Chasing Rainbows Read online

  “Dammit, Annie, there are only three of them. I’ll handle it.”

  “What makes you so sure? How do you know there ain’t more of them hiding out someplace else? The bartender said four or five, remember?”

  He let out an exasperated breath. “Any fool can see that—”

  The unmistakable metallic click of a hammer pulling back a trigger echoed loudly behind them.

  “Tell me what a fool can see, senor,” a rough voice growled.

  Annie froze, then slowly raised her hands and turned around. Beside her, Jake did the same.

  A potbellied Mexican giant stood before them, a gun in each hand. One weapon was pointed directly at Jake’s gut, the other at Annie’s. The outlaw was easily a head taller than Jake and looked to have roughly twice the girth. From what Annie could tell, his weight was distributed in a bulky combination of loose fat and thick, tightly bunched muscles. His clothing was battered and stained, covered with broad splotches of what appeared to be an unsettling combination of grease, blood, and mud.

  The Mexican smiled widely, revealing a row of badly rotted gums and darkly stained teeth. “Maybe the lady is right,” he said. “How do you know there are not more of us?”

  Annie shot a quick look at Jake, watching as he lifted his shoulders in cool acknowledgment of the man’s words. “Looks like I made a mistake, doesn’t it?”

  “Si, senor. You made a mistake. A very bad mistake.” The outlaw’s smile slowly faded. “Keep your hands in the air. Either of you moves and I’ll kill you both. Comprende?” Shifting the gun that had been focused on Annie, he pointed it skyward, fired off a round, then shouted in Spanish to the men below.

  He turned back to Jake. “Hand over your guns, gringo. Butt first.”

  Jake nodded. “Easy, amigo. They’re all yours.”

  If Annie hadn’t seen for herself what happened next, she never would have believed it. Jake eased his pistols from their holsters and held them out butt forward, exactly as the outlaw had requested. But he kept a finger in each trigger guard. Just as the giant reached for the guns, Jake flicked his wrists and reversed them as quickly and neatly as flipping over a card. That was all there was to it. Just flip. In a reversal that took less than a second, suddenly the guns were cocked and pointed in the Mexican’s face.

  Annie knew the move. It was called the road agent’s spin, and it was one of the oldest tricks in the book — for show. Lots of gunmen could do it for show. Annie had even seen Pete do it a time or two — or almost do it, nearly firing off his toes every time he tried it with a loaded gun. But to try it on a man holding a gun on you, well, that was a guaranteed way to get your brains blown out. For Jake to try it on a man like the Mexican outlaw, why, that was more than unbelievable. It was flat crazy.

  Maybe that was why it worked.

  Or would have worked if Annie hadn’t been too damned dumbstruck to move.

  Unfortunately the giant recovered from his shock before she did. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her tightly against him, using her as a shield. The cold steel barrel of his gun ground painfully into her temple.

  “Do you want me to kill her, gringo?” he hissed, jerking her head back. “I’ll kill her right now.”

  For an endless moment, Jake didn’t move. His eyes were flat, coolly calculating. Then he shrugged lightly and dropped his guns.

  “Bueno.” The giant shoved Annie away from him, sending her stumbling toward a steep path that led down the canyon wall to the outlaw camp. He picked up Jake’s guns, tucked them into his waistband, and then gave them both a curt order. “Move.”

  Cursing herself for a complete idiot, Annie glanced over her shoulder, risking a look at Jake. If he was furious with her for ruining their chance to escape, it didn’t show. Whatever his inner state might be, his features displayed nothing but calm reserve. His eyes met hers for a fraction of a second before she glanced away. She sensed that there was some communication in his look, something he wanted her to see or know, but she had no idea what it might be. Hoping that they would have a better chance down below, closer to their horses and weapons, she made her way cautiously down the cliff.

  She tried to brush Cat away, but the stubborn little beast stayed loyally at her ankles, displaying no more sense to run for cover than Annie had shown earlier. Left with no alternative, Jake followed them down the steep canyon crevice, the Mexican giant prodding his pistol into his back along the way.

