Brody (15 page)

Elena cleaned up the kitchen in a blink, and then they followed Rodrigo out of the tavern to the barn to get the horses. Elena walked beside Brody, the quiet seductress who probably had killed for the man she served.

“Cuidado, señor,”
she whispered as they walked behind Rodrigo and Olivia, who were talking about horses ten feet in front of them.

Brody’s instincts reared to life. The woman who’d tried to seduce him was warning him of danger.
“¿Porque?”

“You are working with people who would kill you in a second and not care. I know why you are here. I know why she comes.”

“What are you talking about?” He didn’t want to even consider that they had been found out already.

“Her eyes.” Elena glanced at him. “The boy had the same color.”

“The boy?” Brody’s stomach flipped, full of the heavy Mexican breakfast. Oh, God, could Benjy have come through the tavern?

“
Sí, el hijo
. He was here months ago, but I remember his eyes. He cried for his mama and for someone named Eva. Rodrigo told me to tie him up and gag him so he not hear him no more.” Elena nodded at Olivia. “You look for him,
si
?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The last thing Brody needed was to confirm they were looking for Benjy.

Elena nodded. “
Entiendo
. You keep your woman safe. Is good. Remember what I say. Do not trust anyone, especially
mi mama
.
Cuidado, señor
.”

They reached the barn and Elena disappeared into a stall to saddle a horse for herself. Brody could hardly believe the conversation he’d just had. As he walked into his horse’s stall, he noticed that Olivia was watching him. She must have seen Elena whispering to him. He wanted so badly to tell Olivia what he’d found out but knew it was far too risky to do so now. He would just have to count on catching her alone for a few minutes later.

After saddling the horses, the four of them got started across the scrubby desert. The sun had risen enough to warm their backs as they rode west. Rodrigo seemed to love to talk and he chatted with Olivia as though they were bosom friends. Brody wanted to punch the outlaw and carry her away on his shoulder. Stupid, he knew, but he couldn’t keep himself from feeling that way. The odds were stacked against them to survive, so wishing for it was even more foolish.

“Tell me about you, Meredith.” Rodrigo had an easy seat in the saddle; clearly, he was a man who had spent many hours riding.

“Oh, there’s not much to tell. I lost my parents when I was thirteen.” She looked out toward the horizon, her gaze distant. “I still miss them, even now. I worked the jobs I could get, um, for money. Jeb found me a couple years later and took care of me. He was nice most of the time.”

“Then you leave him for Stuart’s dick, eh?” Rodrigo laughed at his own wit. “It must be bigger and better. This is good because you are a woman who knows what she wants.” He licked his lips and Brody saw Olivia twitch.

Brody didn’t care for the outlaw’s implication. “Meredith is a smart woman. She knew Jeb was going nowhere in a hurry.”

“You give her what she needs then.” Rodrigo had put on his familiar flat-brimmed black hat. “You keep your woman satisfied.”

“We get along just fine.”

Rodrigo laughed. “I hear you getting along just fine last night. Meredith, she is passionate, no? I look for that in a woman too. No cold fish in the bed. Is boring! I look for fire and spark.”

He had the right of it, damn his rotten hide. Olivia was passionate, full of fire and spark. She was his woman now and if he were smart he’d hang onto her with both hands. If he could survive the next few days, he would do just that.

“Elena has the bedroom skills. I like this too. She could teach Meredith good things.” Rodrigo had already attempted to have Elena teach Olivia things, but they weren’t good.

Brody had to change the subject before he lost his temper and beat the life out of the man. “How far is the pueblo we’re going to?”

“A few hours. We will be there by dinner.” He gestured to the wide-open desert. “For now we have all this fine land to ourselves and a nice day to ride.”

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, but it was not to last. Olivia’s breasts seemed to fascinate the Mexican and his gaze kept returning to them. Brody gritted his teeth to keep quiet, his hands fisting on the reins, wrapping tight. His horse didn’t like the pull on his bit and let Brody know by turning around and biting his leg.

“Ow, cut that out.” He loosened his grip, unwilling to let anyone see what he’d been doing.

