Wildstar

She gritted her teeth and tried not to gag.

"You ought to be nice to me, Miss Jess. I could ask Madam Wong to go easy on you, since you're new to this and all."

"You could also go to the devil!" Her tawny eyes flashed fire as she glared at him with impotent rage.

His nasty grin widened. "Too bad I don't have time to see to your training. I'd enjoy bringing you to heel—and it'd make my revenge even sweeter."

Jessica tried to swallow her fear. "Is that what this is about? Revenge? But we didn't do anything to you."

"Oh, yeah, you did. You're the reason Burke fired me."

"What are you talking about? Burke fired you?"

"Last week."

"I don't see how that's our fault."

"Your fault mostly. Burke said he didn't care much for my methods. Said the dynamite was bit too rough."

She gasped. "You set the charge in the Wildstar?"

"Could be. 'Course I've got more than enough reasons to be riled at you. I didn't much like it when you and that bastard Devlin killed one of my partners."

Trying to comprehend, Jess stared at him. There had been only one man she and Devlin had killed. "Zeke McRoy was your partner?"

Purcell's dark eyebrows drew together in a scowl. "Never mind that. Just you quit talkin' and listen up. I want you to be real clear about what happened between the Lady J and the Wildstar." His eyes narrowed and he seemed to look through her as he continued. "It started about four months ago. We were sinking a new shaft in the Lady J when we cut through a horse and found your pa's claim."

Jess frowned. A "horse" was a wall of bedrock, she knew. What she didn't understand was why Purcell was admitting his complicity in mining another man's claim.

"We dug a crosscut right into the Wildstar," he was say­ing. "We were stealing right under your pa's nose and he was too stupid to realize it."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jess asked in bewilder­ment.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking Burke with me. I owe him. I figure your pa won't take too kindly to knowing Burke was swindling him."

"We already guessed that. We just never had any proof Burke was behind the attacks."

"Oh, he was behind 'em, all right. He wanted that sil­ver. Why do you think he was so hot to get his hands on the Wildstar? And then he fired me—" Purcell found his grin again. "The thing is, the joke's on Burke. I don't need his fuckin' job. I have enough money stashed away in the mountains to last a lifetime." He reached for her again. "Now lie still while I put this gag back on you."

Trying futilely to draw back, Jess sent him a hostile glare. "You won't get away with this."

"Who's gonna stop me?"

"I will . . . and Devlin."

He laughed, his expression a taunt. "You'd have to find me first. I'm headin' out of state, just as soon as I pay a little visit to some friends of mine up north."

"We'll find you! Just the way we found Zeke."

Purcell sneered. "Zeke was stupid, flashing his ugly face all over the territory. I should never have hired him."

"But you did. You must be pretty stupid, too."

He looked as if he might hit her, making Jess realize how foolish she'd been to bait him.

"Shut up," he warned. "I don't want to hurt you none. I'll leave that to all those fine bucks who are gonna come in here and show you a good time."

Jess shuddered at his threat, and cringed when he reached for her. When she realized Purcell only meant to gag her, though, she clenched her teeth tightly—and paid for her pitiful resistance. He forced her jaw open so pain­fully it made her cry out, then he stuffed the gag in her mouth, wrenching her neck as he retied the knots.