Price of a Bounty - By S. L. Wallace Page 0,42

yourself?”

“What? I just wanted to report that the silverware was missing. That’s why I set out the second best set.”

“That’s not all that has gone missing.” He paused. “I see that doesn’t surprise you.”

I hung my head. “No, sir. I noticed a few other items were missing when I set up for dinner today.”

“I expect you knew they were gone long before that, and I’ll expect you to return everything by tomorrow morning.”

I looked directly at him and said, “But, I don’t have them! I don’t know where they are!”

Lance Beckett strode toward me. He gripped me by the neck and pulled me forward so my face was mere centimeters from his.

“Then you will find them.” Violently, he threw me to the ground.

I turned and tried to brace myself but cried out as the corner of my right eye glanced off the wooden arm of a chair. I hit the floor hard. Snap! What was that? The belt slapped across my back. I screamed in agony, but he didn’t stop. He struck again and again. Tears streamed down my face and soaked the carpet beneath me.

Then Lance Beckett grabbed my upper arms and spun me around. His eyes bore into me. I had never seen him so irate, yet he seemed to be studying me. Was he deciding how to kill me?

Quietly and slowly he spoke. I felt his breath brush over my face. “She must be mistaken. There’s nothing special about you,” he sneered, “and now that you owe me for all that was stolen, she will never have you. I don’t care how high and mighty she is. Until your debt is paid, I…own…you.”

What’s he talking about? Who is SHE?

But I had no more time to wonder about it. He took me then and all rational thought flew from my mind. Never before had he been so brutal. When it was over, I couldn’t walk. It was painful just to stand.

Mr. Beckett grabbed me by the arm, lifted me and escorted me to my room. The door clicked shut, and the outer lock slid into place. I turned to the corner and threw up.

-Keira-

The Lake

We began our holiday at dawn. A grey hazy sky gradually brightened, turning yellow and finally, blue. We experienced little traffic along the way – some service trucks, semis transporting goods and military vehicles, very few cars.

When we arrived, rays of mid-morning sunlight fell upon the lake and made the ripples sparkle like diamonds. The falls roared in the distance. I’d never imagined anything could be so beautiful! Even the rustic cabin was perfect. We spent the day alternately talking and resting peacefully to a backdrop of birds twittering and wind soughing in the trees.

The first night, after we climbed under the covers, I leaned in for a kiss, but Guy gently pushed me back. He studied me intently for a few minutes.

“Something is different.” His finger brushed against my face just over my left eyebrow where I’d been nicked by a knife. “Didn’t you have a small scar there?”

“Yes, and I’m sure I still do.”

“It must be the lighting. How did you get it?” he asked.

“One of my marks grabbed a brass letter opener. Fortunately, my knife was bigger.”

Guy moved down and kissed my left shoulder. That scar was covered now, but he was aware of it.

“What about that one?”

“It was my first.”

“Tell me about it.”

“I don’t really like to think about it.” I pulled the blankets up under my chin and began to turn away.

“Please?”

I sighed. “It happened shortly after I turned 16. A man I was staying with burned me with his cigar. He’d laughed and told me he was branding me. He said I belonged to him. A few nights later, after he fell asleep, I made sure he understood that no one owns me.”

Guy stared at me. I could sense his thoughts, but he remained silent.

I decided to answer his unspoken question. “I didn’t kill him. I simply took a few of his fingers and told him they belonged to me. I figured it was a fair exchange. That’s when I began making a name for myself. After that, anyone who hurt me paid for it.”

Guy took my right hand and turned my arm to reveal the scar left from when I’d tried to take my own life. Even I could hardly see it. Funny, I thought it was more noticeable.

“I can guess what happened here. Do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head, and he kissed