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“I’m sure Brady was lying. There’s only the two of them. Will you help me?”
Tam touched her cheek. “Bab, I will do anything for you.”
* * * *
Brady wasn’t surprised Cara didn’t try to escape. She had to be terrified, but she would never leave a fellow warrior behind. At least with her leg free, she would have a chance to run when things got ugly. It wouldn’t be long.
Hop and his hunters would be back soon and expose Brady’s desperate lie. Jak would kill him then, probably by beating him to death. With a sword or his long knife, Brady might have a chance in a face-to-face fight with the big Savage. In hand to hand, especially with his broken ribs, it would be nearly impossible for him to triumph.
The camp appeared peaceful for the moment. Bab and the one called Tam had returned with wet, clean hair from their earlier stroll. They sat together and shared some dried fruits and nuts. Brady’s stomach rumbled. It had been more than a day since he last ate.
Cara sat against the tree where the leash on her leg was tied, probably to hide the fact that it was cut. He hadn’t seen where she’d concealed the knife, but she would be ready. The little boot blade wouldn’t offer her much protection if one of the males came at her. It was too short to inflect anything more than a flesh wound on the big bastards, but it might give her a chance to get away.
Bab handed Angel off to Tam so the young male held both infants. She scooped up a handful of nuts and took them to Cara.
Jak watched her with a dark scowl but said nothing. Brady was nearly sure it was Jak they’d seen beating Rena when they’d spied on the village. And now he’d killed the poor defenseless girl.
Brady’s own thoughts surprised him. He was thinking of Jak and Hop as enemies of not just him and Cara, but as dangers to Bab, Angel and even some of the others. He was thinking of Bab as … human. And Tam, especially since he’d bathed, looked like a strong, stocky human more than a vicious Savage. Brady looked around the camp with new vision.
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Only four males besides Jak and Tam had remained behind. The other four were younger
… men. They were using rounded pebbles, obviously gathered with care from the sea shore, in some kind of game where they tossed the little stones at other stones. Mild curses and occasional gruff laughter accompanied their play. They were entertaining themselves as any young men might. If not for the intimidating, abrasive nature of Jak, this really was a tribe civilized enough to be allies with the Realm and Solonia. If Tam was a measure, they might welcome a chance to befriend strangers and learn from them.
Bab brought him a handful of nuts also. She frowned when she realized he couldn’t feed himself with his hands tied behind his back. He’d settled on a short rock when he sat after his earlier confrontation with Jak, figuring he could rise quicker if needed.
Bab knelt in front of him and put a fat almond in his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring the meaty texture. Jak watched them with a scowl even darker than his usual expression.
“Help us, Bab,” Brady whispered after swallowing the almond. “We can’t take Angel across the river. She might drown.”
Bab blinked her dark eyes, but said nothing. Her hand shook a little as she offered him a walnut.
He turned his head slightly to avoid the food, though his belly cried with hunger. “I promise, if I don’t drown myself, I’ll come back. I’ll get help and come back for Angel and you if that’s what you want.”
“Get away from him, stupid woman,” Jak shouted. He leaped toward them and then grabbed Bab by the hair. He flung her to the ground with one hand and swung the other fist at Brady’s head.
Brady ducked under the wild punch and rose swiftly. He brought his knee up into the Savage’s ribcage.
Jak grunted and folded but didn’t go down. He straightened to his full height, his lips pulled back in a snarl. “I don’t think I’ll wait to kill you after all.”
Brady glared back at him, but he knew he had no chance against the bastard. Jak would pound him into something resembling that wrinkled, dried walnut he’d been offered.
“You’re afraid to fight like a man,” Tam shouted. He set the infants on the ground and hurried around the fire to help Bab to her feet.
Jak glared over his shoulder at the younger, smaller male. “Shut up, you little cock licker. I’ll give you the same as him when I’m done here.”
“Are you going to tie me up first, too?” Tam pushed Bab behind him. “You’re an old man, Jak. And you’re dumb. I think this sky-eyed man is smarter than you and maybe stronger.
Didn’t it take five of you to catch him? Your balls are shriveled and rotting.”
Jak spun to face the foolish Tam, but he turned his back on Brady to do it. A bad calculation. Brady was nearly at the limits of his tether, but he could still reach the Savage. He kicked at the inside of Jak’s left knee, landing a hard blow with the thick sole of his boot. The big bastard screamed and went down hard.
Cara jumped up and ran the few steps to Brady. She hacked with the little knife at the rope holding his hands behind his back. Brady watched helplessly as the other males started forward.
“Stay out of this,” shouted Tam. Unbelievably, they stopped.
Jak rolled on the ground, alternately screaming and cursing. Tam took Bab by the arm and led her over to pick up the babies.
ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 101
The rope holding his wrists parted and freed Brady’s hands. Agony shot up his previously numb arms and shot into his shoulders and back. For a moment, the pain made his head spin. Cara put her hand in the middle of his back to steady him.
