Tracie Peterson - [New Mexico Sunset 03] Read online

  Angeline suddenly felt a cold chill. “No,” she said again, as Gavin slowly turned the doorknob.

  “Where’s your spunk, Angel?”

  The room was dimly lit, and the low rumbling of male voices rose up with the assaulting cigar smoke. Gavin held Angeline tightly to his side and moved slowly through the storage room where crates of whiskey were carefully concealed in wooden boxes marked “Medical Supplies.”

  Angeline’s eyes gradually adjusted to the light, and she took in her surroundings with a great deal of interest. The room was paneled in a dark walnut with brass fixtures and emerald green draperies. “So this is where men come to get away from women,” she mused. “What do they talk about when they get here?”

  Gavin chuckled low. “Women, of course.” Angeline started to giggle, but Gavin quickly clamped his hand over her mouth. “Shhh.” He lowered his hand and pointed to where a massive plant blocked a clear view of the occupants behind it. “Baker.” Angeline’s eyes widened as Gavin pulled her further behind the plant and held her close.

  “You took your time getting here,” Douglas was saying. Angeline couldn’t see who he was talking to, but she was very much aware of Gavin’s arm around her waist.

  “We’re here, ain’t we? What’da you want?”

  “Yeah,” a second voice chimed in. “What’da ya want?”

  “We have a particular matter that I want taken care of,” Douglas began. “It’s a problem I thought I’d rid myself of in New Mexico.”

  “One of those pain-in-the-neck women?”

  “No,” Douglas replied. “A man. His name is Lucas. Gavin Lucas. I hired some local thugs to put him out of my misery, but they failed to do the job right.”

  Angeline nearly gasped at the casual way Douglas spoke of trying to have Gavin incapacitated, but she caught herself in time and put her hand over her mouth.

  “So you want us to finish the job?”

  “That’s right. I thought it could be dealt with, without having to be permanent, but I was wrong. He’s staying here in the hotel. I have his room number and a pass key. Take care of it tonight.”

  “Sure Baker, but it’ll cost you extra.”

  “You’ll have your money when the job’s done,” Douglas replied. “After Lucas is out of the way, we’re going to put an end to Miss Neal’s planned Washington trip. The last thing we need is a bunch of addlebrained women marching on the Capitol.”

  “Thought you supported their votin’ cause,” one of the men said with a laugh.

  “I’m the only cause I support. Giving women the right to vote is like giving them a purse full of money. They won’t know how to handle it properly, and they’ll only ask for more once that’s gone.”

  Angeline forgot herself and pushed away from Gavin to confront Douglas. “How dare you! How dare you sit here plotting to end a man’s life and ruin the efforts of an entire movement!”

  Douglas’s eyes registered his surprise, but his tone indicated nothing out of the ordinary had happened. “Angeline, you would have been wise to stay out of this.” He sounded like a parent scolding a child. “And you, Mr. Lucas, you should have learned your lesson in New Mexico.”

  Angeline hadn’t even realized that Gavin had joined her. “You leave Gavin out of this. He was only doing what my parents asked him to do. You had no right to interfere in my life that way, Douglas.”

  “I had every right. Now if you’ll calm down, perhaps we could discuss this more privately. Say upstairs.”

  “I don’t want to discuss this with anyone but the appropriate authorities,” Angeline stated angrily. She felt strengthened by Gavin’s presence, certain that no harm could possibly come to them here.

  The seclusion of Douglas’s table worked to his advantage. No one seemed close enough to be able to overhear the commotion, and even if they could, people here weren’t given to interfering in one another’s business. With a nod at his companions, rough looking characters who made Angeline take a step back, Douglas got to his feet.

  “And what proof will you offer?” Douglas questioned, staring intently into Angeline’s eyes.

  “My word will be good enough for starts. I’ll call on Jefferson Ashton, and he’ll help me in whatever I need.” She turned to ask Gavin to take her to her room, but Douglas stopped her with an iron-like grasp on her arm. Gavin reached out to free Angeline, but Douglas pushed something cold and hard into his ribs. “I have a gun trained on your young man, Angeline. Please tell him it would be wise to do things my way.”

