sigh came over the phone and Wolfe’s voice turned dreamy. “Except some quality time with my best bud.”
Brutus took the phone from his ear and stared at it. “The fuck?”
Wolfe’s snicker grew to a howl. “Gotcha.”
Brutus huffed a weak chuckle. “You suck.”
“Yeah, but you can have my ticket anyway. Hope you and Denise have a good time at the game.”
Denise left the National Guard Armory at half past four on Saturday. She had only two hours to get home, bolt down supper, change out of her uniform, shower, dress, and drive to Arlington to meet Brutus at the ballpark. She was met at the door by an eager Stella.
“I’ve got an interview right away Monday morning,” she reported.
“That’s great.” Denise tossed the words over her shoulder as she headed to her bedroom. Her uniform came off quickly, but she took the time to neatly hang it to wear again tomorrow.
Stella leaned on the doorjamb. “Would you like me to make you a sandwich?”
“I would love that. Thank you.”
She took the quickest shower of her life, blasted her hair with the blow dryer for two minutes, and put it up in its usual ponytail. She grabbed clean jeans and her Texas Rangers jersey and pulled them on. She snagged her Rangers ballcap, threading her ponytail through the gap in the back. When she went out to the kitchen, Stella stared at her.
“Is that what you’re wearing on your date?”
Her sister sounded horrified. Denise looked down at herself to be sure the jersey didn’t have a stain. “Yeah. Why?”
“No makeup?”
“I hardly ever wear makeup. Thanks for the sandwich.”
Stella poured some chips on the side on the paper plate. “You’re welcome. Are you sure about the makeup? I could do your eyes for you. Your eyes are real pretty. All you need is a bit of liner and mascara to bring them out.”
Oddly touched, Denise smiled. “Thanks, Stella. Maybe next time. We’re just going to the ballgame, and I’m running a little late.” She bit into her sandwich, surprised and pleased that the amount of mustard was just right. “Good sandwich.”
Denise’s phone rang. She looked at the screen before answering. “Hi, mom, what’s up?”
“Denise, I haven’t talked to you in an age.”
“It’s a been a while.” Denise agreed. “I’m sort of busy right now.”
Stella opened the fridge. “Did you want a pickle?”
Her mom said, “Who was that?”
Denise jumped up. “No one.” She shook her head at Stella and edged out of the kitchen, pausing in the short hall.
“I heard a voice,” her mom said.
“It was the TV. Hey, I’m heading out to the Ranger’s game in a few minutes. Can’t talk now.”
“Well, alright. You give me a call sometime this week. We haven’t talked in too long.”
Denise agreed and hung up. Thank God she dodged that bullet. What her mom would say about Stella staying with her made Denise shudder. She went back to her sandwich and her sister.
There was a wrinkle between Stella’s pale brows. “Was that your mom? I heard her ask about me. Why did you call me no one?”
Darn it, she needed to turn down the volume on her phone. “I didn’t. I mean, I didn’t mean it like that.”
“You oughtn’t lie to your mama.”
Denise took a large bite of sandwich and attempted diplomacy. “Well, the thing is, mom would be unhappy if she knew you were here, and there’s no reason to cause her grief. She’s sort of crazy when it comes to the assh… er, your dad.”
Stella tilted her head to the side. “Daddy said she wouldn’t like it at all.”
Denise shoved a handful of chips into her mouth to prevent a sarcastic comment about her sperm donor. “Tell me about your job interview.”
Stella brightened. “Oh, I think it’s the perfect place for me. The hours are good, and the pay is reasonable. Not great, you know? But the tips ought to be real good. It’s at The Pink Pussycat Lounge.”
Denise swallowed with effort. “That’s a, uh …” She stalled, not sure what to say.
“It’s a gentlemen’s club. From what I’ve read, it’s a nice place. It’s in an old, historic part of town. Lots of rich tourists.” She must have seen the horror Denise tried to hide, because she giggled. “The position is for a waitress, not a topless dancer. It’s work I’ve done before. I’m good at it, too.”
That was work that Denise wouldn’t do in a million years. But Stella would never want to clean the kennels at the dog shelter. “Well, that’s great. I hope you get it.” Denise stood up and grabbed her keys. “Gotta go. I’ll see you in a few hours.”
“Have fun.”
The drive to Arlington took way too long. When she finally got to the stadium, the parking lot was filling up fast. She glanced at the clock on the dash. Twenty-five after six. She beat a pickup truck to a sliver of a spot. The truck never would have fit. Then she locked her car and bolted to the area Brutus said he would meet her.
The crowd was thick. At five-six, she wasn’t tiny, but she couldn’t see much but backs, shoulders and heads.
There he was.
His short brown hair was hidden under a Texas Rangers ballcap, but he was a head taller than most of the other people here. He stood against a wall, arms folded over his massive chest, like a colossus standing guard. She stood on tiptoe and waved to get his attention. She knew the exact moment he saw her. His face relaxed from a cold, granite mask to a warm smile. In that moment, even with his blunt, heavy features, he was almost unbearably handsome. In only a moment he’d plowed through the people jammed between them and came to her side.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said breathlessly.
He glanced at his wrist. “Only by two minutes.”
“Oh, good. Traffic was murder. I’m glad you’re so tall. I don’t know how I would have found you otherwise.”
His cheeks flared with color. “I’m a pretty big guy,” he said, looking away.
“Good thing, too,” she said brightly. “In a crowd like this I tend to get lost, so I’ll just stick to you like a leech, and you can get us where we need to go.”
His gaze flashed back to her face and a slow smile curved his lips. “Sounds good to me. Hang on.”
He grabbed her hand and towed her through the crowd. Most people got out of his way before he got to them. Denise laughed with delight as she watched people melt away from their path. People never did that for her, she always had to squirm and nudge people to get through a crowd. They got to the turnstiles and Brutus handed over their tickets, then led the way up the stairs to their section. His long legs made climbing the extra wide, extra tall steps look easy. Denise had to stretch her legs to make the climb. She was panting a little when they got to their row.
They settled into their seats and then neither of them seemed to know what to do or say next. They spent several minutes looking at the people marching up and down the steps like armies of ants, and down at the field where some of the players were warming up. Finally, he cleared his throat.
“Are you from Dallas?” he asked.
Relief that he had spoken first eased the strain. “No, I grew up near Fredericksburg. My family ranches about three miles northwest of it.”
His head jerked around. “Fredericksburg? I’m from Kerrville.”
Denise stared. Kerrville was only a thirty-minute drive from Fredericksburg. “Small world,” she commented. “You must have gone to Tivy High?”
“Yeah, my mom taught English there.”
They exchanged stories of their high school years. He graduated two years before she had and joined the Navy immediately afterward. After her graduation, she had tried tech school for a year.
“But I didn’t do very well,” she confessed, “so I joined the Army. I did one tour in Iraq, and when my ETS came up, I decided to go into the Guard and go back to school.”
She glanced up and caught his gaze. He had the most beautiful eyes, especially when he smiled at her. “What’s your MOS?”
When she told him, he thought a minute. “They keep changing the designations. Motor pool?”
She nodded. “Mechanic. Wheeled vehicles. Although in Iraq, I did plenty of work on track vehicles too. Nothing like sand to gunk equipment up.”
He laughed shortly. “Tell me about it. A mechanic, huh? Have you always been into that?”
She shrugged. “I guess. Growing up on the ranch, I learned a lot about all kinds of stuff, from fixing equipment to grinding feed to herding cows. I was the only girl, so my uncles and cousins treated me just like a boy.”
“What about your sister?”
Denise stilled. “She grew up in Mississippi.”
“Oh, your parents divorced? That’s tough. You must have been pretty young.”
May as well get it out and over with. “They were never married. My mom thought they would be. When she found out she was pregnant with me, she told him. She thought they’d get married then. But it turns out he was already married, and his wife was expecting, too. Stella is five months older than me. I never even met her until two weeks ago.”
His mouth hung open for a split second. His voice went flat. “Your father is an ass. People don’t sleep around when they’re married. Period.”
Now her mouth hung open. He might have misunderstood her reaction, because he hurried to apologize.
“Sorry,” he said. “He’s your dad. I shouldn’t put him down.”
“Oh, no, please do.” Her chuckle was brittle. “I’ve never met him, and I have no plans to. I don’t call him dad, because he’s not. I suppose he’s my father, but only in the biological sense of the word. I have my uncle Rob and my uncle Steve, and that’s good enough for me.” She swallowed, anxious to turn the conversation. “How about you? Sisters? Brothers?”
“Two brothers, one older and one younger. Cash helps manage the ranch and vineyards. Gus bums around. He works the rodeo circuit, mostly bull riding, and works on the ranch in the offseason.”
The game started. The Rangers’ pitcher, Culver, retired the first three batters, all on strikeouts.
“Good start,” Brutus said. “Culver’s earned run average isn’t that great this season, but he’s looking good today.”
Denise agreed. She accepted the hotdog and beer Brutus ordered, and settled in the enjoy the game. He wasn’t the fidgety sort. He followed the game with keen interest, but he didn’t scream or shout when the Rangers got a hit. When the Rangers scored a run in the second inning, he only smiled and sucked down more beer. He did lean forward to watch Culver face his twelfth batter and retire him.
“It’s the bottom of the fourth,” he murmured, “and so far, Culver hasn’t given up a hit or a walk.”
He didn’t need to tell her that as of now, Culver was pitching a perfect game. “It’s only the fourth inning,” she cautioned. “Too early to get too excited.”
He nodded. “True. Plenty of games start out good but …” He trailed off, apparently unwilling to jinx it.
The fifth inning came to a close without a hit or a walk. During the sixth inning, everyone in the ballpark seemed to be aware that they could be seeing history. A perfect game came around only once in a blue moon. In the entire history of baseball, a period of nearly one hundred and fifty years, less than two dozen perfect games had ever been pitched. Most pitchers never pitched a game where they didn’t give up a hit or a walk. No one had ever done it twice. Denise reached up to tighten her ponytail even though it didn’t need it.
The air during the seventh inning stretch seemed electrified. Half the stadium sang Take Me Out To the Ball Game with manic energy, and the other half just stood silently. She was on the manic side. Brutus stood quietly beside her.
Culver started the eighth inning with his eleventh strikeout. Not a single person in the stands cheered. No one wanted to breathe any harder than they had to for fear of distracting Culver.
“How many pitches has he thrown?” Denise muttered. “If they take him out—”
“They won’t take him out. He has a solid shot at a perf …” Brutus swallowed. “You know.”
The next batter sent an easy pop fly to right field. The third batter of the inning went down swinging. Denise looked up at Brutus and saw the same wonder and anticipation there that she felt herself. One more inning. Could Culver keep this up for three more batters?
At the top of the ninth Denise sat on her hands to keep them from trembling. The first batter struck out. The stadium was dead silent. Even the announcer said nothing. The players in the dugout lined the fence, faces intent. The second batter swung at the first pitch and missed. A sigh went around the stadium. People rose to their feet, still silent, straining to see everything. Denise and Brutus stood too. The second pitch was a ball. The third pitch was a ball. Denise wished she had more beer to wet her dry throat. The fourth pitch was a strike. The fifth was a ball. It was a full count. The next pitch could be the one that ended Culver’s perfect game. Brutus took her hand. She clenched his fingers in an agony of nerves. Together they watched the next pitch. Foul ball.
Brutus lifted his cap enough to swipe the back of his hand over the sweat on his forehead. Denise watched Culver wind up and closed her eyes. She opened them in time to see the batter swing and miss.
Strike three. Her knees threatened to collapse. She gripped Brutus’s big hand harder. He looked down at her and smiled. It was a tight smile, probably intended to be reassuring, but he looked as tense as she felt. Only one more batter. If Culver got this guy out, he would make baseball history.
The third and last batter of the ninth inning stepped into the batter’s box. The glare on his face said he intended to put an end to this perfect game.
Denise’s heart stopped at the crack of the bat hitting the ball. The ball soared three hundred and seventy feet to center right. Denise quit breathing while she watched the outfielder sprint desperately to catch the ball. When he did, the smack of the ball in the mitt could be heard clear to Dallas. Utter silence reigned for five more seconds. Then the stadium broke out in hysteria. The announcer shouted that they had just witnessed the twenty-fourth perfect game in major league baseball history. The wave of cheering was like a wall of sound crashing into her. Denise’s legs turned into cotton candy, and the only reason she didn’t fall down was Brutus’s big hands on her waist. He had a curiously blank look on his face.
“Wolfe is going to kill me,” he said.
“Oh, my God,” she screamed up at him. “He did it! Culver pitched a perfect game! And we got to see it!”
“I know,” he said, quite calmly, picked her up, and kissed her.
