LITMIR.BIZ

      Chapter Three

      “Who are you and what do you want?”

      Jeremy didn’t try to answer. He was too busy trying to breathe. But he wasn’t too badly winded to understand that he’d made a serious miscalculation. One that could have an expensive price tag. He felt the trickle of blood on his neck where the point of Anna’s knife barely broke his skin.

      “You’re in enough trouble,” he said. “Don’t make it worse.” Of course, that was ridiculous. She’d already killed one man. They couldn’t hang her twice.

      There was a sudden intake of breath, and Jeremy knew that she’d recognized him. His body tensed, but he didn’t move. To do so would have invited bloodshed. His own.

      “I knew you were a liar when I read your book,” Anna said, her voice low and deadly. “I didn’t know you were a coward. What did you intend to do, sneak up here and bushwhack me?”

      Jeremy pondered her question. She was darn good at turning a situation to her advantage. It was almost as if she weren’t aware of her own actions. He had read enough psychology to know that a sociopath never had regret for anything she did. Anna Red Shoes was displaying classic symptoms.

      “We can work this out,” he said calmly. “There’s no reason for anyone else to get hurt.”

      “Anyone else?”

      He had to give it to her. She was smart. And alert. And she could playact with the best of them. Or else she was crazier than he’d thought—a scary possibility—because she sounded completely innocent.

      “What happened to Henry was a mistake, okay?” He felt a twinge of betrayal of his friend. What had happened wasn’t a mistake—it was cold-blooded. But he had to talk himself out of a tight situation. And if Anna was as crazy as she acted, then maybe—

      “What happened to Henry—and who is he?”

      “My editor.” He took a breath, glad at last that his lungs were working normally. “He was stabbed to death.”

      He’d expected some reaction, but he got nothing. In the darkness he couldn’t see her features, but he could feel her slender body tense beside him as she kept the pressure on the knife steady. Not even a flinch.

      “You think I killed him?” Her voice was cold, emotionless.

      “I don’t think you meant to kill Henry. You intended to kill me.”

      He expected the blade of the knife to punish him for those words. Anna never even breathed.

      When she did speak, it wasn’t what he’d expected to hear. “The most interesting thing about all of this is your arrogance.”

      Jeremy was shocked at the matter-of-fact tone. “My arrogance? What are you talking about?”

      “Your editor is killed in your home, and your biggest concern is that someone meant to kill you.”

      If Jeremy had had any doubts about Anna’s guilt, they evaporated. She’d given herself away. He’d never said anything about the murder being at his home. And the only two people who knew about the murder were him, and the murderer.

      He felt the tip of the knife shift.

      “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” she asked. “Or did I hit a little too close to home?”

      He had to be careful. She was very angry, and he couldn’t patronize her or ignore her. He had to talk with her as if she were rational. “I came out here to bring you in. I didn’t want to leave it to chance, or to someone else. I wanted to make sure that Henry’s murderer was apprehended and brought to justice.”

      “You’re not only arrogant, you’re completely blind. You’re so totally self-absorbed that you don’t even see the truth of your actions.”

      The knife blade moved away, and for one second Jeremy considered attacking her. But before he could put impulse to action, he felt the blow across his temple. He didn’t pass out, but he was stunned. When he felt the bite of the rope around his wrists and ordered his body to fight, his arms and legs refused to obey. Then it was too late. He was trussed like Tom Turkey at Thanksgiving.

      ANNA TIED THE LAST knot and snugged the rope tight. It would be several hours before Jeremy Masterson wiggled his way out of the mess he was in. By then, she’d be long gone.

      “You better give yourself up,” Jeremy said as she stood.

      He was coming back to his senses, what few he had. “Take some free advice,” she said. “Don’t give guidance to the person you came to apprehend when you’re the one tied up like a big ol’ hog.”

      Her words angered him, and it made her happy.

      “You’re not just walking out of here.”

      There was a challenge in his tone, and she had to admire his spirit. He was tied, and she could easily injure him, but he didn’t back down.

      “No, I’m going to drive out of here. Today’s Friday. I’ll give the authorities a call Sunday morning and make sure you got loose.” The idea of leaving him on the cold, hard ground for a long stretch of time was immensely gratifying. For a man with Jeremy Masterson’s machismo and ego, each minute would be a grueling and humiliating eternity.

      “Better check out your rig. I don’t think you’re going anywhere.”

      His tone held just enough smugness to alert Anna. She made sure the horses were fine and then went to her truck and trailer. The light from the moon was enough to reveal the flat tires: four of them—two on the truck and two on the horse trailer. And they had been cut to the point that they couldn’t be repaired.

      “You lowlife son of a—” She broke off. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of letting him know he’d gotten to her. But how in the hell was she going to get home with four flats? As he no doubt had guessed, she had a spare for the truck and one for the trailer. That still left her two short.

      “What’s the trouble?” he called out. “You got a flat?”

      Anna walked back to him. In the moonlight she could make out only the rough edges of his features. He was a big man with a prominent jaw and dark hair. “If I were a killer, I’d finish you right now,” she said. “Think about that tomorrow when the sun comes up and you get thirsty.”

      She picked up the saddle and went to work on Calamity.

      “You’re a fool if you think you can ride out of the state of Texas on horseback. I’ll have the law after you so fast—”

      “I grew up in these foothills with my father, who grew up with Thunder Horse. We know this land. If I choose to disappear into the hills, you’ll never find me.”

      “That sounds like the boast of an inexperienced woman.”

      Anna tightened the girth on Calamity. Then she took out a kerchief and went to Jeremy. “This is going to give me as much pleasure as it bothers you.” She tied the gag tightly, but not so tightly that it might choke him.

      He struggled against her, making a sound of protest.

      “Along with your immediate dilemma, perhaps you should ponder your chauvinism, bigotry and laziness.” She rolled up her bedroll. “I believe people can change. I believe they can see the error of their ways and honestly desire to live a better life. But I think such a conversion

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