Untamed Fire (28 page)

“Move and I’ll cut your throat,” the
growling voice warned.

She didn’t move. The blade was too close,
too sharp, too threatening. She remained still.

The man laughed. “We’re gonna have a good
time, you and me.” Then his other hand began pushing up her skirt,
fondling her buttocks, pinching the delicate skin until she wanted
to scream.

He moved the blade away from her face,
pushing her nose down into the dirt and resting the sharp point
against the back of her neck. “Don’t fight me, bitch,” he
warned.

She continued to remain still.

She bit her lip against his painful pinches
and intimate touches. His fingers dug between her legs and she
wanted to scream for him to stop, but as if he guessed her
intentions, he pushed the blade harder against her neck.

She felt him fumbling with himself and knew
he was getting ready to rape her. She had to do something. She
couldn’t just lie there and accept what was happening to her. Even
with the knife to her neck she had to try... she had to.

“You’re gonna like this, bitch,” he said
with a laugh. “You’re gonna like it a lot better then what Rafael
Cabrillo does to you.”

Gaby didn’t remember quite what she did,
though she knew that her fury sparked her strength and gave her
courage. It all happened so fast. Her hand reached for the thick
rock as soon as her eyes spotted it. Then with every ounce of
strength she possessed she swung it back smashing it against him.
Where it landed she wasn’t certain, but it must have been a good
shot because he dropped his knife and fell off her.

She didn’t look back to see if she knew her
attacker... her only thought was to get away. She kept running, her
breathing heavy, and her leg muscles screaming in protest and still
she ran. Finally, she broke through the brushes into a
clearing.

Carlos spotted her and hurried his horse
over to her. She scrambled to get up on the saddle with him.

“Please,” she pleaded, trying desperately to
join him, “get me out of here.”

He was shocked by her disheveled appearance
and assumed the obvious... she had been attacked. He hoisted her up
in the saddle behind him and rode hard and fast to the hacienda.
And he prayed that he would not have to be the one to tell Don
Rafael about this.

Lupe was summoned to Gaby’s quarters
immediately. She was beside herself when she saw her condition.

“
Oh Madre Dios!”
she whispered and
crossed herself.

Gaby attempted to calm Lupe. “It’s not as
bad as it looks. My arms are just scratched. They look bad because
of the blood. And my face is only smudged with dirt. See,” she said
and began wiping it clean with the wet cloth from the basin.

“Sit,” she ordered, “and I will tend to
you.”

“I will stand,” Gaby said, having tried to
sit and finding it too painful at the moment.

“What did he do to you?” Lupe asked softly
as she began to clean her cuts.

“Nothing, he did nothing.”

“But he tried?”

“Yes,” Gaby whispered, “he tried.”

Lupe shook her head as she cleaned the cuts
and wiped her face. They didn’t speak. They worked together in
silence each at a loss for words.

The door flung open with such fury that it
rattled anything that wasn’t secured. “Leave, Lupe.” Rafael’s
command left no room for refusal. She dropped the cloth and hurried
out, the door slamming shut quickly behind her.

Gaby stood still as he approached her,
although her bottom lip began to quiver slightly.

Rafael was furious. He never thought such
rage could exist inside him. He thought he had experienced it all
the day he had found his wife and child murdered. But his rage had
returned far worse than it ever had been. He not only wanted to
kill whoever had hurt Gaby, he wanted to make him suffer.

“What happened?” he demanded.

Gaby’s stomach clenched. How could she tell
him what happened when she didn’t want to think about it, didn’t
want to recall it. Reluctantly and hesitantly, she detailed the
attack, though when she reached the part where her attacker had
taken liberties with her, she began to choke on her words.

“Sit,
querida,
and tell me,” he said
and gently pushed her to sit in the chair.

“No,” she yelled before her tender bottom
connected with the hard wood.

Rafael stiffened and gripped her shoulders
trying hard to contain the anger growing ever stronger within him.
“What did he do to you?”