Surprise held Denise still for a split second. She decided it must be one of those quick, carried-away-by-the-moment kisses, fast, hard, and full of jubilation. But it wasn’t. His face was hard and blunt, but his lips were indescribably soft. His kiss was gentle. Exploratory. Hot. She forgot her feet were inches off the concrete. She forgot she’d just witnessed baseball history. The people jumping up and down and screaming madly only inches from her ceased to exist when his tongue brushed over her lips, asking to come in. Her arms reached up and around his neck and she kissed him back with everything in her.
It was a long moment before she came up for breath. She blinked at the hot way he looked at her. “Come home with me,” he growled.
Her girl parts screamed yes. The rest of her said no. She braced her hands against his chest. His pectorals were bunched and hard from holding her one hundred and thirty pounds up. It was hard, but she shook her head. “Too soon.” Those two were the only words she could find for a minute. “But this deserves a celebration. How about a beer and some dancing at Billie’s?”
He didn’t answer for a long minute. “Good enough,” he finally agreed.
But he didn’t release her. “Hey? Could you put me down?”
“Do I have to?”
“Well, it will be hard for me to drive to Billie’s this way.”
He roared a laugh. Such a happy, joyous sound made her giggle too. “Okay, okay.” He settled her gently on her feet. “Let’s get out of here, but hang on to me. This crowd will trample both of us if we’re not careful.”
She’d like to see anyone try to trample him. “I’ll stick to you like glue,” she promised. “Lead the way, big guy.”
Tuesday Teaser 7/4/17: Victoria’s Cat the LAST Part
First of all, to my American readers, Happy Fourth of July! I hope you’ve had a terrific day full of good food and good times. Weather here is hot and humid (93 with 52% humidity is probably a beautiful day for some of you, but I’m sitting in front of the AC with a fan!) so typical 4th of July weather.
I started writing Strong Hearts, the story of how Brutus and Denise fell in love, while I’m waiting for the Victoria’s Cat edits to come back. I’m taking a break from writing today though, to sit and watch TV and knit. The perfect day off for me!
Yes, we’ve come to the end of Victoria’s Cat. This isn’t the end of the story arc, however. There are more cats and wolves to fall in love and fight for their happily ever afters. There are villains to kill and mates to be saved. Colby must be found. Will Ray recover? What will happen to Patia? I hope to start writing Colby and Gina’s story in February. Since I’m writing Strong Hearts to be part of a Kindle World, I can’t post teasers on my blog. So hopefully starting in February you’ll see the Tuesday Teasers start up again.
Meanwhile, here is the last part of Victoria’s Cat. Do you think this ties up enough loose ends to satisfy you, yet leave enough hanging to make you want to read Colby’s story? Let me know what you think!
Twenty minutes later, she was dead asleep against him. Marty breathed in the scent of her hair. All the pain and weariness and anguish were nothing compared to the feel of his mate beside him. He placed his hand gently over her thigh, rejoicing in her presence. His mate was returned to him, safe and well, and that was worth running two hundred miles with bullet holes.
A soft knock announced Mrs. McGrath with supper. He didn’t move. Victoria didn’t stir. After a few moments, he heard the clink of dishes as something settled on the floor outside the door. A tray, he guessed. Later, he told himself. You can wake Vic up later. For now, he just wanted to savor having his mate cuddled up beside him. She snorted a delicate, lady-like snore. He silently chuckled. He loved her. He must, because even her snores were precious to him. He turned his head and brushed a kiss over her hair.
“I love you,” he whispered, as sleep pulled him under.
* * * *
One week later the train, which had been retrieved from where the Kansas-Missouri troops had abandoned it, pulled into the Kearney station. Victoria stared out the window.
“I think every single person in Kearney is here. And more than half the Clan,” she added. Torn between joy at seeing her family, and terror at seeing her family, she swallowed. “Oh, no. There’s dad.”
Marty leaned over to look at the window. “Is he really angry, or does he always look like that?”
“Well, he does look like that a lot.” It wasn’t quite a lie. “Oh, look, there’s mom.”
There were twelve of her cousins on the car with them, all of them waving madly at friends and family on the platform. Victoria waited for them to disembark first. They didn’t. She waved at them. “Go ahead,” she ordered them. “Get off the train and be sure it’s safe like you always do.”
Eagle flashed her a wolfish smile, all bright teeth. “Oh, with dad and the rest of the Clan out there, it’s safe. We’ll wait until you’re done getting hugged by mom and dad. We’ll just stay here where it’s calm and watch.”
Marty stood up, favoring his hip only slightly. “Better go face the music, Vic.”
He stepped off the train first, and turned to steady her. Silence fell as a path opened between them and her parents. She saw other members of the Clan standing a short distance away, silently watching their Alpha. Her father, Wolf’s Shadow, Alpha of the Lakota Wolf Clan, jabbed a finger at Marty.
“You,” he bellowed. “You are the man who married my daughter even though I ordered you to stay away from her.”
“Yes,” Marty began, but her father cut him off with an outthrust arm.
“She was stolen from you!”
“Yes,” Marty tried again.
Her father glowered and raised his already considerable volume. “You ran for two hundred miles with four bullets in you to bring her help!”
“Actually, only two bullets were in me,” Marty said quickly, probably trying to squeeze his words out before her father cut him off again. “It was—”
“Brave!” her father boomed. “It was a brave thing to do. Worthy of a wolf warrior.” He stepped forward and enveloped Marty in a tight embrace.
“Dad.” Victoria rushed forward. “He’s still hurt.”
Her father opened his arms and turned to face his Clan. He put an arm over Marty’s shoulders with a huge grin. “This is my son,” he roared.
The Clan erupted in howls and cheers. Jaw sagging, Victoria stared at her father. “Mom?”
Her mother came and hugged her. “Your father hates to be wrong,” she remarked, “but when he is, he’s a big enough man to admit it. Oh, Vic, you’ve had a hell of a time, haven’t you?”
“It’s been pretty awful,” Victoria agreed. “And it’s not over.” She looked through the crowd to Aunt Carla, Colby’s mom, and her daughter Patia. “No sign of Cole yet?”
Her mom shook her head. “No. But his body hasn’t been found, so we know he’s alive.”
Lisa Madison, her new sister-in-law, stood by Carla and Patia. Eddie had said he and Lisa would head back to Omaha to be with their son in the hospital. Marty would be the acting mayor while they were gone. Victoria shook her head. “And Ray is still in a coma. But the doctors are hopeful. He could come out of it.”
“I hope so. Even in the Times Before, doctors couldn’t save everyone. People think that the world back then was full of miracles, but people died all the time of illness.” Her mom gave her shoulders a squeeze and let her go. “You’ve had a miracle of your own.”
“Marty,” Victoria agreed.
“Have you two had sex?”
“Mom!”
Her mom was unruffled. After nearly three decades with a clan of wolf warriors, she was generally unruffled. “Just wondering. He was badly hurt.”
“Not that badly.” Victoria spoiled her primness by giggling. “We’ve managed to enjoy ourselves a few times in the last couple of days.”
“My hope of grandchildren is restored.” Her mom chuckled. “We better go rescue your husband before your father kills him in gratitude for saving you.”
An hour later, exhausted by the Clan’s exuberant welcome, Marty plopped down beside her in backyard of the Plane Women’s House. The couch had been carried out especially for them. The celebration had been put on hold so the leaders of Kearney and the Packs could meet. The space was smaller than where most councils took place, and there were more people present, but they made it work.
Eagle, Hawk, Victoria, Renee, and Eddie Madison took turns explaining what had happened when the President of Kansas-Missouri tried to take over Omaha. Everyone listened in polite silence. There was very little discussion. Wolf’s Shadow stood with a grim face to speak.
“The man who calls himself President Todd sent his killers to murder innocent people, including my new son and his blood kin. He is responsible for my daughter being shot. Colby of Taye’s Pack, blood of our blood and bone of our bone, was wounded to the point of death. Colby’s mate has been taken by this man.” He raised a hand, fingers spread, and slowly clenched it into a fist. “He has promised to bring war against our people.” He paused to look around the gathering. “If he wants war, we’ll give him war.”
Approving murmurs rose to a shout.
“That day will come.” The alpha turned to look down at Victoria and Marty. “But not today. Today we celebrate.”
“My,” Marty murmured into her hair a little later. “Your family likes a party. Was that the Chicken Dance?”
She swayed with him in time to a soft ballad crooned by Aunt Carla. “I think that’s what it’s called. Look. Isn’t it sweet, watching Hawk and Renee dance?”
“It’s sweeter dancing with you.” He put his mouth against her throat and touched his tongue there. “It was only a few months ago that your dad would have killed me for dancing with you like this.”
They were pressed together from breast to knee. It made her think of other activities they could be doing. “I like dancing with you like this, but it’s been a long day. Are you tired?”
“A little,” he admitted, turning them in a lazy half circle. “Not too tired, though. It’s only a fifteen minute walk to my house in the compound. I have a bed there.”
Victoria looked over his shoulder to see who was watching. “I don’t think anyone would notice if we slipped away.”
They made their way stealthily to the edge of the party and made a break for it. They came to the gate in the wall of the mayor’s compound, laughing and panting. The guard there smiled as he opened the gate for them. Marty waved as they passed through. He didn’t speak until they were several yards away. “Did anyone notice our escape?” he asked.
“Just my mom,” she said, and snorted a laugh. “And she won’t tell. She wants grandchildren.”
He hurried her down the street and behind the white mansion Eddie and Lisa Madison lived in. There was a small house there that he led her to. “This is a small house,” he said apologetically.
“It’s cute,” she said politely. “It’s big enough for the two of us.”
He opened the door. “For now, it’s just two of us. Our house will be built before any children come.”
He tugged her down a hall to a bedroom. Not that she needed any urging. She followed his tugging with enthusiasm.
“I’ve heard that the Lakota have special conditions about sons-in-law and mothers-in-law.” He kissed her, a gentle slide of lips over her jaw. “I bet one of them is that the son-in-law must obey his wife’s mother. So if my mother-in-law wants grandchildren it is my duty to make some for her, right?”
His lips hovered tauntingly right over her mouth. “Uh, right. You better get on that.”
He kissed her deeply, then paused to look down at her seriously. “I don’t know what will happen with Todd. We’ve gotten away this time, but it’s not over.”
The memory of Major Ellis’ threats tried to intrude but she pushed it away. “No, it’s not. We still need to find Colby. Gina Summer is still with Todd. And Ray is still out.”
“He’s going to be okay.” Conviction rang in his voice. “Part of me wants to go to Omaha with Lisa and Eddie, but the rest of me knows I need to stay here. Someone needs to mind the store while Eddie’s away. The most important thing is we’re together.”
“We’ll keep each other safe,” she agreed. She laced her fingers behind his neck to bring his lips closer. “Now, can we get on with the grandchildren project?”
He laughed and got on with it.
THE END
Tuesday Teaser 6/27/17 Victoria’s Cat Part 24
Good news! Victoria’s Cat is off to the editor!
Depending on how extensive the edits are, the book will be ready to release on July 11 as planned. I will bust my butt to make sure they are done in time for the promised release date.
Usually when I finish a book, I feel like it is a good story. Not every time. There have been a couple that I wasn’t happy with, and there have some that I was okay with, and then there are a couple that I thought were outstanding. I think Victoria and Marty’s story is outstanding. Is that wrong to say? I kind of love Marty. He’s quiet and laid back. And loud mouthed Victoria is perfect for him. They are pretty awesome together.
This isn’t quite the end of the book. I’ll have one more teaser on the 4th of July. Wait until you see what Wolf’s Shadow does to Marty! 🙂
Marty? Victoria hid her elation behind a confused expression. “Cats? You mean kitty cats?”
“I mean lions,” the general snapped. “Don’t play dumb. And don’t pretend you’re sweet and helpless either. I saw what you did to Mott. Now answer the question.”
“I don’t know anything about any cats.” She turned the tables and gestured to the bread. “What happened? Is this all the food we get?”
“You’re lucky to get that much, after the destruction your friends and family caused.” He leaned forward and glared at her. “You’re lucky to be alive. The president wanted to execute you three. His temper sometimes gets the better of him. Fortunately for you, cooler heads prevailed.”
Victoria returned the glare. “Does he have these little tantrums often?”
“Be careful,” he warned softly. “He could still have you given to the men. Think about it before you say anything else.”
Victoria was done minding her mouth. “Today my husband and my family burned your supplies. If anything else happens to me, they will burn a lot more. Thank about that.”
He shoved his chair back. “Eat your bread and get your bags together. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”
Renee stood up too. “Leaving?”
“Back to the bridge for a prisoner exchange. Be ready.”
With that he turned sharply to the door and left. Renee let out a long, shaky breath. “Thank God.”
“We’re going home?” Anna asked in a hopeful voice.
“I think so,” said Renee. “Here, let’s divide the bread and eat quick.”
