Broken Road (16 page)

   He deep voice vibrating in the room and over Devil’s skin sent shivers done her spine. Oh lord, even just his voice made her want to do things.

   Stage lights faded, the room went dark, and then the hum of a familiar drum beat started.

    Devil smiled when she realized the song was ‘Come Back to Me” one of her very own and the one he had sung to Lilla that first night in the house.

   Devil listened, swaying to the music as his deep timber lulled her, enchanting her. When he got to the part of the duet he stretched out his hand to her and Devil bit her lip, shaking her head. But before she could back away he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the stage. The crowd got louder.

   A woman came on stage a handed her a microphone with a wink and Devil looked to Winthrop. He winked when her part started.

   Falling back into the swing of old ways that had been her life for the last four years, she started to sing.  The words fell from her lips with a ease she hadn’t felt when she sang before.

   She felt light, happy singing this kind of song. It didn’t feel like another pay check, it felt like a way of life, like it had when she had first started and enjoyed her singing.

   Winthrop took her hand in his and gave it a squeeze. She was so beautiful with the lights shining down on her and her eyes glowing with joy. He felt something tighten in his chest and knew that he was done for as he watched her sing.

…

“Thank you,” Devil said after they had started walking down the sidewalk of main street and she looked up at him. “I needed that. I hadn’t felt that way singing for a long time.”

   He laughed. “I didn’t think you had a voice like that. Better then the cds or the radio, I promise you.”

   Devil slugged him in the shoulder.

   “You didn’t tell me you sang either! And now you’ll have to come with me on my tour. It’ll end soon, just three more places to go, but I want you to sing with me.”

   He looked down at her a up to the stars. “I’m sad to say that I won’t be able to. Its all I can do to keep the ranch floating with all the people there and we’ve been in a hole for a few years now. Everything in Wade’s office on that desk is a bill and more bills.”

   Devil stopped walking; forcing him to as well since he was holding her hand. “What do you mean you
’
r
e
in the hole?”

   Winthrop sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Wade was trying to take care of the bills before he died, said he had a way to help out and get it all gone, but then he kicked the dust.”

   “How much do you owe?” Devil asked, worried.

   “To much for you to worry about,” he said and started walking again.

   “Don’t pull a red herring on me. I asked ‘how much?’” She tugged on his hand.

   He murmured something and Devil squeezed his hand in warning.

   “Close to 3 million if I remembered right,” he said with a cough.

    Devil’s eyes cracked open and
she gasped, “How can you get that
bad in debt?”

    “Our father,” Winthrop said, disgusted.

   “Oh,” Devil said in a small voice, “I see.”

    They talked a while longer about the things that had happened in their lives and on the way back to the truck Devil bumped into someone and they
slipped off the curb. As she d
ove after the person to save them she saw it was none other then Celia Buch, her best friend and manager. A man who had been walking beside her picked both of the women up.

   Devil looked into the face of her band’s drummer. His handsome face flushed when he looked into his eyes and he quickly let go of her when Winthrop stepped forward to collect her.

   “I’m sorry Miss Runner, I had no idea,” he mumbled awkwardly.

   Devil wanted to wince at the formality in his stiffly mumbled words. She hadn’t been the type to chat up a storm and hang with her band members over the last four years. She had truthfully been a rater cold bitch to them.

   Devil smiled warmly hoping it would make up for it and said, “No big, man. I hope ya’ll are having fun.” Devil swung her gaze to her friend. “Can we talk for a moment?” She had been itching to ask Celia something for the last few days with all the danger and death stuff hanging around her.

    Celia frowned slightly and nodded. “You two wait a moment, we’ll go get some coffee for all of us,” she said to the man and walked off pulling Devil behind her, without waiting for their answer.

    “What’s this about?” Celia asked when we stepped into the small coffee shop. At ten o’clock there weren’t many people in the place.

   “I had a favor I wanted to ask of you,” Devil said biting her lip.

    “Oh no, don’t give me that look,” Celia groaned, “You said a month! A month! You have two days left till they expect you back.”

   “Shhh,” Devil hissed pulling her into the bathroom and locking the door after she checked all the stalls. “I need more time. Maybe another month or so. I don’t think Royal filled you in or not, but someone is trying to kill me.”

   Celia’s eyes bugged. “What!”

   “They have been after my family and until they’re taken care of I can’t really be anywhere they could find me. Winthrop has only taken me out for my birthday for a few days, but we can’t go far.” Devil squeezed her friend’s hands. “I need more time, please Cee.”

   Cee eyed her for a long moment then gave in with a sigh. “Only because he seems to make you happy and you have a creep trying to kill you,” Cee said with an angry sigh. “But it’s only going to make things harder when you have to leave.” She pressed a hand to her forehead. “What a PR nightmare you have given me. A daughter, two month MIA and a murder story!”

   Devil took in a deep breath to stabilize her racing heart and gave her friend the widest smile she could. And then she squeezed the life out of her until she screamed mercy. “You have no idea how much you are helping me out.” Suddenly a dreadful thought crossed her mind and she sobered. “If it really does happen then I leave Lilla to you, Winthrop wouldn’t know how to raise a girl, but you could help him. I just wish you all the best.”

   Her friend stood there so long, searching Devil’s face and whether she found it or not she nodded and smiled slightly. “You always were so serious. Now let’s get that coffee and go back to the hotties.”