  Three more men waited for them below, their weapons drawn and ready. The trio consisted of one additional Mexican, an Indian — Apache, she guessed — and one white man whose face bore the scars of a knife battle gone bad. They studied Jake and Annie with indifferent expressions and eyes colder than death itself. A blanket lay at their feet, strewn with bounty that had come directly from Dulcie’s and Weed’s saddlebags. Annie recognized Jake’s watch and clothing, as well as her own book, Bible, and the treasured tintype of her and Hannah.

  The smaller Mexican stepped forward, his swaggering demeanor clearly establishing him as the leader. “Que tenemos aqui?” he drawled. What have we here?

  Although it was framed as a question, Annie knew as well as anyone there that the answer didn’t matter. There was nothing they could say that would change the plain facts: She and Jake had tracked down the outlaws and had been caught. The only question left unanswered was what would happen to them before they died.

  Unfortunately it didn’t take much brains to figure out what lay in store for her. Not the way the outlaws were looking at her. Their gazes swarmed over her body with the sickening intensity of maggots devouring spoiled fruit. Although she tried to hide it, a slight tremor shook her hands, and her knees knocked against each other like branches rattling in the wind.

  Like a wolf stalking prey, the leader smelled her fear. He moved toward her, bringing his swarthy bearded face level with her own. “Who are you?”

  Annie tilted her chin, saying nothing.

  “I seen her somewheres before, Santo,” volunteered the knife-scarred outlaw.

  “Deveras?” Santo pondered that bit of information in silence. Finally he asked, “You and Henry are acquainted, senorita?”

  She met his question with unflinching, stony silence.

  Santo’s eyes darkened. “Answer me.”

  “Go to hell, ladron.”

  Santo let out a coarse laugh. “Brave words,” he said, tossing a glance over his shoulder at his men. “She calls me a thief. Outlaw scum. The lady is not so friendly, is she?” His smile faded as he took a step closer to Annie. He ran one bony, tobacco-stained finger beneath her chin. “You will get friendly, senorita. You will get very friendly before this night is over.”

  “I’d rather friendly up to a passel of half-starved rattlers.”

  “We can arrange that,” Santo replied with an indifferent shrug. “But not until after we are done with you.”

  “Trail City,” Henry burst out excitedly, citing a volatile frontier town that was notorious for its lawlessness and tinderbox instability. “That’s where I seen her. Three months ago, buying supplies.”

  “You saw them both?” Santo inquired, glancing at Jake.

  “Not him. I never seen that fella before. The woman was with Pete Mundy and some of his boys.” The knife-scarred outlaw paused, swallowing nervously. “She and Pete looked close, Santo. Real close.”

  The outlaws shifted uneasily as Santo regarded Annie in piercing silence. “Is that so?” he drawled. “Senorita Outlaw Annie?”

  A cold smile touched Annie’s lips. “Pete’s killed men just for looking at me,” she stated calmly. “I wonder what he’s going to do to you.”

  Santo ignored her threat. “Did the Mundy boys break you in for us, senorita?” he returned with a leering smile., “Or will you still rut and buck beneath my men and me like a wild mare?” The outlaw withdrew his pistol and slowly rubbed the barrel along the inside of Annie’s leg.

  He slid the gun past her thighs, then pressed it up against the junctu
re of her legs and cocked the trigger. “Let us see how brave your threats are once the night is over.”

  Jake fought back the urge to drive his fist through the son of a bitch’s jaw. Although Annie was trying her best to put up a gutsy front, her eyes had the wild, helpless gaze of a terrified doe who had tumbled into barbed wire. He clenched his jaw as his stomach churned with disgust. No woman deserved to die like that. And he sure as hell hadn’t saved Annie from the noose just to abandon her to scum like this.

  He studied the men, swiftly debating his next move. As near as he could tell, there was only one way left to play it. Chances were slim that both he and Annie could walk out of there alive, but he might be able to create enough of a distraction for her to slip away.

  With that in mind, he forced a cool, friendly confidence into his tone. “I’m afraid you won’t have an opportunity to find that out,” he said. “The lady and I won’t be staying the night.”

  Santo slowly drew his gun back as his focus shifted from Annie to Jake. “Did you say something, senor?”

  “I said the lady and I won’t be staying the night.”