Chapter Thirteen
When they jumped down from the truck at the bridge, sunset was painting the clouds gold and rose. Victoria squinted to try to see the other end of the bridge, but between the distance and the glare of the sun, she could only make out some indistinct forms. On this side of the bridge were only a dozen people, among them General Atwater, President Todd, and Major Ellis. President Todd’s face was oddly tranquil as he greeted them. Perfectly groomed and smiling, he did not look like the man who had rolled around on the grass having a tantrum.
“Ladies, I’m so sorry your visit is being cut short like this,” he said warmly. “It would be lovely to see you again sometime.” His smile was polite, with no sign of mockery or hint of threat, as if he were a normal host saying goodbye to guests at the end of a fun visit.
Victoria exchanged a glance with Renee. Either he was a good actor or flat out crazy. “Thank you.”
General Atwater took over. “In a few minutes, when the signal is given, you will walk slowly across the bridge. The president’s ladies will do the same. Don’t stop. Don’t talk to the other women when you pass them. Just walk slowly. We’ll stay on our side, and your men will stay on their side. Once you are across the bridge, each group will depart immediately.”
The pretty major sidled over to them. “We’re leaving Omaha for now,” he said. The sweet smile didn’t reach his eyes, which were stormy with rage. “But you haven’t seen the last of us. We will destroy you. Those bags?” He nodded at the suitcases their escort had handed down from the truck. “When we’re done with you, everything your entire tribe has left won’t fill even one of those bags.”
Victoria eyed his smile and curled her fist, but Renee jabbed an elbow into her side. Victoria turned her back on him. It wasn’t as satisfying as punching his teeth in.
“It’s time,” Atwater said. “Start walking.”
Victoria picked up her suitcase. “Good thing we didn’t pack everything when we left Omaha.”
Renee, carrying her bag, stepped onto the bridge. “Doesn’t matter. Right now, I would gladly drag everything I own across this bridge without batting an eye. Come on, Anna.”
They walked slowly, as instructed, and with each step Victoria’s heart pounded faster. She could see the gaggle of Todd’s women coming closer. They too were walking slowly. Gina’s mom and Fourth Mrs. Todd were in front, followed by Suzanne and Gina, and Todd’s sister and her friend brought up the rear. Victoria took a breath. Gina shouldn’t be going back to Todd. Words of angry protest leaped into her throat. But she couldn’t say anything. As the two groups drew closer, Victoria saw that Gina’s eyes were bright with tears. Victoria opened her mouth. Gina gave a tiny shake of her head. They passed each other in silence. Victoria clenched the handle of her suitcase so tightly it hurt, but she kept her mouth closed and looked resolutely to the end of the bridge.
The forms there were clearer now. That tall, broad frame must be Eagle. Her brother was here. That was Mayor McGrath, and next to him was Hawk. Beside her, Renee was shaking. Anna’s breathing was almost sobs. Poor kid had cried a lot in the past two days, and Victoria didn’t blame her. Her own breath caught when she saw the setting sun gleam on golden hair. Marty? No, the hair was short, not wavy locks falling to broad shoulders. But those shoulders had a familiar set… She gasped.
“Marty,” she whispered.
It was him. As they came closer, she recognized him, but his face was distorted by horrific bruising. His hair was clipped close to his head to make way for a bandage that covered him from one side of his forehead, over his ear, to the back of his head. His jacket was open to show one arm in a sling. He was injured but alive. Victoria grabbed hold of Renee’s arm for support. The joy and relief made her head swim.
It was agonizing to keep her pace slow and steady. The end of the bridge seemed miles away. The need to touch Marty was overwhelming. Somehow, even though she was shaking, Renee kept their pace steady. She must want to throw herself into Hawk’s arms as much as Victoria wanted to do the same with Marty. But could she throw herself at him? He was hurt. His shirt didn’t fit right, as if he was wearing something thick under it, like bulky bandages. He was leaning on another blond man. Was that his brother, Eddie Madison? What was Mayor Madison doing here in Omaha? She scanned the men waiting at the end of the bridge and identified several cousins who hadn’t come to Omaha with the representatives. They were naked, so they must have come in wolf form and changed back to men. But she didn’t see Colby or Ray.
The questions swirling around her brain could wait a few minutes. Only a couple of yards to go. Anna broke away from Renee’s arm and rushed at her father. Renee’s attention was fixed firmly on Hawk, who stared back at her with a face so expressionless that Victoria knew he was hiding strong emotion. Renee ran the last few steps off the bridge to Hawk. Her mate folded her in his arms, face still blank, but Victoria saw the black of his eyes gleam with moisture.
Victoria looked away from them to Marty. His face was as white as the bandage as he straightened up from his brother’s support. He swayed and Eddie grabbed him again. Victoria took three long strides to stand inches away from him. Her hands trembled when she reached for him. Where could she touch him that wouldn’t hurt him? After a few uncertain moments, she dropped her hands. He swayed again, his swollen features twisting with a hurt that wasn’t physical.
“I’m ugly now,” he began in a hoarse voice.
“Shut up,” she snapped. She had to swallow twice to get her mouth to work. “You’re alive. I thought you were dead.” Her voice broke on a harsh sob. “I thought you were dead,” she repeated. “I want to hold you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
He took a tottering step to her and half collapsed against her. “Then I’ll hold you. But you might have to hold me up while I do it.”
His good arm draped around her waist. He leaned his cheek against her hair. In fact, he leaned most of his weight against her. “It’s a good thing I’m tall and strong,” she said, trying to joke, but she couldn’t stop crying.
Eagle tapped her shoulder. “Sorry to butt in, but we have to go. You can talk on the bus.”
Most of her relatives let their wolves out but Hawk and Eagle stayed human. It was only twenty yards to the bus, but Marty was shaking and wheezing with exhaustion by the time they got there. Eagle and Eddie Madison helped him get into the bus. Victoria sat at the end of a seat and Marty slumped against her. Eddie sat on his other side to help steady him. Eagle, Hawk and Renee, and Mayor McGrath and his daughter climbed into the bus and found seats. The bus started up with a now familiar roar. Even the smell of the fuel wasn’t as horrible as it had once seemed. As the vehicle bumped its way over a rocky path, Marty groaned.
“He refused to stay home,” Eddie said to her with a tired smile. “He insisted on coming to be here when you were released.”
Victoria stroked one of Marty’s short blond curls with light fingers. “Idiot,” she said fondly.
“I love you too,” Marty said in a sluggish voice.
“Are you okay?” she whispered.
Even over the noise of the engine, Marty heard her. “I will be. Now that you are safe, I’ll be just fine.” He dropped his head to her shoulder. “See? This part of my head is good. I think I’ll just rest it here for a minute, okay?”
“Okay.” He could keep it there as long as he liked, even if it put her arm to sleep. “I love you, Marty.”
He snored. Beside him, Eddie gave a smothered chuckle. “He needs sleep. I don’t think he’s had any in days.”
Had it been only two days since their wedding? They had slept that night. Maybe not very much, but some. “How did you get here?” she asked.
Eddie jerked a chin at Marty. “My brother dragged himself into Kearney, bloody and limping only hours after the train was attacked. I sent word to the Plane Women’s Pack and the den, and we came here at a run. My baby brother insisted on coming back with us. I don’t know how he did it, but he kept up with us.” He smiled. “I suppose a man —whether cat, wolf, or human— can perform miracles to save the woman he loves.”
From the seat behind them, Eagle spoke. “I have to say, I didn’t like the idea of you marrying him, but I was wrong. That cat will do anything to keep you safe.”
Eddie smiled at her again, and she was struck by the warmth and sincerity of it. The contrast between his smile and the smiles she’d seen on the men from Kansas-Missouri was stark.
“Were you part of the raid on Todd’s camp?” she asked. “There were cat paw prints there.”
“Yes. I wanted to be part of the rescue. You’re my sister now,” he said. “Congratulations and welcome to the family.”
“Thank you. Ray? Is he okay?”
Ray’s dad sighed, his smile fading. “He’s pretty bad off,” he said. “He’s at the hospital in Omaha. They think he’ll live, but …” He trailed off. “He hasn’t woken up. He might not ever wake up. We’ll have to wait and see.”
Ray. Patia’s fiancé. What would her cousin do if Ray didn’t wake up? Or if he did wake up but couldn’t speak or move? It was too painful to think about now. She turned to look back at Eagle. “How about Colby? Where is he?”
Eagle looked stricken. “He’s dead. Don’t you remember? He was killed on the train. Marty told us about it.”
“No,” Victoria said at the same time that Renee did. Renee, sitting beside Eagle and still wrapped tightly in Hawk’s arms, went on. “We thought he was dead. Those assh—” She broke off with a quick glance at Anna in the seat behind her. “Er, the soldiers from Kansas-Missouri threw him in the back of a truck, but when the truck got to the camp, the two soldiers who had been in the truck were bleeding and Colby was nowhere to be seen. They said the wolf came back to life and tried to kill them before jumping out.”
Eagle’s eyes lit with hope. “Then he’s out there somewhere, probably trying to get help. We’ll find him. Aunt Carla will be crazy with joy. She thinks he’s dead.”
The bus bumped twice, and smoothed out. They were on a road now.
“We’re almost home,” McGrath remarked. In the third and last seat, he had an arm around his daughter as if he’d never let her go. “Mrs. Madison, you and your husband will be our guests while he recovers.”
Victoria opened her mouth to decline, but he stopped her with a raised hand.
“My house is closer to the hospital, and we have a large bedroom on the first floor. Mayor Madison is our guest. I would be honored to have you stay with us too. Thanks to you and your family, my daughter is alive and well. I can never repay you.”
It was hard to deny him when he sounded so sincere and grateful. Besides, how would Marty climb the stairs to the third-floor bedroom at the Limit? “Thank you,” she said.
The bus went up an incline and stopped. With great care, Marty was roused and helped off the bus and into the mayor’s house. Eagle followed with her suitcase. He murmured that he was going to talk to Rock and some of the others about finding Colby. A wave of love swept over Victoria when her brother gave her an enormous hug.
She sniffed. “I love you.”
He looked abashed, but smiled. “I love you too. See you in the morning.”
When the door closed behind him, Mrs. McGrath swooped to her daughter with tears and hugs. Her nearly incoherent exclamations of joy mixed with her daughter’s wails and sobs. They clung together for a long moment. Anna babbled about how scared she had been, and how hungry they were, and how evil Mr. Todd was. Rye McGrath put his arms around both of them, tears in his own eyes. Mrs. McGrath raised her head and looked at Marty. With obvious reluctance, she pulled away from her daughter and husband. She seemed to be torn between her daughter and her duties as hostess. Anna was still crying, but she smiled through the tears at her mother.
“Go ahead, Mom,” she said in a small, shaky voice. “I’ll stay with Dad.”
Mrs. McGrath gave her daughter one last hug before turning to Victoria and Marty. “Please follow me. There’s a bedroom right off the living room.”
They followed her, half carrying Marty. Light from the hall gave enough illumination to see the outline of the furniture. Eddie helped his brother to the bed, sat him down, and pulled off his shoes. Victoria hovered over her husband, holding his good hand and staring anxiously down at his white face.
“This was my mother-in-law’s room,” Mrs. McGrath explained, flipping on the light to show a luxuriously furnished bedroom with a sitting area and a private bath. “Anna said you hadn’t eaten hardly anything all day.”
Victoria’s stomach rumbled loudly. Mrs. McGrath laughed. “I’ll heat supper up in a minute. The dining room is…” She trailed off when she noticed how Victoria clutched Marty’s good hand. “No, I’ll bring a tray to you here.”
“Thank you,” Victoria said to her hostess. “I could definitely eat. Lie back, Marty,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” he mumbled. He seemed to try for a smile, before carefully easing himself down.
The obvious pain he tried to hide hurt her too. “Thank you so much, Mrs. McGrath.”
“Please call me Cayla,” Mrs. McGrath said thickly. “And thank you. My daughter is home. We can never thank you enough. I’ll be right back.”
Eddie stood at the door. “Do you need help getting him undressed?”
“I can do it. Thank you.”
Her brother-in-law nodded. “He’s stubborn, so you’ll need to be firm to get him to behave.”
Victoria snorted. “He’ll behave,” she declared.
“I’m not deaf, you know,” Marty muttered.
“Are you going to behave?” she demanded.
“Too hurt not to right now.” He closed his good eye in a slow wink. “But just wait a week. I’ll misbehave in a way that you’ll like a lot.”
A tide of red flowed into Eddie’s lean cheeks. He coughed. “I’ll say good night.”
Victoria held her giggle in until the door closed behind him. “Oh, Marty,” she gurgled. “You are so naughty.” The giggles morphed into sobs. Dropping to her knees on the floor, she buried her face in the blanket by Marty’s shoulder and wept like a baby.
“Oh, now,” he said, awkwardly trying to twist his arm to clumsily pat her head. “Don’t cry, Vic. Everything is alright now.”
