The Outlaw

Chapter Thirteen

Caroline looked around the dark dirty room she'd spent the last few weeks in. She would have long since lost track of days and night if not for Franks taking her out for a walk once a day and the nightly visits that Mitchell had made to her room since they'd arrived here. She shivered and nearly vomited the bread and water she'd eaten for breakfast when she thought of his hands touching her and his body on hers…..

She had fought him with everything she'd had the first night he'd come but it had been useless. He was stronger than she could ever hope to be and he had laughed and told her how much her fire turned him on…. So after that she had laid limp and motionless beneath him while he sweated and groaned on top of her

This had angered him worse than anytime she had spit or yelled at him and therefore she had made sure to lay limp and motionless every time he came. He was not gentle and she was covered in bruises but each time he left angrier than the time before and if she'd had any happiness left inside of her she would have smiled at her victories.

She had no happiness left inside of her however. Her heart was dead and her soul was gone. She had killed the love of her life in order to save her sister and that monster had killed her sister anyway and then laughed at her tears. Not that she had cried for long.. She didn't want to give Mitchell the satisfaction of seeing her broken. She had nothing left to live for but had too much spirit to lay down and die. She thought every day of how she would escape but still had not found a way.

The gang had broken up after that rainy night nearly three weeks ago. Most of the men had gone off to do their own things with the money they still had from the bank robbery. Only Franks and Doomer had come with Mitchell back to the hideout near the Mexican border.

Caroline was sitting on the tiny bed in the windowless room when thoughts of Ethan again entered her mind. She tried not to think of him often because she never could keep her tears from falling when she thought of him. She tried hard to not think about how cold that gun had felt in her hands. Or the way it had roared in her ears when she had squeezed the trigger and sent the bullet into her beloveds head.

Instead she tried to remember that incredible night in their little oasis they had found. She remembered the way Ethan's hands had touched her with such skill and the way his arms had held her with so much love and tenderness. She could still remember the fire of his kisses and the look in his eyes as they had made love in that pool. She could remember how he had rubbed his neck nervously as he'd asked her to marry him.

She wiped hot wet tears from her eyes and punched the hard mattress beneath her. She was a murderer. A cold blooded murderer. She had pulled that trigger and killed Ethan as he had looked at her with nothing but love. It would make murdering the three men holding her prisoner easier she supposed. Once you've killed the love of your life the thought of killing other people didn't bother you quite so much.

Caroline heard the key in the lock of her door and quickly dried her face. Franks came in carrying a plate of food. He didn't bring his guns or knives with him when he came to see her anymore, not since the first day she'd been here and had managed to get his knife from the strap on his leg and had sliced his arm deeply before he managed to get it away from her.

"How is your arm?" she asked as he sat the plate full of potatoes and venison on the bed.

"Better than yours is going to be once Mitchell tires of you and I'm able to get a hold of you." he promised with a glint in his small black eyes.

"I am not afraid you any of you, Franks. I welcome the thought of dying and you cannot possibly hurt me any worse than I am already hurting." Caroline noticed that he was quiet so she looked up at him and was surprised by the strange look on his face. He had never looked at her that way before. It was almost like he felt sorry for her.

"Eat your lunch, Caroline, and then I'll take you out for a walk. Mitchell is gone to town till tomorrow so he won't be bothering you." Caroline nodded unsure of how to respond to the kindness in his normally harsh voice. Franks turned and walked back out.

Caroline wondered if maybe she could use his kindness against him. Maybe she could get him to let her go while Mitchell was away and then once she was free she could plan a away to come back and kill Mitchell and avenge the deaths of her mother, father, brothers and Jasmine. And of course Ethan.. Because though she may have been the one that pulled the trigger Mitchell was truly the one to blame.

She knew she had to get out soon. They had traveled for two weeks to reach this hideout of Mitchell's and now she'd been locked in this room for nearly another two weeks. Mitchell was getting meaner every night he came and Caroline knew that her face was already scarred from the many beatings he had given her. She knew he wasn't going to keep her alive much longer and that she was running out of time.

888

"You must think I'm stupid or something." Franks said matter of factly as they walked around the courtyard of the abandoned fort that Mitchell called home. Caroline shrugged.

"It had crossed my mind." she replied as she fidgeted with the manacles that were around her wrists causing the chain that led down to the manacles on her ankles to rattle.

"Even if I do feel a little sorry for ya that don't mean I'm gonna let you go! Mitchell would kill me for sure."

"Don't tell me you're afraid of Mitchell." Caroline asked forcing disbelief into her voice. "A tough guy like you?" Franks laughed.

"You think you're real smart. Trying to get me to turn against my friend but I see what you're doing and it ain't gonna work. You are gonna stay right here until Mitchell gets tired of ya and then I guess you'll die." Caroline felt her last bit of hope fading. She had hoped Franks would help her but that seemed hopeless and she knew that Doomer was a no go. He was even more loyal to Mitchell than Franks was.

"We could run together you and I." Caroline said throwing her head back so her dark hair would catch the sun. She smiled the most charming smile she could manage through her busted lips and looked over at him. He was staring hard at her and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he found her tempting.

"Yeah and I guess if we ran away together you'd let me make love to you?" he asked causing Caroline to shiver with disgust. "And I'm not talking about what you do with Mitchell. I want your body the same way you gave it to Ethan. I want you willing and…." He never got a chance to finish before Caroline launched herself at him. Not that she could do any damage with her hands and feet chained together.

Franks laughed and grabbed her by her hair to hold her still.

"That's what I thought, you little bitch. Trying to use your body to get what you want. Well I ain't that stupid and it ain't gonna work on me. Let's get your ass back to your room." Caroline bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain as he drug her by her hair back to her little room.