  The bandit lifted one dark, bushy brow, studying Jake in silence. “I do not think you understand your situation, senor,” he finally replied, sounding slightly amused. “You are not in a position to decide.”

  “Tell you what we’ll do,” Jake said briskly. “You just give us our horses back and we’ll be on our way. We’ll forget we ever saw you hombres.”

  The bandit paused, studying him in silence. “Or maybe we keep your horses and kill you both.” A low rumble of laughter sounded among the men.

  Jake smiled, waiting for the noise to die down. “You look like a sporting group. Why don’t we make a wager for the horses? One on one, winner take all.”

  Santo matched his smile. “Why would we do that, senor, when killing you is so much easier?”

  “True enough,” Jake agreed easily. He paused a beat, then continued mildly, “I just thought there might be one man among you who isn’t too much of a low-life chicken-shit coward to take on an unarmed gringo without hiding behind his gun.” He lifted his shoulders in a cool shrug. “Then again, maybe I was wrong.”

  Beside him, Jake heard Annie’s sharp intake of breath, but his eyes never left the outlaws. Thick, tension-laden silence hung over the group as the men’s faces moved from outraged surprise to ugly, mocking contempt. The silence was finally broken by Santo. He moved toward Jake, studying him with arrogant disdain.

  “I am beginning to believe you are a very stupid man, senor.”

  “Not so stupid that I couldn’t track the four of you.”

  “Si,” the outlaw replied, eyeing Jake consideringly. “How did you manage to find our little hideaway?”

  “Easy enough. I just followed the birds. The ones above you hombres are flying upside down.”

  Confusion showed in the outlaw’s face. “Que?”

  Jake smiled. “Nothing here worth shitting on.”

  Fury filled Santo’s dark eyes. He glanced over his shoulder at his men. “Manuel, ven aqui,” he barked, then his gaze locked once again on Jake’s. “The gringo has decided he would like to die slowly.”

  The Mexican giant stepped forward, an ominous look of satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. He shrugged off his coat, removed his gun belt, and passed them both to the Apache. Next he flexed his hands, curling them into tight fists at his sides. His gaze locked on Jake’s. “You want to say anything before you die, hombre?”

  Jake ignored the taunt and turned to Santo. “I win, the woman goes free, untouched — and she takes her horse and belongings with her.”

  The outlaw shrugged. “Perhaps.”

  “The woman goes free,” Jake repeated, his voice flat and uncompromising.

  Santo arched one dark brow in mild reproof. “Do you not think we are men of honor, senor?”

  Once again, the low echo of guttural laughter followed Santo’s words.

  Jake tipped his hat in a cool, mocking salute. “Undoubtedly your word is as good as mine, senor.” Turning away from the men, he drew Annie aside and whispered tightly, “Give me ten minutes, then make a break for the horses. Get the hell out of here and don’t look back.”

  Annie gave him an icy stare. “You won’t last ten minutes.”

  Despite the direness of their situation, Jake felt a smile tug at his lips. He took off his coat and passed it to her, then he rolled up his sleeves. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, darlin’.”

  “I’ve seen Brahman bulls that weighed less than that fella.”

  “With any luck, he’s got less brains than a bull.”

  “So have you if you mean to go through with this.”

  “You have any other ideas?”

  Annie’s gaze darted toward the outlaws, then back to Jake. “I say we charge ’em,” she whispered fervently. “Make a play for their guns. The two of us against the four of them. With any luck, we can both get out of here without getting too shot up.”

  It took Jake a minute before he realized she was actually serious. “I meant,” he said, “do you have any sane ideas?”

  “Listen here, mister—”

  “I’ve had enough of your goddamned help,” he said, cutting her off. “I wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for you.” The thought of what Santo and his men would do to her if his plan didn’t work made Jake’s voice harsh. “Just get on your horse and ride. Get the hell out of here.”

  Anger flashed through her golden-brown eyes. She stiffened her spine and drew herself up, an expression of haughty indifference on her face. “That’s fine by me. You want to die, you go ahead. Just don’t expect me to thank you for it.”

  Santo’s mocking laughter called their attention back to the men. “Problem, senor?” the outlaw drawled. “You change your mind? Trying to convince your woman to fight for you?” Glancing over his shoulder, he issued an order in Spanish to his men.