She sniffed inelegantly. “I’ll cry if I want to.” But she wiped her eyes on the sheet and raised her head. “Let’s get you undressed.”
“Good plan.”
She moved slowly and carefully as she unbuttoned his shirt. When she saw the bruising spreading out from under three separate bandages, her lips flattened. “How many times were you shot?”
His brow, the one not covered by a bandage, pulled down as he silently counted on his fingers. “Four. My shoulder, my arm, my hip, and my head. They were lousy shots.”
She didn’t laugh. “I didn’t punch him hard enough,” she growled.
“Who?”
“That lieutenant, the one who was in charge on the train.”
“You punched him?” he said delightedly.
“Right in the kisser.” She swelled with remembered satisfaction. “He went down like a sack of potatoes. His lip is still swollen.”
“That’s my Vic,” he said proudly.
She eased off his shirt and moved to his pants.
“This is different from the last time you unbuttoned my pants.” He angled his head to look up at her with a leer. “Maybe if you were very careful…”
She peeled his pants down and saw a bandage on his hip. A bullet must have gone through him, right under the hipbone. “That’s not funny.” The tears started again and she wrestled them back. “You ran all the way to Kearney like this?”
The leer faded. He took her hand. “I had to. You know that. I had to get help for you. When I first came to, back there by the train tracks, I knew immediately that you were gone. I looked around, but you weren’t there. No one was there except the dead men on the grass.”
“And Ray?”
His eyes clouded. “I left him. I left him behind.”
“Where is he now?”
“Hospital. Few blocks away. He’s in a coma.”
He speech was getting short. He must be exhausted. She pulled his hand to her lips. “If he’s in the hospital, then you know he’s being taken care of by men who know what they are doing.”
A faint smile ghosted his lips. “And women. Omaha has two lady doctors.”
“Well, then you know Ray is being take good care of.” She pulled his pants off and removed his socks. “You did everything you could.” She surveyed him, naked except for the bandages. “You could have died. If it had been Ray who was able to go for help would you have begged him to take you along?”
“Of course not.” He slanted a twisted smile up at her. “I know I did the right thing. It’s just hard.”
“I know.” She moved to lift the sheet over him but paused when he raised a hand. “What?”
“When you look at me, do you see your husband, or just a wreck?”
“I see my husband,” she said instantly. “A little the worse for wear right now, but brave and strong. You’ll recover.”
“Yes. My face might be scarred.”
She made a rude sound.
“You don’t care?”
“Idiot,” she muttered.
He smiled. “I love you,” he whispered. “I don’t know how it is for wolves, but I heal fast. In a week, I’ll be able to do more in bed with you than just sleep.”
He was leering again. Victoria rolled her eyes. “Oh, good. For now, though, just sleep.”
“You, too.” His eyes were already closing. “Sleep with me.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
He shook his head. “If you lay on this side it will be fine. If you do accidentally hurt me I’ll let you know, okay?”
She thought about it, gauging the width of the bed. “Okay.”
Twenty minutes later, she was dead asleep against him. Marty breathed in the scent of her hair. All the pain and weariness and anguish were nothing compared to the feel of his mate beside him. He placed his hand gently over her thigh, rejoicing in her presence. His mate was returned to him, safe and well, and that was worth running two hundred miles with bullets in him.
A soft knock announced Mrs. McGrath with supper. He didn’t move. Victoria didn’t stir. After a few moments, he heard the clink of dishes as something settled on the floor outside the door. A tray, he guessed. Later, he told himself. You can wake Vic up later. For now, he just wanted to savor having his mate cuddled up beside him. She snorted a delicate, lady-like snore. He silently chuckled. He loved her. He must, because even her snores were precious to him. He turned his head and brushed a kiss over her hair.
“I love you,” he whispered, as sleep pulled him under.
* * * *
One week later the train, which had been retrieved from where the Kansas-Missouri troops had abandoned it, pulled into the Kearney station. Victoria stared out the window.
Tuesday Teaser 6/20/17 Victoria’s Cat Part 23
Update on Victoria’s Cat. The rough draft is Done!
I want to break out the champagne and chocolate. But actually, I have a date with my vacuum cleaner and duster. 🙁 I haven’t cleaned since before I left for Ohio, and with three cats you can only guess at what color the carpet is.
The manuscript has been rushed off to the beta readers so I have a few days to recover before diving into revisions. Here is a good sized chunk of the second to last chapter. As I was highlighting to copy it, I saw several typos and mistakes. *head desk* Be kind. I hope you can enjoy it anyway.
Chapter Twelve
Marty ran. The jagged edges of his heart stabbed him with every stride, but he ran. He had left his nephew, the man who was the brother of his heart, wounded behind him. Ray couldn’t run. He hadn’t even been awake. It tortured Marty to leave his nephew, but he knew Ray would want him to go without him to fetch help. He had taken only enough time to pull Ray away from the other dead men and build him a slight shelter so scavengers wouldn’t get him. He would return for Ray as soon as he could, but right now he had a mate to save. He had to get her back. He couldn’t do it himself. He needed help, so he left Ray behind and ran.
A mountain cat could cover a lot of ground even when bullets had torn chunks out of his chest and hip, even when a bullet had cut a groove in his skull. It hurt, but he ran because he had a mission. He was going to save Victoria, and punish the men who had stolen her and murdered so many from the train. The railroad tracks would lead him to where he needed to go, so he followed them with all the speed he could force from his broken body. Through the mud created by the early spring sun, he ran. When the mud turned to ice as the sun fell, he ran. He didn’t have time to baby himself, not if he was going to find the help he needed to save Victoria. With that thought alone in his mind, he ignored the pain of his wounds and followed the tracks to the place he knew he would find help.
* * * *
“It’s cold this morning,” Gina commented. She curved her hands around a mug of coffee and shivered. “I don’t like living in tents.”
Victoria sat beside her at the table that had shrunk overnight. “I’ve spent most of my life living in a tent. I don’t mind it.”
Gina sipped coffee that steamed in the chilly air. “Last night you said something about Colby.”
Victoria looked around the main room of the harem tent, but no one was around except for she, Gina, Renee, and Anna. They were going to be paraded around in front of the men from Omaha in a few hours. It was past nine in the morning, and the other women were still in bed. Victoria couldn’t imagine sleeping that late. But any of them could come in at any time, so she lowered her voice, knowing that canvas dividers wouldn’t keep them from being overheard.
“Colby jumped out of the truck on the way here,” she whispered. “He’s alive.”
Gina’s hands fell limp to the table. “How can he be? I saw him. He was dead.”
“I thought so too.” Victoria looked at Renee for confirmation, and the older woman nodded. “I don’t know how, but he survived. He’s a wolf warrior. They heal quickly.”
Gina closed her eyes and let out a trembling sigh. “I’m glad, but it doesn’t make any difference. He can’t take me to his family now.”
“He’s a wolf warrior. You’re the mate his wolf chose.” Victoria drank coffee. “You haven’t seen the last of him. He’ll get you out of here.”
Gina shook her head slowly. “It’s impossible. You’ve seen what it’s like. And now you’re stuck here too.”
Renee snorted. “You don’t know the Clan.”
Voices came from outside the tent. Major Ellis entered. “Miss Gina, you look beautiful this morning.” He nodded to the rest of them. “I’m glad you’re awake. President Todd wants us to be ready to leave in ninety minutes.”
Eighty minutes later Victoria, Renee and Anna were in the back of a truck. Victoria had been reunited with her coat, which must have been picked up when the Kansas-Missouri soldiers scavenged the train. There were six soldiers in the truck with them, and an entire fleet of trucks growled around them. Victoria put her hand under her nose to try to hold off the fumes.
“Ugh,” she said to Renee. “I hope this won’t take long.”
“About half an hour,” one of the soldiers shouted cheerfully, but before he could say more the trucks roared to life, drowning out anything else.
There must have been at least forty trucks in this convoy, and the noise they made and the tracks they left would make it easy to track them. Todd must not be worried about keeping the location of his camp a secret. If each of these trucks held ten soldiers each, the President would have about four hundred troops with him at the parley, which left his camp still well protected by the rest of his soldiers. Victoria wanted to say something to Renee about it, but between the noise and the jolting she lost interest in trying to say anything. She amused herself by imagining how much fun it would be to punch Todd right in the teeth.
Her side was aching again by the time the trucks stopped. She, Renee and Anna were kept inside the truck for nearly another thirty minutes before the engine started up again and they moved over bumpy ground. The six soldiers dismounted from the truck first and then helped the women down. They were in what looked like a decaying ghost town. Victoria glanced at Renee. Her aunt would have walked through cities like this in the Times Before, when they were alive with people and technology that Victoria can only imagine.
“This way, ladies,” one of the soldiers said, and led them along an ice-rimmed path to a wide bridge.
“We must be in Iowa,” Renee murmured. “I think this is a famous bridge over the Missouri River between Council Bluffs and Omaha.”
There were soldiers stationed either side of the bridge, standing at attention with their weapons propped against their legs in a non-threatening position. Ahead Victoria could see a bunch of people standing in the middle of the bridge. They wore the Kansas-Missouri uniform. She assumed Ryan McGrath was there too, but he must be past Todd’s soldiers. She wanted to see what was going on, but the bridge must be a mile long, too far for her to see or hear anything.
The six men of their escort arranged the women single file and took up flanking positions on either side of them. It was a long walk to get to the center. They were halted twenty feet away from the men, and even with her height, Victoria couldn’t see anything except the dirty ice on the river on either side and the backs of Todd and his men in front.
A thin sound came from Anna, not quite a wail, not quite a moan. Renee stepped out of formation to put an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “It’s going to be okay.”
Anna put a hand over her mouth. “I want my dad. I want my mom.”
“So do I,” said Victoria. It surprised her, but she really did want her parents. Her dad would mow down the soldiers and take her home. “Let’s try to listen and hear what they are saying.”
They could hear Todd speaking, but even though his voice was raised to carry, the wind was blowing past them toward him, pushing his words away from them. Victoria tried to distinguish what he said but they were too far back. She recognized Ryan McGrath’s voice but couldn’t make out any of his words either. Tears leaked down Anna’s cheeks. “Dad,” she whispered.
There was a flurry of movement ahead of them and one of the men from Kansas-Missouri turned and waved at them. The six soldiers marched them forward. Victoria strained to see the group on the other side of the bridge. The bridge curved out into a roundish central place, probably so pedestrians could look out at the river. On the side closest to Omaha was Ryan McGrath, along with Captain Erickson and a few other men she vaguely recognized from the stage in the legislative chambers, and there were Hawk and Stone to one side. A breath seeped out of Victoria, and with it, some of her anxiety.
Hawk tended to be stoic, but when he saw Renee, his face turned to stone and his black eyes burned with icy fire. He was twenty feet away from them, but Victoria clearly saw death written in the flat line of his mouth.
President Todd gestured Victoria, Renee, and Anna forward. He draped an arm around Victoria’s waist and the other around Anna’s shoulders. Renee, mercifully, was spared being touched by the president. Good thing. Hawk might have lost his habitual cool if the slimy little turd had put hands on his mate.
“As you can see,” Todd called jovially, “your ladies are quite well in my care. I think we can reach some arrangement that will ensure they remain safe and well, can’t we?”
McGrath looked almost as stony as Hawk. “We’d like to hear from the ladies themselves. Send them over.”
Todd laughed. “I don’t think so. You can hear them just fine from here.” He nodded at Renee. “Is that your husband, my dear? Please, reassure him that you are being well treated in my care.”
Renee fixed her eyes on her mate. “He’s absolutely right,” she called earnestly. “We’ve been treated like honored guests. In fact, last night we were invited to dinner. It was the best meal I’ve ever eaten. I wish we had a cook as good as the President’s.”
Hawk blinked. “Uh. Good.”
Victoria hid a smile. That blink was the equivalent of another man gaping. “It’s true,” she agreed, loudly. “Except for me being shot, we’re fine.”
The was no hint of shock on Hawk’s face now. He was back to be stony. Stone’s usually mild expression matched Hawk’s.
She went quickly on. “I was shot on accident,” she assured them. “It’s not serious, but President Todd sent his personal physician to me. He couldn’t have treated any of his own wives any better. Cousin Anna and I are fine.”
McGrath’s gaze flicked to Anna and casually away, but his jaw was clenched. Todd was stiff beside her. He said in a low voice, “My dear, I think you’ve said enough.” His smile, directed at Anna, chilled her more than the wind. “Not another word, do you understand?”
Victoria swallowed and nodded.
“Excellent.” The president turned back to the party from Omaha. “I’m told this young lady is one of your people.” He nodded at Hawk. “But I think she bears a striking resemblance to Mayor McGrath.” He put a finger under Anna’s chin and lifted her face to examine it before looking at McGrath. “Yes, she certainly does resemble you. How curious.”
