Page 45 of Kane's Bounty
Chapter 8
Lena didn’t wantto open her eyes. She hoped she never had to open them again. The bed where she had slept for the two years of her marriage was the source of many of her nightmares. Now she had a more horrific dream to replace Oscar’s penchant for inflicting pain on others. Her eyes were tightly shut, but nothing would ever wipe away the pain of Troth Banta pushing into her mind. His horrifying thoughts plundering her memories would haunt her for the rest of her life. The bedding under her cheek was damp from the tears that continued to roll down her face. She’d tried to dash them away, but they wouldn’t stop. Maybe they would never stop. Her body trembled, though it wasn’t cold in the room.
She had no need to see her prison. A queen-size bed, one dresser and a chair. On one wall a mirror hung and on the other a painting of a mountain range. It was a pleasant enough space, but even a well-appointed jail cell was still just that.
A creak in the steps of the old home alerted her, someone was coming up to her room. She didn’t even bother to open her eyes. Nothing Oscar could do to her now would matter. She had failed to protect Grandmother. She didn’t care what he did to her. Death would be a welcome escape from the idea that Banta would hurt Grandmother the way he had hurt her.
Could it be Banta on the steps? Maybe he hadn’t really left the house. It could have been a trick. The broad planes of his face and those dead brown eyes burned in her memory. Her entire body shook. She wanted to be strong, but the terror of his filthy mind invading hers was too fresh.
She pulled her knees in tight to her chest and clung to them.
A soft thud sounded outside the door.
Lena heard a whimper and realized it was her own.
The door opened and a moment later his hands were on her. She tried to scream, but his hand covered her mouth. It was too much. Oh God, just let me die.
“Lena.”
Her name being softly called penetrated her terror. She could not get away from Banta’s invading mind. The people he’d killed or how much joy he’d gotten from those acts. Hands gripped her shoulders more tightly.
“Lena, it’s me.”
Again, she heard her name.
“Come on, baby. Open your eyes. It’s me, Kane.”
She recognized the voice. “Kane?”
“That’s right.”
The hands holding her shoulders were not hurting her. She forced her eyes open. Kane’s beautiful face filled her vision. “Kane?”
“Yes, Lena, it’s me.”
She collapsed against his chest. More tears poured from her eyes and she shook as his gentle hands caressed her back.
“Lena, we can’t stay here. I know you’re tired. I know you need time to heal, but we don’t have any. I need for you to pull it together for a while longer. Can you do that?”
She pushed against his chest and looked up into his stunning blue eyes. “Where are the soldiers?”
“I’ve taken care of them.” He restrained the anger in his voice. His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Banta?”
His jaw ticked at her mention of the name. “He left the house. I’ll deal with him later. We have to go, Lena.”
She nodded and uncurled from the bed. She swayed on her feet, but he steadied her. “He went to find Gran.”
“Joshua will protect your grandmother.”
“How can you be sure?”
He smiled, but his eyes remained hard and angry. “Trust me. Joshua won’t let anything happen to her or her friends. They are safe.”
He took her hand and tugged until she followed behind him into the hallway. She looked down at the body of the soldier who’d carried her to the room. His eyes were closed. He could have been asleep. “Is he dead?”
Kane shook his head. “Just unconscious.”