  The two men with Douglas stood up and produced their own weapons. Angeline turned ashen and nodded her cooperation, while Gavin gritted his teeth and stared daggers into Baker.

  “Good,” Douglas said when he saw they were going to cooperate. “Now let’s go upstairs and talk about this like rational adults.”

  Chapter 15

  W here should we take them?” Douglas asked one of the ruffians. “We still got that room up on three,” the man replied. “Good,” Douglas said with a satisfied smile. “Let’s go there.” He pushed Angeline in front of him, then took hold of her with one hand and steadied the gun between them. “Now, Mr. Lucas, I won’t have any problem from you, will I?”

  Douglas made certain Gavin could see the gun. “You won’t have any trouble with me.” Gavin’s voice was deadly in its tone.

  “Douglas, this is ridiculous,” Angeline protested. “This isn’t the old West. You can’t simply walk up to people and pull guns on them. Why even back in Bandelero, as primitive as it can be, people don’t walk around doing this.”

  “Dear, sweet child,” Douglas said, tightening his grip on her arm, “keep your voice down, or my good friends are going to put an end to your good friend.”

  Angeline paled and felt her heart pound harder. She couldn’t let Douglas hurt Gavin, no matter the cost. She steadied her nerves and lowered her voice to a whisper. “He’s got nothing to do with this. If you don’t like the suffrage movement, deal with Willa or even me, but leave Gavin out of it.”

  “Mr. Lucas has become, shall we say, a personal challenge,” Douglas replied and turned a leering smile on Angeline. “But never fear, I do intend to deal with Willa, and my plans for you are more promising with every passing moment.”

  Gavin growled from behind them and moved at Douglas as if to separate him from Angeline. “I wouldn’t do that, Mr. Lucas,” Douglas said quite seriously. “If this gun accidently goes off, guess who’s hands the police will find it in?”

  “Don’t push him, Gavin,” Angeline said in a pleading voice. “Please don’t risk it.”

  Gavin backed off, feeling the presence of the other two men at his side. Douglas led the way, pulling Angeline along as though they were sweethearts. Together, the strange-looking group made their way through the smoking room and into the lobby. Crossing the room cautiously, Douglas motioned in the direction of one of the back staircases, and the men nodded and prodded Gavin to follow.

  Angeline tried to think of something to do or say, but Douglas seemed comfortable and far too familiar with the gun that he occasionally nudged into her side.

  Lord, she prayed, there’s no one but You to help us. Please Father, Gavin and I need your mercy. Angeline climbed the last set of stairs, feeling a bit light-headed. The altitude had little to do with it. This dizzy feeling came from fear. Fear that if something in Angeline’s and Gavin’s favor didn’t happen soon, someone was going to get hurt. If not killed.

  I should have gone home with Gavin when he first found me, Angeline thought to herself. She glanced over her shoulder to catch Gavin’s eyes. It rallied her heart a bit just to see that he was so near and very much alive.

  One of Douglas’s men unlocked the door and shoved Gavin in, while Douglas walked through casually. With Angeline still on his arm, Douglas pointed to a nearby chair. “Sit there, Lucas. Joe, tie him up.”

  Gavin stared at Baker for a moment. His steely blue eyes seemed to darken to black, and Angeline saw an anger in him that she’d
never known him capable of. “You’d better not hurt her,” Gavin growled.

  “That, my dear Mr. Lucas, is entirely up to you. If you behave yourself and do as you’re told, then Angeline will remain perfectly well.” Douglas paused and ran his finger along Angeline’s jaw, further tormenting Gavin.

  Clenching his fists at his side, Gavin took a seat and allowed the men to tie him to the chair. His eyes never left Douglas Baker, however.

  “Now, gag him,” Baker said and pointed Angeline to an empty chair. “Sit there, my dear. We’re going to discuss our wedding.”

  “Our what!?”

  “You heard me. Sit.”

  Angeline stared in disbelief at Douglas, but it was Gavin’s words that calmed her. “Easy, Angeline. Just remember God’s the One Who’s in control—not Baker and not Willa.”