The mayor of Omaha almost managed to look bored. “Return the ladies to us now and we’ll be much more open to negotiating terms that favor you.”
The president laughed. “Oh, no, that’s not how this works.” Todd’s arm gave Victoria a squeeze that nearly forced a hiss of pain from her. “You see, because I have your women, you will agree to whatever terms I want. Then, after you have proven trustworthy, you may get your women back. It all depends on you.”
Anna tried to muffle her sobs against her shoulder. Todd patted the top of her head. “Now, you girls scurry back to your truck and let us men finish our talk.”
Girls? Us men? He’s going to die, Victoria reminded herself. Don’t get angry. It’s only a matter of time before someone kills him. She would be happy to do it herself. With great reluctance, Victoria let the soldiers form up on either side of them to begin the march back over the long bridge to the truck.
“Be patient,” Hawk shouted in Lakota. “We’ll get you back.”
Renee turned her head to search out her mate. “We know,” she shouted back.
The soldier beside Renee gave her a gentle but firm nudge. Obediently, they marched down the bridge to the trucks. Victoria kept her eyes open for any sign of the other wolf warriors skulking in the brush, but didn’t see them. They were around, she was sure. Rock, Eagle, Quill, and Sand wouldn’t be napping back at the Limit. They were probably up to something right now that would cause trouble for Todd.
They waited in the truck for another hour before the truck’s engine roared to life and the fumes of its fuel clogged their noses.
“We’ll be back to camp in less than an hour,” one of their escort remarked. “We should have brought some rations. It’s past lunch.”
“Supplies were just delivered last night,” another said. “There will be plenty of food waiting for us.”
Victoria’s shoulders slumped. It hadn’t been likely, but she’d hoped they would be returned to Omaha right away. Renee must have felt the same. Over Anna’s head she nodded grimly.
They had been travelling twenty minutes when a new stench cut through the engine fumes. Renee pinched her nose closed.
“Something’s burning,” she muttered.
The scratch at the back of Victoria’s throat turned into a cough. The light coming through the opening at the back turned dim. A haze of dirty smoke filtered in. Something was burning, but it didn’t smell like grass or wood. Victoria had seen more than one prairie fire in her life, but those occurred in hot, dry weather, not in damp springtime. She could tell by the way the soldiers readied their weapons that this wasn’t a natural disaster. They expected trouble of the man-made sort.
The truck picked up speed, jolting over the uneven ground. Victoria clenched onto the bench to keep from being bounced off the seat. After several minutes, they slowed to a crawl. Voices outside the truck were raised. Not all the words were clear, but shock and anger were. From the little she caught, the new supplies had been set on fire, and the fuel and ammunition had exploded.
She was dying to see what was going on, but the soldiers stopped her.
“No, ma’am,” one said. “You all stay put until we know if it’s safe.”
Two of the escort slipped out to find out what was happening.
“The Clan,” said Renee with satisfaction.
“Did all the food burn?” one of their escort asked another. “What about lunch?”
Victoria’s stomach growled, but she shared a smile with Renee. “The Clan,” she agreed.
The canvas at the back of the truck opened and Lieutenant Mott looked in. “Bring the ladies out,” he ordered. “Take them to the harem and make sure they stay there.”
Somehow the burning smell was even worse outside the truck. Victoria fanned her hand in front of her face to try to clear the haze. She could see the harem tent ahead and to the right, and to her left, President Todd stood with fists shaking in front of his face. That face was contorted into an ugly mask, clenched teeth exposed by curled lips, eyebrows pulled so low his eyes couldn’t be seen, and nostrils flared.
“That doesn’t look good,” Renee muttered. “Is he foaming at the mouth?”
A glistening strand of spittle rolled from the corner of his mouth. Victoria took a step back. “Eeew.”
The President slammed his fists into the truck he stood beside. “My son,” he screamed. “They took my son!”
Victoria stared, repelled, while he threw himself to the ground, screaming. “Get them back. Get them back!” he shrieked, pounding the grass with his fists and slamming his heels into the ground. “I’ll kill them! All of them. I want them dead! Dead, dead dead!”
Anna was staring too. “My little brother Nick used to do that when he was two, but he doesn’t do it anymore.”
“Everyone I know outgrew it,” Victoria said. She watched the President writhe around, biting the collar of his uniform. “This is like a toddler tantrum, but worse.”
General Atwater hurried toward them. “Ladies, please go to the harem tent. It’s best that you aren’t in sight right now.”
Their escort bunched around them and herded them away to the harem tent. The soldiers looked nervous, like they wanted to be out of sight too. Renee paused when they got to the tent. Strangely, there were no men guarding the tent. “Wait a minute,” she said, when the escort turned to go. “What is going on?”
The soldiers looked at each other. “Dunno, ma’am.” The tallest one, whose name on his uniform was Smithers, shuffled his feet. “Our supplies were vandalized and the President’s harem was captured.”
“He said something about his son,” Victoria remembered. “I don’t think we met him.”
A different soldier answered. “Not born yet. Fourth Mrs. Todd is expecting. It’s the president’s first child.” He shook his head. “The president is going to flip.”
“Shut up,” muttered Smithers. “Ladies, please go into the tent and stay there until you are called for.”
Renee opened the flap. “Lunch?”
Smithers shook his head. “If there’s any food we’ll try to get you some.”
His voice said he doubted there was any food to be had. Renee led the way into the tent. The passed through the main room, down the hallway made by canvas hangings, to the room they had left only a couple of hours ago.
“Kind of creepy with no one else here,” Renee observed.
Victoria agreed. “Yeah. Let’s go sit down in the front room.”
After they were settled, Anna asked, “Do you think there really isn’t any more food? At all?”
“There might be some,” Renee said thoughtfully. “I bet the president keeps his food separate from the army’s supplies. But if he has three thousand men, his private supply won’t go far. Either they’ll have to go looking for more food nearby or wait for more to be sent to them from another place. Either way, the army will be hungry.”
“I’m already hungry,” Victoria put in.
“And hungry men aren’t as disciplined,” Renee continued. “Todd could face a mutiny. Or whatever it’s called in the army.”
“Did your husband do this?” Anna asked.
“My husband was on the bridge with your dad.” Renee jerked a thumb at Victoria. “Her husband might have. I suppose they came here looking for us to rescue us. When we weren’t here, they took the harem.”
“Yeah,” Victoria agreed. “Burning the food and the other stuff was brilliant, but I’m getting pretty hungry.”
Anna sighed. “Me too. How did your husband get the other women out of camp? There were lots of people here who would have stopped them.”
“That must be why they burned stuff. Everyone probably ran over there to save the food.” Victoria frowned a little. “Stealing women doesn’t seem like something they would do.”
Renee shrugged. “At least the harem will be completely safe with them.”
Victoria glanced at Anna. “True.”
Hours passed. Supper time came and went with no food and no news. Anna was snoring with her head on the table when a male voice announced he was entering. It was General Atwater and a younger soldier holding half a loaf of bread. The general gestured and the man set the bread on the table, gave a crisp salute and left. The general sat down. Victoria divided her attention between him and the bread.
“It’s interesting,” he remarked dispassionately, “how many big cat prints are around our camp. Wolf tracks I had expected. But big cats? No. What can you tell me about the cats?”
Marty! Victoria hid her elation behind a confused expression. “Cats? You mean kitty cats?”
“I mean lions,” the general snapped. “Don’t play dumb. And don’t pretend you’re sweet and helpless either. I saw what you did to Mott. Now answer the question.”
Tuesday Teaser 6/6/17: Victoria’s Cat Part 22
I leave very early tomorrow morning for RAGT in Ohio. I’ll be back in 6 days. I had HOPED to have Victoria and Marty’s story done before I left, but I still have one more chapter and maybe an epilogue to write. sigh. There will not be a Tuesday Teaser next week so you are getting a double dose now. This is the rest of Chapter 11. It is wordy and meandering and I think I will need to tighten it up quite a bit during revisions. The point of this chapter is to show the reader what life with President Todd is like, so I think I’ll need to cut out a lot and/or condense it so it reads more quickly. As it is, I think it’s too much, and readers are likely to get bogged down. What do you think?
The harem was the largest tent. Victoria ground her teeth over that designation. The man had a harem? And took them along when he was ready to conquer a new city? If he expected to make her his newest wife, he was in a for a rude surprise. She was already married. And if he tried to move on her, she would twist that little shrimp into a pretzel.
There were two guards at the door flap of the harem tent. They wore uniforms instead of lionskin loincloths like the eunuchs that guarded the sultan’s harem in a book she had read. The interior of the harem tent was just as prosaic as the guards. No silken pillows over thick carpets or embroidered hangings separating the rooms. No divans with lounging sultanas. The ground was covered by a plain khaki tarp, and the hangings dividing the tent were of that same material. And the inmates weren’t wearing sheer flowing silks.
Victoria almost bumped into Renee when she stopped. The six women gathered around a table wore jeans and blouses, and the expressions on their faces ranged from mild interest to something that looked like hate. Hate? Before Victoria could follow up on that thought, Gina Summer leaped up from her chair and hurried toward them.
“I’m so sorry about Colby,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry about all of this.” She looked past them and her eyes went cool. “Major Ellis.”
Vitoria thought it was a curse word rather than a greeting.
“Miss Todd.”
The major was certainly handsome. Not as handsome as Marty, but his smile lit his already handsome features and turned him into a living work of art. His voice lowered to a seductive purr. Gina’s cool expression didn’t change but she put her hand behind her back, away from his reach. The young major continued to smile. It reminded Victoria of Lieutenant Mott and his persistent, slimy smile.
“Dear Miss Todd, I’m so pleased to see you safely returned to us.”
A woman at the table rose. She was a little prettier than Gina, but there was a definite family resemblance. Her mother? Victoria thought she didn’t look old enough to be Gina’s mother.
“Major Ellis, won’t you please join us? We were just planning a dinner to celebrate my daughter’s return.”
“I would be delighted, Mrs. Second Todd, but the president requires my attendance at other meetings this afternoon.” He nodded briefly to Renee, Victoria, and Anna. “These ladies will be joining you. The president and his staff will be joining you for supper.” He sketched a salute that was almost a bow. “Until then.”
Gina shot his back one poisonous look and turned back to Victoria. “I suppose I should introduce you around.”
Victoria exchanged a glance with Renee, and they walked to the table. Anna clung to Renee like a leech.
“This is my mom, Ellen Summer Todd.” Gina pointed to the woman who had invited Major Ellis to join them. The woman gave them a friendly smile and nod. “The woman on the far end is Suzanne Smith Todd, the president’s fifth wife.”
That woman had a beautiful face surrounded by a waterfall of golden hair and a voluptuous body. Her beauty was spoiled by the scowl on her face. She didn’t nod or smile, just glared at them.
“The woman next to her is Shelley Parker Todd, the president’s fourth wife.”
That woman was just as beautiful but somehow more human. Her brown hair was a riot of curls, her smile warm.
Gina indicated a woman of petite stature, a pretty pixie face, and hair so dark a brown it was almost black. “Mrs. Tamra Todd Mayo, the president’s recently widowed sister. And her companion, Janelle Cass.”
This lovely, slender woman was the president’s sister? She looked too nice to be the president’s sister. Victoria returned her friendly smile.
Suzanne sniffed. “Companion? She’s a servant.”
Janelle, blond and middle-aged, didn’t react but the president’s sister did. “Janel is not a servant.” She spoke quietly but firmly, her voice shaded by a Southern accent. “I’ve known her since I was a baby. She’s my friend.”
Suzanne sneered. “You would think a woman in your position would choose her friends more carefully.”
Tamra laid her hands flat on the table and leaned forward to meet Suzanne’s sneer. “A woman in my position can choose the friends she wants. Be careful, Suzanne. My brother’s wives can come and go depending on his whim. You are his wife at the moment, but that can change in a second. I was born his sister. That won’t change. Think about that.”
An uncomfortable silence was broken by Gina’s mom. “Ladies, what kind of an impression are we giving our guests?”
“Guests?” Suzanne surged to her feet. She jabbed a finger in Victoria’s direction. “Look at her. You know he’ll want her to be Mrs. Sixth Todd.”
Victoria stilled. The pretty major had called Gina’s mom Mrs. Second Todd. Suzanne must be Mrs. Fifth Todd. Victoria slammed her arms crossed over her chest. “Over my dead body.”
“If she becomes his wife, he’ll never sleep with me again and then how can I have a baby?” Suzanne jumped up and ran down the narrow corridor formed by canvas dividers, ducking under one. Muffled sobs sounded. Victoria looked at Renee. Her aunt looked surprised, confused, and slightly disgusted.
Gina’s mom sighed. “Please, pay no attention to Suzanne. She’s having a difficult time right now. You know who we all are. Come sit down and introduce yourselves.”