The other Savages again took unsure steps foreword. Bab gestured at Cara and Brady.
“Go. Leave here before Hop and the others return.”
Brady stumbled after Cara. His arm muscles felt like they were being stabbed by thousands of little knives. He couldn’t have lifted a hand to save his life.
“Run!” Bab shouted.
Cara took his trembling hand as if to lead him, but he dug in his heels. Jak was no longer screeching, though he still lay in a panting heap on the ground. His small dark eyes were pools of hatred. He swung his virulent glare from Brady to Bab and back again. Without proper medical care, it would be a long time before Jak could walk again and when he did, he would limp with every painful step.
“Bab, are you going to be all right when his friends get back?” Brady couldn’t forget the destruction of Rena’s face.
Bab exchanged a look with Tam. They looked terrified but determined. “I can’t let them kill you, Brady.”
Cara tugged on Brady’s arm, and he followed her this time. They ran as soon as they made the cover of the trees. It was nearly half a mile back to the place where they’d tried the log raft. Brady’s gun and their swords lay in a heap where they’d put them to keep dry. The Savages probably hadn’t even understood what deadly weapons the metal objects were.
Cara took his hand and rubbed his wrist. The sharp pains were gone, but the ache might remain for hours or even days. “Why did they leave our weapons?”
“They wouldn’t have known what they were. Maybe they were afraid of them.” He picked up his gun and checked the barrel and load. It seemed untouched. Their log raft had grounded itself on the muddy bank only a few yards downstream.
Cara slid her sword back in its sheath and picked her long knife. She stared out over the river. “We should go while it’s still light.’
The sun only had a few hours before it dipped behind the mountains. They couldn’t chance the water after dark. He strapped on his gun belt and picked up his sword. He swung it a few times and winced at the stiffness in his joints. “You’re right. We should go.”
They stood on the bank side by side. He waited for her to do the right thing, completely confident in her heart.
“We have to go back, Brady. We can’t let Bab and Tam take on the whole pack of them.”
He took her in his arms.
Their kiss was filled with relief at being alive and the stirring joy of upcoming battle. “You are the bravest woman I’ve ever met, but I don’t like you being in their reach again.”
“I don’t like anybody being within their reach. And that includes a woman like Bab.”
“Then let’s go help her.”
* * * *
Bab looked at little Storm. He would never know his mother and all because of the brute cursing on the ground. She hated Jak and always had. And always she had feared him, his temper and his overwhelming strength. But Brady had felled him with one well-placed kick.
Perhaps he could be beaten.
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“Maybe we should go,” Tam said. He stood between her and the other men. They were mostly younger than her and Tam, and they looked nearly as frightened as she was.
“Where would we go?” Bab looked toward where Brady and Cara had disappeared. She would never see the pretty man again. Though he promised to return one day, she would probably be dead. When Hop returned, he would kill her and Tam. Hopefully he wouldn’t hurt the precious babies. Infants were rare and important, but he might do it just to be cruel before he killed her.
Tam sighed and went to search under the trees. After the recent storm there were many branches lying about. He had no trouble finding one as thick as his wrist and longer than his arm.
“I’m sorry, Tam. I shouldn’t have asked you to help me.” Bab looked around the camp with dismay. Not so long ago, she and Rena had been filled with joyous plans of peace and freedom. How foolish they had been. They wouldn’t have survived the winter. Rena would have died during the storm before delivering her baby if not for Cara and Brady.
“What are you going to do, Tam?” one of the young men asked, more curious than belligerent.
“He’s going to die, him and his bitch both.” Jak’s voice was hoarse from his screaming.
Bab thought he might be right.
“Tough words from someone broken by a man with his hands tied behind his back,” Tam snapped back at him.
Jak’s face was white with pain, but now dark, red spots of rage bloomed on his cheeks.
He struggled to a sitting position with sweat dripping down his face and running in tiny rivers down his chest. With much grunting and panting, he pushed himself up to stand on his one good leg. His injured leg hung in an odd way as the knee had twisted. His foot pointed toward the other one instead of forward.
“I’m going to twist your head off your skinny neck, Tam.”
Perhaps because she and Tam had just bathed, Bab noticed Jak’s foul odor. The stench of his seldom washed skin wafted to them. How had she suffered this animal to crawl on top of her? And that was it. She’d suffered, and she was determined to never suffer it again.
“Are you going to crawl over here to get me?” Tam swung his club. “Maybe we’ll start to call you Hop. We’ll have two Hops.”
Some of the men snickered. Jak swung his harsh glare on them, smothering the laughter.
“When Hop gets back, we’re going to pull your stupid tongue from your loud mouth.
Maybe we won’t kill your bitch since she’s a proven baby maker. Hop likes her but we’ll have to do something about her over proud attitude. She’s led Rena into this stupid trouble.”