  Angeline’s head quickly went to the source and met Gavin’s eyes for reassurance. The hope went out of her at the sight of Gavin’s captivity. Oh, this is all my fault! She wanted to say the words but wouldn’t give Douglas the satisfaction.

  “I thought I told you to gag him,” Douglas said and pushed Angeline to the chair. The men produced a strip of material and gagged Gavin’s mouth, while Douglas addressed Angeline.

  “Now, let’s get to the heart of the matter. It seems you’ve placed me in an awkward position, but it isn’t without its remedies.”

  “I’m going to see that you get what’s coming to you!” Angeline said, angrily twisting away from Douglas.

  “That’s my plan,” Douglas grinned and pulled a chair beside her. “You and I are going to get married, Angeline.”

  “Never! I’ll never marry you!”

  “Never is a frightfully long time, my dear. Now, the way I see it,” he paused and motioned her to look at Gavin, “our friend over there is in need of your utmost cooperation. If you don’t marry me and keep what you know to yourself, I will see to it that he dies.”

  The words left Angeline cold. She couldn’t take her eyes from Gavin, and even though he shook his head at her, she knew there was no other choice.

  “And if I marry you, what proof do I have that you won’t kill him anyway?”

  Douglas smiled. “We need each other, Angeline. You need me to keep my word and allow your Mr. Lucas to live. I need you to keep your mouth shut and to get me the support of your New Mexican politician friends. Now, once we’re married, I will release Mr. Lucas. I will, of course, keep track of his whereabouts, just in case you decide to share any secrets with Willa. Should that unfortunate thing happen, I will send one of these gentlemen to even the score. You might try to ruin me, Angeline, but just remember,” Douglas’s voice lowered to barely a whisper, “you’ll already be my wife. There won’t be any way you can escape.”

  Gavin made noises from behind his gag, but Douglas only seemed to enjoy his agony. “That’s right, Mr. Lucas, she will be my wife. That is, if your life means anything at all to her, and I can clearly see that it does.”

  Gavin grew quiet, his eyes narrowing in on Baker. It wasn’t the first time Douglas’s had seen death in the eyes of a man. A man who very much wanted that death to be his own. It unsettled Baker for only a moment.

  “Do you plan to kill Willa, as well?”

  Angeline’s words brought Douglas’s attention back to her. “Kill her? No. That would be a waste of time. The woman is only one step away from an asylum. I’ll see her put away where she belongs. I’ll also see an end to this infernal suffrage movement.”

  “I thought you supported the cause,” Angeline said, hoping he’d forget about the marriage idea. “What changed your mind?”

  “I’ve never supported women having the vote,” Douglas said simply. “I saw a group of people I could benefit from, and I ran the risk of associating myself with their cause. Causes are stepping stones for me, Angeline. They mean very little,” he paused, “except in relationship to how they can benefit me.”

  Angeline felt as though she’d been slapped. It was exactly the same way she’d perceived causes. Was it possible that others saw her as distasteful and dishonest as she now saw Douglas? With her brows knitted together thoughtfully, she looked at Gavin who seemed to understand her sudden revelation. It was like growing up ten years in one single moment.

  Angeline looked away, unable to meet Gavin’s eyes. I’ve only sought to benefit myself, she thought. I’ve run from one cause to another, including Christianity, and now I’ve nothing. Angeline was miserable. Then a still, small voice stirred inside her.

  It isn’t true. You have God. You have the foundations of the faith you were born to. Reach out to Him. Trust His guidance.

  Angeline squared her shoulders. “I have a headache, Douglas. Would you please get on with this. What is it that you expect me to do now?”

  Douglas seemed quite pleased with her seeming acquiescence. “We will announce it to Willa, of course. She’ll be quite pleased, you know. She’s the one who originally put me onto the idea of marrying you. I saw the potential and decided it was a wise suggestion.”

  “So we just go to her now and announce it?” Angeline was trying not to let anything Douglas said affect her one way or the other. I have to keep my head, she thought. I have to remain calm or they will kill Gavin.

  “I don’t see why not. I know she’ll want to be a part of it.”