“Your horse is how you say, ornery, hmm?” Rodrigo’s laugh grated on him like a hot, jagged rock.

“Sometimes he is. Maybe he don’t like all the chatter.” Brody couldn’t help digging at the man. He had to shut up Rodrigo somehow.

Another laugh. “Too bad he is a
caballo
and cannot speak for himself. I like to talk to Meredith more. It is a long ride and we can become friends,
sí
?”

Olivia didn’t look at him. “I don’t think we’re here to be friends, Rodrigo. We’re here to do business.”

“That means we cannot talk?” Rodrigo shook his head. “I thought we were
amigos
.”

The dark undercurrents in his voice gave Brody pause. They had to keep up their disguise as outlaws, but they also had to keep Rodrigo happy enough to bring them to the buyer for the human chattel Jeb had been selling. All that meant was they had to be nice to Rodrigo, talk with him and remember he could have an ambush planned another mile up the road.

Brody couldn’t tell Olivia everything he was thinking but he had to make her understand what they had to do, like it or not. “We can talk. Meredith is a little grumpy because she didn’t get enough sleep.”

“Ah,
entiendo
. You kept her busy,
sí
? You are the man she wanted more than Jeb Stinson.” Rodrigo didn’t appear to be too ruffled by Olivia’s cool remarks.

“She is a good woman.”

“
Sí,
I can believe that. She take care of you and not complain about it.” Rodrigo glanced at Olivia. “I would like a woman like this.”

She didn’t turn her head but a small grin kicked up the side of her mouth. “I’m not interested, but thank you.”

Rodrigo threw his head back and laughed. “She is funny too. Meredith, Meredith, Meredith, Meredith.” It was almost sing-songy and quite bizarre.

“What is your mother’s name, Elena?” Olivia must have felt the same sort of discomfort at the outlaw’s amusement. It was disturbing and it set the small hairs on his neck standing up.

Rodrigo was still chuckling as he flapped his hand in the other woman’s direction.
“Puedes hablar, Elena.”

Ah, even more interesting. Elena had to wait for Rodrigo’s permission to speak. No wonder she’d whispered to Brody back in Forgata. He had to find an opportunity to talk to her in private again. No doubt the quiet, strange woman had more secrets to share, knew the darkest tales from the outlaw’s life.

“Her name is Lucinda.” Elena’s quiet voice broke the silence.

“She owns her own business then? Unusual for a woman.” Brody didn’t want to insult her by asking if it was a brothel because she could own a seamstress shop. However, given the caliber of the people they were dealing with, it was unlikely.

“It is a place for pleasure,
señor
. She has women and liquor. People come to see her every day.” Elena didn’t elaborate on why people came to see her mother but it was obvious. Taverns made money on liquor and women.

“It must have been hard to leave her.” Olivia turned to look at her. “You must love Rodrigo very much.”

The expression on Elena’s face was carefully controlled, but Brody could almost see the truth in her gaze. She didn’t love Rodrigo. Hell, she probably didn’t even like him. Nor did he think Elena was willingly with the outlaw. He suspected she’d been sold, or maybe even used to pay a debt. It was an unfortunate fate for many women who were more children than adult.

“I am loyal.” Elena’s response was what he expected, cryptic.

“I’m sure he appreciates your loyalty.” Olivia shot Brody a scowl, as though he’d been the one to pull the words from her mouth. “Thank you for coming with us. I’m sure you want to see your mother too.”

This time Elena didn’t answer.

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes, for which Brody was grateful. He needed a few minutes to think about the information he’d been given. He kept his gaze on Olivia until she looked his way.

“Be nice,” he mouthed.

She scowled again.

“We need him,” he mouthed.

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him. He hoped like hell she understood what he was trying to tell her.

Olivia sighed but then finally spoke. “What about you, Rodrigo? Do you have any family?”

“I have a broken family,
amiga
. It is scattered like the tumbleweeds.” Rodrigo didn’t sound particularly sad about it.

“I’m sorry.” Olivia had such a large family, she probably did feel sorry for him. “That must be hard.”

