Read Online The Bride Wore A Forty-Four by MAGGIE SHAYNE - Free Book Online Page A

one
shoulder, then another on the other side, so the two crossed at her
chest. She felt a familiar, reassuring weight at her hips, moved
her hands to her sides to caress the smooth grips of handguns and
wondered at the flood of confidence that rushed through her.
    Then Michael had her by the hand and led her
toward the back of the room, where he knelt. And moments later, he
was guiding her down a set of stairs in the floor. "Wait at the
bottom," he told her.
    Easier said than done, she thought, when she
couldn't even see where the bottom was. Still, she made her way
down into inky blackness, and there she waited. Only seconds ticked
by, before he joined her there. She had drawn one of the weapons,
held it ready at her side, even though she didn't remember pulling
it. And her eyes were turned upward toward the ceiling, where she
could see nothing but could hear the sounds of men stomping through
the house, searching for them.
    Michael slid an arm around her shoulders,
started leading her forward, and she was surprised when they didn't
run into a wall. "How are you doing?"
    "Pissed," she muttered. "I didn't get my pot
pie."
    He squeezed her closer. "That's my girl."
    She wanted to be. The thought danced through
her mind without her permission. "Where does this lead?"
    "Out," he said.
    "Well, hell, I assumed that much."
    "Comes out about a hundred yards from the
house, pretty deep into the woods. The exit's camouflaged. There's
no way they could have spotted it."
    "Like there was no way they could find us at
the cabin?" She felt him tense, and quickly added, "I'm not blaming
you for it Michael. Hell, it was my fault for leaving Duke alone in
the car. I'm just saying...how do we know there's not a thug with
an AK standing outside that entrance, ready to pop us when we come
out?"
    "Because," he said. "They want us alive."
    "That's not exactly reassuring."
    "I know. Just stay behind me, and if anything
happens, I'll hold 'em off and you make a run for it."
    The voice that answered wasn't hers—or at
least, not the one she'd been thinking of as hers for the past six
months. It said, "The hell I will."

Chapter 9
     
    She held her breath as Michael stood at the
top of another set of stairs. She saw a sliver of gray twilight as
he pushed the trapdoor upward and peered out, then sucked in a
sharp breath when the door opened wider. Michael moved through it,
and she started up behind him, only to have the trapdoor close all
at once.
    Frowning, she scooted up the steps, put her
hands over her head, and shoved upward, only to meet
resistance.
    Hell, was Michael standing on the
door?
    "Well now, where the hell did you come from?"
a man's voice said.
    Kira froze. It wasn't Michael's voice.
    "Like I'd tell you."
    There was a terrible sound, a grunt of pain.
Anger surged in Kira, and she shoved harder at the trapdoor.
    "Don't!" Michael yelled. "I'll talk, just
take it easy. I was out gathering firewood when I heard you guys
shooting up the place. Decided it might be best to lay low till you
left."
    "And where's the little woman?"
    "Relocated, for her protection. I couldn't
tell you where if I wanted to, and that's the truth."
    Kira closed her eyes. Damn him, he was
determined to protect her.
    "Bullshit," one of the men said. "You brought
her here with you."
    "No," he said. "I didn't You really think I'd
have stayed out here hiding if Kira were under fire at that
cabin?"
    The men were quiet for a moment, seeming to
mull that over.
    "He's right," one said at last "He'd have
charged into the cross fire to get her out. It wouldn't be the
first time."
    "Doesn't matter," Michael said. "She's no
threat to you. She's got no memory, doesn't even know what this is
all about."
    "Search the woods, just in case," one of the
men said. "I'll take this one back to the boss, figure out how he
wants to proceed."
    "I'm telling you, she's not here. You're
wasting your time," Michael said.
    "If she is, we'll find her."
    "I wish she was lurking around