gangs liked to exaggerate their speech, just to make themselves stand out.
Dash approached the porch slowly and saw the pistol in the hand that wasn’t holding the cigarette. “Where’s my woman, motherfucker?”
“In the house.” With a flick of his fingers, Arroyo sent the cigarette butt arcing through the open doorway. “Take this, asshole.”
Dash’s world about ended when he saw the flames erupt and heard Carmen’s scream. Then he heard the shot just a second before he felt the impact in his gut that sent him flying back onto his ass in the gravel drive. “Son of a bitch!”
“Watch her burn as you bleed out, cabron .” With that, Arroyo walked toward Dash’s truck, aiming a hard kick at Dash’s head as he moved past and spitting down into Dash’s face. “That was for my brother. Die slowly.” With one more kick, he stepped over Dash’s stunned figure and got in the truck, which Dash had left running.
76
Eagle’s Redemption
Before Dash could catch his breath, the vehicle slammed into gear and peeled out of the drive, spewing a rain of gravel into Dash’s face.
“Carmen!” he roared as soon as his breath returned. Being shot in the vest kept him from dying, but it still knocked the wind out of him, and it took him way too damn long to regain his feet.
Fire. Instinctively he cringed away from the heat of the orange and yellow flames flickering out the open front door of the shack. It was his worst nightmare come back to haunt him, only this time the nightmare was for real. Dash wanted more than anything to run as far and fast as his gimpy leg could carry him.
But Carmen was in there.
And she’d become more important to him than anything else in the world.
He staggered up into the house, looking for her. The flames licked at his clothes as he pushed through the smoke-filled room. Then he heard Silverfoot bark.
“Where is she, boy?” Dash followed the sound of the barking to the back door, beating out embers that landed on his clothing as he went.
When he reached the door, he sighed with relief as he saw that she was outside, though still far too close to the inferno that had briefly been his home. She was also cuffed to a chair and ominously still. He jumped down onto the packed dirt, ignoring the stabbing pain in his bad leg, and grabbed the chair, pulling her out into the horse paddock, well away from the house.
Just then he heard the sounds of other vehicles coming up the road. He slumped onto the grass beside Carmen and laid his head next to her face. Her breath was shallow, but nothing had ever felt better against his cheek.
He pulled her, chair and all, onto his lap and held on tight while Silver stood beside them and licked each of their faces alternately. There was something under her chin and he lifted it away, recognizing it as the eagle he’d just finished carving for her. Tears filled his eyes that she’d worked so hard to save such a simple gift. Damn, why 77
Cindy Spencer Pape
wouldn’t she wake up? She had to be all right. She simply had to or Dash wasn’t sure he could survive.
“Dash!”
“Carmen!”
Shane and Ken yelled at once from the front of the cabin, though Dash could barely hear them over the roar of the flames.
“Around back,” he shouted, not sure whether they could hear. “We’re safe.”
Silverfoot got up and limped his way around the house, barking loudly.
A few seconds later, the sound of running footsteps heralded the arrival of Ken, Shane and Mick, followed by several of the hands.
“Everybody out?” Ken barked as Shane knelt beside them to feel Carmen’s pulse.
“Yeah,” Dash wheezed, still reeling a bit from being shot in the stomach and kicked in the head, as well as the after burn of an adrenaline rush. “Silver pulled her out. Don’t know why she’s unconscious.”
A soft moan from Carmen was one of the sweetest things he’d ever heard. “Dash?
You okay?”
He buried his face in her hair while somebody went running
Dash approached the porch slowly and saw the pistol in the hand that wasn’t holding the cigarette. “Where’s my woman, motherfucker?”
“In the house.” With a flick of his fingers, Arroyo sent the cigarette butt arcing through the open doorway. “Take this, asshole.”
Dash’s world about ended when he saw the flames erupt and heard Carmen’s scream. Then he heard the shot just a second before he felt the impact in his gut that sent him flying back onto his ass in the gravel drive. “Son of a bitch!”
“Watch her burn as you bleed out, cabron .” With that, Arroyo walked toward Dash’s truck, aiming a hard kick at Dash’s head as he moved past and spitting down into Dash’s face. “That was for my brother. Die slowly.” With one more kick, he stepped over Dash’s stunned figure and got in the truck, which Dash had left running.
76
Eagle’s Redemption
Before Dash could catch his breath, the vehicle slammed into gear and peeled out of the drive, spewing a rain of gravel into Dash’s face.
“Carmen!” he roared as soon as his breath returned. Being shot in the vest kept him from dying, but it still knocked the wind out of him, and it took him way too damn long to regain his feet.
Fire. Instinctively he cringed away from the heat of the orange and yellow flames flickering out the open front door of the shack. It was his worst nightmare come back to haunt him, only this time the nightmare was for real. Dash wanted more than anything to run as far and fast as his gimpy leg could carry him.
But Carmen was in there.
And she’d become more important to him than anything else in the world.
He staggered up into the house, looking for her. The flames licked at his clothes as he pushed through the smoke-filled room. Then he heard Silverfoot bark.
“Where is she, boy?” Dash followed the sound of the barking to the back door, beating out embers that landed on his clothing as he went.
When he reached the door, he sighed with relief as he saw that she was outside, though still far too close to the inferno that had briefly been his home. She was also cuffed to a chair and ominously still. He jumped down onto the packed dirt, ignoring the stabbing pain in his bad leg, and grabbed the chair, pulling her out into the horse paddock, well away from the house.
Just then he heard the sounds of other vehicles coming up the road. He slumped onto the grass beside Carmen and laid his head next to her face. Her breath was shallow, but nothing had ever felt better against his cheek.
He pulled her, chair and all, onto his lap and held on tight while Silver stood beside them and licked each of their faces alternately. There was something under her chin and he lifted it away, recognizing it as the eagle he’d just finished carving for her. Tears filled his eyes that she’d worked so hard to save such a simple gift. Damn, why 77
Cindy Spencer Pape
wouldn’t she wake up? She had to be all right. She simply had to or Dash wasn’t sure he could survive.
“Dash!”
“Carmen!”
Shane and Ken yelled at once from the front of the cabin, though Dash could barely hear them over the roar of the flames.
“Around back,” he shouted, not sure whether they could hear. “We’re safe.”
Silverfoot got up and limped his way around the house, barking loudly.
A few seconds later, the sound of running footsteps heralded the arrival of Ken, Shane and Mick, followed by several of the hands.
“Everybody out?” Ken barked as Shane knelt beside them to feel Carmen’s pulse.
“Yeah,” Dash wheezed, still reeling a bit from being shot in the stomach and kicked in the head, as well as the after burn of an adrenaline rush. “Silver pulled her out. Don’t know why she’s unconscious.”
A soft moan from Carmen was one of the sweetest things he’d ever heard. “Dash?
You okay?”
He buried his face in her hair while somebody went running
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