Vickie Britton, page 24
279
this place like a king.” He came toward me, a wicked smile upon his full, sensual lips. The black eyes glittered like jet. “The men are afraid of me, you know. They think I possess certain powers. It’s the fear that causes obedience. I’ll butcher a few more cattle here and there, scatter the bones in the canyon, and they’ll hail me as a god. An evil god. The ignorant sheep will hail me as the son of Akerra.”
He advanced toward me, the knife gleaming in his hand. “It’s too bad you know my secrets.” His voice had a soft, smooth quality, like the hiss of a snake. “You really did put up quite a fight.” He gazed down at me, slowly shaking his head. “But you know too much now. And you’re in the way of my plans.”
Suddenly, up above us on the cliffs, I saw the faint glimmer of headlights. Guillermo was still looking for me. All this time, he and Ivan had been trying to protect me, but I hadn’t understood. And now it was too late.
Or is it? If only I can stall him…. “Guillermo knows about you.”
The mention of his name enraged Esteban. Black anger shone in his eyes as the knife in his hand slashed the empty air. “I’ll take care of him,” he boasted. “I don’t know how yet, but I will.”
While his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of revenge, I broke away from him. “Help me!” I cried, my voice echoing back to me against the high canyon walls. “Guillermo. Help!” With a sinking feeling, I watched the headlights move slowly away, relinquishing the purplish cliffs to darkness.
In terror, I turned to face Esteban. Rough hands forced me back against the stone altar. I struggled helplessly as he shoved me down against cold stone. The knife was poised now, just above my chest. “A shame,” he whispered,
280
lowering the knife point teasingly, brushing it slowly along the hollow of my throat. I held my breath as the knife crept downward, tracing a path along my skin, circling my breasts through the filmy material of my torn blouse. “I really do like my women full of fire.” He laughed, and said, “But I’m afraid there really isn’t time for any fun and games.”
“No.” I shrank back as the wicked blade poised above me, aimed straight for my heart. A cry of terror ripped from my throat as the knife started to descend.
“Touch her and you’re a dead man.” A voice as cold as steel made the knife stop in midair. It remained poised above me, suspended in space as Esteban instinctively looked toward the intruder. Ivan stood behind him, a pistol shining deadly in his hand.
With a savage cry, Esteban sprang at him, knife slashing the air. As the blade drew dangerously close, Ivan tried to intercept it and lost control of his weapon. With horror, I saw Ivan’s gun slip from his hand and roll away as the two of them tumbled to the ground.
Then Ivan had Esteban pinned down. Catching him by the forearm, he forced the blade from his clenched fist. Weaponless, they wrestled, fierce opponents locked in a death struggle. And then I saw Esteban reach for the gun.
“Ivan, look out!” It all happened so swiftly there was no time to even move. I could only move my lips in silent prayer. I closed my eyes tightly as the sound of a shot broke the stillness. When I dared open them again, Esteban was lying in a crumpled heap at Ivan’s feet, the wind fluttering the flowing robes about his still body.
Ivan reached me swiftly, taking me into his arms. “Anna, my love. Are you all right?” He kissed my bruised
281
face, gently touching the swollen place where my head had
struck the rocks.
“I…I think so.”
“Thank God I got here on time.”
“How did you know where to find me?”
“I’ve been searching for you ever since you jumped out of Guillermo’s truck. He told me what he suspected was happening. I went back to the house and got the truth out of Alice.
“Mother told me the whole story. About how she’d hired Esteban to chase Colleen away. And then there was the murder. At first, she was afraid to tell the police because of her part in it, though she’d intended no harm to come to Colleen. Later, when things got really out of hand, he threatened her life, but she couldn’t let him harm you.
“I suspected he’d take you out here to the canyon. So I came out here to where we found Colleen. When you called out to Guillermo, I heard you.”
I was ashamed and needed to make amends with him. I put a hand on his shoulder.
“When I saw that dark-haired figure in the hooded robe—I thought it was you. How can you ever forgive me for doubting you?”
“Shh….” He held a finger to my lips to silence me. “It’s all over now. The forgiving and forgetting.” He held me tightly against his strong chest, as if this time he never intended to let me go. “Let’s make up for lost time.”
Headlights illuminated the trail above us, where Guillermo slowly circled the cliffs, searching for me. Together, we climbed up to meet him.
282
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Vickie Britton lives with her husband Gary in Hutchinson, Kansas. They have one son, Ed, who works as a game design artist in Salt Lake City, Utah. Vickie is author of the gothic romances, The Seven Sapphires of the Mardi Gras and Legend of the Sea Wolf. She has co-authored with her sister Loretta Jackson over thirty novels and numerous short stories, among them the prize-winning anthology Danger-Crossed Moments. Their mystery novels include Stone of Vengeance, The Ardis Cole Mystery Series, Arctic Legacy,and Bitter Melody.
You are invited to visit her website at:
http://www.brittonjackson.cjb.net/
For your reading pleasure, we invite
you to visit our web bookstore
WHISKEY CREEK PRESS
www.whiskeycreekpress.com
The Devil's Gate (txt), Vickie Britton
