Crossroad (The Gunsmith Book 3) by C.K. Crigger

Author:C.K. Crigger
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
ISBN: 9781629187822
Publisher: City Lights Press
Published: 2017-02-16T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

The terrain looked different, zipping along this fast. It was disconcerting, knowing I didn’t have a wheel on the ground. I didn’t answer the girl’s question right off, being kept too busy retaining a suitable height, trying to hold an even speed, and following the course I knew the other group of outlaws had taken. This wasn’t the easiest thing in the world. The energy-feed to the craft was goosey as all get out.

Once the girl tittered when, of its own accord, the vehicle took a ten-degree turn and I swore. She sobered though, watching me wrench at the steering apparatus with my arms quivering with strain.

“That’s why Aunt Jennie brought us down,” she said. “She was afraid we’d sheer off into the desert and get lost. Those men saw our car was malfunctioning and followed us. At first, we believed they meant to help. They said they’d fixed the steering, but when they suggested a test-run and Auntie said no, they took us anyway. Brought us out where you found us. One of them grabbed the comp so we couldn’t call for help.”

Comp? What the hell was that? I thought I could guess.

She was looking at that damned ear again.

“And then?” I wanted to learn what had happened, though I worried about reminding her. But she looked a little more together when she had to talk, to explain things, even if it was about what had happened.

“The things they said.” Sy-enna choked. “Aunt Jennie told them to be quiet. That they had no call to be talking that way, but she made one of them mad. He took out this knife and while Auntie was standing there, just standing there, he swiped it across her stomach. Oh, miz, she didn’t let herself scream. Not to begin with. But then—”

“Stop,” I said. I saw I’d been wrong to make her speak of it. And now I couldn’t make her be silent.

“But then she did scream and she tried to hold her guts in but she couldn’t and the men laughed and when they looked at me they laughed louder and louder and there wasn’t anything I could do to help her. Well, I can do something now.” She raced through this explanation, telling a story whose words were unbearable, nearly unspeakable. I felt sick at heart. More than heartsick. My soul felt as though it was shriveling as I listened.

“Yes,” I said, trying to soothe her although my own voice quavered on the verge of sliding out of control. What had I gotten into here? “We’ll both do something. We’ll make sure they’re put in prison as they deserve. Just as soon as we get Teagun Dill back.”

“They were going to cut me next,” she said, huddling closer into her seat and wrapping her arms around her front.

“I know.”

“They deserve to die,” she said, and my inclination was to agree with her. What I didn’t agree with, thinking of the severed ear, was the preliminary steps she had taken toward this end.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.