CHAPTER 4

To get to the barn and corrals, John drove passed the sizeable, two-story colonial house. He knew Collins was in the barn because a light was on. He climbed out of the car after taking his gun from the rear seat.

As he did, Collins appeared from the barn riding a brown mare with one white-stockinged foot and a blaze of white down her face. "That didn't take you long." Collins remarked as he tightened the saddle cinch. "Why the hurry?"

"I had a jailbreak tonight."

Collins lowered a stirrup and turned to face John. "Damn. Who are you after then?"

"Tosin Oglo."

Collins took a step away from the horse and scowled. "He was terrorizing all the women in Bramble a few weeks ago. He was imprisoned by Adonis, who then escorted him out of town."

John slid his gun into the saddle's scabbard. "Tosin has always received leniency from us, but this time he has gone too far. I need to find him quickly because he assisted a female prisoner in escaping."

"What!"

John put his left foot in the stirrup and swung into the saddle. "Do you mind if I cross your property to reach his shack?"

"Of course not. Do you need any help?"

"No. I can handle Tosin. Thanks for allowing me use your horse. I'm grateful for it."

"She is a workhorse, her name is Blaze. She won't fail you and will take you safely through those bushy areas."

"I owe you."

"You sure do." replied Collins. "I had my arms wrapped around the most gorgeous woman in the county."

"Give Daniela my very best." Blaze was prancing, ready to take off. John held her back, glancing at Collins' leather house shoes.

"Those really hurt your image as a cowboy." After saying so, he quickly left the yard, but not before noticing Collins' broad grin.

ALTHOUGH LILY wasn't certain, it seemed like they had been traveling for hours. She kept pushing on the door with her body in hopes it would come open. Tumbling out onto the road seemed a better option to her current situation. However, it was presumably rusted shut. Her skin was wounded by the rope, and the heat and pain were excruciating.

They were now traveling only on a rough, narrow dirt road. She felt dizzy and as like something was whirling about inside of her like something in a blender. A dense thicket was visible in the truck's one headlight. Where were they?

In her mind, the answer came quickly, 'Somewhere where no one will find you.'

To silence her thoughts, she forced a firm swallow. 'The sheriff is on his way'. He irritated her, yet he seemed capable.

She could smell the odour in the truck. Is it possible to die from odours? Before her father's illness, she had never given death much attention. She didn't like the concept back then, and she didn't like it at all today. How was she going to escape this awful man?

Suddenly, a clearing with a small, decaying shack and an associated lean-to was revealed by the headlight's glare. Nearby, a river or creck flowed. Weeds were in full bloom all around two rusted trucks that were parked off to the side. The yard was overrun with trash and junk, from a broken washing machine to a mountain of cans and bottles.

Undoubtedly a location where a body might be buried and never be discovered. Her throat slipped down with a tense hiccup.

After coming to a complete halt, Tosin reached under the dashboard to cut the wiring. The engine continued to splutter. And then there was silence.

"This is it," he declared with pride. "My home. I need a woman to look after it."

'It would be handled by a bulldozer.' Her throat closed up on the words. She would need to employ some of the strategies Brielle had mentioned to get away from him. Tosin was a simpleton, and she thought she could use that to her advantage.

She turned to face him. "Let me go, please. I have no knowledge of your customs or how to survive in the wild. I'm a city girl." Her tone lowered to one of gentle begging. "Just let me go, please."

'And if you don't, I'll start shouting and lose any remaining control I'm managing.'

"No," he said obstinately. "You are now mine."

She bit her lip to contain her screams. She wasn't giving up, though. She just had to bide her time.

Tosin opened the door and got out, looking back at her. "Git out," he ordered

She scrambled out, eager for fresh air. The rope cut deeper with each movement, but she was able to stand on her feet, her lungs soaking up the night air untainted by filth.

She held out her hands. "Would you kindly undo these? The rope hurts."

He shook his head. "No. You're going to flee."

"Where would I go?" She cast her gaze about at the dense forest.

Without waiting for a response, he turned and drew her toward the hut by grabbing her arm. No way was she going inside. Once she did, she knew there would be no escape.

She deliberately stumbled. She muttered, "I feel dizzy," and then she collapsed to the ground.

"What's wrong with ya?" He squatted down next to her and looked into her face. She had to fight the urge to run away from his closeness.

"I'm not sure. I just need to rest"

'And to reflect.'

He waited.

Lily inhaled deeply, appreciative of the break. The moonlight enveloped the forest in an effervescent brilliance, making it gorgeous at any other time. The place seemed simultaneously peaceful and spooky as the lake gently rippled and crickets sang. But her circumstances was everything but tranquil. How was she going to escape him?

He repeated in that same confident voice, "This is all mine. My brother's wife and her family reside further west, but they are unable to take this land because it belongs to me. It will be yours as well if you get married to me."

She decided against responding because doing so would be like to speaking to the trees.

"I sell my moonshine for a lot of money. I purchased the best copper still available in the county. You can have the money, too."

The man was mentally unstable. Suddenly, she had a thought. She moaned while pressing her cuffed wrists to her face. "I feel like I should vomit. Please loosen the rope." She was hoping this little ruse would work because she had seen him use it.

He cut the rope without saying a word, and she struggled to control her scream when his strong fingers touched her wrists. She flexed her fingers. "Thank you." The sheriff had said something about using honey rather than vinegar. She was going to kill Tosin by honeying him to death."

"Do ya feel better?"

"Please give me some water."

He pointed to something that looked like a well pump. "There is a lot."

Was he serious? He was, without a doubt. "Would you please get some for me? I'm so weak."

He grabbed her arm in a viselike grip andv yanked her to the well . "Don't trying anything. Remember i still have the gun."

'Oh, God! Be composed.'

She crouched down when they got there, allowing the mud around the well to seep into her capris. Water spurted out when Tosin pumped the lever. While pretending to drink, she cupped her hands and let the water to drip through her fingers and onto her clothes.

"As I said, I have water. Let's head inside now. Ya can prepare something for us to eat."

'Like hell. She stood and linked her fingers together, making a two-handed fist. It was now or never.

He walked up and said, "Let's go."

With every ounce of strength she had, she swung her clenched hands at Tosin's face. She heard a loud pop as flesh touched skin, and to her surprise, Tosin fell. She took off at a run for the woods, not looking back.