“But you’re the one who killed her.” Bab spat toward Jak’s foot.
“She did it to herself. She wouldn’t tell me why she ran away. But after I showed her how to respect me, she told me all about you and your plan.”
“I hear them,” Tam said. “They’re coming back.”
For a short, sweet moment, Bab thought he meant Brady and Cara, but then she heard the rumble of deep voices coming from the direction of the sea. Hop and the others. Hop was every bit as nasty as Jak, and he always went along with whatever the leader said. In turn, Hop got as many women as he wanted and mostly he wanted Bab.
Bab’s heart beat heavy in her chest. Angel and Storm slept so innocently on the bare ground. If she died, they would grow up to be as dirty and ignorant as Jak. But she couldn’t go back to the life she’d had before she fled the village. Meeting Brady and Cara had shown her life ONE GOOD WOMAN SUSAN KELLEY 103
could be more. The affection between them, the oneness they shared, she wanted that. She wanted that even if it couldn’t be with Brady.
Hop led his small band into the campsite. The big man’s expression was angry as usual.
“There are no signs of any other strangers, Jak.” Hop stopped in mid-stride, his mouth hanging open. “What happened to you?”
“That sky-eyed bastard tricked me, and then these two pieces of shit helped them escape.”
Hop looked at the cut ropes and then at Bab and Tam. His expression was confused more than angry. “How did that skinny stranger take you?”
“He didn’t take me,” Jak snarled back. “He tricked me with their help and busted my knee.”
“You’re crippled, Jak.” Bab counted the men who had returned with Hop. Six, some of them older than their leader but none as big. Would they all join in killing her and Tam? “I don’t think you’ll ever walk again.”
“I will walk, stupid bitch. Be quiet or I’ll change my mind about letting you live.” Jak pointed at Tam. “Kill that one.”
Hop smiled, ugly emotions in his eyes. “Glad to. He always has taken more turns on Bab than he should have. She’s going to be all mine from now on.”
Tam held his ground as Hop skirted the embers of the fire. Hop’s big hands flexed into fists. Bab cursed herself for not getting a club herself. She couldn’t let Tam get killed. It would be her fault the same as Rena’s death.
Two of the older men followed Hop, and Jak hobbled along behind them. The younger men backed out of the way, a smart thing to do. The last fight for leadership of the tribe had been when Bab was a little girl. Jak had killed the old leader in a bloody, merciless fight.
Tam swung his club with both hands as soon as Hop was close enough. Despite his size, Hop was quick and agile. He ducked under the thick branch and brought his fist up into Tam’s belly.
Tam folded up like a piece of hide. His breath whooshed out of his mouth, and his face went white. How could it be over so soon? His agonized gaze turned up to her, and then he toppled over to land heavily on his side.
Hop laughed, the sound so different from the joyful amusement she and Tam had shared earlier.
“I’m going to kick your head in, Tam.”
Bab screamed and threw herself at Hop. She clawed at his nasty eyes and filthy mouth, but he shrugged her aside with little effort. She landed on her backside near Tam, tears blurring her sight. Next to Rena, Tam was her best friend, and she was going to lose them both.
A sudden crack of thunder came from right behind their heads. Hop stumbled back, a spurt of bright red erupting from his chest. He opened his mouth, and more red dribbled down his chin. Surprise spread over his vicious expression.
Jak shouted and struggled to Hop’s side. He pushed his friend out of the way. Hop offered no resistance, and after taking two unsteady steps, fell to his knees. His dark eyes lost focus, and then he toppled forward onto his face.
Jak ignored him and picked up the club Tam had dropped. He lifted it over his head.
“I’ll do it myself.”
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Bab dove on top of Tam, covering his head with her body. She braced herself for the crushing blow. But another crack of thunder, even though the sun was shining, burst from the trees near the river.
Jak made a funny sound. Bab peeked cautiously over her shoulder, wondering why she wasn’t dead yet. The campsite was quiet except for the babies fussing about their disturbed rest.
Bab sat up and helped Tam to rise. They stood up and backed away from Jak.
Jak swayed on his good leg. Blood leaked from a hole low on his chest. He dropped the club and tried to hold the blood in with his hands.
Bab had seen storms that broke tre
es and sometimes caught them of fire, but she’d never seen one of the yellow-white bolts strike a man and make him bleed. It was as if a spirit had watched out for them.
“What did you do, bitch?” One of the older men stepped toward her. He held one of the sharp stone knives they used to cut and clean hides. “You’re the cause of all this trouble.”
Tam pushed Bab behind him. “She did nothing, Mak.”
The thunder roared again but from a spot not far from Bab’s head. Mak spun away from them and clutched at his arm.
“Leave them alone, or you’ll join Jak and Hop on the ground.” Brady stepped into the open. He held the shiny tool in his hand he always took such care of.