   And so the coffee was ordered and they went back outside.

   Feeling shaking on her feet talking about the possible death threat she hadn’t really thought about before she wrapped herself around Winthrop, pressing her face against his warm chest.

   “What?” he asked, looking down at her and wrapping his arms around her small body.

   Pulling herself together she gave him a small smile. “Nothing, let’s just get outta here.” She looked over her should at her friend. “Thanks again, I’ll see ya later then.”

   Cee smiled and nodded. “Sure.”

   When Devil and Winthrop got to their room at the inn they wasted no time hitting the sheets. The last thing Devil had time to think about was how many times this man could make her feel this way.

After the best birthday of her life she found out when they got back to the ranch that something had happened.

   “What do you mean the evidence from my sister’s murder case went missing?” Devil screeched at Hoss. Currently Winthrop and Grange were holding her back away from the older sheriff.

   Hoss cast a look at Winthrop, nervous about the young wild woman.

   Winthrop nodded.

   Hoss cleared his throat. “It would appear as if someone had stolen it, Ms. Runner. I have men looking everywhere for it, but it will take time before we get anything back.” He shifted his booted feet. “I didn’t come to tell ya’ll that though. I came to give you this.”

   Devil watched the man pull a folded envelope out of his back pocket, paused and then handed it to her. Her name was on this one to in the same bold hand writing of her sister. She pulled away from the men and reached out for the letter with a shaking hand to take it. When she did the sheriff nodded, put on his hat and left the house.

   “I think,” Winthrop said clearing his throat pointedly, “that there are horses that need to be shipped out today.”

   Everyone who had gathered in the house made a beeline for outside. Winthrop gave her shoulder a firm squeeze and walked out tipping his hat over his eyes so she couldn’t see the pain reflected in them over her sorrow. That leaving just her and a sleeping baby Lilla up stairs.

   Wading barefoot on the cold wood floor over to the big chair before the fireplace Devil sat down heavily and looked at the letter in her hand. Tears stung her eyes and she swatted them away. Her chest felt tight and tense with an aching pain she knew only to well.

   Somehow the letter in her shaking hands made it clear that Wylde was gone and would never come back.

    Slowly Devil opened the letter, beginning to read.

   The crushing pain in her chest became so bad that the tears wouldn’t stop flowing, so she dropped her head in her hands and wept.

   The house fell silent even from her crying, but she didn’t notice. Not even when heavy booted feet came inside and stopped behind the chair.

   Kneeling before the big chair and the young woman in it Grange felt a pity for her. He had been in much the same place after the war when he had come back only to find his beautiful young wife had died.

   He reached out with large lean hands and placed them on her knees.

   “I know it hurts,” he began roughly, tasting bitter pain still after all these years. “But you have to drag yourself out of the mud and go on.”

   “I don’t know how,” she whispered, bottom lip quivering.

   “By the same way anyone ever has. Have someone to reach out a hand.” Grange smiled a little. “Like the time you sang me a song, saving my life.”

   Devil looked up at him again and sniffled. “I didn’t save your life.”

   “But you did. I was half crazy when Royal’s guys found me. You brought me back, showing me a smile in all that darkness,” Grange said softly.

   She shook her head. “Anyone would have done the same thing. No one deserves such a life.”

   “From what I heard, you had the worst lot in life. Royal had gotten drunk one night, after you left us, when he finally got the whole story on your life. If I remember right that has been the only time anyone has seen the cruelest man alive, cry.”

   Devil gave him a watery smile. “If he heard you save that you would be six feet under by sun down, right after he made you skin yourself alive.”

   Grange laughed. “That he would. With the right stare he could freeze hell over, I’m sure. Now what had you crying?”

   Devil handed him the letter. “It was her final letter to me. She really is gone, but I can’t help but feeling that she left something behind for me to find.”

   He read over the letter once more and said, “She knew before it was all going to happen.”

   Devil looked away nodded, her brow creased with pain. “I know that she knew.”

   “And at the end of her letter it said she left everything to you. She wants you to visit her home with Lilla.”

…

Two weeks later after a long explanation and a promise to be careful Devil found herself and Lilla at the door of her sister’s apartment with Grange at her back.

   He gave her a nudge toward the door.

   Devil reluctantly took hold of the door’s handle and turned it. She closed her eyes tightly not wanting to open them and see the blood of where her sister had been killed. She took a step in and slowly opened her eyes.

   What she saw before her startled her. The apartment had been cleaned from head to toe of everything that would have been part of the murder. All the walls and floors had been wiped down and everything that had part in the dirty deed was gone as well, leaving the front living room almost bare.

   “You go in, I’ll take Lilla with me for now,” Grange said and took Lilla out of her arms.

   Somehow Devil managed to stay dry eyed though she felt as if the air where being sucked out of her lungs. She simply nodded and the door was closed behind her.

    Taking in a deep breath Devil tried to smile. She could feel it as if Wylde were here.

   “Hey there, big Sis. It’s been almost ten years,” Devil said rubbing her right arm with a cold left hand. “I came back like you told me too, so what is it you wanted?”

…

Three days passed as Devil tore apart the entire apartment looking for something more her sister could have left behind for her.

   Lilla giggled over finding a yellow stuffed star with a smiley face on it and waved at Devil as she popped the top of the star in her mouth.