  The giant nodded and stepped forward.

  Jake didn’t hesitate. He’d discovered long ago that in a game of evenly matched odds, victory generally went to the man who made the first move. Although the odds here were far from even, he figured he could use all the help he could get. With that in mind, he charged the giant, driving his head into the big man’s gut. He might as well have tried to push his skull through a meeting-house wall. Not only did the move fail to knock the wind out of his opponent, it barely set the man back a pace. He also left himself in a much more vulnerable position than he had anticipated.

  The outlaw drove his knee directly toward Jake’s groin.

  Jake deftly dodged the thrust, taking the hit in the thigh instead. The blow neatly served to establish the tone for the fight. Quick and dirty, just the way he liked it.

  Unable to reach his initial target, the Mexican locked his beefy forearms around Jake’s chest and squeezed with all his might, until Jake felt sure his ribs would crack. He finally managed to break the lock and stepped back a pace, giving himself a moment to reassess his opponent. He feinted left, then threw a series of strong right-to-left hooks, smashing his fist into the other man’s jaw. The Mexican staggered back a pace but took the hits without flinching. The reaction proved what Jake had initially suspected: the giant was strong as an ox, but he had no speed or finesse.

  Jake went in again, but the outlaw caught him off guard, sending a blinding punch crashing against his already tender ribs. Jake reeled from the impact, but it didn’t take him down. The two men flew against each other, exchanging a series of cruel, punishing blows.

  From the corner of his eye, Jake caught the feminine blur of long golden-brown hair speeding toward the corral. Annie was making her move. He heard a rough shout, the crack of pistol fire, and the high whinnying of startled horses — followed by the thunder of furious hoof-beats echoing off into the distance.

  She’d done it. Annie had gotten away, he thought, allowing himself a momentary surge of victory.

  But the distraction, welcome as it wa
s, cost him. His opponent let loose a fierce jab aimed at his skull. The sharp hook opened the skin above Jake’s left eye, sending a stream of blood gushing down his temple and momentarily blinding him. Seizing the opportunity, the Mexican hooked his foot around the back of Jake’s calf, catching Jake off balance and hurling him to the ground. The outlaw dove after him, but Jake managed to roll right, narrowly avoiding the giant’s crushing weight.

  Jake wiped the blood from his eye and rose unsteadily to his feet, bracing himself for more. Much to his satisfaction, he saw that his opponent looked as bruised and bloodied as he felt himself.

  Even better, he noted that the horse pen had been knocked open wide, and that Annie and Dulcie were nowhere to be seen. Although Santo and the Apache remained, both of them looking coldly furious, the knife-scarred outlaw was gone. Probably right on Annie’s tail, Jake surmised. While the thought wasn’t a pretty one, there was nothing he could do about it right now.

  Outlaw Annie was on her own.

  His opponent lumbered to his feet, breathing hard. The giant glared at Jake with a mixture of contempt and grudging respect, then his gaze shifted toward the Indian. The Mexican nodded once.

  The Apache tossed the big man a knife.

  So much for a fair fight. The Mexican lunged straight for Jake’s heart. Jake, who had learned knife fighting in the bayou country of Louisiana, turned his hip sharply and let the blade slip past him. Unfortunately the outlaw’s thrust wasn’t a complete miss. Jake felt the piercing sting of the knife’s razor-sharp edge as the blade skimmed his chest, slashing open his skin.

  The Mexican lunged again. This time Jake grabbed his wrist, pitting his strength against his opponent’s as they struggled for control of the knife. The two men strained against each other, battling chest to chest. But despite the pressure he applied, Jake couldn’t wrest the knife free. Failing that tactic, he tried another. Stumbling over the ring of stones that edged the outlaw’s campfire, he let his knees buckle and hit the ground hard.

  Sensing victory, the Mexican’s eyes glowed with triumph. His knife slashed through the air as he made a wicked lunge for Jake’s throat. But the outlaw only made it partway to his goal. Bringing himself to a half-standing position, Jake wrapped his fist around a rock and drove it into the giant’s groin. The outlaw let out a bellow of pain, then fell to his knees and doubled over. The blade slipped easily through his grasp.