'No!' Anna cried in alarm.
'You want him. I hate him] Please' -- 'No! No, no, no! He will beat me!
He might kill me.' The woman wasn't going to help her, no matter how
jealous she was. With a deep sigh of exasperation Tess wandered back to
her chair.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Lord, she was tired.
Seconds went by, then minutes. Anna stayed where she was, her head
lowered.
Tess looked longingly at the rear door. If she tried to escape, Anna
would sound the alarm. She wouldn't have a chance.
She wondered how long Chavez had been gone. The Comancheros were all
outside drinking. Drink might make Chavez think he wanted her more than
he wanted the gold the Apache was paying for her. He was a brutally
cruel man, she had to remember that. It wasn't difficult. She had only
to close her eyes to remember how he had murdered Jeremiah and David in
cold blood.
And then an idea came to her. She hurried over to Anna, falling to her
knees before the woman in her excitement.
'Anna! What if we fought? What if we pretend that I bested you and that
I'
'You could not beat me, puta!' Anna claimed. 'Anna! Chavez is your man!
This is pretend. I tie you up.
I gag you. Then I am gone, and you have Chavez, and he cannot hate you
for letting me go. He must love you all the more for what I have done to
you.' Tess didn't know if that was true or not, but she was certain that
Anna would survive Chavez, and equally certain that she might not do so
herself. Anna's eyes had narrowed, as if she was giving the idea a great
deal of speculation.
Tess picked up a lock of her hair.
'I am blond! That is what they want. If I stay, Chavez might throw you
out.'
That decided it. Anna stood and looked around the room. She rushed' from
the kitchen to the bedroom and found some scarves.
'Is this good?'
'Yes, yes.'
Anna moved to the hearth where she picked up a heavy cast-iron skillet.
She thrust it toward Tess.
'Hit me. You must hit me hard on the head. I must have a bruise.'
'I--I don't think that I can' -- 'You must! If Chavez should beat me, it
would be much worse. ' ' All fight,' Tess agreed doubtfully.
'Let's get in the bedroom. I want you to fall on the bed. I don't want
to hurt you .'
'You must hurt me some.'
They walked into the bedroom. Like the kitchen, it was a mess--with the
bed unmade and clothes strewn everywhere.
Anna stood before the bed.
'Now hit me.'
Tess closed her eyes and bit her lip. Then she raised the iron skillet
high and brought it crashing down on Anna's head. The woman fell without
