bucked until she lost her balance and fell sideways. Then his fist plowed into the side of her head. Pain exploded as stars danced across her vision and blood filled her mouth.
“Dammit, Gibson, I should have known you hit women.” Vaughn scooped her up with his bound hands, as though he hadn’t been lying in a bed for two days out of his head from a head wound. “You touch her again and I’ll hit you so hard, you’ll be eating mush the rest of your miserable life.”
The coppery taste of blood coated her mouth. “Stop him.” Elizabeth didn’t want to ask Vaughn for anything but she had to stop them. “Don’t let him burn my ranch.” Physical pain warred with the pain in her heart over the possibility of losing everything.
It wasn’t as if the Grahams hadn’t lost before, including their parents to murder all those years ago. They had recovered, gotten stronger and built a successful ranch that supported the family. This man was going to slice across their belly, spilling their blood onto the dry Texas ground. Killing Martha and the stock would be devastating to them. To her.
“Big man throwing out big words while your hands are tied and you gotta woman in your arms.” Gibson snorted. “Will, bring them horses over. We’re leaving. Jeb, do what I told you.” He wiped the blood off his face and flicked it toward the ground.
Elizabeth vowed to kill this man, this bastard who thought it was his right to destroy her family’s home and leave death and destruction in his wake. She would carry his death on her conscience and be glad of it. Elizabeth never considered herself violent, but the blood of the Grahams ran through her veins—hundreds of years of warriors who fought for their family and their land. A sense of honor, courage and rightness surged through her.
“If you do this, I will kill you.” The words burst from her mouth and Vaughn’s arms stiffened around her.
“That’s a risk I can take.” Gibson’s jaw tightened. “Now move your ass.”
Elizabeth fought against them but they took her from Vaughn’s arms, pushing him onto the ground. Gibson kept his boot on Vaughn’s neck while Will tied her to the horse. She wasn’t strong enough to stop them and the one damn bullet she had wouldn’t stop the crimes that were about to occur.
Helpless, she watched Will strike a match on his boot and set it to a bundle of hay on the ground outside the barn. He darted across the yard and lit another bunch of hay, then dropped it at the front door. The very porch her mother’s blood had stained so many years ago. Bile coated the back of her throat and impotent rage made her howl with fury.
“Martha, run, dammit, run!” She screamed until her throat ached and she had no spit left in her mouth.
Gibson gave her an inscrutable look. “You got a set of lungs on you, girl.”
She bared her teeth, fury pumping through her veins fast and fierce. “Untie me and I’ll show you what else I can do.”
“I reckon that ain’t a good idea.” He looked down at Vaughn. “Your woman here is more a man than you are.”
“Fuck you.” Vaughn struggled to dislodge the boot but with his hands secured, he couldn’t budge Gibson.
“Let’s go, boys.” Gibson gestured to the prone Vaughn. “Get him up on that horse and tie him tight. If he don’t like it, then make him.”
Elizabeth had never felt such warring emotions. She was tight with the urge to do violence, to seek revenge on the Gibsons for their crimes against the Grahams. Until this moment, she’d never felt such blood lust. The crimes committed against her family had always hit her hard, but nothing like this. Something had awakened inside her. Lorenzo called it la musica del dentro, the music inside. The ranch hand, and Eva’s son, had been like a brother to her all her life. He’d warned her she hid her true spirit. Now, all was revealed and she was both frightened and glad of it.
As they rode off into the day’s light, the fire
“Dammit, Gibson, I should have known you hit women.” Vaughn scooped her up with his bound hands, as though he hadn’t been lying in a bed for two days out of his head from a head wound. “You touch her again and I’ll hit you so hard, you’ll be eating mush the rest of your miserable life.”
The coppery taste of blood coated her mouth. “Stop him.” Elizabeth didn’t want to ask Vaughn for anything but she had to stop them. “Don’t let him burn my ranch.” Physical pain warred with the pain in her heart over the possibility of losing everything.
It wasn’t as if the Grahams hadn’t lost before, including their parents to murder all those years ago. They had recovered, gotten stronger and built a successful ranch that supported the family. This man was going to slice across their belly, spilling their blood onto the dry Texas ground. Killing Martha and the stock would be devastating to them. To her.
“Big man throwing out big words while your hands are tied and you gotta woman in your arms.” Gibson snorted. “Will, bring them horses over. We’re leaving. Jeb, do what I told you.” He wiped the blood off his face and flicked it toward the ground.
Elizabeth vowed to kill this man, this bastard who thought it was his right to destroy her family’s home and leave death and destruction in his wake. She would carry his death on her conscience and be glad of it. Elizabeth never considered herself violent, but the blood of the Grahams ran through her veins—hundreds of years of warriors who fought for their family and their land. A sense of honor, courage and rightness surged through her.
“If you do this, I will kill you.” The words burst from her mouth and Vaughn’s arms stiffened around her.
“That’s a risk I can take.” Gibson’s jaw tightened. “Now move your ass.”
Elizabeth fought against them but they took her from Vaughn’s arms, pushing him onto the ground. Gibson kept his boot on Vaughn’s neck while Will tied her to the horse. She wasn’t strong enough to stop them and the one damn bullet she had wouldn’t stop the crimes that were about to occur.
Helpless, she watched Will strike a match on his boot and set it to a bundle of hay on the ground outside the barn. He darted across the yard and lit another bunch of hay, then dropped it at the front door. The very porch her mother’s blood had stained so many years ago. Bile coated the back of her throat and impotent rage made her howl with fury.
“Martha, run, dammit, run!” She screamed until her throat ached and she had no spit left in her mouth.
Gibson gave her an inscrutable look. “You got a set of lungs on you, girl.”
She bared her teeth, fury pumping through her veins fast and fierce. “Untie me and I’ll show you what else I can do.”
“I reckon that ain’t a good idea.” He looked down at Vaughn. “Your woman here is more a man than you are.”
“Fuck you.” Vaughn struggled to dislodge the boot but with his hands secured, he couldn’t budge Gibson.
“Let’s go, boys.” Gibson gestured to the prone Vaughn. “Get him up on that horse and tie him tight. If he don’t like it, then make him.”
Elizabeth had never felt such warring emotions. She was tight with the urge to do violence, to seek revenge on the Gibsons for their crimes against the Grahams. Until this moment, she’d never felt such blood lust. The crimes committed against her family had always hit her hard, but nothing like this. Something had awakened inside her. Lorenzo called it la musica del dentro, the music inside. The ranch hand, and Eva’s son, had been like a brother to her all her life. He’d warned her she hid her true spirit. Now, all was revealed and she was both frightened and glad of it.
As they rode off into the day’s light, the fire
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