“Please, Rafael, don’t make me tell you. I
can’t right now.”

“Then I’ll see for myself.” His hand went to
her waistband.

She grabbed it. “No.”

“Then tell me.” His voice had calmed but not
his anger.

“Rafael, please,” she begged once again.

Suddenly his rage was replaced by her pain.
And all he wanted to do was chase away her suffering. He pulled her
into his arms and held her tight.

She sighed, grateful for the comfort he
offered. His arms, and only his arms, could provide the haven of
safety where she was free to cry and wash away the horrible
ordeal.

She buried her face against his chest, his
shirt muffing her cries for what seemed like an eternity to him.
But he did not let go of her; he held her tightly, keeping her safe
and allowed her, her tears.

When she finally spent most of them, she
sniffled and raised her face to him. “He didn’t rape me,” she said
matter-of-factly.

He looked down at her; his expression
serious. “What did he do?”

Gaby swallowed hard and fought the impending
tears. “He touched me.”

“His touch was hurtful? That is why you
cannot sit?” he asked, his fury once again mounting.

She nodded. “His pinches were brutal.”

Rafael felt his whole body grow rigid with
fury. “Let me see.”

She shook her head and attempted to step
away from him.

He wouldn’t let her; he held her firm and
remained silent.

“Please, Rafael, I cannot,” she said and
dropped her head against his chest.

His hand soothed her, stroking her hair, but
he remained silent. She relaxed against him until his hand
descended to her buttocks.

“Rafael, no,” she protested and attempted to
pull away.

“Shhh,
querida
,” he soothed not
wanting to upset her any further. He eased her head to rest upon
his chest. “Just let me touch you and prove to myself you are all
right.”

She didn’t argue. She felt so very safe in
his arms, and though it seemed childish she had the feeling that if
he touched her there, he would take away the pain and make it all
better.

His touch was gentle and kind as he examined
the welts with his fingers. He could only imagine what they looked
like. He wanted to see for himself, but he knew he would only cause
her more pain and embarrassment if he forced the issue.

He continued to stroke her backside, easing
not only her pain, but his as well.

“You will go nowhere alone and you will let
me know your whereabouts at all times.”

“But—”

“No buts. You will do as I say or else.”

“Or else what?” she asked.

Rafael didn’t have to see her face to see
that she was smiling. He was relieved, although he wanted her to
realize just how serious the situation and what protective measures
must be taken.

“Or else you may die.”

Gaby pulled away from his chest, but not out
of his arms.

He didn’t allow her to speak, placing a
finger to her lips. “There has been one murder. I will not see
another, especially on Cabrillo land.”

“Do you think the man that did this to me
murdered Padre Manuel? I really didn’t get to see him. He remained
behind me, out of sight.”

Rafael didn’t like the picture her words
painted. When he found the bastard, he would pay. “I don’t know,
but I don’t want to take any chances. The padre always treated you
as his favorite. Did he ever confide anything in you, even
something you may think unimportant?”

Gaby thought. There was that one night, but
that only concerned her, and she had promised the padre she would
tell no one. She shook her head. “Nothing I can think of right
now.”

“Think on it, you may remember something,”
he said. “And meanwhile, you will listen to me, won’t you?”

“Yes, Rafael, I will listen. I will always
inform someone of my whereabouts.”

He shook his head. “No, you will always
inform
me
of your whereabouts.”

“But—”

“Me!” he insisted.

She agreed with a quick nod.

“Rest for the remainder of the day.”

“I feel fine and I wish to help. There is
much to do.”

Rafael realized she didn’t want to be alone.
She was still somewhat fearful and rightfully so after what she had
suffered. “Good. There is much to do in the house. Stay there and
see to the chores.”

She agreed with a smile and hugged him.

