RattlingtheCage by Ann Cory

after all.
    Montana entered the back area and flinched. “What are—”
    Garvey grabbed her arms and held them behind her.
    “Garvey, what the hell are you doing?”
    Clint reached out and held her chin. “We have business with
you, young lady. I suggest you quit squirming and shut your mouth.”
    She jerked her face away. “Whatever. How long will this
take?”
    “Few hours,” Clint answered.
    Her lips pursed. “Dammit. I make good tips my last hour.”
    “Now see,” started Garvey. “If you married me, I wouldn’t
make you work.”
    “I’ll never marry you,” she spat.
    Garvey thrust her over his shoulder and winked. “Okay, Pops,
what’s next?”
    “Need to make a stop at the house first. We have to make our
pretty little guest more presentable.”

Chapter Sixteen
     
    Montana sat slumped in the backseat with Clint beside her.
Garvey’s crazed eyes flared in the rearview mirror.
    “What are you going to do to me?”
    “Just fix you up a bit,” said Clint and patted her thigh.
“Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you. Much.”
    “Sure about that?” She directed the question to Garvey. Her
wrist still throbbed from his previous vice-like grip.
    “You just do what you’re told, and you’ll be fine,” snapped
Clint.
    “Hey, Pop,” said Garvey. “There are some men out in front of
the house.”
    Montana arranged herself for a better look. “Who are they?”
    “Some old friends come to help me wrangle up a prisoner.”
    She knew he meant Lawson. “He hasn’t done anything.”
    “He killed Jake Sanderson. He roughed up my boy. He’s a
Cage. All good reasons to hang him.”
    “Where’s the proof that he killed Jake? No one saw him do
it.”
    “I did,” said Garvey. His mouth filled the mirror with a
vile grin.
    Montana cocked a brow. “Oh really?”
    “I saw him go inside Jake’s house.”
    “But you don’t know what went on in there,” she reasoned.
    “Why else would he go in there but to kill him?”
    “To talk. He’s innocent.”
    Garvey stopped the car.
    “You two stay in here,” said Clint, opening the door. “I’ve
got some things to talk to them boys about.”
    She fixed her gaze at Garvey. “He’s innocent and you know
it.”
    “Like hell he’s innocent. I suppose you want me to think
you’re innocent too?”
    “I don’t care what you think about me.”
    Garvey twisted to face her. “Neither one of you are
innocent. I saw you.”
    “You saw me what?”
    “In the truck. Acting like a whore. Guess you’re more like
your momma than I thought.”
    Her breath quickened.
    “What did you see?”
    “Enough.”
    “Jesus, you watched?”
    “Couldn’t tear my eyes away. Should’ve been us together. You
disappoint me.”
    She understood the change in him. Any rational thoughts in
his head were replaced by a true hatred for Lawson. “Get over yourself. You
know your father killed Jake. He’s nothing but a heartless, murdering bastard.”
    Garvey reached over and gnarled her hair in his fist. “My
pops is a good guy. Someday he’s going to be your father-in-law. I suggest you
start showing respect.”
    “That will never happen. I don’t care what you do to me.
I’ll never, ever be your wife. Now let me go.”
    Clint swung open the door and ducked down. “Okay, let’s get
you inside, little miss.” With forceful hands he wrenched her out of the car.
    “Where you taking her, Pop?”
    “You just never mind, boy. Wait here until we come back
out.”
    Montana pulled away. “I can walk on my own.”
    “Just come on,” he said, and shoved her into the arms of a
large man who loomed a good three feet taller than her. She didn’t dare put up
a fight against him. He’d break her bones.
    “Take her in the house. Tie her up and get a gag around that
mouth. She’s a mouthy one. Rough her up enough so it shows. Then bring her back
out here.”
    “Please, let me go,” she sobbed.
    The large man grunted and carried her into Mitchum’s house.
    He kicked out a chair