The Bride Wore A Forty-Four by MAGGIE SHAYNE Page B

body
stopped shaking, and her muscles uncoiled, even as the sparks of
pleasure played out. Eventually, he rolled onto his side, pulling
her into his arms and holding her as if she were something
precious.
    His fingers framed her chin and jaw, and he
tipped her head to his, kissed her. "You're the best thing that
ever happened to me," he told her. "Thank you for coming back to
me, baby. I couldn't have survived if you hadn't."
    She drew a breath, "Things got tense between
us, before all this."
    He nodded. "I thought you blamed me for the
rift with your father."
    "No. It wasn't that I was holding back,
protecting myself from being hurt again, the way he hurt me. I
remember so much more now. I'm sorry, Michael. I'm so sorry I hurt
you."
    "It doesn't matter."
    "It does. But I want you to know that even
though I remember that feeling, that fear, I don't feel it anymore.
I left it behind. I know you'll never hurt me."
    "I'd die first."
    "I know. I really do."
    He kissed her again, and she thought she
tasted a tear on his lips, and she was overwhelmed with the
intensity of her feelings for this man. Her husband.
    But as much as she would have liked to lie
there in his arms until sunrise, she knew they had to move on. He
needed treatment. And they both needed to put more space between
themselves and Peter's thugs. She sat up, reluctantly. "We should
get dressed, get moving."
    "I know. Our backup should be arriving to
meet us about three miles from here."
    She nodded, reached for her clothes and
pulled them on. By the time she finished, he'd pulled on his pants
and shirt, but was still struggling to fasten them one-handed.
    "Let me get that," she said, smiling a
little. She moved close to him, and he arched against her hand as
she fastened the jeans. She stroked his chest, teasing him, as she
buttoned up his shirt When she finished, he covered her hands with
his good one. "I never stopped loving you, Kira. I want to be sure
you know that. Not for a minute."
    Her throat went tight "I—"
    "Don't even twitch," Peter shouted from the
darkness. "You're completely surrounded."

Chapter 11
     
    Michael's hands tightened on hers, and his
eyes held hers for an instant before shifting past her to scan the
darkness around them.
    "Step away from him, Kira, or I'll drop you
both where you stand."
    She glanced downward, seeing her gun belts on
the ground, concealed by the grass. "He's not well, Peter. He can
barely stand on his own."
    "Back away from him."
    So they can kill him, she thought Peter would take me alive, avenge his wounded pride
before he finished me off.
    She met Michael's eyes, then shifted hers
downward, toward the guns in the grass nearby. She saw him follow
her gaze.
    "He'll drop like a rock if I let him go."
    "He's gonna drop like a rock either way. Back
off."
    She met his eyes again, prayed he would do
what she wanted him to do. Then she brought her hands to her sides,
backing two steps away, deliberately staying between Michael and
Peter. Michael slumped to the ground.
    "Kill him," she heard Peter say. " Michael
shouted, "Down, Kira!" And even as she dropped to her knees, he
rose up onto his, tossing one gun to her with his wounded hand,
while firing the other one in the direction of Peter's voice. The
meadow exploded in gunfire.
    Kira caught her weapon, turned and dropped to
her belly in the grass, putting her back to Peter, firing at the
muzzle flashes around them, one after the other. Gun smoke rose,
because they were all so close and firing so rapidly. It stung her
eyes, choked her.
    And then the shooting stopped all at
once.
    She lay still a moment, trying to see through
the smoke. It hovered there, in the heavy air, not rising or
dissipating as fast as she wished it would. "Michael?" she called
softly, half expecting the sound of her voice to draw more
gunfire.
    When it didn't, she pushed herself upright.
"Michael?'
    No reply. She walked through the mists,
trying to find her way and realized slowly that the sun was