He returned her hug, not wanting to let go
of her, preferring to keep her near but knowing at the moment that
was not possible. He had to let her go and see to securing the
ranch, but first he had to kiss her. He needed to kiss her, taste
her, revel in her sweetness. And so he did, lingering and savoring
the taste of her until finally he forced himself to bring it to an
end... for now.

“I will send Lupe to finish helping you,” he
said as he reluctantly let go of her. It did not help that she
clung to his shirt and that he had to ease her hands off him. She
did not want him to leave as much as he did not wish to go.

When Rafael finally stepped outside, he took
a deep, controlling breath before issuing orders to Lupe. “See to
her and make certain you and the other servants keep an eye on her
at all times. I will also make certain that a guard remains close
by. Gaby is not to be left alone. And don’t let my mother or the
guests hear of this.”

“
Si
, Don Rafael,” Lupe said,
understanding this was not to be gossiped about. She hurried into
Gaby’s quarters, wanting to make certain the young girl was all
right.

He turned to Carlos who had remained outside
Gaby’s door. “Round up fifty good vaqueros and see if you can hunt
the bastard down. If you find
anyone
—that doesn’t belong on
Cabrillo land—bring him here to me.”

Carlos nodded and turned to carry out his
orders.

“And, Carlos.”

He turned back around.

“Make sure no one touches him... I want that
pleasure.”

By early evening Gaby was feeling her old
self again. The scratches on her arms weren’t as noticeable after
they had been cleaned and salve put on them. Her backside was
healing nicely, especially since she had not sat down since the
incident. There was little soreness and Lupe had informed her that
the redness was almost gone.

What did remain was the nagging feeling that
her attacker had been watching her. He had to have been to have
made the remark about Rafael. Somehow the assailant had known she
and Rafael had been intimate and the only possible way for him to
have that information was for him to have been watching them.

She had to tell Rafael of this. It was
important that he know, perhaps later, after the guests left she
could seek him out.

Satisfied with her decision, Gaby finished
dressing. Dona Maria had specially requested all the household
staff to wear the new white outfits she had ordered made for the
occasion. It was a simple white blouse and skirt with a white sash.
It was nice, but plain.

Gaby decided tonight she would wear a
special piece of jewelry. Actually, the only piece of jewelry she
owned. She lifted the frayed, blue cloth from the drawer and
carefully laid it on the dresser. She pulled back the material and
smiled.

She would never get over the beauty of the
cross. It was a fairly large gold cross hanging from a heavy chain.
A circle sat behind it with Latin words engraved in the areas that
weren’t attached to the cross.

Padre Manuel had called her into his
personal study one evening. She had been frightened, thinking she
had done something seriously wrong to have been called there.

The old padre had told her then. She had not
believed him at first. How could she? How could she believe, at
fifteen, that she was not the Alvardos’ true daughter, that she had
been left at the mission doors when only a babe.

He had given her the cross that night,
explaining to her that it had been left in the basket with her. He
assumed it was the only connection to her true parents. He told her
that she must never tell anyone, that he had kept the secret for
years and wished it to remain so. He had insisted that it was
better for all concerned.

She had often wondered if he had known who
her true parents were, but was bound by his religious duty not to
divulge the information.

Gaby placed the cross around her neck. It
rested comfortably between her breasts. Whoever her parents had
been, they had wanted her to have a remembrance of them. She was
grateful for that, but she was also grateful that the Alvardos had
taken her in and made her one of their own. They were her true
parents.

Gaby quickly worked the white ribbon into
her braid, fearing she was late. She had promised Lupe she’d help
arrange the food on the tables that had been placed in the
courtyard for the evening event. She grabbed her sandals from the
foot of her bed and raced out of her quarters. She was slipping
them on her feet as she entered the hacienda to see if Dona Maria
needed her before she helped Lupe.

She was struggling with one reluctant
sandal, not paying attention to her direction and collided with
Ignacio.

“In a hurry?” he asked, steadying her with
his hands and squeezing her arms as though he had no intentions of
letting her go.