Renee pulled Anna over to the table. Gina came with them and sat beside her mother. Tamra and Janelle carried over two more folding chairs. Renee and Victoria sat down and stared at the ladies. After a long silence, the president’s sister bounced in her chair. “Well? Who are you and where did you come from?”
Renee answered. “I am Renee Wolfe. This is my niece, Anna Wolfe, and another niece, Victoria Wolfe Madison.”
Another pause. Mrs. Mayo did not give up easily. “And where did you come from? How did you come here?”
Victoria kept her mouth shut, not sure how much to say. Renee answered for them again. “We were on a tree going home when the Presidents men stopped the train, boarded it, shot the men, and brought us here. I don’t know why we’re here. I don’t know what will happen to us. We are innocent noncombatants in this conflict and we want to go home.”
“Yeah,” agreed Victoria. “Why are we even here?”
Mrs. Mayo tapped her fingertips together. “I don’t know. My brother doesn’t discuss political things with me.”
Gina made a rude noise. “You’re here because my mother’s husband — who is not my father, by the way – is a control freak. I ran away from him. I thought I’d be safe in a place where he didn’t rule, but I was wrong. The reason he took over the train was because I was on it.” Her voice broke and she covered her face with her hands. “I’m the reason those men are dead. It’s my fault.”
A wave of anger tried to claw its way up Victoria’s throat but she pushed it back down. Renee shook her head. “It’s not your fault. It’s the fault of that lieutenant, and the men who pulled the triggers, and the president.”
She dropped her hands and her face twisted. “I hate him. He’s not my father. He’s the man who murdered my father so he could marry my mother. Now he wants me to marry one of his flunkies. That’s why I ran away. I won’t do it.” She turned to her mother. “I won’t.”
“Georgina, hush.” Her mother’s voice was stern. “You don’t know how good we have it now. I don’t have to worry about seeing you go hungry or wondering how I can protect you. Gerald takes good care of us. You have beautiful clothes, a wonderful home, and everyone knows who you are and respects you. There are a hundred girls who wish they were you. No,” she said when Gina opened her mouth with obvious protest. “He’ll see to it that you have fine a husband. Major Ellis is young and handsome, and has a position of power and wealth. You are a lucky girl.”
“I am an unlucky girl,” Gina countered. “Gerald Todd is a monster.”
The slap of her mother’s palm across Gina’s cheek was loud. Victoria was so shocked she simply stared. “That is enough,” Mrs. second Todd said coldly. “Go and make the guest room ready for our visitors. Janelle, would you please help her?”
With the murder of agreement, the blond woman got up and ushered Gina out. The second Mrs. Todd turned to Renée and Victoria. “I’m very sorry you had to hear my daughter’s hysterics. She’s at that age where everything is life-and-death. I promise you my husband is not a monster. He’s a powerful man, a decisive man, who knows what he wants and gets what he wants. He’s also generous and loving and respectful of women. I have never regretted becoming his wife.”
“Uh-huh.” Victoria folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. The movement hurt. “I’m not about to become his wife. I already have a husband.”
Gina’s mom just smiled. “I’m sure you’ll change your mind in time.”
“Don’t hold your breath.” Victoria waved at the quiet wife, Mrs. Fourth Todd. “You don’t mind sharing a husband? I’ve heard of women with more than one husband but never a man with more than one wife. It’s wrong.”
Shelley Todd shook her head. “I don’t mind at all. I have a wonderful, comfortable life and I don’t have to bear the burden of all the housework and entertaining myself. I get to share the work with other women that I like being with. I don’t see anything wrong with that.”
A voice called from outside the tent, and the door flap opened showing a dapper man of middle years carrying a medical bag. “Ladies, forgive my intrusion. The president sent me to take a look at one of his guests who was shot.”
All the women looked shocked. Victoria raised her hand. “It’s nothing, just a little scratch.”
The man moved forward. “I am Dr. Penrose. Is there a private room?”
In only a minute, Victoria, Renee, and Anna were in a part of the tent that was sectioned off by canvas hangings. Janelle and Gina plumped pillows on the three cots and left. The doctor was very deft and gentle and confirmed that the wound was clean and there was no reason that it wouldn’t heal completely. He put a fresh dressing on it and left. In a few minutes Gina’s mom poked her head and told them they should rest for a few hours. She would call them when it was time for the dinner.
Victoria didn’t think she would be able to sleep, but she must have, because when Renée jiggled her shoulder she found that three hours had passed.
“They brought our luggage,” Renee reported, pointing to two bags.
“They robbed the train,” Victoria muttered.
The clothes she had packed only this morning were wrinkled but clean. She dressed and sat on her cot, staring numbly at her hands. It was this morning that she had kissed Marty good morning. Their first morning as man and wife. Her hands clenched into fists. But not their last. She pounded her fists into her thighs. Not their last. Marty was alive. He and Colby had met up and were organizing a rescue right this minute. She refused to believe anything else.
Anna was staring at her with wide eyes. Victoria made herself relax and smile. The canvas wall twitched and Gina slipped in. She was wearing a dress. Victoria looked down at her jeans and sweater.
“I hope we’re not expected to dress for dinner.”
Gina sat on the cot and waved that off. “You can wear what you like.” She motioned Renee over and spoke in a very quiet voice. “He won’t want to marry you. You’re too old. So be sure to make him know how valuable you are. Give him a reason to keep you safe and healthy. Colby said you were a good cook. Convince Todd that you can cook the best food he’s ever tasted.”
“I can cook the best food he’s ever tasted,” said Renee flatly. “By what I can smell, his cook is terrible.”
“I heard he treats women well. Why wouldn’t he keep us safe and healthy?” Victoria asked.
“He has five thousand men here. Todd often gives women to them. They can’t slap or punch or kick a woman, and those women are given extra rations and other comforts, but is that what you want to do?”
“Hawk would kill them.” But unease glimmered on Renee’s face.
“The entire clan will go to war.” Victoria shuddered at the thought. “They will anyway, after what’s happened to us.”
“Then be sure to make that plain.” Gina’s heard lifted just as the wall twitched again.
“Georgina? It’s time for supper.”
“Coming, mom.” She lowered her voice. “Good luck.”
As she got up, Victoria reached out and snagged her sleeve. “Colby isn’t dead,” she whispered rapidly. “He escaped.”
Disbelief flared in Gina’s eyes, chased by hope.
“Georgina!”
“Coming, mom.”
Victoria and Renee walked out to the main room with Gina and her mom. The table there had expanded to seat twenty. President Todd was at one end, and Victoria recognized Major Ellis, the man called Bob, and Lieutenant Mott sitting at the table. When the men saw the ladies enter, they all rose to their feet. There were three stragglers who stood up a second later than the others. Victoria’s heart stopped.
Brother Saul and his two sons. She stared, wondering what were they doing there. Hadn’t they been killed with the rest of the men on the train? Her eyes narrowed as her back teeth clamped together. Why are they smirking at me?
The president gave them a warm, welcoming smile. “You lovely ladies are the only thing we lacked to make this table beautiful. Please, sit down.”
Victoria almost protested when he indicated that she should sit on his right. Renee was on the other side of the table, two seats down. Suppressing anger, Victoria allowed the president to seat her. Gina was opposite her, obviously ignoring the pretty major beside her. On Victoria’s other side was the older man called Bob. His uniform was loaded with awards and badges. Mrs. Mayo was on his other side. Gina’s mom took the chair at the foot of the table. Brother Saul sat between Suzanne and Shelley, his two sons on the other side of the table. Victoria stared down at her plate to give herself a minute to control her anger.
Good grief. There wasn’t a plate. There were three, stacked on top of each other. And three forks, three knives, multiple spoons, three stemmed glasses, a little plate off to the side. Victoria didn’t even know what to do with all those plates. Or the glasses. Who needed so many anyway? She slid a glance over at Renee. Her aunt was glaring a hole into Brother Saul’s forehead.
“Allow me to introduce General Robert Atwater,” the president said politely, indicating the man called Bob.
“Charmed,” the general said in a bored voice.
“Likewise,” Victoria said.
“Let us begin,” the president announced.
A line of young men in military uniforms entered the tent, carrying large trays with shallow bowls filled with salad. One of them held a plate of leafy greens over her stack of plates, waiting for her to remove the intricately pleated napkin sitting there. She did and he set her salad down. Victoria inwardly shook her head. The Saturday suppers at the Plane Women’s Eatery were fancy compared to the other meals they served, but nothing like this. Even if the Eatery had a zillion plates per meal, they couldn’t serve fresh greens in March because there weren’t any available at this time of the year. Unlike other vegetables, greens didn’t freeze or can well. How in the world did he get fresh greens in March?
But that wasn’t nearly as important as her other questions. She plastered a polite smile on her face and turned to the president. “Excuse me,” she began. “Why are the Allersens here?”
He cut her off with an imperiously lifted finger. “My dear, my dear,” he chided her. “Ladies do not speak unless they are first spoken to.”
The polite smile disappeared. “Seriously?”
“Absolutely. The mark of a true lady is that she speak only to praise and uplift the men in her life.”
“Fu—”
The president’s hand closed tightly over hers where it gripped her fork. “And she never uses strong language.”
Victoria forced herself to loosen her grip on the fork. “Oh? And what do you think you can do about it? Shoot me?”
His smile was somehow chillingly sweet. “I won’t do anything to you. That is so crass, don’t you think? But consider your cousin.”
Her mind went immediately to Colby. “What about him?”
“Her,” he correctly gently. “The young innocent you left in your quarters at the back of the tent. Anna.”
Victoria’s lips felt stiff. “What?” was all she could manage.
“So young. So nubile.” He smiled as he poured wine into one of the goblets at her place setting. “The men in my army work hard for me. They deserve a reward. They won’t do her any lasting damage. She may even enjoy it.”
“Anna?” she croaked.
“Yes, indeed.”
“But you don’t hurt women!” she burst out.
“Certainly not. I wouldn’t be causing her any harm. You would be, with your wayward and disobedient mouth.”
Horrified rage shook her hands. She clenched them into fists in her lap and said nothing.
The president laughed lightly. “Well, perhaps she really is your cousin. General Atwater is convinced she is the daughter of Ryan McGrath.”
Under the heat of her glare the greens on her plate should be wilted. They weren’t. Even though she no longer had an appetite, Victoria forced herself to eat her salad. She would need all her strength to kill this megalomaniac. She was aware of his stare resting on her, but she ignored him. He didn’t seem to like that.
“As to your original question,” he said smoothly, “Saul Allersen is an ally.”
Traitor, Victoria fumed silently.
“He has provided key intelligence to me in the past several months.”
Victoria lifted her head enough to shoot a glance at Renee. Her aunt was listening, tight lipped.
The president leaned back so the uniformed server could remove his salad plate and replace it with fish. He waited until Victoria had also been served.
“He has given me valuable information on Omaha and the goings on there. For instance, news of the train departing this morning with so many delegates on board was delivered by the younger Allersens.”
That was why Jon and Tanner were nearly too late to get on the train. Victoria cut her fish with grim control. In her mind, she was cutting into the Allersens.
“I also know that you are the daughter of the chief of the Indian werewolves.” He delicately blotted his mouth with his napkin and laid it down to put a caressing hand over hers. “As my wife, you could be instrumental in forging a powerful alliance between your tribe and Kansas-Missouri. Do you see that?”
Did he see how easy it would be for her to impale his hand with one of the many knives lined up beside her plate? Someday he would die with shock rubbing that smarmy smile off his face, because he would never see her coming. She gritted her teeth behind a smile that probably looked more like a grimace.
After a pause, he said, “You may answer. In fact, since I asked you a question, you are required to answer.”
She unclenched her teeth. “Naturally, I’m flattered, but I’m already married.”
From down the table, Brother Saul cackled. “He’s dead, woman. You’re free to marry again. So sad. Married only one day and already a widow.”
Victoria had to look down at her plate to hide the hate blazing in her. Brother Saul would die too. But Marty wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be.
“Mr. Allersen, can’t you see the lady is grieving? Show some respect.”
Under the president’s cutting censure, Allersen dropped his eyes.
Todd turned back to Victoria. “Of course, you will need some time to mourn. You will be my honored guest until you accept my proposal.”
Until I accept, Victoria mused, hiding her disgust. Not if. Huh. You’ll be waiting quite a while, moron. Pretending meekness, Victoria raised her gaze to him. “May I ask a question?”
“Certainly.”
“What happened when you met with Ryan McGrath this morning? You did meet with him, didn’t you?”
“Yes, we did meet with the mayor.”
Victoria put the last morsel of fish in her mouth to keep from prodding him. Her empty plate was whisked away and a plate of steak replaced it. The president poured a different wine in another of her glasses. She eyed it warily. She drank very little. Was he trying to get her drunk? She picked up the goblet of water and drank.
“You asked what happened when we met.” The president smiled at her over his wine glass. “Not very much, actually. I believe he is stalling. Trying to buy time.”