“I have all I need.” Rodrigo smiled at her. “My tavern, a woman, my men. One day I will be a
caudillo
.”

Brody had wondered if Rodrigo had plans to become a
caudillo,
a warlord in Mexico. He was well on his way: a dangerous man with dangerous plans.

“I was born in Texas, you know. My mama, she worked a big hacienda and then she had me. But I was not home until I came here. This,
this
is my home.”

For the first time since they’d met, Brody heard honesty in the outlaw’s voice. There were plenty of hacienda owners who got children on their hired help, but never acknowledged them as their offspring. They were half-breeds to many, bastards to others. Rodrigo was probably better off in Mexico than Texas.

If Rodrigo had stayed where he’d been born, he would have had nothing. Now he had his own little corner of the world with dreams of something bigger. But if Brody had anything to say about it, Rodrigo’s dreams wouldn’t come true.

C
HAPTER
N
INE

A
s the sun rose high into the afternoon sky, the small group of four riders neared another pueblo. This one was much larger than the one they’d just left. There were at least five times as many buildings, some even three stories high.

Olivia had been uncomfortable entering Forgata, but this place made every hair on her body stand on end. They were Texans deep in Mexico with no one to help them or back them up.

If anything went wrong now, they would be dead. There was no doubt in her mind about that. Given the last twenty-four hours, she was prepared for just about anything, and yet her stomach burbled with fear. Not just for herself, but for Brody and for Benjy, wherever he was.

She had to be strong and that meant not showing fear. The town grew larger and larger as did her anxiety over exactly what Elena’s mother, Lucinda, was like. If she ran a brothel and a tavern, she must be smart, but Elena had had nothing to say about her mother. It added to her misgivings about the quiet beauty. Olivia’s mother was gone forever; Elena’s mother lived, yet she ignored her.

“We go straight to Lucinda’s,
sí
?” Rodrigo didn’t appear to actually be asking a question because he led the small party into the main street and toward the largest building.

This town reminded her of home; it was not so very different from where she would go every Saturday with Matt and the rest of their siblings. While the younger ones would play checkers, they would do their shopping, get supplies and conduct their business in town. Her throat tightened at the sight of three little girls playing on the side of the street, laughing and whooping as they ran in a circle. The reminder of her siblings, of safety and love hit like a mule kick.

The buildings were mostly of wood construction, with some adobe ones as well. There were a few wooden sidewalks, but not many. She expected it didn’t rain much in this dry land, therefore not much mud, and no need for sidewalks. A few people turned to look at them, then moved quickly away or averted their eyes. She knew it wasn’t because of the two gringos but because of Rodrigo. It appeared the young man with big dreams had already conquered part of the land he loved.

She’d been surprised to discover he was Texan, but chose to be a Mexican. There were so many haciendas scattered around southern Texas, owned by wealthy men who had made their money on the backs of others. She wondered if his father was such a man, or if Rodrigo had imagined him that way. It shouldn’t matter to her, but it seemed neither Rodrigo nor Elena knew a true family’s love and for that, she pitied them. The most important thing in the world to her was family.

They pulled up in front of a three-story building made of wood. Many of the boards were new, or had recently been replaced. There were at least eight windows and a terrace on the second floor. The sign had been painted in bright red letters, using bold strokes: LUCINDA’S.

It was an enormous building by anyone’s standards and to find it here in the middle of nowhere sent a chill up Olivia’s spine. How did Lucinda have so much money? Was the blood of innocents fueling the building of this place?

“
Estamos aquí, amigos
. Now that we are here, let us have a drink to quench our thirst.” Rodrigo dismounted and waited for the others to do the same. He tossed his reins to Elena. “Put them in the barn.”

Elena nodded and held out her hand to Brody and Olivia. The ranger took off his saddlebags and gave Elena his horse’s reins.

“She needs a good rubdown.” Olivia took her time dismounting and taking off her saddlebags. She didn’t care to hand over her mare to the woman but there was no choice. “And some feed if there is any.”

Silent still, Elena tugged the horses’ reins lightly until they started following her. She walked to the side of the building and disappeared. Whatever hold Rodrigo had over her, it was strong, very strong.