in the rock where they had left the horses.
'Coming?' he called to Jon.
'I'm fight behind you,' Jon assured him.
The Comancheros rode hard alongside the range until the daylight waned
and night began to fall upon them,~ Then they moved into the mountains.
The terrain became very rugged, and their pace slowed.
Chavez dropped back to ride beside Tess.
'This is Nalte's territory.
You will meet your bridegroom very soon.' He sneered at her, very
pleased with himself. Tess said nothing, but watched the man with as
much disdain as possible.
'Wait until you meet Nalte. He is tall and as strong as the rock.
He crushes arrogant little girls between his fingers. He is fierce in
his paint and breech clouts and he is merciless upon his enemies.'
'Chavez, he cannot be anywhere near as repulsive as you,' she said
pleasantly. So pleasantly that it took several long moments for the
smile to fade from his weathered features. He shook a fist in her face.
'I have not given you to Nalte yet, little girl! You hold your tongue,
or you will pay!'
He rode forward again. Tess shivered but kept her eyes straight ahead in
the growing darkness. She could feel the horses and the men bunched
around her, could feel their eyes upon her, could smell the sweat of
their bodies. But she kept her eyes on the trail, looking neither left
nor fight, trying desperately not to acknowledge them--or her own fear.
The rocks stopped suddenly. They had come upon a small plateau studded
with crude buildings barely discernible in the dusk. An open fire with a
huge spit set above it burned in the center of the clearing, and there
were women there and a number of armed men awaiting them. Tess figured
it had to be a headquarters of sorts for Chavez in the mountains.
Perhaps his last stronghold before it became Nalte's territory in full.
She remained on her horse as the men rushed into the clearing, yelling,
screaming, calling to their women, cavorting as they dismounted.
Chavez rode over to her.
'Welcome to my home, little girl.' He laughed.
'Mi casa es su casa. Always, my house is yours. Tomorrow, Nalte's tepee
will be your home!' He roared with laughter, as if he had just said the
most amusing thing in the world.
He dismounted from his horse and lifted her down from hers. He pulled
her close against him, still roaring.
'Maybe I will keep you myself. You have so much to learn about manners.
Maybe you are like a very fine horse to be broken, eh? A magnificent
mare to be ridden and tamed, eh?' Tess struggled fiercely against him.
He enjoyed her distress and continued to smile. She shouldn't fight him,
she thought.
He enjoyed it so very much.
But just as she went limp, a sharp female voice called out, 'Chavez!'
His features hardened. He did not release Tess, but turned around and
stared at the dark-haired, buxom young woman coming toward him. She wore
a white peasant blouse and a full, colorful skirt. Her brown feet were