“Waiting for some of the delegates to send him reinforcements.” Brother Saul chuckled smugly. “He will be waiting a long time for help.”
Victoria noticed that no one else at the table was talking. Everyone was listening to them. “Because the delegates on the train were murdered.” She tried so hard to sound calm that her voice was flat. “Won’t it be hard to form alliances with cities whose leaders you ki— er, died?”
“That might be a problem if I wanted alliances with those cities.” The president waved that away. “But I don’t. They don’t offer anything of value in an alliance. They simply belong to me now.”
Victoria visualized punching the president in the mouth. Casting a glance down the table to Mott, whose mouth was still swollen gave her a sliver of satisfaction. “But the tribe has something valuable enough to you to make an alliance worthwhile?” She purposely used the word tribe, although they called themselves the Clan. She wouldn’t give him anything, not even their correct name.
“Certainly. They will be fierce fighters in my army.”
Victoria swallowed a bite of meat. “I wouldn’t count on it, if I were you.”
He smiled that gentle, sweet, evil smile, the one so like Lieutenant Mott’s. Does he teach it to all his men? she wondered. Is it part of their training?
“Oh, I am counting on it,” he said mildly. “If they ever want to see you or Mrs. Wolfe again, they will join me. I understand that a few of your werewolf relatives are still in Omaha.”
It was hard, but Victoria didn’t shoot a scowl down the table at the Allersens. She paid very close attention to slicing into her steak.
Todd looked at the man beside her. “General Atwater, arrange for an additional honor guard for the ladies. They’ll make an appearance at the parley tomorrow afternoon. A brief one, so the gentlemen from Omaha can see that the ladies are safe in our care. Miss Anna will be included, of course. I think seeing her will help Mayor McGrath come to the right decision.” He stroked her arm with his fingertips. “Be sure to go to bed early. You’ll want to look your best tomorrow.”
While Victoria tried to force her emotions into some kind of control, dessert was served. She took pleasure in the fact that the sponge cake was leaden and the canned strawberries were soggy. Anna’s brownies last night had been much better.
Last night? It was only last night that she had held hands with Marty under the table at the McGraths’ house and eaten a home cooked meal less fancy than this one but so much better. Just twenty-four hours ago she had repeated the words that made them legally man and wife in the world of the townspeople.
Where was he now? Was he in Omaha, organizing a rescue? Or had he returned to Kearney to bring help? Hurry, Marty, she thought. I need you.
Tuesday Teaser 5/30/17 Victoria’s Cat Part 21
We’re getting close to the end of the story! In this chapter we will learn more about President Todd, and next week we’ll find out more about who Georgina Summer is and what’s been going on in Omaha for the past day. Hard to believe Rye McGrath’s dinner was less than twenty-four hours ago! Lot’s has happened, and lots more will be happening.
Happy Reading!
Chapter 11
Victoria was surprised when the soldier led the way not to the largest tent in camp, but the one beside it. When the clan set up camp, the Alpha’s lodge and those of the leading families were at the center of camp, with others laid out in concentric rings around them. Here, three larger canvas tents were at the front of dozens of rows of small A-line tents all facing one direction in a block. It looked weird to Victoria. She glanced at Renee to see what she thought of the camp, but Renee was looking down at Anna McGrath. The girl was white faced, her lips visibly trembling. Poor kid.
Two uniformed sentries with rifles held across their chests were posted on either side of the closed door flap. They stood like statues, not even looking at them. The soldier escorting them paused outside. “Mr. President,” he called. “Lady visitors to see you. Permission to enter?”
There was a moment of silence, then a voice spoke. “Permission granted.”
One of the sentries pulled the door flap open, still not even glancing at them. The escort ducked under the flap. Victoria followed, grimly eager to meet her enemy face to face.
The rectangular tent was divided into two squares, this front room with a table with a roll of paper on it surrounded by four chairs, and another room in back, probably a sleeping room. There were three people in the room, all dressed in the familiar uniform of Kansas Missouri. Two of them sat at the table and third stood beside it as if he had just stood up.
Victoria examined them, trying to decide which one was the president. The man standing was boyish and slim, with sandy brown hair cut short, bulbous blue eyes, and a weak chin. She dismissed him and looked past him to the men at the table. The one nearest to her had a stocky build with thick, broad shoulders and a face that wasn’t precisely handsome, but she could see how the craggy features would appeal to some. His hair was black with generous sprinkles of silver, with a hint of curl controlled by a close cut. He was probably her dad’s age, in his mid-fifties. The third man had a perfectly proportioned physique that made his uniform look elegant. The gray green fabric was tailored to fit his broad shoulders and narrow waist perfectly. His brown hair was thick and neatly trimmed, his face dominated by large liquid brown eyes. Victoria had to suppress a sneer. He was prettier than she was. And he was about her own age, so probably too young to be the president. It must be the rugged one across the table.
Boland, their escort, snapped a salute to the wimpy-looking guy standing by the table. “Mr. President, Lt. Mott asked me to conduct these ladies to you. They are from the train we stopped this morning.”
Victoria remembered to close her sagging jaw and examined the man again. His face might appear boyish, but a closer look revealed lines around his eyes and mouth, proving that his age was closer to fifty than twenty.
“Where is Lieutenant Mott?” the scrawny man asked. His voice was deep, full, and rich, utterly belying his appearance.
Boland maintained a rigid posture of attention. “Sir, the lieutenant has been momentarily delayed, but he will be in directly to give his report.”
“Very good, Boland, you are dismissed.”
The soldier snapped another salute, turned briskly, and left the tent. The president stepped closer to them with a friendly smile. “Ladies, allow me to introduce myself. I am Gerald Todd, President of Kansas Missouri.”
Victoria almost snickered. The all mighty president of Kansas Missouri didn’t quite come up to her chin. There was a moment that stretched a little too long before Renee replied. “I’m Mrs. Wolfe, and this is my niece, Mrs. Madison.” She pulled Anna a little closer. “And this is my niece, Miss Wolfe.”
An almost childlike delight lit Todd’s eyes. “Wolfe?” he cried. “From the Indian tribe of werewolves?”
Victoria clenched her back teeth together to keep herself from correcting him and allowed Renee to do the talking. “That’s right,” Renee said in cold voice.
The door flap opened and Lieutenant Mott came in. He stood at attention and saluted. “Sir, I am ready to make my report on the taking of the Omaha train.”
“Splendid. These ladies tell me that they are part of the werewolf tribe.”
“Yes, sir.”
Todd turned his attention to Victoria. She had heard people talk about undressing someone with their eyes. She was fully dressed, but she would swear his protuberant eyes were undressing her. His gaze lingered on the curve of her breasts. Where was her coat? It must have been left back on the train, dammit. She drew herself up to her full height, and had to hide a wince when pain burned her side.
The president frowned and when he saw at the bloodstains on her blouse, the frown turned into a dark scowl. “My dear lady, have you been hurt?”
“Yeah, when one of your men shot me.” Sarcasm was thick in her voice. She remembered an instant too late that she was supposed to be a weak, helpless woman. She put one hand over her heart and tried to flutter her eyelashes. “I was terrified. It was dreadful.”
Victoria didn’t know how, but that weak chinned face went cold and hard. He didn’t look boyish or secretarial now. He snapped glare at Lieutenant Mott. “What happened?”
“Mister President, one of the men overreacted and fired his weapon. His target was not the lady, but she was grazed by the bullet. Private Hastings cleaned and bandaged the wound. There’s no indication that it is serious. The man who fired has been executed.”
“Excellent.” The president stepped even closer to take Victoria’s hand. As he bowed over it she noticed there was a bald patch in his sandy colored hair. “I’m sure the private did his work well, but I’ll send my personal physician to attend you. I deeply regret that you were injured.”
He brushed his lips over her knuckles and it was all she could do to not clenched her hand into a fist and ram it into his weak chin. Instead she forced a smile. “Thank you. When will we be returned to our families?”
“Not immediately, I’m afraid.” The president stepped back and gestured to the pretty young man. “Josh, will you escort the ladies to the harem and then find Doctor Penrose? “
“Harem!”
Victoria’s squawk was either ignored or missed when the older man stood up. He was staring intensely at Anna. “What is your name, young lady?”
The girl’s voice was a tiny thread when she said, “Anna.”
Renee cut in quickly. “This is my niece, Anna Wolfe.”
The older man’s smile was sardonic. “Really? I’m told the mayor of Omaha has a daughter named Anna, and you resemble him greatly.”
“This is my niece,” Renee insisted.
Todd waved a soothing hand. “We won’t worry about that now, Bill. The important thing right now is for Mrs. Madison to be looked over by Doctor Penrose. Ladies, if you will follow Major Ellis, you will be given quarters where you can rest. I will see you later for supper.”
Lieutenant Mott, the President, and the man he’d called Bill gathered around the table, speaking softly. Renee looked like she wanted to protest more, but closed her mouth and gave Anna an encouraging smile. Dismissed, they followed the pretty man out of the tent.
The harem was the largest tent. Victoria ground her teeth over that designation. The man had a harem? And took them along when he was ready to conquer a new city? If he expected to make her his newest wife, he was in for a rude surprise. She was already married. And if he tried to move on her, she would bend that little shrimp into a pretzel.
Tuesday Teaser 5/23/17 Victoria’s Cat Part 20
Happy Tuesday!
I’ve spent hours looking for images for the cover of Victoria’s Cat. Boy howdy, finding a handsome blond man with longish wavy hair is IMPOSSIBLE. I’ll keep trying, and my goal is to have the cover ready by Monday. We’ll see what I come up with. 😉
This week’s snip is a good one, I think. Let me know what you think.
Something hurt. In the dark behind her closed eyelids, Victoria let that thought seep into her consciousness. After a space of time that might have been minutes or hours, she connected the pain to herself, specifically to her side. What had happened? Where was she? What was that droning rumbling noise?
Pain. She’d been shot … Colby! She jolted into consciousness. She was lying on her back in a dim room that rattled. A vehicle, she realized, like the bus. Above her was rough canvas, dull gold in color, stretched over supports. She was on the floor with her head propped up on someone’s knee. Renee leaned over her. It must be her knee Victoria was propped against. There were two men sitting on a bench attached to the sides of the vehicle. Anna McGrath sat on the bench attached to the opposite side of the bus, arms folded over her chest, shoulders hunched. The men wore uniforms.
Full memory rushed over her. Marty. She tried to sit up, but her heart was heavy. Like an anchor, it held her to the floor. The burning ache in her side was nothing compared to the agony in her chest.
“Marty,” she croaked.
“Sh,” said Renee, smoothing her hair. “Poor Vic. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” She hummed a familiar Lakota lullaby, still stroking Victoria’s hair.
Almost forgetting her heartache for a moment, Victoria stared at Renee. Aunt Renee wasn’t the type to croon lullabies and call people sweetheart. And now she was singing softly.
“Go to sleep, beautiful girl,” Renee murmured in Lakota. “The wind sighs in the grass, the night is good. Your man lives. The night is good, beautiful girl.”
Victoria had grown up speaking Lakota as much as English, so she understood the words. She just wasn’t sure she believed those words. Renee wasn’t fluent in Lakota. Was she messing up the words of the old song? No, after more than twenty-five years of marriage to Hawk, she knew enough to get by. Your man lives. Could it be true? Victoria’s hand shot out to grab Renee’s wrist. “He lives?”
“Sh, go to sleep, beautiful girl, men watch, men hear, beautiful girl.”
Victoria eased her grip and turned her head to look at the soldiers on the bench. One was the medic who had treated her. And drugged her. She put that to the back of her mind and looked at them with an expression she hoped looked sad and helpless.
“I’m thirsty,” she said in as pitiful a voice as she could manage. “And I hurt.”
The medic opened the bag beside him. “I have some pain reliever. Jack, give her your canteen.”
Victoria carefully sat up with Renee’s help. The floor of the vehicle was filthy and the only reason she wasn’t dirty was that a wool blanket had been laid down for her. She shifted to the bench beside Anna and accepted the pills and canteen. She hadn’t been lying about being thirsty and in pain. Renee settled beside her. Victoria wanted to ask her why she thought Marty was alive. Could it be true? She waited a minute until the road smoothed a little and drank the pills down quickly. She handed the canteen back to the other soldier with a murmured thank you before turning to lay her head on Renee’s shoulder.
“Where is he?” she asked in Lakota. “What about Ray? Colby?”
The answer might have been too complex for Renee’s basic Lakota. The faint shadow of the old scar on the side of her face pulled when she frowned. She took up the soothing lullaby again. “Your man remains where he fell, beautiful girl,” she chanted. “As we rode away, I saw him roll over. The wind moves through the grass, it is good.”
She nodded to the back of the truck where Victoria now saw that there was a small opening. Through it, she saw grassland obscured by a haze of dust, and the outline of another vehicle traveling behind them. Marty had rolled over after he was shot. That didn’t guarantee that he was alive now, but it gave her hope. “Ray?”