  “Very well, Douglas,” Angeline said and got to her feet. She refused to look at Gavin for fear she’d break down. “Let’s find her.”

  ❧

  “My, but this is exciting,” Willa said with a broad smile and a knowing glance at Douglas. Angeline saw the exchange but chose to ignore it and play dumb. If they think I’m a simpleton, Angeline thought to herself, so much the better.

  Angeline tried to smile and appear excited. “Douglas is so spontaneous,” she said as eagerly as she could. “He wants us to marry right away.”

  “But of course!” Willa declared and embraced Angeline, who stared menacingly at Douglas over the older woman’s back. “This is big,” Willa announced. “Really big. We must make it public.”

  “I don’t understand,” Angeline replied. “What is it that you have in mind?”

  “A public wedding!” Willa’s mind was already making preparations. “We’ll put off the Washington trip. I received word today that President Wilson couldn’t meet with us anyway.”

  This was the very thing Douglas wanted, and Angeline noted the pleasure in his eyes as he came to stand beside her. “Of course, money is no object,” he said smugly. “My family will be happy to. . .”

  “No, no, no,” Willa interrupted him. “This is much bigger than that. I’ll speak with Jefferson Ashton. He’s a good friend of Angeline’s family and can probably arrange something with the governor.”

  Douglas nodded, yielding to the older woman’s wisdom, while Angeline remained silent. She was plotting in her mind how she could rescue Gavin and escape Douglas’s plans.

  “Are you all right, my dear?” Douglas’s charming concern was almost too much for Angeline to stomach.

  “It’s my headache. I can’t seem to be rid of it.”

  “Douglas, take this poor child to her room. You and I can plan the details of this event.”

  “Certainly, Willa,” he said with a smile that revealed his perfect teeth. “I wouldn’t want my bride-to-be to come down with something serious.”

  Angeline batted her eyes at Douglas as though he could hang the moon and the stars in the sky, making Willa laugh.

  “I knew you two were made for each other,” she said with an undercurrent of mastery in her voice.

  “That you did, Willa,” Douglas said knowingly. He took hold of Angeline’s arm and led her to the door. “I’ll be free in a few minutes. Perhaps you would take dinner with me downstairs?”

  “That would be fine, Douglas. I’ll meet you there,” Willa replied.

  Angeline remained silent until Douglas had walked her down the hall to her suite. “Why do you hate suffrage so? Willa has worked v
ery hard for the cause, and whether she believes in it for all the right reasons or not, it is worthy of passage.”

  “You are dangerously naïve, Angeline,” Douglas answered, taking her key and unlocking the door. Handing it back to her, he closed his hand over hers. “Soon, we’ll share a room.”

  Angeline wanted to smash her foot down on his, but instead she lowered her eyes as though embarrassed. In truth, she was, but it wasn’t something she’d ordinarily have allowed Douglas to see.

  “Why is it not worthy of passage?” she asked again.

  Douglas was unconcerned with the way she ignored his suggestive words. “Suffrage is only the start, Angeline. I am a futurist. I see down the road and know the turn of events that will come to pass, by those that have already happened.”

  “No one can see the future. Only God has that power.”

  “God may well have made the future, but He isn’t the only one who can see it coming.”

  “For example?” Angeline questioned.

  “War,” Douglas replied, and Angeline’s spine tingled.

  “War?” Her voice was shaky, her face clearly pale.

  “Yes. We’ll be involved in the European war soon. Probably before next year is out, although since it is an election year for Wilson and, overall, the people love the fact that he’s kept us neutral, it might be 1917 before we actually get around to it.”

  “What else?” Angeline felt that she needed to know what Douglas could see. After all, maybe he was right.

  “We’ll win it, of course. But it will be bloody and senseless. Some will make a great deal of money on it and others will suffer for it. When it’s all said and done, I predict a great deal of prosperity for this country, and I intend to be in on it from the start.”

  “What about suffrage?”

  “Unfortunately,” Douglas said with a faraway look in his eyes, “I believe that unless I can stop this thing now, it will get out of hand and passage will be accomplished.”