“Nothing, the night is good.”
“Colby?”
The song faltered for a moment, before Renee picked it up again. “Carried away, your male relative, by the travois of his enemy, beautiful girl. The night is good, beautiful girl.”
What did that mean? Colby had been carried away by the enemy on a travois? A travois was three lodge poles lashed together in a roughly triangular shape with canvas stretched between them. They were attached to a horse and dragged behind. That’s what the clan used to carry their goods when they moved from one camping place to another. Would this vehicle translate as a travois? So Colby must be in the vehicle behind them. Or another vehicle if there were more. Was he alive? And what about Ray?
“Go to sleep, beautiful girl,” Renee went on. “Be like the bird who appears weak to lure prey to her. Quiet as wind in the grass. It is good, beautiful girl. Keep secret things secret, the night is good, beautiful girl.”
Those words didn’t quite fit the rhythm of the song, but Victoria acknowledged the wisdom in them. Let those murderers think she was weak. Keeping Marty’s possible survival secret was the right thing to do, but it would look odd if she didn’t ask about him. She fixed the medic and his companion with a pathetic stare.
“Where is my husband? What happened to him?” she asked, letting the buried tears well. “And Colby and Ray?”
The soldiers glanced at each other. The medic said, “The president will explain it all to you. We’ll be back to camp within thirty minutes.”
Aunt Renee cleared her throat. “I saw Colby’s body loaded up into the back of another truck. Why on earth would you take his dead body and leave the others laying on the ground where you shot them?”
The soldiers looked at one another again and this time Jack answered. “I’m sorry, ma’am, you’ll need to speak with President Todd about that.”
Victoria could think of only one reason for them to bring Colby’s body. “You’re going to dissect him.” Horror swam with rage in her gut. “You’re sick.”
“The president has a scientific mind.” The medic busied himself closing his medical bag. “He likes to know how things work, and a werewolf is not something you see every day.”
Victoria stifled a bitterly sarcastic comment. Renee was right. Women who appeared weak and helpless would have the advantage of surprise if an opportunity to escape came. She let her head drop into her hands and cried noisy tears which were only half faked. Marty might be alive, but he might be dead too. Alone, without medical help, what chance did he have? Ray? No mention of him moving, so he must be dead. Patia was waiting for his return, but that would never happen. Colby’s dead wolf body had been brought along so he could be cut up. All that was enough to make anyone cry.
She was looking forward to meeting the president face-to-face. He would pay for every drop of grief and misery he had caused the Lakota Wolf Clan. Before she was done with him, he would wish he had never been born. Then she’d let her dad and other male relatives at him. Just that thought was almost enough to make her smile. Almost.
Chapter Eleven
The vehicle slowed, bounced around, and came to a brief stop. Victoria could hear men’s voices from the front where the driver must be, and then they started off again at a slower pace. Victoria held on to the edge of the bench, teeth gritted against the pain in her side. It wasn’t bad, but bouncing over rough ground didn’t help it. She was glad when the vehicle finally came to a stop.
Jack opened the canvas at the back of the vehicle and jumped down. The medic held his hand out to keep them back until Jack lowered some sort of half door. Renee went first, using the heavy metal rungs welded onto the door as steps to climb to the ground. Anna went next, and finally Victoria was able to lower herself.
A quick glance around showed three trucks parked in a semi-circle in front of a row of green tents. From the first vehicle came a line of soldiers. Gina Summer stepped down from the driver’s compartment and hesitated when she saw Victoria. The man behind her gave her a nudge and she went in the direction of the largest of the tents. The driver’s compartment of the last truck opened and the lieutenant jumped down. He had cleaned the blood from his mouth, but his lip was red and swollen. Victoria smiled with pride.
The smiled faded as she watched him walk to the back of the truck. His stride was impatient, maybe irritated. He jerked the canvas up and froze. “Hastings!” he shouted.
The medic ran for the other truck. He fell back a pace, staring with shock inside the truck, before hoisting himself into the truck. The lieutenant joined him. Victoria looked at Renee.
“That’s the truck they tossed Colby into,” Renee murmured.
Victoria walked over to the truck, Renee with her. She was tall enough to be able to see into the truck. It was dim, but she could see two bodies on the floor of the truck, both human, both bloody. She didn’t see Colby. An impossible hope flared.
The lieutenant crouched beside one of the bodies. “What the hell happened here?” he growled.
The wounded man spoke feebly. “The wolf, sir.”
“He was dead.”
“He came back to life, sir.” The man’s hand, bloody and trembling. lifted like he was swearing to something in court. “Like a demon out of hell! He tried to kill us, then he jumped out.”
A smile bloomed on Victoria’s face. She must have made some noise, because the lieutenant’s head swung around. “Do your wolfmen do that?” he demanded. “Come back from the dead?”
“Of course not.” She tried to tame the smile, but it grew into a joyous laugh. “He must not have been dead. But you will be soon.”
Jaw clenched, the lieutenant stabbed a finger at one of the men who had approached. “Boland, take the ladies to meet the president.”
Victoria followed the man, still smiling. She couldn’t see how Colby had survived, but he clearly had. All she had to do was sit back and wait for him to bring help. She sobered a little. Where was Marty?
Tuesday Teaser 5/9/17: Victoria’s Cat Part 18
Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news for you. The good news is that I have only 2 more chapters to write in Victoria’s Cat, and I expect to have a cover reveal within the next 10 to 14 days. The bad news is that Victoria’s Cat won’t be released on June 2 as hoped. It is being pushed back to July 3. I am so sorry. The move put me behind, but I still had hope that I would make my deadline. I failed. My editor is being very gracious and has a slot for me in the second half of June. Again, I apologize for the delay.
These last few chapters move quickly. I tried to make them suspenseful, and that begins at the end of this chapter. I hope you’ll enjoy this. Ta-Da: Victoria’s Cat!
Colby gestured with the backpack he held. “Sit down, Miss Gina.”
Georgina Summer snatched the backpack away from him and held her back very straight as she strode past him to the bench. Many of the delegates nodded to her as she passed them, but luckily no one tried to touch her. By the set of Colby’s jaw, he was irritated by something. A stranger touching his mate would undoubtedly have set him off. Victoria made room on the bench for the younger woman, who sat with her denim-clad knees primly together, backpack on her lap, looking straight ahead without speaking. It looked like Colby wasn’t the only one irritated by something. Or someone. Victoria cast another sidelong glance at her cousin and saw a shadow of misery on Colby’s face before he hid it.
A man in a blue uniform opened the door to the platform. “We’re boarding now,” he called. “Ladies first.”
Hawk took Renee by the shoulders and gave her a light kiss. “I’ll see you soon, love.”
Victoria was fervently glad that Marty wasn’t staying behind. She hugged Rock and Hawk good bye, but when she turned to hug Colby he murmured, “I’m going on the train too. I’m not leaving my mate’s side.”
Victoria arched a pale brow. Colby, passing up a fight? Of course, he’d give up even more for a mate. The only women in the station were Victoria, Renee, Georgina Summer, and Anna McGrath. The men in the station held back while they went out to the platform and boarded the train. Victoria chose a seat in the middle of the first passenger car and slid her suitcase under it. It seated two. She and Marty could at least hold hands for the four or five hours of the journey to Kearney.
Renee and Anna took the seat across the aisle from her. Georgina Summer tossed a quick glance over her shoulder, and squeezed past Victoria to sit beside her.
“Hey!” said Victoria. “I’m saving that seat for—”
Miss Summer seized her arm and cut her off. “Please!” she hissed. “I don’t want him to sit next to me.”
“Him? Who, Colby?”
“I don’t like him. He scares me.”
Ouch. Victoria glanced toward the front of the train and saw Colby’s face contract with hurt and grief. He’d heard every whispered word just fine. Poor Cole. She turned back to the younger woman. “Has he hurt you?”
Georgina opened her mouth, scowled, and closed it. “No,” she admitted reluctantly.
The girl was honest. Victoria approved. She leaned close. “He won’t. He’s pushy and bossy, but he won’t hurt you.”
“Maybe not me, but he almost killed Lachlan last night!”
Victoria looked up and her gaze followed Colby and Marty as they walked past and settled in the seats right behind where she and Georgina sat. Colby’s face was carefully neutral except for his black eyebrows which were in a straight line over his eyes. Victoria arched a brow at her cousin before turning back to Georgina.
“Did Lachlan try to touch you?” Victoria inquired. “Or stop you from coming?”
Miss Summer watched Ray slide into a seat behind Anna and Renee. Other men walked down the aisle and took seats. Victoria thought she wouldn’t answer and wished Marty was beside her instead of behind her. After a few moments, the other woman spoke in a low voice.
“Lachlan thought I’d be safer if I hid in Omaha.”
A quiet sound came from the seat behind them, not quite a growl, not quite a sigh. “You’ll be safer with the Pack,” said Colby.
Georgina half-turned her head. “I’ve known Lachlan for months. He and Ceara have taken care of me like I was their sister. I’ve known you for what? Two days?” The words might have been sarcastic, but her tone was calmly reasonable. “Think about it. Why would I believe you over them?”
“Because you’re my mate.”
Victoria waited for her to explode, but she didn’t. She merely turned her head to the front and sat quietly with her hands folded over the backpack in her lap. Victoria raised a brow.
“So,” she asked conversationally. “Why did you come?”
Georgina didn’t look at her. “Because I didn’t want Lachlan to die.”
“I wouldn’t have killed him!”
Colby sounded more beseeching than angry. Miss Summer didn’t turn. “I’ll stay with your mom and your sister for a little while, and I’ll say thank you for the hospitality, but I am not looking for a husband.”
Colby muttered, “You don’t have to look. I’m right here.”
His mate sniffed and ignored him. The train started off with a jerk and a hiss. A tiny niggle of worry that Victoria hadn’t even been aware of seeped out of her. The train moved sluggishly at first, then built up speed. They were heading home. Victoria leaned over Miss Summer to look out the window. Yes, they were leaving the station now. She began to sit back when she saw two figures running along the platform. They leaped onto the train.
A moment later the door at the head of the car opened and two men rushed in, panting. Jon and Tanner Allersen. Victoria supposed, sourly, they weren’t staying to defend Omaha after all. The two young men started toward the back of the car. Beside her, Colby’s mate turned her face sharply away. She probably didn’t like the Allersen boys either. If they had done something to annoy her, Colby wouldn’t be happy. Or maybe he would be, since it would give him an excuse to fight.
Brother Saul boomed over the noise of the train. “Sit down, you rascals.” He lowered his voice to what he probably thought was a quiet tone but even human ears could hear him just fine. “Did you get it done?”
“Yes, sir.”
After a long minute, Miss Summer turned to Victoria. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I am Georgina Summer.”
Victoria shook her hand and felt callouses on it. “Victoria Wo… I mean, Victoria Madison.” Her smile bloomed with wonder and pride. “I just got married last night.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks. My friends call me Vic.”
“My friends call me Gina. Are you friends with, um.” Her voice trailed off as she appeared to search for a name. “Cody?”
“Colby,” he growled.
Gina’s face was completely sober except for a tremble at the corner of her mouth. “Right. Colby.”
Victoria looked at her with surprise and some approval. That was a smile hiding on Gina’s face. She was teasing Colby. “Yeah, we’re cousins. Our dads are cousins, so that makes us second cousins.” Victoria took pity on Colby. “He’s a good guy. I mean, yeah, he’s pushy like I said, but he’s a good guy. You should try to get to know him while you’re staying at the den. Aunt Carla won’t let him bother you.”
“I didn’t get much sleep last night,” Gina said, obviously deciding to ignore the topic of Colby. “I guess I’ll try to get a little rest.”
She shifted her backpack against the window and laid her head on it. Victoria lifted a shoulder and looked over it at Colby, trying to convey that she had tried to sway his mate’s opinion in his favor. He nodded to her.
With no one to talk to and nothing to do, Victoria closed her eyes and let her head droop. The rocking of the train lulled her into a doze.
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed before she woke to the scream of breaks. She and Gina were thrown forward into the seats in front of them as the train shrieked to a halt. Some of the passengers tumbled into the aisle, others stumbled to their feet. Marty reached over the back of her seat for her shoulders.
“Are you okay?”
Victoria rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, sure. What’s going on? An accident?”
Before he could answer, a dozen men in gray-green uniforms poured into the train, all grim-faced, marching in perfectly synchronized, pounding steps. They lined the center aisle, every other man facing the opposite direction, rifles pointed at the passengers. One man with a thin line of red down his sleeve stood at the head of the car and spoke in the ringing tones of authority.
“Everyone will remain in his seat,” he barked. “In the name of President Gerald Todd, this train is now the property of Kansas-Missouri. You are our prisoners. Anyone who attempts to resist will be shot.”
